Debuting in 1964, the robot with all the answers was a byproduct of the looming computer age. At this point, computers were the mysterious stuff of futuristic fantasies, and that made it perfect for a villain’s origin story. In his first appearance, The Living Brain was created to be the world’s most advanced robot that could answer any question. Naturally, a couple of hoodlums did what any of us would do - steal it for gambling purposes. Somehow, that triggered a domino of events that led to the robot going on a rampage.
Afterwards, not much happened for the brainy bot. It would make sporadic appearances over the years before reemerging in the Modern Era. At one time, he was recruited for a revamped Sinister Six. During the run of Superior Spider-Man, Otto Octavius reprogrammed the robot to serve as his lab assistant. Once, it was used to help win trivia night at The Bar With No Name, which is an oxymoron, since that’s the bar’s name.
With that in mind, it’s on to the key issues.
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #8
The name “Living Brain” alone tells you this was a Silver Age villain. The real selling point here is the first fight between one of Marvel’s favorite bromances, Spider-Man and Human Torch. Nestled away in this unassuming issue with a massively ‘60s cover, you will find the first appearance of The Living Brain.
Since this is a Silver Age key, not to mention a single-digit ASM, it’s pricey. If you’re one of those pretentious types who only collects graded 9.8s (anything less would be uncivilized), get ready to write a $22k check. If you kick the quality down to a 5.5, it gets into the $900 range. The lowest grade sold in the past 30 days has been the 3.0, which brought $372 in the past month.
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #900
Is this actually Spidey’s 900th issue? It’s a bit suspicious when it took Superman 73 years to reach his 900th issue of Action Comics, and it never missed a beat in that span. On the other hand, Marvel Comics says ASM accomplished the feat in 60 years, so there’s definitely room for doubt. Maybe this is the 900th issue, but likely it’s not. Such is Marvel’s legacy numbering.
Be that as it may, ASM #900 (aka, ASM #6) could have been a clever way of foreshadowing what’s to come on the big screen. Spider-Punk got his first solo issue in May, and, lo and behold, he gets his own puzzle for some Across the Spider-Verse merchandise. That makes Living Brain’s seemingly random reimagining just last month something worth noting.
This could be the version we see on the screen in one fashion or another, so investing wouldn’t be the worst idea. Yeah, ASM #8 is the technical first appearance, but who’s got that kind of money in this economy? It’s too new to have any graded copies (and those ridiculous CGC turnaround times don’t help at all), but you can find them aplenty on eBay. The standard covers go for less than $10, but there’s a limited-edition Clayton Crain variant for around $89.
BRAINTRUST
The Living Brain is ripe for jokes, and that makes him a prime candidate for stage and screen. He’s been used for laughs in the comics in recent years, and that is how he would likely fit into a larger story. With a character as odd as Living Brain, he fits into either Spider-Verse, Spider-Man: Freshman Year, the next MCU movie or basically everything on Disney+.
Maybe some hapless D-list villain will need help on trivia night.
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