Throughout the years, the value of comic books has changed exponentially, mainly due to the debut of a wide array of superhero movies featuring characters from both Marvel and DC.
The successful launch of superhero movies effectively established its place in mainstream culture, meaning that activities like comic book collecting and comic auctions were pushed to the forefront.
While it's clear that passionate fans have been keen on collecting various comics for their reading pleasure, other members of the community have dialed down on the vintage side of the trade, digging deep into concepts like third-party grading and luring deep-pocket investors along the way. As a result, auction houses have surfaced and prices of vintage comic books have skyrocketed. Surprisingly, though, this was further amplified by the recent COVID-19 pandemic.
Forbes shared that comic book auctions have experienced growth amidst the pandemic, citing Heritage Auctions' achievement of garnering a $22.4 million haul from its recent sale of high-grade collectible comics.
Now, another milestone for the comic auction community has surfaced, and it includes a notable mention of a friendly neighborhood web-slinger.
Spider-Man Comic Hits All-Time Auction Sale
The Hollywood Reporter shared that the sale of Amazing Fantasy no.15, the comic which featured the first appearance of Spider-Man, has set the record for the most expensive comic book ever sold.
The outlet reported that the comic sold for $3.6 million on Thursday, September 9, 2021 as part of the Heritage Auction's Signature Comics & Comic Art auction.
In 2011, the 1962 comic book by Steve Ditko and Stan Lee earned the title of the third most expensive comic book in the world after it sold for $1.1 million.
The previous comic that held the title was Action Comics #1, featuring the first appearance of Superman. This comic sold for $3.2 million back in 2014.
Here are other notable comics that were sold for a hefty price:
- Detective Comics #27 (first appearance of Batman) - $1.075 Million
- All-Star Comics #8 (debut of Wonder Woman) - $936,223
- Batman #1 (first appearance of Joker and Catwoman) - $567,625
- X-Men #1 (first appearance of mutants Cyclops, Beast, and Magneto) - $492,937.50
- Tales of Suspense #39 (first appearance of Iron Man) - $375,000
Spider-Man's Popularity is Sky-High
Many would agree that Spider-Man is one of the most popular Marvel characters of all time, and this latest achievement serves as a fitting reminder of that belief.
If anything, this development could be due to the upcoming release of Spider-Man: No Way Home this December considering that the threequel is heavily rumored to showcase appearances of previous live-action versions of Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield's web-slingers.
Based on the trend over the years, the demand for the characters that appear in superhero films rises every time a new project is announced. The current case for Amazing Fantasy #15 might be categorized as a unique one since it's possible that the price skyrocketed due to the fact that No Way Home is poised to become a celebration of the Spider-Man character.
Given that this isn't the first time that Amazing Fantasy #15 has cracked the top 3 list of the most expensive comic books of all time, it will be interesting to find out if the $3.6 million worth of the 1962 classic will accelerate in value once No Way Home confirms the inclusion of Maguire and Garfield.
Whatever the case, it's worth pointing out that Spider-Man will continue to make history both on-screen and off-screen, and many would agree that the character is here to stay for many years to come.
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