Werewolf by Night #1
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeWerewolf by Night #1 (September 1972) was the direct product of the Comics Code Authority's 1971 rule relaxation, which finally allowed code-approved comics to depict werewolves for the first time since the CCA's formation in 1954. By graduating Jack Russell from his Marvel Spotlight tryout run into his own ongoing series, Marvel proved that monster-horror characters could anchor a solo title in the Bronze Age, helping open the door for the broader horror wave that also included Tomb of Dracula and Ghost Rider. The series itself went on to be the birthplace of Moon Knight (issue #32) and, through its companion Giant-Size Creatures #1, the first appearance of Greer Grant Nelson as Tigra — making the Werewolf by Night title disproportionately significant to the larger Marvel Universe. Jack Russell's character concept — a teenager wrestling with an inherited curse as a metaphor for adolescent loss of control — also anticipated the 'monster as reluctant antihero' template that would define much of Marvel's supernatural output for decades.
"Eye of the Beholder!" kicks off a chilling new chapter in the Werewolf by Night saga, with Stan Lee stepping back from editorial duties to focus on bold new creative ventures across Marvel’s expanding universe. The issue’s standout feature is Stan Lee’s Soapbox, where he announces his shift in role and teases the future of Marvel across comics, film, and beyond, all framed by the iconic Mighty Marvel Checklist. Cover by Mike Ploog captures the eerie intensity of the title’s dark tone.
ComicBooks.com Value
Show all 22 grades ▾
This exact issue on ebay
CGC 9.4 ▾ $944–$1,260 2 listings
CGC 7.5 ▾ $330–$500 2 listings
CGC 7 ▾ $295–$305 2 listings
CGC 3.5 ▾ $129–$149 2 listings
Raw — VG+ ▾ $95.1–$121 3 listings
Raw / ungraded ▾ $67.15–$698 7 listings
Read it digitally
Sell my copy
Have this issue — or a whole collection? Get a fair offer from us, skip the marketplace fees and the hassle.
We Buy Collections ▸History
The concept originated with Roy Thomas, who envisioned a series he called 'I, Werewolf' — narrated in the first person by a teenage protagonist combining the angst of a Spider-Man figure with the premise of the 1957 B-movie I Was a Teenage Werewolf. Stan Lee embraced the pitch but rechristened it 'Werewolf by Night,' and the character debuted in Marvel Spotlight #2 (February 1972) with a script by Gerry Conway and art by Mike Ploog, working from a plot by Roy and Jean Thomas. Following a positive three-issue tryout in Marvel Spotlight #2–4, the character was given his own ongoing series launching with Werewolf by Night #1, cover-dated September 1972 and edited by Roy Thomas himself. Mike Ploog, an alumnus of Will Eisner's studio who brought a loose, expressionistic line to the material, provided both the interior art and the cover for the debut issue, establishing the visual identity of the series.
Trivia · 7 facts
- First issue of Jack Russell's solo ongoing series, continuing directly from the cliffhanger in Marvel Spotlight #4; the story is titled 'Eye of the Beholder' and was scripted by Gerry Conway with pencils and cover art by Mike Ploog, inks by Frank Chiaramonte, letters by John Costanza, and editing by Roy Thomas.
- Marks the first in-own-title appearances of Jack Russell (Werewolf by Night), his friend/journalist Buck Cowan, his sister Lissa Russell, and stepfather Phillip Russell as an ongoing cast — the Darkhold, Marvel's central occult grimoire, is also a key plot element in this inaugural issue.
- The series concept originated with Roy Thomas, who called it 'I, Werewolf'; Stan Lee renamed it 'Werewolf by Night.' Gerry Conway and Mike Ploog were the initial creative team, working from a plot by Roy and Jean Thomas.
- Mike Ploog's visual approach was shaped by his background working under Will Eisner, and his expressive, cartoonish style became integral to the series' identity during its most celebrated early run.
- The series ran for 43 issues (September 1972 – March 1977), with notable contributions from writers Len Wein, Doug Moench, and Marv Wolfman — the last of whom the editorial team pointedly celebrated with the in-print note 'At last — WEREWOLF — written by a WOLFMAN.'
- The broader Werewolf by Night series was the launch pad for Moon Knight, who first appeared as a villain-for-hire in issue #32 (August 1975), and for Tigra's definitive form in the companion Giant-Size Creatures #1 (July 1974).
- The issue and series have been extensively reprinted: Essential Werewolf by Night Vol. 1 (2005, B&W), Werewolf by Night Omnibus (2015), Werewolf by Night: The Complete Collection Vol. 1 (2017), Marvel Masterworks: Werewolf by Night Vol. 1 (2022), and international editions including Marvel UK's Dracula Lives and a German Classic Collection from Panini. The character was adapted for the MCU in the Disney+ Halloween Special Werewolf by Night (October 7, 2022), directed by Michael Giacchino and starring Gael García Bernal as Jack Russell — the first MCU Special Presentation.
Full credits
Reprints
Reprinted in Vampyr #1 (1972), Ihmissusi & Frankenstein #1/1973 (1973), Varulven #4 (1973), Dracula #4 (1975), Dracula Lives #11 (1975), Werewolf #[nn] (1981), Essential Werewolf by Night #1 (2005), Marvel Firsts: The 1970s #1 (2011), Werewolf by Night Omnibus #[nn] (2015), Mrs. Deadpool and the Howling Commandos #[nn] (2016), Werewolf by Night: The Complete Collection #1 (2017), Avengers / Doctor Strange: Rise of the Darkhold #[nn] (2018), Werewolf by Night - Classic Collection #1 (2020), Marvel Masterworks: Werewolf by Night #1 (2022), Darkhold: The Saga of the Book of Sins #[nn] (2024), Κλασικά Κόμικς Γκραν Γκινιόλ [Classic Comics Grand Guignol] #2, Gli Albi dei Super-Eroi #15
Key issues in Werewolf by Night
Reviews
Reader reviews
No reader reviews yet.