Speedball #1

Name: Speedball #1
Brand: Marvel
Availability: InStock

Sep 1988 · Marvel · 0.75 USD; 0.95 CAD; 0.50 GBP

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★ 1st appearance — Niels

About this Issue

Speedball #1 is the solo series debut of Robbie Baldwin, a.k.a. Speedball the Masked Marvel — a character co-created by Steve Ditko and Tom DeFalco who had been introduced just months earlier in Amazing Spider-Man Annual #22. The issue formally establishes the supporting cast of Justin Baldwin and Madeline Naylor, the Springdale, Connecticut setting, and the Hammond Labs accident that granted Robbie and Dr. Benson's cat Niels identical kinetic-energy powers — story elements that would anchor the character's entire run and his later prominence in the New Warriors. Historically, the series represents one of Steve Ditko's last sustained Marvel projects, consciously built around the lighthearted, morally direct style he had pioneered in the 1960s — a deliberate counterweight to the grimmer superhero trends of the late Copper Age. Though the solo title ran only ten issues, it provided the narrative and character foundation for Robbie's decade-long tenure in New Warriors and his later reinvention as Penance during Civil War.

Speedball #1 (1988) introduces Robbie, a teenager caught between his parents’ expectations—a lawyer and an artist—while secretly grappling with bizarre new powers that make him bounce and speak in a strange rhythm. When a vengeful criminal threatens his family, Robbie steps into the spotlight as Speedball, a masked hero with a unique flair. Written by Steve Ditko, Tom DeFalco, and Roger Stern, and illustrated by Ditko with inks by Jackson Guice, the issue features a striking cover by Steve Ditko and Butch Guice.

Contains 2 stories

Speedball, the Masked Marvel

11 pp · Superhero

In "Speedball, the Masked Marvel," Robbie struggles to balance his parents' expectations—his dad pushing law, his mom pushing the arts—while secretly grappling with bizarre new powers that make him bouncy and speech a little too… groovy. When a career criminal targets his family for revenge, Robbie steps up as Speedball, revealing a hero in the making.

The Origin of a Masked Marvel

11 pp · Superhero

ComicBooks.com Value

Our Model is In Beta

Raw (VF) $6

CGC 9.8 · 43 in census $73

CGC 9.6 · 22 in census $46

CGC 9.4 · 11 in census $25

CGC 9.2 · 8 in census $21*

CGC 9.0 · 5 in census $20*

CGC 8.5 · 3 in census $20*

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CGC 8.0 · 1 in census $20*

CGC 7.5 · 3 in census $20*

CGC 7.0 none in existence

CGC 6.5 · 2 in census $20*

CGC 6.0 none in existence

CGC 5.5 · 1 in census $20*

CGC 5.0 · 1 in census $20*

CGC 4.5 · 1 in census $20*

* estimate — limited direct-sales data at this grade

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This exact issue on ebay

CGC 9.8 ▾ $125–$170 2 listings

CGC 9.8 $125 CGC 9.8 · Newsstand $169.95

CGC 9.4 $89 1 listing CGC 8.5 $39.99 1 listing CBCS 9.6 $49.97 1 listing Raw — VG $11.99 1 listing

Raw / ungraded ▾ $12.99–$14.49 2 listings

Newsstand $12.99 Newsstand $14.49

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Newsstand $3 VERY FINE $3.99 VF $3.99 VG+ $4 Newsstand $4.25 NM $4.95 Newsstand $4.98 Newsstand $6.99

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History

Tom DeFalco conceived the character originally under the name 'Ricochet' and pitched him to editor Jim Shooter for Marvel's New Universe imprint; when that line faltered, DeFalco — by then Marvel's Editor-in-Chief — redirected the concept into the mainstream Marvel Universe and advocated for Ditko to helm the series. Ditko plotted and penciled the entire run, with Roger Stern handling the scripting chores and Jackson Guice inking the first several issues. The solo series launched in September 1988 (cover date), just months after Speedball's debut appearance in Amazing Spider-Man Annual #22, and ran for ten issues through 1989 before cancellation.

Trivia · 8 facts

First solo series issue for Robbie Baldwin / Speedball, the Masked Marvel — cover-dated September 1988, released June 14, 1988.
Speedball was co-created by artist Steve Ditko and writer Tom DeFalco; the character had debuted in Amazing Spider-Man Annual #22 (1988) before receiving this solo title.
The concept originated as a New Universe pitch — DeFalco originally called the character 'Ricochet' before renaming him Speedball and transplanting him into the main Marvel Universe.
Issue #1 contains two stories: 'Speedball the Masked Marvel' (plot by Ditko & Stern, script by Stern, art by Ditko & Jackson Guice) and 'The Origin of a Masked Marvel,' which recounts how Robbie gained his powers at Hammond Research Laboratory.
First appearances of supporting cast members Justin Baldwin (Robbie's district attorney father), Madeline Naylor (his mother), and Niels the cat — all sharing their debut in this issue alongside Robbie's solo Speedball persona.
Both the 'Speedball' nickname and the 'Masked Marvel' alias are coined in-story by antagonist Johnny Roarke during a single confrontation on page 11 — neither name is self-chosen by Robbie.
The series was primarily plotted and penciled by Steve Ditko, with Roger Stern as primary scripter; Tom DeFalco served as Editor-in-Chief and Terry Kavanagh as the book's editor.
The lead story from this issue has been reprinted in Marvel Milestones: Dragon Lord, Speedball & the Man in the Sky (2006), Marvel Visionaries: Steve Ditko (2019), and the Speedball: The Masked Marvel trade paperback, which collects all ten issues of the series.