Superman’s first comic, once owned by Nicolas Cage, sets $15 million record

A rare copy of “Action Comics No. 1,” the comic book that introduced Superman to the world and was once stolen from actor Nicolas Cage’s home, has been sold in a private deal for a record $15 million, according to an announcement made on Friday, an AP report stated.

The sale eclipses the previous highest price paid for a comic book, set in November when a copy of “Superman No. 1” sold at auction for $9.12 million. The transaction for “Action Comics No. 1” was negotiated by Manhattan-based Metropolis Collectibles/Comic Connect, which said both the buyer and the seller wished to remain anonymous.

First published in 1938 and originally sold for 10 cents, “Action Comics No. 1” was an anthology featuring mostly little-known characters. Within a few panels, however, it introduced Superman’s origin story, tracing his birth on a dying planet, his journey to Earth and his decision to use his extraordinary strength to benefit humanity.
The comic’s publication marked the beginning of the superhero genre. About 100 copies of “Action Comics No. 1” are known to exist, according to Metropolis Collectibles/Comic Connect President Vincent Zurzolo. He told AP the comic is regarded as one of the most significant in the medium, adding that without Superman’s popularity, later superheroes such as Batman may never have emerged. He said the scale of the deal reflected its importance, as it surpassed the previous record by a wide margin.

The comic also has a notable ownership history. It was stolen from Cage’s Los Angeles home in 2000 and recovered in 2011 after being discovered by a man who had purchased the contents of an old storage locker in southern California. The comic was returned to Cage, who had originally bought it in 1996 for $150,000, and six months later he sold it at auction for $2.2 million.
Stephen Fishler, CEO of Metropolis Collectibles/Comic Connect, said the theft ultimately played a major role in increasing the comic’s value. Fishler said that during the 11 years it was missing, its worth rose sharply, and he compared the episode to the 1911 theft of the Mona Lisa from the Louvre in Paris. He noted that the recovery of the painting transformed it from a renowned artwork into a global icon, a status he said “Action Comics No. 1” now holds as a symbol of American pop culture.