Wait, previews can be first appearances?
If the story is original, yes. If not, no. The nature of a "preview" almost universally means that it's material intended to be printed elsewhere.
I'm pretty sure that the Damage Control preview in Marvel Age Annual #4 is not excerpts from the book, but it's been a while since I read it. I do remember that the Wolverine preview is sort of a recap of what had been happening with the character in X-Men, so it's not exactly a story, although the art is original.
A good example of a legit first appearance in a preview is Lazarus.
I just read the story in Marvel Age Annual #4. It's a 4 page, original story that predates Damage Control's other appearances. Even at only 4 pages, it's actually a frame story - the first page has a guy from Damage Control approaching the Joe Fixit version of Hulk and handing him a brochure about Damage Control. Pages 2-3 are basically an ad for Damage Control (which Hulk is reading) explaining what the series is. And page 4 is Hulk kicking the guy's butt and tossing him out of the casino.
So it is an original story, not an excerpt of a later published issue. It's not much of a first appearance - in terms of these sorts of things, it's not as strong as something like Rat Queens in Image What's Next - but I think it is their first appearance.
Erm, we're talking Damage Control, right?
Who cares?
Even if this show gets picked, and even if it does better than Walking dead (Sorry, I have to be my eccentric self here, bear with me), its still a series about a unit reconstructing demolished areas. How will this ever generate cult following status??
People just get into the habit of "investing" in "optioned" books without even thinking of the book's context. This is a fun series, a brilliant concept and Im glad it got picked. But come on now..
When it comes to Hollywood I think the "yeah, we can do it but should we?" Question got thrown out the window a long time ago.