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Archie Comic Book Sets New World Record

Filed under: Auctions

He's no Superman or Batman but Archie Andrews, the lead character of the Archie comic books, proved he can hold his own on the auction floor. At Heritage Auctions' Feb. 24-25 Signature Vintage Comics & Comics Art Auction a CGC-certified 8.5 copy of Archie Comics #1 brought a world record price of $167,300 (including 19.5% Buyer's Premium). It's a record for Archie but is also the highest price ever paid for a non-superhero comic book. It sold to a West Coast collector who has been collecting Archie comic books for decades and was looking for a copy of Archie Comics #1 in top condition.

"Archie may have a ways to go to catch the likes of Superman and Batman, his Golden Age counterparts," said Lon Allen, Managing Director of Comics at Heritage, "but you can bet that collectors sat up and took notice when this comic brought that price. This amount exceeds the priciest of Spidey and Hulk comic books we've sold, which brought in excess of $125,000 each."

There's more in store for Archie Comics. Jon Goldwater, CEO of Archie Comics, recently gave an interview about the future of the brand saying he wants to make Archie and the gang a reflection of what's going on with kids today in high school. The comic introduced a gay character, an interracial romance and other changes. Perhaps most interesting is the fact that Archie Comics is also working with the legendary Stan Lee, co-creator of most of Marvel's superheroes, on a secret project. Keeping the brand in the public eye is also good for the value of the earlier comic books.

The Heritage auction reached a total of $4,270,483, with more than 2,375 bidders vying for 1,262 lots. More of the original artwork of Scrooge McDuck, done by his creator, Carl Barks,was also up for sale. Barks' Business as Usual, 1976, a painting of Uncle Scrooge in his massive money bin went for $179,250 and other Bark's paintings including also sold well.

Other items that sold well included R. Crumb's original art for the two-page story, "Kitchen Kut-Outs," from Zap Comics #1 which went for $47,800. The five original production proof pages from Detective Comics #27, the first appearance of "The Bat-Man" in 1939, found in 1975, in an old steamer trunk destined for the landfill brought $69,011 altogether, with the proof for Page 3 – the first time we see "The Bat-Man" – bringing the most at $19,120.

Tags: archie comics, batman, comic book, comic book collecting, comic books, heritage auctions

Rare Batman Pages Saved From Trash Could Sell For Thousands

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Auctions

We've seen several copies of Detective Comics #27, the first appearance of "The Batman" sell for hundreds of thousands of dollars but what price will the original 1939 production proofs for pages 2-6 of Detective Comics #27 fetch? The original art for the comic book hasn't surfaced but these rare pages, part of Heritage Auctions' Signature Vintage Comics & Comic Art Auction on February 24, are perhaps the next best thing. A proof page in comics is a test run of the uncolored page.

The pages were rescued in 1975 from an old steamer trunk sitting on a curb awaiting trash pick-up in Queens. Sharp-eyed Mario J. Sacripante saw the trunk outside of the building where he lived, and Bob Kane, Batman's creator, had also lived for many years. Sacripante had an idea about what he had found and later learned that Kane had lived there. The treasure trove also includes original Bob Kane sketches, gag panels, art class notebooks and an incomplete copy of Detective #27. "Holding some of these pages next to the printed comic I was struck by the details of the art that are better visible here," said Barry Sandoval, Director of Comics Auction Operations at Heritage. "Very little original comic book art from the 1930s has survived, so this is probably the closest a collector would ever get to owning original art from one of the most collectible comic book stories ever."

Tags: batman, comic book collecting, comic books, detective comics 27, heritage auctions

Comic Bought For 10¢ Sells For Over $492,000

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Auctions

We've seen a couple copies of Detective Comics #27, the first appearance of Batman, fetch big prices at auction but they usually go through the hands of several collectors before the big payday. Not this one. Sacramento, California resident Robert Irwin, 84, bought his copy of the first appearance of Batman for the cover price, 10 cents, back in 1939 when he was 13 years old. The comic book sold at Heritage Auctions in Dallas, Texas on November 18, 2010 for $492,937. The price exceeded pre-auction estimates by 20%. When the bidding ended Irwin joked, "I wish that I had one more book." The copy was purchased in a telephone bid by a buyer who wishes to remain anonymous.

Irwin discovered the comic book was still in his possession six years ago and turned down a $100,000 offer for it from a collector. It's the only comic book he kept from his youth. The winning bid, $492,937.50, includes the 19.5 percent buyer's premium paid by all winning bidders in the auction.

Tags: batman, comic book, comic book collecting, comic books, detective comics, Detective Comics 27

Batmobile Finds A New Home In The Caymans

by Jonathon Ramsey (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

The Cayman Islands might not be home to a fervent car culture, but the islands are the part-time home of fervent gearhead Andreas Ugland. After ten years of work and one hurricane, the Norwegian car buff finally inaugurated the opening of the Cayman Motor Museum that showcases vintage cars from his collection. Two of the highlights are a Batmobile and Batcycle built for and used in the original sixties television series that starred Adam West – before Batman went all gruff-voiced and Gothic.

Cars shipped from Ugland's collection around the world also include one of Elton John's Bentleys, an 1886 Benz, and a copy of the first car to be driven on the island, a 1905 Cadillac. If your tastes run to the less fantastical, fear not, there are plenty of Maseratis, Ferraris, BMWs and even a Renault 5 Turbo to fulfill the automotive senses. The museum is open now, and located on Northwest Point Road, near Boatswain's Beach.

