This is a big deal because it's much more than just a comic book -- Superman is a thread in the fabric of our culture. Created in the imaginations of writer Jerome "Jerry" Siegal and artist Joseph "Joe" Shuster, The Man of Steel represented the "champion of the oppressed" and vowed to be a tireless crime-fighter (man, couldn't we use somebody like that today?). Kal-el -- as he was known on his native planet -- resonated with American society like no other fictional character, so much that he might has well been real. This was a milestone event in not only the history of comic books but popular culture itself.
Below is the description of Lot #91002 from the Heritage Auctions catalog. Following that is another item from the same auction, a letter written in June 1934 from Jerry Siegel to artist Russell Keaton outlining a proposal for a Superman newspaper strip . . . four years before ACTION COMICS #1! Not surprising, the letter sold for $240,000. And as a special bonus, I've added Superman's first appearance from that same historic issue.
Excuse me now, while I catch my breath!
Action Comics #1 Kansas City Pedigree (DC, 1938) CGC VF+ 8.5 Off-white to white pages. It's been said many times, but it bears repeating that Action Comics #1 is the most important, impactful comic book ever published. Written by Jerry Siegel and drawn by Joe Shuster, both children of Jewish immigrants and in their early 20s at the time, it features the first appearance and origin of Superman: an alien child sent to Earth to escape catastrophe, who grew to become the world's mightiest defender -- a reflection of his creators' experiences as well as the American Dream. In addition to the first appearance of the Man of Steel, it featured the first appearances of perennial love interest Lois Lane and heroic magician Zatara. Shuster created the iconic cover, with Fred Guardineer and Bernard Baily contributing additional story art in this issue. In the process they launched the Golden Age of Comics, created the superhero genre, and crafted a comic that stands as the keystone of the medium and a major moment in the history of publishing, and ultimately film and television as well.
A rare comic book whose historical impact cannot be overstated, we've had the singular honor of auctioning dozens of copies of Action Comics #1 over the past 20-plus years -- and in some instances, loose individual pages that nevertheless sold for anywhere from a few hundred dollars to nearly $60,000 apiece -- and yet we've never had the privilege of offering one as breathtakingly beautiful as this.
The colors are stunningly rich, and the cover is almost pristine and largely unmarred. Some mild toning to the white areas, slight dulling of the staples, and a little wear along the top seem to have kept the grade at "only" 8.5. There is a single, tiny color break at mid-spine, and the corners are relatively sharp for an 85-year-old comic book.
You'll be hard-pressed to get your hands on a nicer copy. There are only four pedigreed copies of Action #1 -- the others being the Mile High, Lamont Larson, and Billy Wright copies, and this is the highest-graded among the three that have been certified to date (the Mile High copy has yet to be certified and, of course, may be the nicest copy of all). In 1989, Ernst Gerber's The Photo-Journal Guide to Comic Books rated it a "7" ( "scarce") on their Scarcity Index, estimating that no more than 50 copies were still in existence. The decades since Gerber's guide was published have proven that estimate to be low, but just barely: CGC has currently certified 78 copies of Action #1, of which 44 are unrestored Universal grade copies. Of those, only two have earned a higher grade than this one (both VF/NM 9.0); they have also registered two restored copies with higher grades: an Apparent VF/NM 9.0 and an Apparent NM 9.4. This is also the finest copy we've ever had the opportunity to offer at auction and the highest-graded unrestored copy we've seen, surpassing the FN 6.0 Rocket copy that sold for $3.18 million in January 2022. Rest assured it might be some time before a nicer copy shows up on the auction block. Naturally, this classic is ranked #1 on Overstreet's list of Top 100 Golden Age Comics. Overstreet 2023 VF 8.0 value = $2,429,000; VF/NM 9.0 value = $4,514,500. CGC census 4/24: 2 in 8.5, 2 higher.
Jerry Siegel 3-Page Letter to Russell Keaton - On the Origin of Superman (1934). Across these three historic pages, Jerry Siegel outlines the concept for Superman to comic strip artist Russell Keaton in June 1934, nearly four years before Superman's debut in Action Comics #1. Siegel's letter details an origin story both familiar and unfamiliar to long-time Superman fans. A miraculous canister lands on contemporary Earth containing a child of untold strength and ability, a fearful sight for others who will strive through adversity to become "a champion of the oppressed"; the young Clark Kent comes not from Krypton or any alien world, but the cataclysmic far future of Earth, one of the future's supremely evolved humans sent back in a "small time-machine."
In the proposed comic strip, Molly and Sam Kent discover the baby and drop him off at an orphanage before adopting him, with many following episodes detailing his childhood adventures long before becoming the adult "Superman". Siegel's summary and script echo Superman's later origins and retellings across Action Comics, Superman, and the Superman comic strip. While there are many differences, the core concept remains unchanged to this day.
From their earliest meetings in 1932, Siegel and Joe Shuster began workshopping the Superman concept before debuting the character in Action Comics #1 in 1938. This letter comes from the middle of that period, when both creators envisioned Superman as an ongoing comic strip, before the debut of the modern comic book format.
Siegel and Shuster were young unknowns, who had failed to sell the concept to multiple publishers including Consolidated Books and the Bell Syndicate, while Russell Keaton was an experienced artist, known for his work drawing Buck Rogers and Skyroads comic strips.
Siegel sought Keaton as an alternative partner for his budding creation, certain that an established artist would lead to greater cachet and a published strip. Keaton would go on to draw two weeks' worth of strips based on this letter, which were also rejected by newspaper syndicates, leading Siegel and Shuster to reunite and further refine the Superman concept. In June 1935, Siegel and Shuster would begin working for the budding comic publisher National Allied Publications, where the pair debuted Superman in 1938. While Siegel and Shuster were relative unknowns in the mid-1930s, today renown far exceeds that of Russell Keaton. This letter offers an incredible window into the history of comics, showcasing a major turning point in the development of both the superhero and modern pop culture.
The letter was typewritten on three separate pieces of paper, with the opening page hand signed in the lower margin. Creasing, minor holes, tears, and chips, toning, and handling wear. In Very Good condition. From the Denis Kitchen Collection.
BONUS! Superman's first appearance in ACTION COMICS #1:
I happened to have Michael Resnick's "Official Guide to Comic Books and Big Little Books" from 1977 and it lists Action Comics #1 in prime shape going for a mere $4500.00 bucks. Seemed big at the time. You could almost buy a car for that back then. How much basic transport can one get for six million?
ReplyDeleteBack in the 70's when I began to seriously consider buying comics as collector's items, I couldn't afford many of them. Over 50 years later, I find myself in the same dilemma.
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