A visitor arrived with a Mylar-boarded issue and a phone screenshot. Both showed the same character. He had labelled them with one year. The paper copy was a reprint of a 1960s first appearance. The screenshot was a 2020s digital debut in a later costume.
That sitting is why first-appearance research exists. Print origin answers “when did this name enter comics?” The NFT debut answers “when did this name, in this treatment, arrive as a digital collectible?” They can rhyme. They should not share a single caption.
If you keep a binder, give the paper issue its historical date and give the file its drop date. If you speak at a local night, say the distinction out loud. Audiences forgive enthusiasm. They notice when a 1962 event is used to baptise a listing that arrived last Tuesday.
We cite commonly known issue histories in ordinary language. We are not Marvel’s archive and we do not claim their trademarks.