2024 Merchandise & Miscellaneous News Archives
April 4, 2024: Auction for "Action Comics #1" Reaches $6 Million! Most Expensive Comic Book of All Time
An original 1938 edition of "Action Comics #1," Superman debut issue, has sold for US$6,000,000 at Heritage Auctions, making it the most expensive comic book of all time!
With a CGC VF+ 8.5 grading, the auction for the "Kansas City Pedigree" copy of "Action Comics #1" ended on April 4, creating history.
Action Comics #1 Kansas City Pedigree (DC, 1938) CGC VF+ 8.5 Off-white to white pages. It's been said many times, but it bears repeating that Action Comics #1 is the most important, impactful comic book ever published. Written by Jerry Siegel and drawn by Joe Shuster, both children of Jewish immigrants and in their early 20s at the time, it features the first appearance and origin of Superman: an alien child sent to Earth to escape catastrophe, who grew to become the world's mightiest defender - a reflection of his creators' experiences as well as the American Dream. In addition to the first appearance of the Man of Steel, it featured the first appearances of perennial love interest Lois Lane and heroic magician Zatara. Shuster created the iconic cover, with Fred Guardineer and Bernard Baily contributing additional story art in this issue. In the process they launched the Golden Age of Comics, created the superhero genre, and crafted a comic that stands as the keystone of the medium and a major moment in the history of publishing, and ultimately film and television as well.
A rare comic book whose historical impact cannot be overstated, we've had the singular honor of auctioning dozens of copies of Action Comics #1 over the past 20-plus years - and in some instances, loose individual pages that nevertheless sold for anywhere from a few hundred dollars to nearly $60,000 apiece - and yet we've never had the privilege of offering one as breathtakingly beautiful as this.
The colors are stunningly rich, and the cover is almost pristine and largely unmarred. Some mild toning to the white areas, slight dulling of the staples, and a little wear along the top seem to have kept the grade at "only" 8.5. There is a single, tiny color break at mid-spine, and the corners are relatively sharp for an 85-year-old comic book.
You'll be hard-pressed to get your hands on a nicer copy. There are only four pedigreed copies of Action #1 - the others being the Mile High, Lamont Larson, and Billy Wright copies, and this is the highest-graded among the three that have been certified to date (the Mile High copy has yet to be certified and, of course, may be the nicest copy of all). In 1989, Ernst Gerber's The Photo-Journal Guide to Comic Books rated it a "7" ( "scarce") on their Scarcity Index, estimating that no more than 50 copies were still in existence. The decades since Gerber's guide was published have proven that estimate to be low, but just barely: CGC has currently certified 78 copies of Action #1, of which 44 are unrestored Universal grade copies. Of those, only two have earned a higher grade than this one (both VF/NM 9.0); they have also registered two restored copies with higher grades: an Apparent VF/NM 9.0 and an Apparent NM 9.4. This is also the finest copy we've ever had the opportunity to offer at auction and the highest-graded unrestored copy we've seen, surpassing the FN 6.0 Rocket copy that sold for $3.18 million in January 2022. Rest assured it might be some time before a nicer copy shows up on the auction block. Naturally, this classic is ranked #1 on Overstreet's list of Top 100 Golden Age Comics. Overstreet 2023 VF 8.0 value = $2,429,000; VF/NM 9.0 value = $4,514,500. CGC census 3/24: 2 in 8.5, 2 higher.
2024 Merchandise & Miscellaneous News
Listed below are all the Merchandise & Miscellaneous News items archived for 2024.- January 4, 2024: DC Shop Announces Exclusive Superman Krypto Lineage T-Shirt
- January 9, 2024: “DC Super Friends” Kids Activity! Secret Search Episode 2
- January 10, 2024: Superman of Earth-2 (Crisis on Infinite Earths) Gold Label Action Figure
- January 11, 2024: Superman Christmas Gifts - Superman Poll Results
- January 12, 2024: Superman Celebrities Attending Albuquerque Comic Con Next Weekend (January 19-21, 2024)
- January 16, 2024: “Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League” Official Gameplay Launch Trailer - “Do the Impossible”
- January 18, 2024: Superman in 2024 - Superman Poll Results
- January 19, 2024: Superman Celebrities Attending Days of the Dead Convention Next Weekend (January 26-28, 2024)
- January 20, 2024: Superman vs Doomsday 1:10 Scale Statue by Iron Studios Now Available for Pre-Order
- January 22, 2024: Brains On! Science Podcast Presents “Superman: An Immigrant's Story”
- January 23, 2024: Up, Up and Away to Public Domain: When Will Superman Soar Free?
