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Cover: Mike Sekowsky & Murphy Anderson

The Brave and the Bold #28

Feb 1960 · DC · 0.10 USD

📊 ~23,162 copies sold its debut month

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★ 1st appearance — Snapper Carr★ 1st appearance — Starro

🏆 België (2019)

About this Issue

The Brave and the Bold #28 is the single issue that established the modern superhero team as a genre cornerstone: it marks the first published appearance of the Justice League of America, assembling DC's most recognizable Silver Age heroes — Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, The Flash (Barry Allen), Green Lantern (Hal Jordan), Aquaman, and the Martian Manhunter — under one cover for the first time. The story also introduced Starro the Conqueror, DC's first major alien-invasion super-villain and the template for countless mind-control antagonists that followed. Its cultural reach extended beyond DC's own line: the JLA's immediate commercial success directly prompted rival publisher Martin Goodman to commission Stan Lee and Jack Kirby to produce their own superhero team, ultimately resulting in the Fantastic Four and the broader Marvel Universe. In this sense, a single 36-page Silver Age try-out story reshaped the entire American comics industry.

In "Starro the Conqueror!", Aquaman races to warn his fellow heroes after a talking puffer fish warns of an alien invasion by the starfish-like Starro the Conqueror. With Starro's three mind-controlled starfish lieutenants already wreaking havoc, Wonder Woman, Superman, Green Lantern, Flash, and J’onn J’onzz rally to defend Earth—though not all can answer the call. Written by Gardner Fox and illustrated by Mike Sekowsky, with inks by Bernard Sachs and letters by Gaspar Saladino, this 1960 DC classic features a cover by Mike Sekowsky and Murphy Anderson.

Contains 5 stories

Starro the Conqueror!

5 pp · Superhero

Peter the Puffer Fish

When a frantic Peter the Puffer Fish warns Aquaman of an alien invasion, the sea king rallies Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Flash, and J’onn J’onzz to face Starro the Conqueror—a starfish from beyond the stars who’s turned three Earthly starfish into his mind-controlled lieutenants. With the team split into squads and the planet under siege, the heroes must unite across their differing domains to stop an enemy whose reach extends far beyond the ocean’s edge.

Starro vs. Green Lantern

5 pp · Superhero

In "Starro vs. Green Lantern," the Green Lantern faces off against a giant alien starfish sent to conquer Earth, one of three monstrous invaders threatening the planet. As the hero battles the creature, he discovers that only those unaffected by its mind-control—like the oddly immune Snapper Carr—can help devise a plan to stop it. With time running out and the fate of Happy Harbor hanging in the balance, the heroes must unite before Starro's influence spreads further.

Starro vs. Wonder Woman and John Jones

6 pp · Superhero

In a high-stakes showdown from *The Brave and the Bold* #28, Wonder Woman and J'onn J'onzz race to rescue a team of scientists captured by a rogue Starro lieutenant. As they uncover the alien’s chilling ability to share absorbed knowledge and powers—now enabling a nuclear-level attack—the duo must outthink a foe whose strength grows with every mind it conquers.

Starro vs. the Flash!

6 pp · Superhero

In "Starro vs. the Flash!" from The Brave and the Bold #28 (1960), the Flash races against time in Happy Harbor, where a Starro duplicate has taken control and the townspeople lie under its mind-altering influence. With only a single teenager still free, Flash must confront the alien threat, uncover the location of the real Starro, and decide whether to bring a young reporter along for the final confrontation.

Starro vs. Justice League of America

3.67 pp · Superhero

When the alien menace Starro unleashes his mind-control powers on the Justice League of America, the team must think fast to break his hold—especially when they discover that Snapper Carr’s unusual resistance stems from a surprising source. With a clever twist involving a few barrels of lime, the heroes turn the tide in a battle that could have gone either way.

ComicBooks.com Value

Our Model is In Beta

Raw (VG) $2,252

CGC 9.6 · 1 in census $126,237*

CGC 9.4 · 1 in census $79,398*

CGC 9.2 · 5 in census $79,398*

CGC 9.0 · 10 in census $48,027

CGC 8.5 · 13 in census $27,061

CGC 8.0 · 34 in census $17,006

Show all 21 grades ▾

CGC 7.5 · 23 in census $14,151

CGC 7.0 · 36 in census $9,352

CGC 6.5 · 55 in census $6,456

CGC 6.0 · 64 in census $6,072

CGC 5.5 · 63 in census $4,777

CGC 5.0 · 104 in census $4,320

CGC 4.5 · 126 in census $3,856

CGC 4.0 · 137 in census $3,261

CGC 3.5 · 124 in census $2,397

CGC 3.0 · 162 in census $2,194

CGC 2.5 · 125 in census $1,939

CGC 2.0 · 105 in census $1,473

CGC 1.5 · 75 in census $1,242

CGC 1.0 · 60 in census $975

CGC 0.5 · 74 in census $889

* estimate — limited direct-sales data at this grade

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

This exact issue on ebay

CGC 9.2 $175,000 1 listing CGC 7.5 $16,800 1 listing CGC 7 $12,995 1 listing CGC 6 $3,295 1 listing

