Superman comic once stolen from Nicolas Cage sells for record $15M
FILE - A model of the cover of Action Comics No. 1, featuring Superman, during the press preview for The Art of the Brick: DC Super Heroes Lego exhibition at the South Bank, London. (Photo by Yui Mok/PA Images via Getty Images)
"Action Comics No. 1," a rare Superman comic book once stolen from the home of actor Nicolas Cage, has been sold for a record $15 million.
‘Action Comics No. 1’
The private sale, announced Friday, breaks the previous record price for a comic book, when "Superman No. 1″ sold at auction for $9.1 million last November.
What we don't know:
The comic book owner and buyer were not identified.
The backstory:
The comic — which sold for 10 cents when it came out in 1938 — was an anthology of tales about mostly now little-known characters. But over a few panels, it told the origin story of Superman’s birth on a dying planet, his journey to Earth and his decision as an adult to "turn his titanic strength into channels that would benefit mankind."
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Its publication marked the beginning of the superhero genre. About 100 copies of Action Comics No. 1 are known to exist.
What they're saying:
"This is among the Holy Grail of comic books. Without Superman and his popularity, there would be no Batman or other superhero comic book legends," Metropolis Collectibles/Comic Connect President Vincent Zurzolo said. "Its importance in the comic book community shows with his deal."
The Nicolas Cage connection
Dig deeper:
The comic book was stolen from Cage’s home in Los Angeles in 2000, roughly four years after Cage bought it for $150,000. It was found in 2011 by a man who purchased the contents of an old storage locker in southern California. Six months after Cage got the comic back, he sold it at auction for $2.2 million.
Industry experts say the high-profile theft helped the comic "skyrocket" in value.
"The thief made Nicolas Cage a lot of money by stealing it," Stephen Fishler, CEO of Metropolis Collectibles/Comic Connect, told The Associated Press.
The Source: This report includes information from The Associated Press.