Many people read comic books growing up as kids, but a certain few retain their passion and become meticulous collectors of expensive comic books. Other people think of comic books as juvenile superhero fantasies, but the sophisticated storytelling and artwork of modern comic books and graphic novels is changing that perception. The most expensive comic books in the world, however, will inevitably be the earliest and most historic examples of the medium.
Any serious comic book collector can tell you that the world’s most expensive comic book is DC’s Action Comics #1 (1938). Written by Jerry Siegel and illustrated by Joe Shuster, this book contained our first 12-page glimpse of the iconic superhero, Superman. One may wonder why this comic would outsell, say, the first appearance of Spider-Man, especially considering the success of the Spider-Man movie franchise and the box office flop that marked Superman’s return to Hollywood in 2006. The answer lies not in the fact that Action Comics #1 contains the first appearance of Superman, but that it contains the first appearance of the modern superhero.
All of the stereotypical devices of the superhero genre are combined for the first time in this issue; superpowers, secret identities, pseudo-scientific origins and, yes, even tights. Superman was the amalgamation of Greek myth with Flash Gordan and just a smattering of everyday life. Ultimately, it was the same combination that we still see today, to some extent, in the immensely successful Batman, X-Men and Iron Man franchises.
A copy of Action Comics #1 was sold by ComicConnect.com in March, 2010 for $1.5 million. Alongside the Superman story, the book included ten other features, such as Tex Thompson and Zatara, Master Magician.
Action Comics #1 may lose its place at the top of the pile, however, if this special ashcan edition of Flash Comics #1 sells for its asking price. That’s a big “if,” however, as the asking price is $5 million.
So what makes this comic so special? As the story goes, publishers Fawcett Comics and All American Comics scrambled to publish ashcan editions of “Flash Comics” in order to secure the copyright. All American, one of the three companies that eventually merged to form DC Comics, won the race and published 104 issues of Flash Comics, starring the Flash.
Interestingly enough, Fawcett’s Flash Comics (retitled Whizz Comics) debuted Captain Thunder (renamed Captain Marvel), a character later awarded to DC in a copyright infringement suit based on his similarities to Superman.
{ 17 comments… read them below or add one }
I have action comics 1 what is it worth today ?
it says right there 195,000. read the fine print
Acctually the going rate for your copy in mint condition graded is worth in the area of 400,00.00
I am trying to find out how old and how expensive the comic books i have.
Actually, if you have the Edgar Church Edition in mint, it’s about 2 million dollars. About crap myself, imagine somebody actually paying that much. Wish I can borrow some for my college tuition.!!!
if you want to know look at the issue number and then go to google and type in comic pricing and go to any of the sites that have comic book pricing
I have the action comic #1 year 1938 with superman holding car, looking for a buyer let me know thanks.
cole b you arre a liar because there are only eightynine in existence and they all belong to major private collectors except for two of them
Not surprisingly there are copies of the first editions and most collectible comics, Action Comic #1 has famously/infamously been reprinted and people have removed the cover and tried to sell it as an original without cover…Buyer Beware!
Info taken from the Overstreet Comic Book price guide, the comic collectors bible.
I like superman but I really feel The Savage Sword of Conan “The Barbarian” series is the best comic book ever edited. JULY No. 71, 75, 85 and 83. Have a nice day.
William
Although I do not own such a famous comic, the second most expensive would be the silver age action Comic #4 which features the flash
i have a x-men comic 1963 first issue how much does it cost now?
what sad person would pay $195,000 for a comic!!!
In 1960 a business man bought a copy for the controversial amount of $20k. Everyone thought he was crazy but now he is a millionaire from that 1 purchase. At this price range these are no longer comics but are assets worth more than the house that you or I live in. Should you be able to afford an investment like this you are by no means sad but very lucky and most likely very happy. The only sad thing here is your comment.
i found out that a old comic of mine is worth 5 grand
I have a copy of action comics no.1
but I fed it to my dog
and for the remaining pages, I used it to lit up our charcoal bbq grill.
I'm just starting an antique comic books collection http://antiques-help.com/antiquecomicbooks but heck it's expensive starting out…
Good post. My favorite super hero is Supergirl.