DALLAS, TX.- At $162,500 with buyer’s premium, Phillippe Druillet’s cover for Métal Hurlant Issue No. 2 (Les Humanoïdes Associés, 1975)led Heritage Auctions’ October 25-26 International Comic Art Signature® Auction to a spectacular total of $2.36 million, a testament to the lasting appeal of Druillet’s massively influential 1970s science-fiction art.
Works from Moebius (Jean Giraud), Frank Miller, Enrico Marini, Juanjo Guarnido and Luis Royo also performed very well in the event, which drew 2,534 worldwide bidders to scoop up 99.85% of the 688 lots.
Olivier Delflas, Heritage’s Director of International Comic Art and Anime, calls Druillet’s Métal Hurlant cover image “a foundational moment in the history of adult science-fiction comics.”
“This iconic cover from the legendary Métal Hurlant magazine is undoubtedly one of the most recognizable images in the history of science fiction,” Delflas says.
The cover also represents a pivotal moment in the international spread of European science-fiction art. In 1977, Métal Hurlant was exported to the United States under the title Heavy Metal, introducing the avant-garde visual language of artists like Druillet and Moebius to a broader audience. These striking covers became cultural ambassadors, circulating through niche bookstores, festivals and art publications worldwide. The cover of issue No. 2 remains one of the most celebrated, playing a defining role in establishing the magazine’s identity as a trailblazing publication.
Today, this masterpiece is recognized as a cornerstone of Métal Hurlant’s formative years and a coveted collector’s item. It has been widely reproduced in postcards, posters and museum catalogues.
“Its enduring impact lies in its timeless visual power,” Delflas says. “Rather than depicting a specific story, it embodies an emblematic, almost sacred vision. More than an illustration, it stands as a bold statement of artistic and editorial intent — a visual manifesto that continues to resonate across generations.”
A Moebius Cristal Saga illustration created in ink and watercolor over graphite on Bristol board for the Cristaux Fous exposition in Strasbourg commanded an impressive $93,750, the second highest-earning lot of the auction. Story page 12 of his 1975 first full-length graphic novel, Le Bandard Fou, sold for $43,750, and following the record-breaking $175,000 sale of page 1 of Moebius’ Blueberry: Fort Navajo, the first Lieutenant Blueberry volume by Moebius, his original art for page 2 of the debut issue realized $31,250.
With its blend of fantasy, sci-fi and erotica, Luis Royo’s painting of Julie Strain for a Heavy Metal 2000: F.A.K.K. 2 poster showcases the dramatic lighting and muscular forms emblematic of his polished technique, and it fetched an impressive $35,000, the top earner of the five Royo pieces sold in the auction.
Four incredible works by Frank Miller performed very well in this auction, particularly a pair of pages from his landmark 1990 series Elektra Lives Again: Page 2 and page 6 sold for $51,250 and $75,000, respectively. Page 12 of Sin City: Hell and Back No. 6 earned $15,000, and page 2 of The Dark Knight Strikes Again No. 1 went for $8,125.
A 24-page set from Enrico Marini’s Batman: The Long Halloween — The Last Halloween No. 6collaboration with Jeph Loeb realized $62,500, and that issue’s Mr. Freeze variant cover went for $22,500. Other Marini highlights included a sensual page with Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle from Batman: The Dark Prince Charming No. 1, which $12,500.
Heritage Auctions has earned a solid reputation as the premier auction house for original manga art, and this auction showed why. A high-octane Jiro Kuwata page from Shonen Club, an outstanding example of the cinematic style that defined late-1950s manga, sold for $12,500, and this 1966 Jungle Emperor Leo story page from manga pioneer Osamu Tezuka took in $13,750, to name just a couple of top manga results.
Eisner-winning Spanish artist Juanjo Guarnido’s iconic cover image for his anthropomorphic noir series collection Blacksad Integral, offered from the artist’s own personal collection, sold for $52,500, and a story page from Blacksad No. 7 garnered $17,500. Guarnido’s Megadeth Edition cover art for Batman Death Metal No. 1, also from the artist’s personal collection, took in $21,250.
A premium selection of works by international masters Hergé, Enki Bilal, Manuel Sanjulián and Pepe Gonzalez as well as outstanding pieces from U.S. legends like Robert Crumb, Hal Foster, Alex Raymond, John Byrne, John Buscema and Mike Mignola, to name just a few, also contributed to the smashing success of the two-day event.