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Tags: batman, batmobile, caribbean, cayman islands, cayman motor museum, museum

Pow! Batman Beats Superman With Big Auction Result

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

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

Batman Tops Superman's Rare Comic Book Record

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Auctions

Batman beats Superman at least when it comes to the rare comic book market right now. A rare copy of the first Batman comic book has 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. The bidding at Heritage Auctions for a comic that marks the first appearance of Batman has already reached a total of $418,250 including buyer's premium and the auction is still two weeks way. Heritage Auctions will be selling the Detective Comics #27, cover date of May 1939 on February 25. The comic is one of the finest known surviving copies of the issue and is being sold on behalf of an anonymous consignor who purchased it for $100 more than 40 years ago.

Tags: batman, comic book, comic book auction, comic book collecting, ComicBook, ComicBookAuction, ComicBookCollecting, rare comic, rare comic books, RareComic, RareComicBooks

Sheikh Flies His Lamborghini to UK for an Oil Change

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

A rich Middle Eastern magnate believed to be a Sheikh flew his brand new Lamborghini Murciélago LP640 on a 6,500 mile roundtrip from Qatar to London just for an oil change the other day. The London Sun reports that the 640 h.p., $380,000 supercar - the same model as the one driven by Batman in The Dark Knight - painted black and gold arrived at Heathrow in the cargo hold of a Qatar Airways jet and was taken to a Lamborghini specialist in London for servicing, adding $7,000 to the estimated $40,000 cost of the flight.

News of the resource-wasting trip drew the ire of environmental groups, including Friends of the Earth's Richard Dyer who told the paper that "Flying a car thousands of miles for a service is ludicrous when planes are one of the most polluting ways to transport goods." However, David Price of the Lamborghini Club UK insisted, "If an owner wants to service his car in that way, it is his choice. Thankfully the age of excess in some areas continues."

Gallery: Air Lamborghini

Tags: Batman, friends of the earth, FriendsOfTheEarth, Heathrow, Lamborghini, lamborghini murcielago, LamborghiniMurcielago, London, Qatar

Batman's Belstaff Jacket In Heavy Demand

by Laura Malesich (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel

If you were one of millions this weekend you waited in line, paid for your tickets, waited in line again, and watched The Dark Knight with Christian Bale and Heath Ledger this weekend. Sure the gadgets and action were outrageously cool but did you see that smoking hot leather jacket on Bruce Wayne? The Belstaff leather blouson jacket which retails for $1,250 has already been ogled and presold to 6,000 wanna-be-Batmans but you can find yours today at Barneys. Don't think the ladies will mind if you aren't the only one wearing it -- this jacket is hot!

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Tags: barneys, batman, belstaff, belstaff leather blouson jacket, BelstaffLeatherBlousonJacket, christian bale, ChristianBale, the dark knight, TheDarkKnight

Bruce Wayne Goes Armani

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel, Celebrity Shopping

Bruce Wayne is getting classed up in more ways than one this year, first with a Lamborghini to drive and now with Armani to wear in the latest Batman installment due out this summer: The Dark Knight. Armani's tailored, classic, understated style certainly fits the Bruce Wayne character both in personality and lifestyle, and I for one can't wait to see Christian Bale showing off his new designer duds in the movie. On dressing a superhereo Armani says it's "fitting that I should be dressing a superhero this year, as I am pleased to have chaired the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art's exhibition, Superheroes: Fashion and Fantasy, last May,"

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Tags: armani, bale, batman, bruce wayne, BruceWayne, celebrity, christian bale, ChristianBale, expire-images2009-6-12, the dark knight, TheDarkKnight

Batman's OTHER Ride

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

So what does a superhero like Batman drive in situations when the Batmobile is just too obvious? A 640hp Lamborghini Murcielago LP640, of course. In the movie trailer for The Dark Knight (due out this summer) Bruce Wayne chooses the Lamborghini over the Batmobile in an attempt to be more subtle driving through town in the middle of the day. What did you expect? A Civic Hybrid? Lamborghini is apparently very proud to be associated with a franchise like Batman, saying in a statement "The Lamborghini Murciélago LP640 is the natural choice for Bruce Wayne's other car."

I have to admit, it does fit!

Gallery: Batman's Lamborghini Murcielago LP640

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Tags: batman, batmobile, bruce wayne, BruceWayne, lamborghini, lamborghini murcielago, LamborghiniMurcielago, the dark knight, TheDarkKnight

Elite Home Theater Seating Batman Cave Theater

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor

From the same folks who brought us the Cuddle Couch home theater seat comes the Batman "Bat Cave" themed theater. I've highlighted a Batman-themed theater before which was custom done for a client. This one comes from Elite Home Theater Seating and is designed to be the ultimate place for both viewing movies and gaming. Elite Home Theater Seating specializes in custom seats which can be customized with a variety of different layouts. This theater reportedly cost $500,000 for the layout and seating alone, the equipment will cost you even more.

[Thanks, Rowan]

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Tags: batman, decor, gaming, home theater, movies

A Home Theater Just For The Batman Fan

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor, Gadgets

This latest home theater highlighted by Electronic House isn't remarkable so much for the theater part of things but for the unique decorations. The owner, a Batman fan who collects the action figures, actually has built-in toplight boxes to display the figurines. The room also has Xbox and PlayStation gaming consoles and in-wall speakers and Novawall acoustic paneling to create one fancy basement. The complete slideshow is over at Electronic House.

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Tags: action figures, batman, collectibles, comics, geek, home theater

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