Star Trek TNG DC Comics Why No 1st Appearances?

Hi! So I've been trying to figure something out recently regarding this series and I was hoping someone could help me out. DC acquired the rights to make comics roughly 6 months after this show premiered way back in 1987. #1 of the Star Trek TNG 6 issue mini-series is regarded as the 1st appearance of Captain Picard, Commander Riker, Data, LaForge, etc. in comics. TNG comics then go to an on-going series for 7 years BUT what is unclear is any of the 1st appearances in those issues are recognized.

Would #3 of the mini series be the 1st appearance of Q?

Locutus and the Borg don't show up until #47, is that their 1st appearance in comics?

I bring this up for a couple of reasons. All of those characters appeared on TV first. Much like all of the Star Wars characters appeared in movies. And Harley Quinn was in an animated series before she appeared in Batman Adventures #12. The difference is that THAT issue is highly collectible and key Star Wars comics, that used to be worth squat, are now all starting to be recognized as highly collectible highly expensive comic book firsts. Could the same thing be said of the Star Trek comics? Shouldn't these 1st appearances be recognized as well? There are an abundance of other examples like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the Predator, Transformers, He-man and Skeletor which are all recognized by CGC, CBCS, PGX and others like any Star Trek character from any series and even the Terminator that aren't. So what gives?

I guess my main question is, Does anyone know of or have an official site that may list the actual "first appearance in comics" (because that's a thing) of Star Trek characters? And if not, is the lack of information and recognized firsts due to the lack of popularity?

Thanks in advance.

Since DC was the only company publishing TNG comics while the show was on the air, I think it's safe to say that the issues you mention were indeed the first comics appearances of said characters. The Memory Beta Wiki page might have more info, but that place is a mess to navigate.

As to why these issues aren't selling for top dollar? Beats me but I wish they were. :)

Thanks! I'll give it a shot. It would be nice if I can find any official confirmation on that site. I've been wanting to send in a couple comics from that series to get slabbed for display purposes. But I hate getting graded books back with zero notes on them. It's like a pet peeve haha. And attaching sticky notes on the comics, like they tell you to, in hopes that they'll actually read them has been a complete waste of time. So this next batch I'm sending is going to have irrefutable evidence.

Maybe it'll take another decade for these comics to start taking off? I know Star Trek popularity kind of goes through spurts. But it never goes away and it seems like they would have more collectible value than I've seen.

I'm not sure the value of a first appearance really applies to a character who has been seen elsewhere. At least as far as a licensed property is concerned. Harley is an actual first appearance and meeting where she is introduced to the DC Comics universe. The Borg and Q's first comic appearances are of characters with whom the cast was already familiar and the TV episodes mattered.

[QUOTE=CaptCleghorn;5784245]I'm not sure the value of a first appearance really applies to a character who has been seen elsewhere. At least as far as a licensed property is concerned. Harley is an actual first appearance and meeting where she is introduced to the DC Comics universe. The Borg and Q's first comic appearances are of characters with whom the cast was already familiar and the TV episodes mattered.[/QUOTE]

I understand what you're saying, but Harley Quinn appeared in Batmam the animated series first in 1992. Then she appears in Batmam Adventures, a comic book based on that series, literally 1 year later in 1993 and it's recognized as her "1st appearance in comics" (later she has a 1st in DC Continuity). I figured the same would apply to every character with the same set of circumstances. I mean the Next Generation crew appears in a comic about the same show that premiered 6 months earlier. Yet it's not recognized by any grading company as a 1st in comics.

[QUOTE=Drizzt425;5785105]I understand what you're saying, but Harley Quinn appeared in Batmam the animated series first in 1992. Then she appears in Batmam Adventures, a comic book based on that series, literally 1 year later in 1993 and it's recognized as her "1st appearance in comics" (later she has a 1st in DC Continuity). I figured the same would apply to every character with the same set of circumstances. I mean the Next Generation crew appears in a comic about the same show that premiered 6 months earlier. Yet it's not recognized by any grading company as a 1st in comics.[/QUOTE]

Was the Harley story a first meeting, or was she presented as a character who Batman knew of? Many comic book series based on a TV show are treated like additional episodes of that show and not as a separate continuity. And "value" depends on demand for that particular issue. If readers don't give a flying fornication about the Borg not having appeared in a DC Star Trek comic until that one particular issue, the value is not going up. Granted, you might have a legitimate question about noting a Borg first appearance, but wondering why the value isn't skyrocketed is a question that only the first few people who can answer correctly would profit from. Me, my question is why this isn't HUGE being a crossover unprecedented even in canon broadcasts:

[img]https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51xRWyu8NtL._SY344_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg[/img]

But we can't predict this stuff.

[QUOTE=CaptCleghorn;5785128]Was the Harley story a first meeting, or was she presented as a character who Batman knew of? Many comic book series based on a TV show are treated like additional episodes of that show and not as a separate continuity. And "value" depends on demand for that particular issue. If readers don't give a flying fornication about the Borg not having appeared in a DC Star Trek comic until that one particular issue, the value is not going up. Granted, you might have a legitimate question about noting a Borg first appearance, but wondering why the value isn't skyrocketed is a question that only the first few people who can answer correctly would profit from. Me, my question is why this isn't HUGE being a crossover unprecedented even in canon broadcasts:

[img]https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51xRWyu8NtL._SY344_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg[/img]

But we can't predict this stuff.[/QUOTE]

Harley Quinn is already known of in the comic. She crashes a party to attack Batgirl with Poison Ivy and Catwoman. And I don't think any of the Star Trek stuff is actually continuity. Most of the stuff that wasn't in the show is considered non-canon.

