Adventures of Superman #443

Aug 1988 · DC · 0.75 USD; 1.00 CAD; 0.40 GBP

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“Prisoner of Conscience”

About this Issue

Adventures of Superman #443 is a self-contained Copper Age story that showcases Jerry Ordway's early tenure as writer on the post-Crisis Superman titles, a stewardship that would later help shape the entire 'Death of Superman' saga. The issue introduces a fully original race of extradimensional beings — the Exiles — along with several of their key individual members, marking the first appearance of Tehra, Zander, Jawad Al Gurdan, and others who would linger in the post-Crisis Superman mythology. It also represents the kind of globe-trotting, Clark Kent-as-journalist storytelling that defined the character's grounded, post-John Byrne relaunch, blending Middle Eastern geopolitical tension with science-fiction discovery in a single issue. The story was considered significant enough to be collected decades later in the 2022 edition of Superman: The Man of Steel Vol. 4.

writer Jerry Ordway · artist John Statema · inker Doug Hazlewood · colorist Julianna Ferriter · letterer Albert De Guzman · cover Jerry Ordway

ComicBooks.com Value

Our Model is In Beta

Raw (VF) $7

CGC 9.8 · 2 in census $812*

CGC 9.6 · 1 in census $341*

CGC 9.4 none in existence

CGC 9.2 · 1 in census $219

CGC 9.0 · 2 in census $195*

CGC 8.5 none in existence

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CGC 8.0 · 2 in census $158*

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Our model’s value — refined as new sales data arrives · CGC census counts shown where available

This exact issue on ebay

CGC 9 $3,429 1 listing Raw — MINT $2.79 1 listing

Raw — NM ▾ $4.5–$4.99 2 listings

NM $4.5 NM $4.99

Raw — VF/NM $3.99 1 listing Raw — VF+ $2.4 1 listing Raw — VERY FINE $8 1 listing

Raw — VF ▾ $2.37–$9.6 4 listings

VF $2.37 VF $3.8 VF $5.5 VF $9.6

Raw — FN ▾ $3.96 2 listings

FN · Newsstand $3.96 FN $3.96

Raw — VG+ $3.8 1 listing

Raw / ungraded ▾ $1–$49.06 40 listings

Verified matches for Adventures of Superman #443 · eBay asking prices, seen 53 days ago

More listings for this title

CGC 9.8 $84 DC Comics The Adventures Of Superman Hostage Crisis August 1988 #443 Comic Book $1.25 DC Comics Adventures of Superman (1987-1997) $2.99 DC Comics The Adventures Of Superman August 1988 NO#443 Comic Book Comicbook $4.55 The Adventures of Superman Issue #443 (August 1988, DC Comics) $4.99 Adventures of Superman comics select an issue $6.29

Related listings we couldn't confirm as this exact issue · 6 total · seen 53 days ago

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History

By the time this issue went on sale in April 1988 (cover-dated August 1988), Jerry Ordway had already transitioned from primary artist to writer on Adventures of Superman following a brief stint by John Byrne after Marv Wolfman's departure — making this part of Ordway's formative solo run on the title. The issue was edited by Michael Carlin with assistant editing by Renee Witterstaetter, the same core editorial team overseeing the tightly coordinated Superman family of books during this era. Pencils were handled by John Statema with inks by Doug Hazlewood, rather than Ordway himself, reflecting the collaborative, rotating-artist approach common to the Superman line at the time.

Trivia · 8 facts

Story title: 'Prisoner of Conscience'; cover date August 1988; on-sale date April 26, 1988.
Written by Jerry Ordway; pencilled by John Statema; inked by Doug Hazlewood; colored by Julianna Ferriter; lettered by Albert De Guzman; cover by Jerry Ordway.
Edited by Michael Carlin (credited as Michael Carlin); assistant editor Renee Witterstaetter.
First appearance of the Exiles, an extradimensional alien race that merges with human hosts to survive in corporeal form.
First appearances of individual Exile characters Tehra and Zander, plus first appearances of Jawad Al Gurdan and Hassam (dies this issue).
The villain the Emperor and his son Ahkry also make their first — and final — appearances here, both dying within the issue.
The issue exists in multiple print variants: a Direct Market edition, a Newsstand edition, and at least 16 mall-distributed variants in which the UPC box is replaced by the logo of a specific shopping mall.
Reprinted in Superman: The Man of Steel Vol. 4 (2022 Edition), confirming its place in DC's curated post-Crisis Superman continuity.