WHEN WALKS THE INVADER ##1
Gene Day (Self-Published) • When Walks The Invader
Writer
Gene Day
Interior Artist
Gene Day
Cover Artist
Gene Day
Publication Date
1973
Cover Variant
Regular (Fanzine/Underground)
Printing
First Printing
Comic Description
A self-published independent comic/fanzine by Howard Eugene 'Gene' Day. This specific cover is famously 'Dedicated to Stan and Jack! and Little Dick, too.', referencing Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, and Dick Ayers. It features an aesthetic heavily influenced by Kirby's monster-era work.
Condition & Value
Condition Grade
Fine (CGC 6.0)
Condition Details
Moderate yellowing/tanning of the cover stock consistent with age and high-acid paper used in fanzines. Slight corner blunting on the top right. Minor spine stress visible. Vertical alignment of the print appears slightly off-center (likely a manufacturing trait of the era).
Estimated Market Value
Raw: $30 - $75; Graded: $150 - $250 (rarely appears at auction)
Recent Sales
Comparable Gene Day self-published works from the 1970s fluctuate; high-grade specimens from this underground era of Canadian fandom often command premiums from completionist collectors of his later Marvel work.
Grading Recommendation
Not recommended for investment grading unless highly sentimental. While Gene Day is a cult favorite, the market for 1970s black-and-white fanzines is niche, and the cost of grading may exceed the immediate liquidity value.
Notable Features
Independent Canadian fanzine; early work of Gene Day (who became famous for Master of Kung Fu). Features the 'Invader' monster. Significant for its tribute to the fathers of the Marvel Age on the front cover.
Authentication Notes
The matte paper stock and black ink saturation appear consistent with 1970s small-press mimeograph or offset printing. The artist's signature 'GENE DAY 73' is integrated into the plate on the bottom left.