The history of comic books is littered with issues and covers collectors fawn over and willing to pay exorbitant amounts for, all to add these historic titles to their personal collections or even just to resell. Superman, in particular, is one hero who's early comics are highly sought after by plenty of historians and collectors, as shown by the record-setting amount Superman's comic book debut has sold for.
The issue in question is Action Comics No. 1 from 1938, which featured the Man of Steel's first appearance ever and was described by Heritage Auction as the “most important, impactful comic book ever published.” While it originally sold for only ten cents at release, the comic sold for $6 million at an auction held by Heritage on Thursday to become the most expensive comic ever, according to CNN.
The previous record holder was 1939's Superman No. 1, which reportedly sold for around $5.3 million in 2022.
“Without Superman and Action Comics No. 1, who knows whether there ever would have been a Golden Age of comics—or if the medium would have become what it is today,” Heritage Auctions Vice President Barry Sandoval said in a statement.
Heritage Auctions said the issue it sold is in excellent condition despite its age and that only two other copies in circulation are in better condition. Additionally, the auction house claimed that the issue is one of only 100 still in circulation out of the 200,000 copies originally released in 1938.
Welcome to the Planet
It was in Action Comics No. 1 where creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster introduced to Superman and learned of his origin as the last survivor of the doomed planet Krypton.
The comic outlines how Kal-El, also known as Clark Kent, was found by Johnathan and Martha Kent in a capsule that crash landed on their farm in Smallville, Kansas. As he grew older, Clark's powers began to emerge as a result of his exposure to the Earth's yellow sun and included the ability to fly, super-strength, and impenetrable skin. He would ultimately decided to dedicate his life to the fight for justice, using his powers to protect the innocent and stop criminals of all sort.
To better fight crime, Clark would move to Metropolis and begin working as a reporter at the city's prolific newspaper the Daily Star, later renamed Daily Planet. It was at the newspaper Clark would also be introduced to who would become his longtime love interest, Lois Lane.
Superman's success would soon be followed with the debuts of Batman in 1939 and Wonder Woman in 1941, effectively completing what became known as the DC comic's Trinity.
The Man of Steel has since served as the cornerstone of DC Comics, appearing in nearly every major crossover event and story arc since his debut. He has also found plenty of success beyond the comic page with multiple games, TV shows, and films for fans to experience, with the next film being 2025's Superman, directed by James Gunn, and will kick off the new cinematic DC Universe.
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