
Issue cover. Verify the exact issue, printing, and cover before buying.
DC · Silver Age · 1959
Batman #121
DC · 1959
Noted for: Mr. Freeze (as Mr. Zero)
KEY ISSUEShop this issue
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Before you buy
Verify the issue and printing, check the grader certification, review restoration notes, and compare recent sold examples in the same grade.
The Batman #121 in context
Why collectors care
The first appearance of Mr. Freeze, cover-dated February 1959, by Dave Wood, Sheldon Moldoff, and Bob Kane. He became one of Batman's most sympathetic antagonists after his 1990s animated-series reinvention.
How to identify it
Batman #121, February 1959. Critically, the character debuts here under the name "Mr. Zero" -- he was renamed Mr. Freeze only after the 1966 television series adopted that name.
Common mistakes
Searching only for "Mr. Freeze" and missing period-accurate listings that use "Mr. Zero." Both refer to this same debut.
Grade considerations
A late-50s DC book where high-grade copies are scarce. Cover gloss and spine color-break are the usual limiters.
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