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Cover: Bruno Premiani

The Brave and the Bold #31

Aug 1960 · DC · 0.10 USD

📊 ~21,406 copies sold its debut month

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★ 1st appearance — Bulldozer Smith★ 1st appearance — Christie Madison

About this Issue

The Brave and the Bold #31 marks the Silver Age debut of Cave Carson — DC's subterranean adventurer and one of the publisher's most ambitious attempts to replicate the success of the Challengers of the Unknown with a wholly original non-powered team. Published at the height of The Brave and the Bold's tryout-title era, it introduced not just Carson but also his entire core crew — Bulldozer Smith and Christie Madison — and their signature vehicle, the Mighty Mole, all in a single issue. While Carson never graduated to a self-sustaining ongoing series the way the Flash or Green Lantern did, the character's debut planted a flag for Silver Age science-adventure storytelling that remained in readers' memories long enough to earn a twenty-first-century resurrection under DC's Young Animal imprint. The issue also encapsulates a pivotal transitional moment for the anthology title itself: a historical-adventure magazine reinvented as a laboratory for DC's next wave of ideas.

Contains 4 stories

The Secret Beneath the Earth, Chapter 1

9.67 pp · Adventure

Spelunking around the World

2 pp · Non-Fiction

The Incredible Lava Creature, Chapter 2

7.67 pp · Adventure

The Magnetic Monster, Chapter 3

6.67 pp · Adventure

ComicBooks.com Value

Our Model is In Beta

Raw (VG) $58

CGC 9.2 · 1 in census $2,888*

CGC 9.0 · 2 in census $2,888

CGC 8.5 · 2 in census $2,229

CGC 8.0 · 5 in census $494

CGC 7.5 · 7 in census $353

CGC 7.0 · 10 in census $226

Show all 16 grades ▾

CGC 6.5 · 3 in census $206*

CGC 6.0 · 6 in census $184*

CGC 5.5 · 10 in census $151

CGC 5.0 · 6 in census $151

CGC 4.5 · 6 in census $106

CGC 4.0 · 9 in census $106

CGC 3.5 · 8 in census $84

CGC 3.0 · 7 in census $73*

CGC 2.5 · 1 in census $64*

CGC 2.0 · 2 in census $49*

* 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 4.5 ▾ $155–$189 2 listings

CGC 4.5 $155 CGC 4.5 $189

CGC 4 $175 1 listing CGC 3 $80 1 listing PGX 4 $84.99 1 listing PGX $320 1 listing

Raw — NM ▾ $5.99–$9.99 2 listings

NM $5.99 NM $9.99

Raw — VF $24 1 listing Raw — FN+ $300 1 listing Raw — FN $199 1 listing Raw — VG+ $135 1 listing

Raw — VG ▾ $70–$91.17 2 listings

VG $70 VG $91.17

Raw — GD ▾ $25–$45 2 listings

GD $25 GD $45

Raw — POOR $23.64 1 listing

Raw / ungraded ▾ $9.88–$342 9 listings

Raw / ungraded $9.88 Raw / ungraded $54.95 Raw / ungraded $59.99 Raw / ungraded $100 Raw / ungraded $117 Raw / ungraded $132.93 Raw / ungraded $145 Raw / ungraded $150 Raw / ungraded $341.99

Verified matches for The Brave and the Bold #31 · eBay asking prices, seen 33 days ago

More listings for this title

Brave And The Bold DC comics series Pick Your Issue! $2.5 Batman: The Brave and the Bold: Myths and Mysteries by Zipporah Smith Paperback $19.13 Silver Age Comic 1960 The Brave And The Bold 1st Appearance Of Cave Carson #31 $325

Related listings we couldn't confirm as this exact issue · 3 total · seen 33 days ago

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History

Writer France Edward Herron — who published under both 'France Herron' and 'Ed Herron' — and artist Bruno Premiani conceived Cave Carson as part of DC's deliberate strategy of test-driving new concepts through The Brave and the Bold before committing to standalone series. Premiani would soon become equally well known as the original artist on the Doom Patrol, and Herron was simultaneously one of DC's busiest writers, with credits spanning Green Arrow, Superman, Challengers of the Unknown, and a wide range of war and mystery titles. The Cave Carson logo for this debut issue was lettered and designed by Ira Schnapp, DC's house logo craftsman whose hand-lettered designs defined the visual identity of dozens of Silver Age titles. The character's tryout continued through B&B #32–33 and #40–41 before moving to Showcase #48, #49, and #52, but Carson never cleared the threshold for a solo ongoing — a notable commercial shortfall that nonetheless left a durable creative footprint.

Trivia · 8 facts

First appearance of Cave Carson (Calvin 'Cave' Carson), DC's spelunking subterranean adventurer, in the lead story 'The Secret Beneath the Earth.'
First appearance of Bulldozer Smith and Christie Madison, the core members of Cave Carson's expedition team.
First appearance of the Mighty Mole, Carson's signature drill-equipped underground vehicle central to all subsequent Cave Carson stories.
Created by writer France Edward Herron (also credited as 'Ed Herron') and artist Bruno Premiani; the Cave Carson logo was designed by letterer Ira Schnapp.
Published under The Brave and the Bold's tryout-title phase (roughly issues #25–49), which also debuted the Justice League of America (#28) and would later introduce Hawkman (#34); Cave Carson's tryout run extended through B&B #31–33, #40–41, and Showcase #48, #49, and #52.
The issue contains a Superman backup story featuring Clark Kent/Kal-El, Superbaby, and George Jowett alongside the lead Cave Carson feature.
Cave Carson was later folded into the 'Forgotten Heroes,' a team of neglected 1960s DC characters who appeared in DC Comics Presents alongside Superman in the early 1980s.
The character received a full modern revival in 2016 as the lead of Cave Carson Has a Cybernetic Eye, the flagship launch title of Gerard Way's DC Young Animal imprint, written by Way and Jon Rivera with art by Michael Avon Oeming.