Library of Publisher Max Gaines

There are a few things that might make a comic book rare and exceptional, but one that sets a comic apart from the rest is a file copy. These are comic books saved by the publisher for record keeping and creative reference and were often chronologically bound with leather covers to store on bookshelves for easy access. Long before reprints and collected editions became standard, these file copies served as the only resource available for publishers and creators to revisit prior works.

DC file copies are some of the earliest examples of this practice. The publisher began putting aside file copies since its inception in 1935, which are currently housed in the DC Archives at its headquarters in Burbank, CA. DC saved up to three copies of each issue they published throughout the 1930’s and beyond, initially binding them together using 32 metal rings through the spine. This practice stopped by 1940, when DC substituted metal rings with the more commonplace method of binding that involved stitching and gluing the spines of sequential issues together. In both cases, the bound issues were placed inside a hard, leather outer cover, with information of the contents printed on the spine.

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A few bound volumes of DC file copies have made their way into the marketplace over the years. The estate of Max Gaines, who devised the first modern comic book format in 1933 and ran All-American Publications (which merged with DC in 1946), contained spiral bound copies of All-American #13-24 and Flash Comic #1-12, which were sold through Heritage Auctions several years ago. CGC has certified a coverless file copy of Detective Comics #27 and a laminated front cover of a Superman #1 file copy, both from the Max Gaines estate. The estate of Bob Kane (creator or Batman) also contained DC file copies.

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The DC archive in Burbank does contain an Action Comics #1 file copy, the holy grail of comic books, which has been featured in numerous videos over the years, including the History Channel documentary, Superheroes Decoded.

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The legacy of DC file copies offers an invaluable window into the early architecture of the comic book industry. More than just relics of publishing history, DC file copies are tangible reminders of how the comic book medium evolved — issue by issue, panel by panel. They represent a time when creators, often unknowingly, were building the foundation for a genre that would shape global pop culture — from the time of Superman’s explosion onto the scene in the late 1930s through the success of feature films like 2025’s Superman.

About CGC

Since revolutionizing comic book grading in 2000, CGC has grown to include certification services for a vast variety of pop culture collectibles. These divisions include CGC Cards, CGC Video Games and CGC Home Video. CGC Cards provides expert card grading for sports cards, TCGs and non-sports cards. CGC Video Games is dedicated to video game grading for the most popular consoles, including Nintendo, Sega, Atari, PlayStation and more. CGC Home Video provides expert VHS grading in addition to other types of videocassettes, DVD, Blu-ray and more. CGC also offers seamless solutions for autograph collectors with CGC Signature Series and JSA Authentic Autograph services.

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