Heritage’s Comics & Comic Art Auction was a blockbuster event that saw several records set on the way to a massive $32.8 million finish. Held on September 11-14, 2025, the auction scored $11.6 million in comic art and $7.7 million in comics, while Frank Frazetta’s cover painting for the 1967 Conan novel, commonly known as Man Ape, sold for a record crushing $13.5 million. The combined total set a new record for a Heritage comics collecting auction and, according to the auction house, is the highest total for any similar event.

Created in 1966 and published the following year, the oil on canvas piece is one of Frazetta’s most recognizable Conan paintings. It was drawn from a scene in Robert E. Howard’s “Rogues in the House” story in which Conan has a brutal fight with a vicious man-ape. The painting had been in the possession of the artist and his family until now. The sale has not only set the record for highest auction result of a Frazetta work, but also the record for any comic or fantasy art.

“This is one of the most important paintings in the history of fantasy art ever to come to auction,” Heritage’s Executive Vice President Todd Hignite said. “Frazetta didn’t just illustrate Conan – he transformed him into an icon. This result is a testament to the power and permanence of his vision and to the unmatched reverence collectors have for his work.”

Frazetta’s work saw another impressive sale when his Queen Kong painting realized $1 million. Barry Windsor-Smith’s Marvel Comics Presents #81 Wolverine/Weapon X splash page went for $425,000. Dave McKean’s painting of a deranged looking Joker for Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth cleared $362,500. Dave Gibbons and John Higgins’ Watchmen #5 page 24 art and production color guide hammered for $212,500.

The comic auction included two notable sales for Mile High Pedigree books, starting with Silver Streak #6 CGC 9.6 that sold for $228,000 and Hit Comics #5 CGC 9.6 that went for $90,000, setting a record for the book. The auction was led by Flash Comics #1 CGC 8.5, which raced to $396,000. Pep Comics #22 CGC 7.0 with the debuts of Archie Andrews, Betty Cooper, and Jughead Jones reached $216,000.