In 2010, a copy of Action Comics #1 CGC 8.0 sold for $1 million through ComicConnect, becoming the first book to reach that milestone. Similar sales were rare over the next decade, recording seven total comics selling for over $1 million. That all changed in late 2020.

Several months into the COVID-19 pandemic, the $1 million comic market started growing quickly with nine books surpassing that mark from November 2020 to December 2021. Four of those sales were for more than $2 million and the record for most valuable book was set twice, with Amazing Fantasy #15 CGC 9.6 claiming the record when it reached $3.6 million at Heritage Auctions.

In 2022, another nine books sold for over $1 million, bringing the total to 18 sales in just two years. Showing further growth, of those nine sales in 2022, four of them were for more than $3 million. The highest price paid for a comic changed for the third time in two years when the Superman #1 Edgar Church (Mile High) CGC 8.0 copy reportedly sold for $5.3 million in April 2022 through a brokered sale, according to CGC.

Superman and Batman dominated the top results with their earliest keys making up five of the biggest sellers in 2022. The Action Comics #1 (Rocket Copy) CGC 6.0 changed hands twice in ’22, realizing $3.1 million in January at Heritage then going for $3.4 million via Goldin Auctions and Metropolis in September.

The number of titles selling for over $1 million also expanded. First time seven-figure sellers included Fantastic Four #1 (first Fantastic Four) CGC 9.2 for $1.5 million, Captain America Comics #1 (first Captain America, Bucky Barnes, and Red Skull) San Francisco Pedigree CGC 9.4 for $3.1 million, and All Star Comics #8 (first Wonder Woman) for $1.6 million – all at Heritage.

While the market is now experiencing a leveling off period, more $1 million comic sales with new records and new titles are sure to be added to the club.