Heritage’s Comic Books Signature Auction opened very strongly by offering the two most important keys in comics. It took just minutes for the debuts of Superman and Batman to collectively sell for nearly $3 million.

“Anytime we have a price surpass $1 million, it is an exciting moment,” Heritage Vice President Barry Sandoval. “To have two lots hit seven digits in the first hour is thrilling, and it’s an auspicious start to a fantastic four-day Comic Books and Comic Art event.”

Detective Comics #27 CGC 6.5, featuring the Dark Knight’s first appearance, hammered for $1.52 million. The book, which also contains the debut of Commissioner Gordon, is one of only six copies at the grade with only eight copies graded higher.

Action Comics #1 CGC 7.0 Conserved copy, with the Man of Steel’s introduction, soared to $1.4 million. The sale more than doubled the previous record for an Action Comics #1 Conserved copy – a CGC 5.5 copy that Heritage sold for $528,000 in June 2021. This sale marked the first time that a comic with a Conserved grade surpassed the $1 million mark.

“These are both great-looking copies of two grail issues, and I’m glad to see the prices reflect their condition and importance to the hobby,” Sandoval exclusively told Scoop. “We are very proud to have the record for a Conserved label. Hopefully this is a sign for elevated values in the future for premium Conserved copies.”

The Comic Books Signature Auction opened on May 7 and continues to run through May 9, 2026.

Heritage’s Comic Art Signature Auction is running concurrently on May 8-10, including the recently discovered Action Comics #24 Superman cover by his co-creator Joe Shuster. The auction contains four John Romita Sr. Amazing Spider-Man covers and preliminary art for a fifth one, items from the Richard Pujol EC Art and Robert “Bob” Barrett’s Edgar Rice Burroughs collections, and several Star Wars comic strips by Al Williamson.