An authentic print version of the comedian e-book that launched Superman bought at public sale this week for a record-breaking $6 million.
The sale occurred on Thursday, kicking off a four-day uncommon comedian e-book public sale organized by Texas-based Heritage Public sale. The public sale home described the uncommon discover, Motion Comics No. 1, revealed in June 1938, as one of many best copies on the planet of the prized challenge.
As is customary with most public sale homes, Heritage didn’t disclose the vendor or purchaser.
The $6 million sale surpasses the earlier report of Superman #1 that bought privately in 2022 for $5.3 million.
“Thursday was a historic day for a historic comedian e-book, and we anticipated no much less,” Heritage Vice President Barry Sandoval informed Barrons. “The primary session of this four-day occasion will surpass $15 million — and we’ve not touched the comedian artwork that begins Friday, with quite a few items of significance forthcoming. Possibly there may be extra historical past nonetheless to be made.”
Million-dollar gross sales of authentic tremendous hero comedian books have develop into extra frequent in latest historical past, with a duplicate of Captain America’s first challenge promoting for $3.1 million in 2022, and the primary ever Marvel comedian promoting for $1.2 million in 2019. In 2021, Heritage additionally auctioned a top quality copy of Batman #1 for $2.2 million.
Religious superhero followers think about Motion Comics No. 1 as one of many rarest and most influential comics ever printed — one which launched maybe probably the most well-known superhero in popular culture.
In it, a new child child boy is nestled into an area capsule by his father who then units the vessel’s vacation spot to Earth. Simply moments after the infant is launched into house, his house planet of Krypton erupts violently, killing all of its inhabitants. The infant’s capsule crash lands on Earth and a motorist driving by occurs to note it.
The early story that later introduced us Clark Kent and Superman loved intense recognition between 1938 and 1956, a timeframe comedian e-book consultants seek advice from because the Golden Age.
“With out Superman and Motion Comics No. 1, who is aware of whether or not there ever would have been a Golden Age of comics — or if the medium would have develop into what it’s immediately,” Sandoval mentioned in an announcement Thursday earlier than the sale.
Superman has been the central determine in hundreds extra comedian books, in addition to tv exhibits, merchandise, cartoon collection and films. Actors George Reeves, Christopher Reeve, Dean Cain, Henry Cavill, and Tyler Hoechlin have portrayed the Man of Metal both on TV or in movie. David Corenswet is about to take the Superman mantle in James Gunn’s upcoming movie “Superman Legacy” in 2025.
Solely 200,000 copies of Motion Comics No. 1 had been printed in 1938 and there is probably solely 100 copies of them in existence immediately, in accordance with Licensed Warranty Firm, the Florida-based comedian e-book grading service. Of these 100 surviving copies, 78 are in ok situation to be bought or auctioned, in accordance with CGC.
