Skip to main content

Key issues & titles

Bronze Age horror: how the 1971 Code change created Tomb of Dracula, Werewolf by Night and Ghost Rider

Published Sep 14, 2026 · Updated Sep 14, 2026 · 1 min read

Short answerThe Comics Code's 1971 revision allowed vampires, werewolves and ghouls back into comics when handled in the tradition of classic literature. Marvel responded with a horror line that produced some of the Bronze Age's most valuable keys: Werewolf by Night (Marvel Spotlight #2, February 1972), Tomb of Dracula #1 (April 1972), Ghost Rider (Marvel Spotlight #5, August 1972), Blade (Tomb of Dracula #10, July 1973) and Moon Knight (Werewolf by Night #32, August 1975).

Before 1971

The original 1954 Code banned vampires and werewolves outright and the words "horror" and "terror" from titles. Marvel's monsters of the 1960s were science fiction: giant creatures from space, gamma bombs, scientific vampires such as Morbius. See What was the Comics Code Authority?.

The revision

In 1971 the Comics Magazine Association of America rewrote the Code. Among the changes, supernatural creatures were permitted when presented "in the classic tradition" of Frankenstein, Dracula and similar works. Marvel moved within months.

The keys the revival produced

IssueCover dateFirst appearance
Marvel Spotlight #2February 1972Werewolf by Night (Jack Russell)
Tomb of Dracula #1April 1972Marvel's Dracula series; Neal Adams cover
Marvel Spotlight #5August 1972Ghost Rider (Johnny Blaze)
Tomb of Dracula #10July 1973Blade
Werewolf by Night #32August 1975Moon Knight

Marvel also launched Monster of Frankenstein, Man-Thing (from Savage Tales #1 and Adventure into Fear) and the black-and-white magazines Dracula Lives and Vampire Tales, which sat outside the Code entirely.

Why these books are valuable now

Each of the characters above became a film or streaming lead between 1998 and 2022, and each first appearance is a Bronze Age key with a distinctive dark cover that shows wear, so high grades are scarce. Three are in the store: Marvel Spotlight #5, Tomb of Dracula #10 and Werewolf by Night #32.

See First appearance of Ghost Rider, First appearance of Blade, First appearance of Moon Knight and the Bronze Age collection.

Written by the Rare Comics Collectors grading team. Spotted an error or have a question this guide does not answer? Tell us.

In the vault right now

Browse all listings →
Key issueLast copy

Marvel Comics · Bronze Age

Werewolf by Night #32

CGC 7.5 · Universal Blue

First appearance of Moon Knight

(0)
$1,449.49
Key issueLast copy

Marvel Comics · Bronze Age

Tomb of Dracula #10

CGC 8.0 · Universal Blue

First appearance of Blade the Vampire Slayer

(0)
$2,390
SaleKey issueLast copy

Marvel Comics · Bronze Age

Marvel Spotlight #5

CGC 7.5 · Universal Blue

Origin and first appearance of Ghost Rider (Johnny Blaze)

(0)
$2,998$3,291

Keep reading

  • Collecting

    What are the ages of comic books? Golden, Silver, Bronze, Copper and Modern explained

    Collectors divide American comics into eras: the Golden Age (1938 to the mid-1950s), the Silver Age (1956 to about 1970), the Bronze Age (about 1970 to 1985), the Copper Age (about 1985 to 1991) and the Modern Age (1991 to today). The boundaries are conventions rather than official dates, but each era has its own print runs, survival rates, paper and pricing, which is why listings and price guides always state one.

    Updated Sep 14, 2026

  • Collecting

    What was the Comics Code Authority?

    The Comics Code Authority (CCA) was a self-regulation body set up by American comic publishers in 1954, after a public campaign against crime and horror comics and a U.S. Senate subcommittee hearing that year. Its seal on a cover certified that the contents met the Code's content rules. The Code ended the pre-Code horror era, was loosened in 1971 and 1989, and was abandoned by Marvel in 2001 and by DC and Archie in 2011, after which it ceased to exist.

    Updated Sep 14, 2026

  • Collecting

    What are Marvel Value Stamps, and why do they matter for grading?

    Marvel Value Stamps were a promotion printed inside most Marvel comics from 1974 to 1976: a numbered stamp of a character on an interior page that readers were encouraged to cut out and paste into a stamp book. Because readers did exactly that, many Bronze Age Marvels from those years are missing a piece of a page. A cut stamp drops the grade sharply or earns a green qualified label, so "Marvel Value Stamp intact" is a meaningful phrase in a listing.

    Updated Sep 14, 2026

  • Characters

    What is the first appearance of Morbius?

    Morbius, the Living Vampire, first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #101, cover-dated October 1971, by Roy Thomas and Gil Kane; his origin is told in #102. The story is the six-armed Spider-Man arc, and #101 was the first issue of Amazing Spider-Man not written by Stan Lee. Morbius was created as a scientific vampire to get around the Comics Code's ban on the supernatural kind.

    Updated Sep 14, 2026

  • Characters

    What is the first appearance of Ghost Rider?

    The Johnny Blaze Ghost Rider first appeared in Marvel Spotlight #5, cover-dated August 1972, created by Roy Thomas, Gary Friedrich and Mike Ploog. The stunt rider who sells his soul to save his mentor and becomes a flaming-skulled spirit of vengeance was an immediate success, and Ghost Rider #1 followed in September 1973. An earlier, unrelated Western character called Ghost Rider appeared at Magazine Enterprises in 1949 and at Marvel in 1967.

    Updated Sep 14, 2026

  • Characters

    What is the first appearance of Blade?

    Blade first appeared in The Tomb of Dracula #10, cover-dated July 1973, created by writer Marv Wolfman and artist Gene Colan as a vampire hunter with wooden knives and a grudge against Dracula. The character's 1998 film made the issue a major Bronze Age key, and demand has stayed high since.

    Updated Sep 14, 2026