Superman's first appearance comic book at auction

Superman’s first appearance comic book at auction

Published on: November 17, 2017

The comic is a 1938 copy of Action Comics #1
It’s claimed to be in ‘fine/very fine condition’
Another copy of the same comic book fetched $3 million at auction in 2014

By Dailymail.com Reporter

Published: 13:25 GMT, 17 November 2017 | Updated: 19:44 GMT, 17 November 2017

Just ahead of the 80th anniversary of his debut, Clark Kent’s making headlines, and this time it isn’t from his day job at the Daily Planet.

A rare comic book featuring Superman lifting a car over his head from 1938 is headed to auction on December 19 in Los Angeles.

The comic, Action Comics #1, is anticipated to sell for a large sum, estimated to be in the $800,000 to $1.2 million range.

Profiles in History, an auction house that specializes in collectibles from old Hollywood and historical documents, claims that the comic is in ‘fine/very fine’ condition.

The rare comic, dating to 1938, shows Superman lifting a car in vivid color. The comic could fetch up to $1.2 million at auction in December

The rare comic, dating to 1938, shows Superman lifting a car in vivid color. The comic could fetch up to $1.2 million at auction in December

The copy in question is rare because it is what’s known as a silver print – these comics are exceedingly rare because in the 1930s, publishers would create black and white copies of the comics for artists to fill in themselves – making the copy going to auction one-of-a-kind.

‘This is one of the rarest, most historically significant items we’ve offered,’ said Stephen Fishler, founder and co-owner of ComicConnect.com.

Only around 100 original copies of Action Comics #1 are estimated to be extant – they’re significant because they’re Superman’s first appearance in comic books. In 2014, a copy of Action Comics #1 sold for more than $3 million at auction – the only comic book to have attained such a high price.

Despite being nearly 80 years old, Superman will make his next appearance on the silver screen this week in Justice League.