Comics-related movies are driving comic book prices higher and higher with each new blockbuster, so we thought we would spotlight a few of the books in our upcoming Comics & Comic Art Signature Auction that tie-in with upcoming and current comics-related movies.
We have more than 1,300 lots in this auction, including 80+ lots in Heritage Comics Department’s first ever Platinum Night, which will feature the finest in high value, high profile comics and comic art we have to offer.
By definition, a Platinum Night auction will sell no lots for less than $10,000. The Platinum Night event will be Thursday in NYC, with the remaining lots going up for auction Friday and Saturday.
The Wonder Woman movie will release on June 2, and a sequel has already been confirmed by Zack Snyder. The Amazing Amazon’s key appearances in comics have never been hotter, so it’s only fitting we will begin Platinum Night with her origin and first appearance, All Star Comics #8, CGC graded at 5.0. This book is currently tied for the #15 spot on Overstreet’s list of Top 100 Golden Age Comics list:
All Star Comics #8 (DC, 1942) CGC VG/FN 5.0 Light tan to off-white pages.
We also have not one, but two CGC certified copies of Wonder Woman #1, a 7.5 and a 3.5. Consistently selling for over the Overstreet Guide values in recent years, this book launched a four-decade run and expanded upon her origin story as well.
Wonder Woman #1 (DC, 1942) CGC VF- 7.5 White pages.
Hot on the heels of the Wonder Woman movie will be Spider-Man: Homecoming, due out July 7, 2017. Our Platinum Night has a CGC graded 6.0 Amazing Fantasy #15, featuring the web-slinger’s origin and first appearance, as well as a Massachusetts Pedigree CGC graded 9.2 copy of Amazing Spider-Man #1. Amazing Fantasy #15 has been at the #1 spot of Overstreet’s list of Top 50 Silver Age Comics for over 3 decades. These days, even Good copies are selling for $10,000.
Amazing Fantasy #15 (Marvel, 1962) CGC FN 6.0 Off-white pages.
One of the big villains in the upcoming Spider-Man: Homecoming movie will be the Shocker, whose first appearance was Amazing Spider-Man #46. We have an impressive 9.0 copy in our Session 4, on the final day of the auction. The value of #46 in 9.0 has doubled since 2015, so it’s definitely a book to keep your eye on.
The Amazing Spider-Man #46 (Marvel, 1967) CGC VF/NM 9.0 Off-white to white pages.
November 2017 will see the release of Thor: Ragnarok and Justice League. We’ve got Thor’s origin and first appearance, Journey Into Mystery #83, CGC graded 7.0, in our Session 2. Hot as ever, this is #6 on Overtstreet’s list of Top 50 Silver Age Comics.
Journey Into Mystery #83 (Marvel, 1962) CGC FN/VF 7.0 Off-white to white pages.
And the first appearance of the Justice League in Brave and the Bold #28, CGC graded 4.0, will be featured in our Session 4. This issue is currently tied for the #5 spot on Overstreet’s Top 50 Silver Age Comics, so take that, Thor.
The Brave and the Bold #28 (DC, 1960) CGC VG 4.0 Cream to off-white pages.
Speaking of the Justice League, we also have the origin and first appearance of JLA founding member the Flash, who will be in Justice League and has a solo movie currently in development (as well as a hit TV show). Showcase #4 is hard to find in any grade, and its collectability benefits from not just being the origin and first appearance of the Flash – it is widely considered to be the very first Silver Age comic, and is the #4 book on Overstreet’s list of Top 50 Silver Age Comics. We have a CGC graded 5.5 copy in Session 2.
Showcase #4 (DC, 1956) CGC FN- 5.5 Off-white to white pages.
Already released, the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 has been well received by fans and critics, so don’t hold your breath for Marvel Preview #4, origin and first appearance of Star-Lord, to drop in value any time soon. This copy of the magazine-sized comic, tied-for-highest graded in the CGC census at 9.8, will be featured in our Session 2.
Marvel Preview #4 (Marvel, 1976) CGC NM/MT 9.8 Off-white to white pages.
Super-hero comics aren’t the only ones getting a boost from movie franchises. Star Wars comics, in particular Star Wars #1, have enjoyed a healthy spike in recent years, and with Star Wars: The Last Jedi due out December 15, we don’t predict the trend reversing. As far as Star Wars comics go, the only thing more collectible than a Star Wars #1 from 1977 – the #1 book on Overstreet’s list of Top Ten Bronze Age Comics — is the much more rare 35 cent price variant of that issue. Which we happen to have up for auction, CGC graded 8.0, in Session 2. Overstreet notes there may only be 1500 copies of this price variant out there. In the jargon of comics collectors, that’s called a “tough book!”
Star Wars #1 35 Cent Price Variant (Marvel, 1977) CGC VF 8.0 Off-white to white pages.
And finally, what article about movies and comics would be complete without an Avengers #1? The Avengers: Infinity War is due out May 4, 2018, and our Platinum Night features a stunning CGC graded 9.4 copy of this, featuring the origin and first appearance of the original team. The book is tied for #11 on Overstreet’s list of Top 50 Silver Age Comics.
The Avengers #1 (Marvel, 1963) CGC NM 9.4 Off-white to white pages.
Sessions
1 – Signature® Floor Session Platinum Night (Live Floor, Live Phone, Mail, Fax, Internet, and Heritage Live):
(Lots 91001-91083) – 6:30 PM Central Time, Thursday, May 18, 2017 (7:30 PM Eastern Time).
(Proxy bidding ends ten minutes prior to the session start time. Live Proxy bidding on Heritage Live starts 24 hours before the live session begins and continues through the session.)
2 – Signature® Floor Session (Live Floor, Live Phone, Mail, Fax, Internet, and Heritage Live):
(Lots 92001-92197) – 11:00 AM Central Time, Friday, May 19, 2017 (12:00 PM Eastern Time).
(Proxy bidding ends ten minutes prior to the session start time. Live Proxy bidding on Heritage Live starts 24 hours before the live session begins and continues through the session.)
3 – Signature® Floor Session (Live Floor, Live Phone, Mail, Fax, Internet, and Heritage Live):
(Lots 93001-93275) – 2:00 PM Central Time, Friday, May 19, 2017 (3:00 PM Eastern Time).
(Proxy bidding ends ten minutes prior to the session start time. Live Proxy bidding on Heritage Live starts 24 hours before the live session begins and continues through the session.)
4 – Signature® Internet Session – No Floor or Phone Bidding (Mail, Fax, Internet, and Heritage Live):
(Lots 94001-94793) – 1:00 PM Central Time, Saturday, May 20, 2017.
(Proxy bidding ends ten minutes prior to the session start time. Live Proxy bidding on Heritage Live starts 24 hours before the live session begins and continues through the session.)
Heritage Auctions is the largest auction house founded in the United States and the third largest in the world, with annual sales of $900+ million and 1,000,000+ online bidder members. For more information about Heritage Auctions, and to join and receive access to a complete record of prices realized, with full-color, enlargeable photos of each lot, please visit HA.com.
Written by: Matt Griffin, Consignment Director, Comics & Comic Art, along with Heritage Auctions' Comics Department Staff.