Anyway, I really don't care about the value to be honest. That was the wrong word. Significance is a better choice. I just want these grading companies to list a "1st appearance" when it is one. How can they say Predator #1 is a 1st appearance of the character but Terminator #1 is a "movie adaption" (when it's not haha). Both appeared in movies first but only one warrants a grading note? Doesn't make any sense.

Really I'm ranting because I want to send this book in but I want it say 1st appearance of the Borg when I get it back or I'll be pissed 😆

[QUOTE=CaptCleghorn;5785128]
[img]https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51xRWyu8NtL._SY344_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg[/img]
[/QUOTE]

I double checked out of curiosity, and you're right! This mini was cover dated August '91, which means it hit the shelves in May/June; TNG's "Unification" didn't air until November of '91. This book should be worth big bucks as the first TOS/TNG crossover! :D

But as has always been the case with Trek, if it didn't happen onscreen, it's not official canon. Maybe that's why this is still in dollar bins...? :confused:

For now. I'm sure you noticed as I have that there are a lot firsts that were overlooked for years, even decades, that people have started to pick up on and once it gets noticed? Good luck finding it haha crazy times.

On the other hand, the rampant speculation regarding first appearances these days is exhausting. So many books - that are usually readily available - fly off the shelves at the stores in my area because speculators caught wind of a coveted first appearance. I've had [I]Detective Comics[/I] on my pull list for 20+ yrs, and missed my first issue because A.) my shops shipment had a lot of damages, and B.) Mr. Worth was apparently going to be the next big thing. *eyeroll*

Luckily I'm much more of a reader than collector, and waiting for the 2nd printing wasn't the end of my world. ;)

[QUOTE=SJNeal;5785357]On the other hand, the rampant speculation regarding first appearances these days is exhausting. So many books - that are usually readily available - fly off the shelves at the stores in my area because speculators caught wind of a coveted first appearance. I've had [I]Detective Comics[/I] on my pull list for 20+ yrs, and missed my first issue because A.) my shops shipment had a lot of damages, and B.) Mr. Worth was apparently going to be the next big thing. *eyeroll*

Luckily I'm much more of a reader than collector, and waiting for the 2nd printing wasn't the end of my world. ;)[/QUOTE]

Man that crap drives me crazy. On the other hand, nowadays 2nd and 3rd prints are more collectible because of the smaller print run so jokes on them.

[QUOTE=SJNeal;5785324]I double checked out of curiosity, and you're right! This mini was cover dated August '91, which means it hit the shelves in May/June; TNG's "Unification" didn't air until November of '91. This book should be worth big bucks as the first TOS/TNG crossover! :D

But as has always been the case with Trek, if it didn't happen onscreen, it's not official canon. Maybe that's why this is still in dollar bins...? :confused:[/QUOTE]

I recall DC was dealing with Paramount (or whoever) about what they could do. The result was this story which teased something regarding [I]Unification[/I], but didn't spoil much. As for first TOS/TNG crossover, TNG's [I]Sarek[/I] precedes this. Also, there may have been novels which combined characters from two (or more) series that preceded which pretty much belong in the same canonical status of the comics. Still, I think of this as the cherry to pick from Trek comics. If Xavier had appeared in TNG/X-Men, I might have said that, but seeing 24th century versions of TOS characters has an appeal to me, if not the rest of Trek comic fandom.

[QUOTE=Drizzt425;5785365]Man that crap drives me crazy. On the other hand, nowadays 2nd and 3rd prints are more collectible because of the smaller print run so jokes on them.[/QUOTE]

I took a Renaissance Painting class in college. Discussing value of artistic pieces, certain Chinese vases were discussed which gained popularity. As a result, they rose in value, inspiring some to counterfeit them and sell the freshly made copies. What happened was a supply of the actual original old vases were discovered and the fakes were found to be pretty poorly made and easily broken. So the originals have a more modest value now while unbroken fakes are premium priced.

[QUOTE=CaptCleghorn;5785441]I recall DC was dealing with Paramount (or whoever) about what they could do. The result was this story which teased something regarding [I]Unification[/I], but didn't spoil much. As for first TOS/TNG crossover, TNG's [I]Sarek[/I] precedes this. Also, there may have been novels which combined characters from two (or more) series that preceded which pretty much belong in the same canonical status of the comics. Still, I think of this as the cherry to pick from Trek comics. If Xavier had appeared in TNG/X-Men, I might have said that, but seeing 24th century versions of TOS characters has an appeal to me, if not the rest of Trek comic fandom.[/QUOTE]

D'oh! Can't believe I forgot the excellent "Sarek"!

Yeah, there were a few great crossovers during the DC years. One I know I particularly liked was a pair of Annuals; I'm blanking on the story details but I clearly remember it brought back the aliens from "Time's Arrow", and featured some beautiful painted covers.