Sci-Fi Bulletin: Exploring the Universes of SF, Fantasy, Horror and Spy-fi!

 Frank Frazetta’s painting The Princess of Mars (1970), one of the most identifiable and influential pieces of the artists’ storied career, sold for $1.2 million at the Heritage Auctions Comics & Comic Art auction held from 10-13 September.

Frazetta’s Princess wasn’t alone in smashing pre-auction expectations during the event’s first session. Lee Elias’ now-iconic artwork adorning the cover of Chamber of Chills No. 19 (Harvey, 1953), published in 1953, sold for $174,000 after a spirited round of bidding. That was almost twice its original estimate, and Page 9 from Journey Into Mystery (Marvel, 1968) No. 112 sold for $120,000 — no surprise, given the artists involved (the legendary Jack Kirby and his longtime inker, Chic Stone) and the characters (Hulk and Thor).

John Buscema and George Klein’s splash page for The Avengers (Marvel, 1968) No. 58 sold for $90,000. This piece came just two years after Black Panther’s debut in the Jack Kirby-drawn Fantastic Four (Marvel) No. 52 in 1966, and marked the second solo splash featuring T’Challa.

Buyers also snapped up milestone issues: A CGC VG+ 4.5 copy of Superman No. 1 (DC, 1939), sold for $348,000. The issue of Action Comics No. 7 (DC, 1938) that was central to the federal court case involving the copycat Wonder Man (Fox) sold for $204,000. And a copy of The Incredible Hulk (Marvel, 1974) No. 181 graded CGC NM/MT 9.8 realized $49,200.

When the auction came to an end, the total price realized was $9,509,226.

Just as remarkable was the number of bidders who placed bids for this auction via the Dallas-based auction house’s website throughout the event: almost 4,400. “Of the 1,074 lots offered in the sale, not a single one went unsold,” said James Halperin, Co-Founder of Heritage Auctions. “That means we are bringing the right pieces to market at just the right time.”

A rare sealed Pokémon booster set broke a world record for the set during the first day of the event when it sold for $198,000. The Pokémon First Edition Base Set Sealed Booster Box (Wizards of the Coast, 1999) soared well past its pre-auction estimate of $80,000+ during the advance bidding before the auction’s live bidding even began.

“Sets like this one, especially in such extraordinary condition and sealed in shrinkwrap, have become undeniable rarities,” said Jesus Garcia, Assistant Comics & Comic Art Operations Supervisor at Heritage Auctions. “The previous record, of $78,000, at Heritage Auctions was set in was set in February 2019. To see this result – more than doubling the previous mark – just shows the popularity and demand for these cards show no sign of slowing down.”

The first set ever made, this booster box comes from a very low print and includes 396 cards spread through 36 booster packs, each of which contains 11 cards. Because the set is unopened, it is likely that most or all of the cards are in Gem Mint condition.

Additional highlights included

$120,000: The Q-Collection Comic Book Preservation Project a single lot of 700-plus items, the world’s finest comic book preservation project

$102,000: Batman #1 (DC, 1940) CGC GD+ 2.5

$96,000: Alex Raymond Flash Gordon and Jungle Jim Sunday Comic Strips Original Art dated 11-19-39 (King Feature, Nov. 19, 1939)

$90,000: Captain America Comics #1 (Timely, 1941) CGC GD 2.0

Heritage Auctions’ next Comics & Comic Art Signature Auction is Nov. 19-21, with consignments accepted through Sept. 29. Bidding will open approximately Oct. 30 on HA.com.