Cover: John Buscema & Tom Palmer

The Avengers #257

Jul 1985 · Marvel · 0.65 USD; 0.75 CAD; 0.30 GBP

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“Holocaust in a Hidden Land!”

★ 1st appearance — Nebula

About this Issue

Avengers #257 is the debut issue of Nebula, a ruthless space pirate who would grow into one of Marvel's most consequential cosmic villains — later playing a pivotal role in the Infinity Gauntlet saga when she briefly seized the Gauntlet itself after Thanos left his body unattended. The issue introduces her with confident economy: while the main Avengers team battles Terminus in the Savage Land, Monica Rambeau (then operating as Captain Marvel) crosses paths with Nebula aboard Thanos's commandeered warship, Sanctuary II, setting in motion a multi-issue cosmic conflict that expanded the Avengers' storytelling scope far beyond Earth. Decades later, Karen Gillan's film portrayal of the character — anchored to this 1985 source material — became one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's most acclaimed character arcs, transforming what began as a single-panel menace in a 1985 Copper Age comic into a household name.

In "Holocaust in a Hidden Land!", the Avengers race to the Savage Land to stop Terminus’s rampage, only to face Ka-Zar and Zabu in a tense standoff. Meanwhile, Captain Marvel encounters the pirate leader Nebula in a startling first meeting, while the true source of Terminus’s armor begins to reveal itself. Roger Stern’s gripping script and John Buscema’s dynamic art—inked by Tom Palmer and colored by Christie Scheele—bring this high-stakes clash to life, with a cover by Buscema and Palmer capturing the chaos in bold detail.

writer Roger Stern · artist John Buscema · inker Tom Palmer · colorist Christie Scheele · letterer Jim Novak · cover John Buscema, Tom Palmer

ComicBooks.com Value

Our Model is In Beta

Raw (VF) $14

CGC 9.8 · 528 in census $153

CGC 9.6 · 543 in census $77

CGC 9.4 · 356 in census $55*

CGC 9.2 · 234 in census $50*

CGC 9.0 · 167 in census $44*

CGC 8.5 · 137 in census $40*

Show all 17 grades ▾

CGC 8.0 · 97 in census $36*

CGC 7.5 · 50 in census $33*

CGC 7.0 · 37 in census $31*

CGC 6.5 · 35 in census $29*

CGC 6.0 · 15 in census $26*

CGC 5.5 · 9 in census $24*

CGC 5.0 · 7 in census $20*

CGC 4.5 · 2 in census $20*

CGC 4.0 · 5 in census $20*

CGC 3.5 · 1 in census $20*

CGC 3.0 · 1 in census $20*

* estimate — limited direct-sales data at this grade

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

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VG · Newsstand $9.99 VG $11.5 Newsstand $11.99 Newsstand $12.2 NM $12.5 VG $12.99 Newsstand $13.74 VF+ $14

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History

The issue was written by Roger Stern, whose 1983–1985 tenure on the title is widely regarded as one of the defining runs in the series' history, with Stern working alongside the art team of John Buscema (breakdowns) and Tom Palmer (finishes) — a pairing that characterized the look of the Avengers throughout this period. Nebula was co-created by Stern and Buscema, and her debut was structured as a subplot quietly threaded into a two-part Savage Land adventure rather than a headlined villain introduction, lending her arrival an organic, understated weight. The issue was edited by Howard Mackie and lettered by Jim Novak, with Christie Scheele providing colors. Both a direct-edition and a newsstand edition were published, along with a Mark Jeweler advertisement insert variant.

Trivia · 8 facts

First appearance of Nebula, created by writer Roger Stern and artist John Buscema, published July 1985 (cover-dated July 1985, with a GoCollect-listed on-sale date of July 10, 1985).
The story is titled 'Holocaust in a Hidden Land!' and is Part 2 of a 2-part arc featuring Ka-Zar, Shanna, and the alien planet-wrecker Terminus, whose fight in the Savage Land is revealed to involve a robot exoskeleton piloted by a helpless, obese creature inside.
Nebula's first appearance occurs as a subplot: Monica Rambeau (Captain Marvel) is abducted into deep space and brought before Nebula, who has seized control of Thanos's massive warship, Sanctuary II, and claims to be Thanos's granddaughter.
The full creative credits are: script by Roger Stern; breakdowns by John Buscema; finished art by Tom Palmer; cover by Buscema and Palmer; colors by Christie Scheele; letters by Jim Novak; edited by Howard Mackie.
The issue was published in both a direct edition and a newsstand edition, as well as a Mark Jeweler advertisement insert variant.
Nebula went on to become central to the 1991 Infinity Gauntlet crossover event (written by Jim Starlin with art by George Pérez and Ron Lim), in which she steals the Gauntlet from Thanos and briefly wields omnipotent cosmic power.
In the 2016 Gamora comic series, Nebula's comics origin was retconned to depict her as raised alongside Gamora by Thanos, a change directly inspired by the MCU's portrayal of the character.
Karen Gillan portrayed Nebula across multiple MCU films beginning with Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), with the character appearing in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, Thor: Love and Thunder, The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.