Page 54 - JOA-august-23

As Summer Arrived, Pop Culture Boomed

t’s not unusual for the heat of summer to bring some hot auction results, Golden Age highlights included Beware Terror Tales #6 9.4 Crowley for
and it looks like this season is not going to be an exception to that truism. $21,850, Blue Bolt #112 9.0 for $19,822, All-Star Comics #8 2.5 for $27,000,
IIn the pop culture space, Heritage, ComicConnect, and Hake’s all have had and Tales from the Crypt #46 9.4 for $17,500.
some attention-grabbers. Silver, Bronze, and Modern Age sales included Amazing Spider-Man #129
9.8 for $23,000, Incredible Hulk #1 8.0 for $111,157, Iron Man #1 9.8 for
HERITAGE $27,100, New Mutants #98 9.9 for $40,250, Sub-Mariner #1 9.8 for
When Heritage Auctions’ four-day $9,400, Thor #165 9.8 for $25,000, and Ultimate Fallout #4 9.8 Stan
June 22-25, 2023 Comics & Comic Art Lee Signature variant edition for $43,000.
Signature Auction closed, the grand Art sales were led by the Incredible Hulk #154 cover by Herb
total was $21,056,657, but that only Trimpe for $83,375, Conan the Barbarian #12 cover by Gil Kane for
tells part of the story. This one, $66,701, Weird Science #21 page by Wally Wood for $46,000, and
observers quickly found out, went big Amazing Spider-Man #325 page by Todd McFarlane for $39,905.
from the start.
In its Thursday first session, HAKE’S
Frank Frazetta’s Dark Kingdom While two weeks away from closing as we go to press, it’s worth
painting original art took a big noting that Hake’s Auctions opened their July 25-26 Auction #238 with
swing, selling for $6 million. The some fireworks as well. In just two days of bidding, the premier auction
painting was first published as the set two major house records.
cover for Karl Edward Wagner’s On Monday, July 3, the auction set an opening day record with
1976 Kane series novel, Dark $654,000 in bids. The next day, on Independence Day, they hit the
Crusade. The Dark Kingdom sale $1 million mark faster than any auction in the company’s long history.
has set a new record for a The expected top offering in the auction is a CGC-certified 9.6 copy of
Frazetta painting, besting the Amazing Spider-Man #1, the character’s second appearance. This high-grade
Egyptian Queen original art specimen of the key issue retells Spider-Man’s origin and sees the debuts
that sold for $5.4 million at of Daily Bugle publisher J. Jonah Jameson and the villainous Chameleon. It
Heritage in 2019. also includes the first Fantastic

Following Frazetta’s Frank Frazetta’s Dark Kingdom painting sold for Four crossover.
painting, the top five sellers $6 million at Heritage Auctions’ June 22-25, 2023 This fresh-to-market example
were anchored by major key new record. Image courtesy of Heritage Auctions was in a private collection for
Comics & Comic Art Signature Auction, setting a
comic books. A CGC-certified 9.2 copy of 25 years and is one of only five
Captain America Comics #1 CGC 9.2 hammered at copies at the grade (with only two
$810,000 (the CGC 3.5 Promise Collection copy of that issue also made the certified higher at 9.8).
top ten at $168,000). A CGC 3.0 copy of Superman #1 sold for $360,000. A CGC-certified 7.5 copy of
A CGC 8.0 copy of Amazing Fantasy #15 realized $312,000, and a CGC 9.4 Amazing Fantasy #15, featuring
Amazing Spider-Man #1 brought $264,000. Spider-Man’s first appearance, as
On the art side, again just the first day, Joe Simon and Jack Kirby’s well as the introductions of Aunt
Captain America Comics #5 splash page 1 sold for $252,000, and Bill May and Uncle Ben, is also
Watterson’s March 28, 1986, Calvin and Hobbes daily comic strip original featured in the auction.
art reached $174,000. A Star Wars Boba Fett rocket
The auction saw comics made for kids draw the interest of serious collectors, -firing prototype, a 1977
including Richie Rich #1 CGC 9.6 that hammered for $108,000 – setting original comic art page by
a new record for the book. It is one of just four copies at this grade with none Howard Chaykin from Marvel’s
higher, and more than double the previous record of $48,995 that Heritage set Star Wars #1 (which actually
in May 2016. predates the release of the
Back on the original art front, Batman villain Bane’s creator Graham Nolan movie), the JFK Big Four
offered several original pages from his archives, including five pages from his “Democracy for Jack Kennedy”
debut in Batman: Vengeance of Bane #1 that sold for a combined $300,240. rare 1960 U.S. Capitol portrait
The splash page from that issue showing Bane in full costume and mask went button, and the 1910-1912
for $90,000. Sweet Caporal Cigarettes high-
Bill Sienkiewicz’s New Mutants #25 page that introduced Legion, the son of grade complete set of 204
Professor X and Gabrielle Haller, brought $93,000. This CGC-certified 9.6 copy of Amazing Spider- buttons featuring many Hall
Man #1, is one of only five copies on the census of Fame baseball players are
COMICCONNECT within this grade (with only two known higher). also among the notables in
ComicConnect’s Event Auction #54, which closed on June 5-9, 2023, Image courtesy of Hake’s Auctions. this highly watchable auction.
produced a steady string of headline-ready results with Journey into Mystery #83
9.4 leading all bids at $350,400.
Top auction sales included Batman #1 2.0 for $176,500, Iron Man #1 9.9 J.C. Vaughn is the Vice-President of Gemstone
for $106,000, Superman #1 2.0 for $281,750, and Suspense Comics #11 9.8 Publishing. Gemstone’s Amanda Sheriff is
Promise Collection for $147,000. Gemstone’s Editor –Digital.

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