#1

On sale date from the publication date reported to the U.S. Copyright Office found in the Catalog of Copyright Entries, Third Series, Volume 28, Part 2, Periodicals, January-December 1974. Copyright registration number B914880. On-sale date of December 28, 1973 in Comic Reader #102.

Some of the copies show a purple or even pink background (Printing Error cover). This is a printing variation that occurred due to 4-plate printer quality control issues involving the three basic colors. During the printing process, problems with the color registration and mixing of cyan, magenta, and yellow inks (plus black) resulted in copies where the magenta component was more prominent, creating a distinctly purple or pink appearance on the cover instead of the intended blue. These variants represent the evolution of color correction during production - early copies show more pink/purple tones before the printer achieved the proper color balance for the standard blue covers. See Sandman #1 on recalledcomics.com for more details.