CGC 5.5 ▾ $5,350–$5,795 3 listings

CGC 5.5 $5350 CGC 5.5 $5595 CGC 5.5 $5795

CGC 5 $5,250 1 listing

CGC 4.5 ▾ $2,400–$5,000 4 listings

CGC 4.5 $2400 CGC 4.5 $2795 CGC 4.5 $3400 CGC 4.5 $5000

CGC 4 ▾ $3,053–$4,250 3 listings

CGC 4 $3053.19 CGC 4 $3995 CGC 4 $4250

CGC 3.5 ▾ $3,200–$4,400 3 listings

CGC 3.5 $3200 CGC 3.5 $3495 CGC 3.5 $4400

CGC 3 $2,800 1 listing

CGC 2.5 ▾ $2,400–$2,500 3 listings

CGC 2.5 $2400 CGC 2.5 $2495 CGC 2.5 $2500

CGC 1.8 $2,192 1 listing CGC 1.5 $1,800 1 listing CGC 1 $1,800 1 listing

PGX 4 ▾ $3,295–$3,495 2 listings

PGX 4 $3295 PGX 4 $3495

Raw — NM $3.99 1 listing

Raw — VF ▾ $2.99–$24 2 listings

VF $2.99 VF $24

Raw — VG ▾ $4,292–$6,050 2 listings

VG $4291.95 VG $6050

Raw — GD ▾ $158–$2,150 2 listings

GD $157.77 GD $2150

Raw — GOOD $2,652 1 listing Raw — FR $1,560 1 listing

Raw — PR ▾ $895 2 listings

PR $895 PR $895

Raw / ungraded ▾ $1.99–$6,895 5 listings

Raw / ungraded $1.99 Raw / ungraded $11.4 Raw / ungraded $11.43 Raw / ungraded $560 Raw / ungraded $6895

Verified matches for The Brave and the Bold #28 · eBay asking prices, seen 33 days ago

More listings for this title

CGC 8.5 $157.23 DC Loot Crate JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA Brave and the Bold Issue 28(New, Sealed) $6.99 DC Loot Crate JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA Brave and the Bold Issue 28 - New Sealed $9.89 DC Comics Justice League Brave and Bold 1960 #28 Loot Crate Starro the Conqueror $13.99 The Brave and the Bold Justice League of America MAR. NO. 28 DC Certificate AUTH $62.47

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History

Editor Julius Schwartz, who had shepherded the Silver Age revival of the Flash and Green Lantern, commissioned writer Gardner Fox — the original architect of the Justice Society of America in the 1940s — and penciller Mike Sekowsky to create a modern successor team. Schwartz deliberately rechristened the group the 'Justice League of America' rather than reviving the 'Justice Society' name, reasoning that 'League' would resonate better with young readers who associated the word with sports organizations. DC, still cautious about launching new titles, road-tested the concept in The Brave and the Bold, which had been repurposed as a try-out anthology starting with issue #25; the JLA's debut in issue #28, published on December 29, 1959 with a cover date of February–March 1960, proved so successful that the team earned its own ongoing title within eight months. Fox and Sekowsky went on to collaborate on the first 65 Justice League adventures together.

Trivia · 8 facts

First appearance of the Justice League of America, comprising Aquaman, Wonder Woman, The Flash (Barry Allen), Green Lantern (Hal Jordan), and Martian Manhunter (J'Onn J'Onzz) as the active combatants, with Superman and Batman appearing only in cameo due to prior commitments within the story.
First appearance of Starro the Conqueror, an alien telepathic starfish who transforms three ordinary Earth starfish into giant deputies and attempts to use nuclear energy and mass mind-control to subjugate humanity — DC's first Silver Age alien-kaiju-scale villain.
First appearance of Lucas 'Snapper' Carr (full name later established as Lucas Carr), a teenage civilian from Happy Harbor, Rhode Island, who is inadvertently immune to Starro's mental control because of lime (calcium oxide) on his lawn-work clothes; the JLA reward him with honorary membership and a signal device, making him the team's mascot for the next nine years.
First cover appearances of Aquaman and Martian Manhunter anywhere in DC Comics, despite both characters having ongoing backup features in other titles at the time.
Written by Gardner Fox and pencilled by Mike Sekowsky, with inking split across multiple hands — Bernard Sachs and Joe Giella on interior chapters, Murphy Anderson on key segments — and a cover by Sekowsky and Anderson; letters by Gaspar Saladino.
The issue was physically published on December 29, 1959, carrying a cover date of February–March 1960; the story is titled 'Justice League of America: Starro the Conqueror!' and is structured in five chapters, with each chapter following a different hero or sub-group facing one of Starro's deputies before the full-team finale.
The story notably presents the JLA as already fully formed — with established headquarters, signal devices, and mutual familiarity — rather than depicting any origin or formation, a deliberate narrative choice that generated decades of continuity work retconning the team's founding (most notably in the 1998 maxi-series JLA: Year One).
The issue has been reprinted extensively, including in Justice League of America #39 (1965), DC Silver Age Classics: The Brave and the Bold #28 (1992), Millennium Edition: The Brave and the Bold #28 (2000), Showcase Presents: Justice League of America Vol. 1 (2005), and Justice League of America: A Celebration of 60 Years (2020), among many other collected editions.