1993 Hero Illustrated Special Edition #1 (Batman Tribute w/ Dark Joker: The Wild Preview Insert) - NM

Catalog a key 1993 Dark Knight special publication for your archival inventory: Hero Illustrated Special Edition #1! Published by Warrior Publications, this unbagged direct newsstand/store special—photographed alongside its loose original promotional pack-in booklet—features gothic, high-contrast front cover artwork by Kelley Jones (signed "KELLEY JONES 93" in the lower right foreground), depicting DC Comics' Batman crouched in shadow with a billowing, jagged cape and batarang in hand. The cover design is set beneath bold orange-to-yellow gradient HERO SPECIAL EDITION title typography, a bright yellow top header banner reading "AN INCREDIBLE TRIBUTE TO THE CAPED CRUSADER", issue designation "NUMBER ONE", and bold yellow lower title typography proclaiming "BATMAN: FROM DARK KNIGHT TO KNIGHTFALL". Accompanying archival documentation captures the loose pack-in promotional preview mini-comic/ashcan for DC Elseworlds' Batman: Dark Joker — The Wild by Doug Moench, Kelley Jones, and John Beatty, featuring ornate violet gothic lettering against a solid black cover.

The back cover features a full-page promotional house advertisement from Image Comics announcing Jim Valentino's ShadowHawk III: Through the Past, Darkly ("NOW YOU KNOW WHO HE IS, BUT... ...DO YOU KNOW WHERE HE COMES FROM? THE ANSWER MAY SURPRISE YOU! SHADOWHAWK III: THROUGH THE PAST, DARKLY — STARTING NOVEMBER. ONLY FROM IMAGE."). The ad showcases ShadowHawk perched menacingly atop a rooftop ledge against a sunset-to-dusk gradient sky beneath the classic ShadowHawk masthead. A premier centerpiece entry for 1990s comic industry archivists, Batman Knightfall-era completionists, Kelley Jones cover and interior art collectors, and Image Comics ShadowHawk historians!

Structural & Visual Inspection

• Cover, Insert & Spine Condition - NEAR MINT (NM): Original high-gloss cover retains vibrant orange-to-yellow title gradients, deep nocturnal blues and blacks, and razor-sharp line work across Kelley Jones' Batman cover illustration with zero surface scuffs or color breaks. Squarebound spine is flat, clean, and tight with sharp vertical edge alignment and zero reading creases; corners remain crisp and intact. The loose Batman: Dark Joker — The Wild promotional preview insert presents clean black surfaces, sharp corners, and crisp violet title lettering.

• Interior & Back Cover Integrity: Interior high-grade glossy pages remain clean, flat, and un-marred. The back cover featuring the Image Comics ShadowHawk III promotional ad maintains rich warm-to-dark sunset background gradients, crisp yellow and white headline typography, sharp character line art, and square edge margins with no creasing or foxing.

Item Specific Details