apropos of nothing ...

[dan bailey]

... literally!

found myself wondering awhile back about the comparative proliferation of #0 comics during my 26-or-so year sojourn from the field. when i took my leave in late '78, i don't recall ever having seen such a thing on a mainstream comic. when did the practice start? where did it originate? from fanzines &/or undergrounds (first one i think i ever heard of was zap #0)?

[Hombre]

As a Marvel fan, I can tell you that thing very likely started in the mid-90s. My own first experience was with Sensational Spider-Man #0, written and drawn by Jurgens with a holographic cover - I don't see that comic as inherently abysmal by the way, but that's another story.

As a devotee of marvel's classic comics, I was less than favorably impressed, however, with the idea of -1 issues. They didn't add anything much and were generally at best a failed experiment, at worst an annoying trivialization of the company's hallowed beginnings.

[Agentum]

But all #0 is not that, DC had a event called Zero Hour or something and that month all books had #0 on them (very confusing).
Very 90sh i think.
There have been stuff like #½ and so on too:-/

[founder81]

I think the 1st Marvel #0 was Magneto #0 from the early 90's. It had reprints of Magneto back up storys from the Classic X-men run. Not sure how you orginally got it.

[Michael P]

I think the 1st Marvel #0 was Magneto #0 from the early 90's. It had reprints of Magneto back up storys from the Classic X-men run. Not sure how you orginally got it.
It was a mail-in offer; you had to get coupons from six different Marvel comics and mail them all in.

[MichikoS]

I always assumed that Valiant pioneered the "zero issue." Archer & Armstrong #0 was dated July, 1992. That predates the 1993 Magneto #0 issue from Marvel.

Michi