The $3.4 million sale of an original drawing of a 1984 Spider-Man comic book set a new record for the most expensive piece of interior comic art, at the Dallas Heritage auction on Thursday .
The work of mike zeck sparked a heated bidding war, opening at $330,000 and quickly climbing into the millions. The previous record for an original comic book page – not a cover – was set in 2014 with the $657,250 sale, also at Heritage Auctions, of The Incredible Hulk, #180 (1974) by Herb Trimpe, who introduced Wolverine.
The three-panel Spider-Man design is pages 25 from Secret Marvel Superhero Wars #8, which explains how the superhero got his cool new black suit a few months earlier, in Amazing Spider-Man #252– which, as comic book fans know, becomes a pivotal moment for the character.
The Symbiote suit, as it is now called, was ultimately revealed to be a symbiotic lifeform that eventually passed on to a new host, Eddie Brock, to become the villainous Venom.
Trimpe Grass, The Incredible Hulk No. 180 (1974), featuring Wolverine, sold for $657,250 at the Heritage auction in 2014, setting a record for a comic book page at auction. Photo courtesy of Heritage Auctions.
Spider-Man tried to create the suit after damaging his disguise in battle, using what he thought was a futuristic cloth-replicating device. He was shocked when a black sphere emerged from the machine and engulfed his body in mud, forming the new outfit.
“That glob just smeared out and became a costume and dissolved the shreds of my old one in the process!” Spidey exclaimed when the striking black costume was revealed.
The previous page, where the transformation begins, sold for $288,000 in a separate bundle moments before the new record was set, earning a total of $3.7 million for two comic pages together.
Mike Zeck, Secret Marvel Superhero Wars number 8, page 24 (1984). Photo courtesy of Heritage Auctions.
“We couldn’t be happier, especially for our sender, who bought the art in the late 1980s and has cherished these pages ever since,” said Joe Mannarino, comics director of Heritage New York. , in a press release. declaration. “Today’s results prove what we’ve been saying for a long time: the art of comics is as beloved and valuable as anything put on the web.”
The record sale drew a round of applause from the crowd, but it was only the first sale of the day to top the $3 million mark.
Action Comics No.1 (1938) grossed $3.18 million, approaching the record for most expensive comic strip. Photo courtesy of Heritage Auctions. “width=”752″ height=”1024″ srcset=”https://news.artnet.com/app/news-upload/2022/01/FJAWNeXXEAAR6u3-752×1024.jpeg 752w, https://news.artnet.com /app/news-upload/2022/01/FJAWNeXXEAAR6u3-220×300.jpeg 220w, https://news.artnet.com/app/news-upload/2022/01/FJAWNeXXEAAR6u3-37×50.jpeg 37w, https://news .artnet.com/app/news-upload/2022/01/FJAWNeXXEAAR6u3.jpeg 1204w” sizes=”(max-width: 752px) 100vw, 752px”/>
The “rocket copy” of #1 Action Comic (1938) grossed $3.18 million, approaching the record for most expensive comic strip. Photo courtesy of Heritage Auctions.
Superman’s debut in #1 Action Comic, one of the most coveted comic books in history, selling for $3.2 million shortly thereafter, setting a new auction house record for the title. Called the “Rocket Copy”, this particular book has a rocket stamp on the cover put there by its original owner when he was 13 years old. He had been with his family ever since.
Due to condition issues, the comic was only rated six out of 10, illustrating the desirability of the title, even with flaws. Another copy of the rare book fetched $3.2 million on eBay in 2014 and a private sale conducted by a collectibles auction house comic connection has been reported at $3.25 million last April.
Spider-Man when he first appeared in Incredible Fantasy #15 in 1962. Acopy sold for $3.6 million at Heritage Auction in September 2021 to set comic book auction record. Photo courtesy of Heritage Auctions.
But it’s Spider-Man who holds the current record for a comic book issue at auction, with the $3.6 million sale of Incredible Fantasy #15 (1962), the web-slinger’s first appearance, at Heritage in September.
The Belgian designer Herge wins the honor of the most expensive work of art in a comic book at auction, meanwhile, with a 1936 gouache painted for the cover of The Blue Lotus, his fifth Tintin comic strip. The work, which sold for 3.2 million euros ($3.8 million) at Artcurial in Paris last January, had too many colors to be reproduced en masse, and the artist ended up using a simplified version for publication.
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