'Fantastic': This Comic Book Fetches Record Price

The hearts of many comic book lovers will undoubtedly beat faster when they hear about Fantastic Four. In America, one of the best preserved copies will be auctioned next week. The piece of superhero heritage is expected to change hands for a record price. 'Fan-tastic!'

The Fantastic Four No. 1, from 1961, will be auctioned next month at the Comics & Comic Art-event by Heritage Auction. This masterpiece from the Silver Age of Comic Books, a period in which American superhero comics enjoyed their heyday, is one of the best preserved and promises to change hands for an astonishing amount. During this period, from about 1956 to the early 70s, comics like this flourished en masse and became wildly popular. 

This example, with a CGC grade of 9,6, is considered one of the best preserved examples from this era. The expected return? Perhaps above the $1.5 million (€1.4 million) that a slightly less good example already fetched in 2022… 

Basis of brand new film

“Most copies of this Marvel milestone didn’t look as cool as this one at the time,” the auction house said. Fantastic Four was Marvel's first superhero team, created by the legendary Jack Kirby and Stan Lee, it formed the basis for numerous films, including the new film due out in 2025.

Other auction items include original cover art by Wolverine en Tomb of Terror. Recently, an illustration of Dead Pool sold. It just goes to show that the comic strip world is still very lucrative. So keep those old Donald Ducks for a while…