Be Thankful for First Appearances of Superman and Batman, Certified by CGC and Crossing the Auction Block this Month

The first appearances of Superman and Batman are among the many iconic superhero debuts in grails that are authenticated and graded by Certified Guaranty Company® (CGC®) and offered in an upcoming sale. Bidding is already underway for Heritage Auctions’ Comic and Comic Art Signature Auction, which will be held on November 21-24, 2024.

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Leaping above the rest is an Action Comics #1 graded CGC 3.0 (lot 91001), featuring the first appearance of Superman. In the 1940s and 1950s, Superman soared to cultural prominence as an iconic American superhero. During these decades, Superman was not just a comic book hero but also a radio, television and film star, symbolizing hope and justice during World War II and the post-war era. Today, Superman remains a cultural icon, consistently popular through comic books, movies, television shows and merchandise.

Standing alongside the Man of Steel is a Detective Comics #27 graded CGC 5.0 Restored (lot 91005), as well as another example graded CGC .5 (lot 91059), featuring the first appearance of Batman. First published in 1939, the Batman character in Detective Comics (by creators Bob Kane and Bill Finger) was an attempt to mimic the success of Action Comics' Superman. The new superhero was indeed successful, which led to the Caped Crusader's own solo series in 1940.

Both Action Comics #1 and Detective Comics #27 are members of an elite club of only 11 comic book titles that have ever realized more than $1 million.

These comics aren’t the only first-appearance grails offered in the auction, however. Also available is the first appearance of Captain America (Captain America Comics #1 graded CGC 5.5 in lot 91004), Spider-Man (Amazing Fantasy #15 graded CGC 6.5 in lot 91136), the Silver Age Flash (Showcase #4 graded CGC 8.0 in lot 91013) and Green Lantern (Showcase #22 graded CGC 7.0 in lot 91179).

In addition to all of these first appearances, this auction also features original art by iconic creators, such as Rob Liefeld, John Byrne and John Romita Sr. among others. For example, the John Romita Sr. drawing is the first character sketch of Wolverine — a true piece of comic book history.

About CGC

Since revolutionizing comic book grading in 2000, CGC has grown to include certification services for a vast variety of pop culture collectibles. These divisions include CGC Cards, CGC Video Games and CGC Home Video. CGC Cards provides expert card grading for TCGs, sports cards and non-sports cards. CGC Video Games is dedicated to video game grading for the most popular consoles, including Nintendo, Sega, Atari, PlayStation and more. The newest division of CGC, CGC Home Video, provides expert VHS grading in addition to other types of home media, including Betamax tapes, DVDs and Blu-ray discs.