DALLAS, TX.- Just two months after setting the record for the most valuable Spider-Man cover ever sold at auction, Heritage returned to the block April 3-6 with a Comics & Comic Art event stuffed full of treasures spanning the medium’s history — including another historic cover that this time broke the record for artist Gil Kane: Specifically, his original artwork for the cover of Marvel Spotlight No. 32 which introduced “Mighty Marvel’s Newest Sensation” then known as The Spider-Woman. The work sold for $690,000 — a triumph for the debut artwork of a character created initially to protect Marvel’s copyright, as Stan Lee feared DC might put its spin on one of his most famous characters.
Experience the Dynamic Art of a Legend! Ready to witness the powerful storytelling and iconic artwork of Gil Kane? Click here to explore a fantastic selection of his comics, graphic novels, and art books on Amazon.
And with the sold-out $18,534,539 auction total, Heritage continues to carve out a dominant spot in early 2025 following that record-heavy January Comics event which brought $10.79 million. The auction record-breaking Spider-Woman wasn’t the sole debut among the record-setters for the April event; the auction set a new highwater mark for a copy of Detective Comics No. 1, which hit newsstands in March 1937 credited to Detective Comics, Inc. — the series that gave DC Comics its name. On April 3 Heritage sold a Fine+ 6.5 copy of this first issue for $228,000. According to CGC’s census, there’s just one issue graded higher, and as Heritage Vice President Barry Sandoval points out, “Detective Comics No. 1 is the only one of the 50 most-valuable comic books for which the Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide does not even bother to list values above Very Fine 8.0. So far, they have not been needed.”
The second-highest price realized in the action after The Spider-Woman was a singular Spider-Man by the ineffable Frank Frazetta. Frazetta’s original cover art for the paperback Night Walk (author Bob Shaw’s debut novel about a man blinded and imprisoned on a theocratic planet) is one of his most memorable images from his most fertile period and sold for $528,000. The work is famously called Spider-Man for obvious reasons, as a lithe, muscular man tussles with a giant arachnid whose red and green insides roil to the watery surface as the sky seemingly glows with an apocalyptic sunset.
Another record in the event includes yet another debut: An astonishing original artwork from the X-Men’s most famous spinoff in the form of Arthur Adams and Terry Austin’s wraparound cover of 1985’s New Mutants Special Edition No. 1, which sold for $240,000. It was an auction record for Adams. The artist, who’d long adored Frazetta, was barely on the industry’s radar when he made his X-Men debut with this kinetic, frenetic cover crowded with characters but never so overstuffed it devolved into chaos. As Adams would say in his first interview, this kind of work — this brand of spectacle — was destined to become his calling card: “I think I’d get bored with a single character book. I think I prefer the group books.” The artwork is so beloved there’s no shortage of YouTube videos in which fans and creators spend hours geeking out over the cover that influenced a generation of artists.
Another auction-record breaker: Tom Yeates’ original artwork that appeared on the front of 1984’s Saga of the Swamp Thing No. 21, which sold for $192,000. The book contained newcomer Alan Moore’s full-blown retcon of the character created in 1971 by writer Len Wein (who brought in the British writer) and artist Bernie Wrightson. Moore, who would soon rewrite the superhero narrative with Watchmen, stripped away all the baggage and backstory that had come before and revealed Swamp Thing not as a man who’d become a monster but as “a vegetable crawling with insects ... a massive, sodden plant” who thought he was a man. Moore reinvented the character and the horror comic itself; The Saga of the Swamp Thing No. 21 wasn’t merely one of the most successful comic books of the 1980s. This issue became among DC’s most reprinted books under numerous banners, including 1985’s The Best of DC No. 61 and Essential Vertigo: Swamp Thing No. 1. This cover, long hidden in a collection, had never been to auction.
April 4 saw a new auction record for artist Ron Lim, with Lim and George Pérez’s original cover art for The Infinity Gauntlet #5 hammering at $162,000. This stunning 1991 cover from the penultimate issue of the epic series changed Marvel's balance of power forever, as it sees The Mad Titan wielding the Gauntlet as "Kirby Krackles" surround Celestials, Kronos, Lord Chaos, Galactus, Mistress Love, The Stranger, Master Order and Sire Hate.
The Silver Surfer glided into a tied auction record with a copy of 1968’s Silver Surfer No, 1; it sold for $132,000. The Silver Surfer's instant popularity naturally led to his own title, where his origin is further expanded. Demand for this issue has surged over the past few years, and finding a copy in near-perfect condition is proving quite the quest.
“When you see books like Detective Comics No. 1 and Silver Surfer No. 1 commanding top prices, it’s a reminder that collectors are still deeply connected to the origins and evolution of the medium,” says Sandoval. “From rare Golden Age treasures to landmark modern keys, this auction was a celebration of comic history at every turn.”
Adds Todd Hignite, Heritage's Executive Vice President, “We’re seeing unprecedented enthusiasm across the board — key issues, original art, debut appearances, you name it. This event continued the momentum we saw in January and proved that great material will always find a passionate and competitive market.”
Artdaily participates in the Amazon Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn commissions by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. When you purchase through our links, we may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. These commissions help us continue curating and sharing the art world’s latest news, stories, and resources with our readers.