- January 23, 2024: Ranking the Supermen of the Multiverse Panel at Phoenix Fan Fusion
- January 23, 2024: “Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League” Video Game Insider - Episode 3
- January 25, 2024: Favorite Super Power - Superman Poll Results
- January 26, 2024: Superman Celebrities Attending MegaCon Orlando Next Weekend (February 1-4, 2024)
- January 29, 2024: A Superman Homepage Retrospective by Neal Bailey
- January 30, 2024: The Return of Superman Superboy MAFEX Action Figure
- February 1, 2024: Superman Gold Edition 40th Anniversary Action Figure Included in DC Super Powers Wave 7 Case
- February 1, 2024: Pre-Order Your DC Super Powers Wave 7 Brainiac Action Figure and Skull Ship Vehicle
- February 2, 2024: Win a Family Trip to Warner Bros. Movie World with Nestlé Milo and Cheerios Cereals
- February 2, 2024: Superman Celebrities Attending Conventions Next Weekend (February 9-11, 2024)
- February 9, 2024: Superman Celebrities Attending Conventions Next Weekend (February 16-19, 2024)
- February 12, 2024: Sideshow Collectibles Previews New Superman Premium Format Figure
- February 14, 2024: Looney Tunes x DC Mash-Ups Clothing
- February 19, 2024: Bagzone Lifestyles Partners with Warner Bros Discovery to Launch Fashion Accessories
- February 22, 2024: “DC Heroes & Villains” Video Game Update and Superboy Spotlight
- February 23, 2024: Superman Celebrities Attending Conventions Next Weekend (February 29 - March 3, 2024)
- February 29, 2024: Happy Birthday Superman!
- March 1, 2024: Superman Celebrities Attending Conventions Next Weekend (March 7-10, 2024)
- March 2, 2024: A Superman Homepage Retrospective by Michael J Petty
- March 2, 2024: First Look at Earth-2 Superman and Brainiac “Superman: Ghosts of Krypton” Action Figures
- March 2, 2024: McFarlane Toys “Superman: Ghosts of Krypton” Action Figure First Look
- March 4, 2024: DC Heroes Superman Black and Silver Version 1:8 Scale Statue
- March 6, 2024: “Superman: Ghosts of Krypton” Page Punchers Action Figures Available for Pre-Order
- March 7, 2024: Sideshow Collectibles Giveaway - “Batman & Superman: World's Finest” Fine Art Print by Joshua Middleton
- March 8, 2024: First Look at Superman Blue JLA Action Figure
- March 8, 2024: Superman Celebrities Attending Conventions Next Weekend (March 15-17, 2024)
- March 12, 2024: Warner Bros. Games Announces “Multiversus” Launch Date and McDonald's Happy Meals Collectibles
- March 13, 2024: DC Build-A Wave 12 Justice League of America Superman 7-Inch Scale Action Figure
- March 14, 2024: Jerry Siegel's 3-Page Letter on the Origin of Superman to be Sold at Auction
- March 14, 2024: Mr. Mxyzptlk's Mischief St. Patrick's Day Event in “DC Universe Online” MMO Role Playing Game
- March 15, 2024: First Look at Kryptonite Doomsday Mega Figure from McFarlane Toys
- March 15, 2024: Superman Celebrities Attending Conventions Next Weekend (March 22-24, 2024)
- March 18, 2024: Get Your Free Metropolis Poster - Limited Edition!
- March 20, 2024: Pre-Order Your DC Multiverse Megafig Wave 7 Kryptonite Doomsday Superman/Batman Action Figure
- March 20, 2024: Cartoon Museum Presents “Heroes: The British Invasion of American Comics” Exhibition
- March 22, 2024: Superman Celebrities Attending WonderCon, Anaheim Next Weekend (March 29-31, 2024)
- March 28, 2024: “Superman - Big Book of Trivia” Magazine Now Available
- March 29, 2024: “DC Universe Online” Now Available on PlayStation 5
- March 29, 2024: Superman Celebrities Attending Conventions Next Weekend (April 5-7, 2024)
- April 1, 2024: April Fools Day Story - Superman Shocker: Gunn's Reboot Rumored to Feature Secret Identity Reveal
- April 3, 2024: TNT Sports, Warner Bros. Games & National Hockey League to Present “MultiVersus NHL Face-Off”
- April 4, 2024: Auction for “Action Comics #1” Reaches $6 Million! Most Expensive Comic Book of All Time
- April 4, 2024: Jerry Siegel's 3-Page Letter on the Origin of Superman Sold at Auction
- April 5, 2024: Superman Celebrities Attending Conventions Next Weekend (April 12-14, 2024)
- April 11, 2024: Paws with Powers: New DC Super-Pets Clothing
- April 11, 2024: April Fools Day Reactions - Superman Poll Results
- April 12, 2024: Brandon Routh Attending TimminsCon Next Weekend (April 20-21, 2024)
- April 15, 2024: The Greatest Heroes in the DC Universe Unite in “DC Heroes United” Tabletop Game
- April 15, 2024: DC Secrets Revealed! - “Behind the Scenes With Superman”
- April 16, 2024: Superman Statue to Finally be Erected in Cleveland
- April 18, 2024: New Superman Merchandise at DC Shop - Classic Covers, Smallville and Metropolis Collections
- April 18, 2024: Get Your Free Smallville Poster - Limited Edition
- April 19, 2024: Metropolis, Illinois Superman Celebration Celebrity Guests Announced for 2024
- April 19, 2024: Superman Celebrities Attending Conventions Next Weekend (April 25-28, 2024)
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