No matter who ends up owning Warner Bros Discovery, Superman will remain a jewel in the the 102-year-old studio’s crown. With big bucks bids for the currently David Zaslav-run company now in from Paramount, Comcast and Netflix, another auction of sorts down in Texas that put a winning price tag on Man from Krypton’s IP could prove a sign of what’s to come for WBD shareholders.
A near pristine copy of Superman #1 from 1939 sold for $9.12 million. That November 20 sale is an all-time record price for a comic book.
Add to that, a Neil Adam illustrated Superman cover from 1971 just sold Friday for $1.2 million.
That a record for the acclaimed comic artist, auction house Heritage Auctions informed Deadline this morning. A series of other Superman items, like classic Action Comics from the 1930s and other years are on the auction block this weekend too, with big bids anticipated by Heritage Auctions, I hear.
To put some perspective on all this, that Superman #1 originally sold for a dime back when FDR was in the White House. Also, spotlight the cultural significance of the character and the comic itself, another copy of Superman #1 has been in the Library of Congress for several years.
Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA) holds a copy of Superman #1 from the Library of Congress that was used along with a copy of the United States Constitution, photos of his late parents who passed away from COVID, and his citizenship certificate, for his 2023 swearing-in (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
As for the bottom line, a Daniel Petrocelli-repped WB has fought long, hard and successfully over the decades against various Marc Toberoff-filed copyright lawsuits to hold on to Superman and its profits through various iterations — both onscreen, at the newsstands and in the C-suites. As recently as this April, a move by the estate of Superman co-creatorJoel Shuster to put a halt on international release of the James Gunn directed and July 11 released Superman flick, was shut down by the courts, to WB’s relief.
Additionally, the tale of the lucrative edition sold Thursday is itself a tale almost out a superhero story.
The self-declared “64-pages of action” were discovered last Christmas by three middle-aged brothers amidst a pile of Action Comics and other Great Depression era comics in their deceased mother’s San Francisco attic. If that part of the orign story wasn’t Clark Kent meets Norman Rockwell enough for you, the fact that part of an initial run of 500,000, the first edition Superman was in such good shape it received a nearly unprecedented 9.0 rating from the prestigious Certified Guaranty Company.
Going on for another day, Heritage Auctions sale of a swath of iconic comics includes “well-kept” editons of Action Comics #9, #12, #15, #18 and #21 from the California attic collection. A trivia question for the superhero ages, the Heritage Auctions sale last year of a pristine Action Comics #1 was the previous Superman and comic book record holder with a $6 million price tag.
As for who paid that $9.12 million this week for an 86-year-old Superman #1 comic book, auctioneers Heritage Auctions told Deadline today that they “can’t share information about the buyer unless they go public.” However, on Thursday Heritage Auctions’ VP Lon Allen did say that “Superman #1 is a milestone in pop culture history, and this copy is not only in unprecedented condition, but it has a movie-worthy story behind it.” The exec went on to say: I was glad to see the price reflect that and am honored Heritage was entrusted with this iconic book.”
Now, while $9.12 million is probably just a tad more than the kraft services and transportation budget for the $225 million Superman flick from James Gunn that scored more than $616 million at the global box office this year, it is the anti-Kryptonite to anyone looking to cash in on WBD’s DC properties down the line.
Soon-to-likely-be ex-WBD CEO Zaslav has said wonder boy Gunn has another “Super-family” script on the go. Plus Batman 2 is happening, Lanterns is coming to the HBO Max small screen from the Gunn and Peter Safran-led DC Studios among others, as is the Milly Alcock fronted Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow on the big screen. Regardless of who among Netflix, NBCUniversal owners Comcast or David Ellison‘s Paramount make it the next stage of putting pitches and money on the table for WBD, Superman and other DC heroes and villains are one of the hardest punching packing part of the conglomerate.
“A strong DC that captures audiences attention is a winning lottery ticket for anyone interested in Warner Bros,” an industry insider close to the WBD sale says. He added: “There’s near limitless potential if handled right. — whether its still Gunn or not. It’s that simple.”
Like, “faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. Look up in the sky! It’s a bird! It’s a plane!” simple.
Having said that, a self-portrait painting by Frieda , who was played by Salma Hayek in the 2002 Julie Taymor direct biopic, just sold today for $54 million. That’s the most ever paid for a work by a female artist. So, how much could Wonder Woman #1 go for? Asking for a bidder…
