Approximate
Condition Profile
DARK HORSE COMICS · 1/96 · DIRECT EDITION
UNIT ECA-029473
JONNY QUEST: THE REAL ADVENTURES #3
Dark Horse's 1996 tie-in to the Real Adventures animated revival, issue three of the ongoing series
// Unit specification
| Publisher | Cover date | Era | Variant | Key attribute | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dark Horse Comics | 1996 | Modern | Direct Edition | — | AVAILABLE |
// Copies in archive
| Unit | Grade | Variant | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| ECA-029473 | ~9.0 | Direct Edition | AVAILABLE |
// Run position
// Condition analysis
Cover shows sharp, square corners and strong color with no visible fading. Spine appears tight with no visible stress lines or ticks in this image. There is a small ding/wear spot on the bottom edge near the barcode area and slight softness at the lower left corner. Interior and back cover were not assessed, and glare/lighting may obscure minor surface defects.
// Valuation — market reference
| Bracket | Grade | Est. market value | Marker |
|---|---|---|---|
| LOW_RAW | 0.5 – 1.5 | $2 | |
| MID_RAW | 4.0 – 6.0 | $4 | |
| HIGH_CERT | 9.8 SLAB | $55 |
// Archive commentary
Jonny Quest: The Real Adventures #3 is part of Dark Horse Comics' 1996 ongoing series adapting the Hanna-Barbera cartoon revival of the same name, itself a modernized continuation of the original 1964 Jonny Quest. The comic followed the animated show's cast of Jonny Quest, Hadji, Race Bannon, Dr. Benton Quest, Jessie Bannon, and the dog Bandit through globe-trotting adventure and light science-fiction plotting aimed at the same young audience the cartoon courted. Licensed comics of this kind were produced quickly to run alongside a television schedule, with rotating small studios of writers and artists handling scripts and art in a house style matched to the animation model sheets rather than to any single signature creator.
The issue sits in the middle of a short-lived, direct-market-only run that never generated the collector attention of Dark Horse's better-remembered licensed lines from the same era, such as its Star Wars or Aliens titles. There is no first appearance, death, or landmark creative credit attached to this specific number, and the book has never registered as a notable seller either raw or in slabbed form; census populations for the series are thin simply because few copies were ever submitted for grading, not because the book is scarce in absolute terms. Demand is limited almost entirely to completists of the Real Adventures series and general Hanna-Barbera or Jonny Quest ephemera collectors.
As bulk stock, the issue is best understood as a reader-grade fill-in for a themed run rather than a book pursued on its own merits. Raw copies move for pocket change in dollar bins and online lots regardless of condition, since the title has no meaningful high-grade premium curve; the rare CGC-graded example commands a modest premium chiefly because so few copies have ever been certified, not because collectors are competing for the grade. Buyers are series or character completists building a full Real Adventures run, not investors or key-issue speculators.
INQUIRE_ABOUT_THIS_UNIT
Institutional buyers, auction houses, and private collectors — direct line to the archive.
