Marvel Comics #1 CGC 9.4 became the latest comic book to cross the seven-figure mark when the hammer fell at Heritage Auctions’ Comic and Comic Art Signature Auction on November 21, 2019. Finishing at $1.26 million, the book comes from the Windy City pedigree and is the only copy in the CGC census at that grade, with none higher.
The issue joins Action Comics #1, Detective Comics #27, and Amazing Fantasy #15 as the only comics to date to hit or top the $1 million threshold.
Other comic book highlights included Whiz Comics #2 (#1) CGC 6.0 finishing at $150,666, Batman #1 CGC 4.0 ending at $150,000, Superman #1 CGC 2.0 for $150,000, Sensation Comics #1 CGC 8.5 for $132,000, Captain America Comics #1 CGC 6.0 for $132,000, Amazing Fantasy #15 CGC 7.5 for $120,000 and Journey Into Mystery #83 CGC 9.2 for $120,000.
On the original comic art end of things, Neal Adams’ Batman #251 original cover art for “The Joker’s Five-Way Revenge!” story hammered for $600,000. This cover comes from the pivotal story in which the writing and art team of Dennis O’Neil and Adams revived a scarier version of the Joker. This surpassed Heritage’s previous record for Batman original comic art, by topping the Batman: The Dark Knight Returns #2 cover by Frank Miller that sold for $478,000 in 2013.
Robert Crumb’s Your Hytone Comix #nn original “Stoned Agin!” inside back cover art ended at $690,000; Crumb is one of the leading underground comix artists out there, and collectors are always on the hunt for artwork from “Stoned Agin!” The piece represents Crumb at the height of his popularity, featuring an excellent display of his trademark inked hatching.
Several Jack Kirby pieces also crossed the auction block, including the Kirby/Syd Shores original cover art for Captain America #103 which ended at $288,000, the Kirby/Chic Stone original splash page for Fantastic Four Annual #2 for $288,000, and the Kirby/Stone page 11 from Fantastic Four Annual #2 for $180,000.
We’ll have full results in next week's Scoop, or you can check things out on Heritage’s website.
