ARTFEED — Contemporary Art Intelligence

Superman and Batman debut comics sell for nearly $3 million

market-auction · 2026-05-14

Heritage Auctions' Comic Books Signature Auction, held from May 7 to 9, garnered an impressive $10,234,100. The auction was highlighted by a CGC 7.0 Conserved edition of Action Comics No. 1 (first Superman, 1938) and a CGC 6.5 edition of Detective Comics No. 27 (first Batman), both exceeding $1 million. When combined with the Comic Art Signature Auction from May 8 to 10, which totaled $12,151,880, the overall revenue for the four days reached $22,385,980. The event showcased at least one copy of each of the top seven most valuable issues according to the Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide.

Key facts

  • Action Comics No. 1 (CGC 7.0 Conserved) sold for over $1 million
  • Detective Comics No. 27 (CGC 6.5) sold for over $1 million
  • Comic Books auction total: $10,234,100
  • Comic Art auction total: $12,151,880
  • Four-day combined total: $22,385,980
  • Auction dates: May 7–9 (Comic Books) and May 8–10 (Comic Art)
  • Auction house: Heritage Auctions
  • Sale included top seven most valuable issues per Overstreet guide

Entities

Institutions

  • Heritage Auctions
  • Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide

Sources