Superman’s ‘Action Comics’ No. 1 Sets Record with $6 Million Sale

Superman has leapt a world record in a single bound. An issue of Action Comic No. 1, which introduced the world to the Kryptonian hero, sold at auction for a record $6 million Thursday, making it the most valuable comic book in the world.

It tops an issue of 1939’s Superman No. 1, which sold for $5.3 million in 2022. Before that, the most valuable comic in the world was a copy of 1962’s Amazing Fantasy No. 15, the first appearance of Spider-Man, which sold for $3.6 million in 2021.

Action Comics No. 1 is exceedingly rare, with just 78 copies tracked by CGC, the service that authenticates and grades the condition of comic books. The service believes there are around 100 in existence total out of 200,000 initially printed by National Allied Publications, a forerunner of DC Comics.

The copy sold on Thursday has a grade of 8.5 out of 10, meaning it’s in excellent condition for a comic of its age. Only two other unrestored versions have ever graded higher. Demand for Action Comics No. 1 is so high that a version graded at just 0.5 sold for $408,000 in September.

The book, from creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, is arguably the most important in superhero comic book history, and remains particularly relevant with filmmaker James Gunn shooting his new Superman film, due out in July 2025. The film is currently in production in Atlanta, with David Corenswet playing the hero.