ComicBooks

Pow! Batman Beats Superman With Big Auction Result

Filed under: Auctions

It's been an exciting few weeks in the world of comic book collecting. First we heard that a rare copy of the first Batman comic book had surpassed the previous comic book record price, $317,000, paid for a first Superman comic by John Dolmayan, drummer for the rock band System of a Down last year. Then another copy of the first Superman comic came out of nowhere to zoom to the top again. A copy of the 1938 edition Action Comics #1 sold through the website ComicConnect.com for $1 million.

But never count Batman out. The Heritage Auctions sale wrapped up and the Detective Comics #27, cover date of May 1939 sold for an amazing $1,075,500 including buyer's premium. The comic is one of the finest known surviving copies of the issue and was sold on behalf of an anonymous consignor who purchased it for $100 more than 40 years ago. There are probably a lot of people digging through old collections right about now, as these two big sales will galvanize an already popular area of collecting.

Tags: batman, comic book collecting, comic books, ComicBookCollecting, ComicBooks, comics, heritage auctions, HeritageAuctions, superman

Rare Comic Book Sale Puts Superman Back On Top

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Auctions

A rare copy of the first comic book to feature Superman sold this week for a record breaking $1 million. Considered by many in the market to be the "Holy Grail" of comic books, the 1938 edition Action Comics #1 was in excellent condition and was originally sold for just 10 cents. It features Superman lifting a car on its front cover.

The sale went through the website ComicConnect.com and was between a private seller and private buyer. The $1 million sale price smashes the previous record of $317,000 set last year for another Action Comics #1 issue (in lesser condition) and looks like it will hold its own against the Batman auction coming up soon.

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Tags: comic book, comic book collecting, comic books, ComicBook, ComicBookCollecting, ComicBooks, rare comic books, RareComicBooks, superman

Exploring The World Of Comic Book Collecting

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Recently a reader sent Luxist a note regarding comic book collecting and the value of a particular Spiderman comic. I'll confess I wasn't much help except for steering him toward a couple of the more well-regarded comic book guides. But on our sister blog WalletPop you can get some real advice on comic book collecting. WalletPop's Jason Cochran sat down with a bunch of respected figures in the comic book world: artist and writer Phil Jimenez from Marvel's Astonishing X-Men; Paul Litch, vice-president of Certified Guaranty Company (CGC), a grader of comic books ; Laura Hudson, a blogger from the ComicsAlliance.com website; and Kevin Frost, who is a back-issue buyer for Midtown Comics, one of the busiest comic stores in America. The discussion is fascinating not just for anyone with an interest in collecting. Should you get your comic books graded? It may make a big difference in terms of price. Are those old comic books in the attic actually worth something and is comic book collecting a good investment? Like the world of sports collectibles, the comic book market is subject to a lot of different factors. While you may not make your fortune by collecting there are a few books that are worth quite a bit (last year an Action Comics #1 from 1938 sold for $317,200 in an internet auction). As with art or any other collecting, the rule remains the same, buy for love first and profit second.

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Tags: comic book collecting, comic books, ComicBookCollecting, ComicBooks

The World of Rare Comic Books: Amazing Spider-Man #1

by Sarah Gilbert (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Auctions

In the world of superheroes, Superman may be have the most other-worldly power, but it's Spider-Man who twinges the heart-strings. Perhaps it's his familiarity -- weren't you, too, that nerd in high school? -- or perhaps it's his tragedy, what with his unknowing part in his uncle's death. Either way, two of the most expensive comic books ever sold at auction are issues of Amazing Fantasy 15, the series in which Spider-Man was first introduced in 1962.

One of the rarest comic books still in existence in near-perfect condition is an issue of "Amazing Spider-Man #1," rare not only because of its singularity but also because of its quality. The comic book sold for only 12 cents per copy when it was published in March 1963, and is now worth over $40,000 -- not an exceedingly high price for comic books (the most valuable, first appearance of Superman in "Action Comics 1," is said to be worth $350,000) -- but extremely rare in such pristine condition.

In 2002, a comic book shop in Manhattan was broken into, and a particularly rare copy of "Amazing Spider-Man #1" was stolen, by a "gentlemanly" robber holding a duffel bag containing a rifle and handcuffs. He tied up the store owner while he picked the desired issues -- certainly a scene right out of the pages of his contraband. If only Spider-Man was real ...

Tags: amazing-spider-man, comic books, ComicBooks, comics, rare, spider-man, the rare, TheRare