Look, up in the sky! Its a bird! Its a plane! Its the most valuable comic book in the world. A copy of Action ComicsNo. 1, the comic book that introduced Superman to the world in 1938, sold for $6 millionon day one at Heritage Auctions April 4 to 7 Comics & Comic Art SignatureAuction. Graded CGC Very Fine+ 8.5, this issue from the Kansas City Pedigree is one of the worlds finest copies. Only two other unrestored issues featuring Supermans first flight have ever graded higher. According toCGCs list of the most expensive comic books ever reported sold, a copy of Action Comics No. 1 sold privately for $5.3 million in 2022. The previous auction record was held by the CGC Near Mint+ 9.6 copy of Amazing FantasyNo. 15, featuring the debut of Spider-Man,that sold for $3.6 million at Heritage in September 2021. There are just 78 copies of Action ComicsNo. 1 in CGCs population report, with the grading service estimating there are a scant 100 survivors of the comic book that launched superheroes into popular culture. That is 100 out of the 200,000 copies printed by DC Comics predecessor National Allied Publications. Little wonder copies are so coveted by collectors when they appear at auction. Look no further than Heritages September 2023 sale of an issue graded CGC 0.5 for $408,000, which leaped over the previous record in a single bound. Action ComicsNo. 1 is hailed as the most important comic ever published, and the Superman who first appeared in the spring of 1938 remains remarkably like the version still filling comic-shop shelves every week or awaiting yet another big-screen turn in writer-director James Gunns retelling of the tale. He was more violent than the Big Blue Boy Scout of the 1950s and 60s, but thats only because his creators wanted him to be very serious about helping people in trouble and distress, Jerry Siegel once said. And in the case of Action ComicsNo. 1, trouble and distress were not in short supply: In his debut alone, Superman squared off against unjust imprisonment, spousal abuse, disarmament and drunken driving, as Les Daniels summed it up in Superman: The Complete History. And moments after the record-setting Action ComicsNo. 1 took flight, it was followed by what could have been the centerpiece of any other auction,a professionally restored copy of Action ComicsNo. 1 bearing the CGC grade of Apparent 8.0, which realized $576,000, an all-time high for any restored comic book. The first three lots today would be tough to beat when it comes to exciting bidding wars, the all-time record for a comic book, bracketed by two absolutely stunning surprises, recounted Heritage Auctions Vice President Barry Sandoval. Were thrilled to have made history today with an auction thats rich in history, encompassing everything from a pre-Golden Age Superman artifact to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. We couldnt be happier for our consignors and those winning bidders who acquired items without equal. Superman was far from the lone record-setter. One of the five best copies of 1963s The Avengers, featuring Thor, Iron Man, Hulk, Ant-Man and Wasp, sparked a bidding war and in the end, a CGC Near Mint+ copy of the book written by Stan Lee and drawn by Jack Kirby realized $432,000, a new record for the beloved title. In all, the four-day sale was the highest grossing of its kind, bringing in $28,204,583. The previous record for any comic book and comic art auction was $26.5 million set at Heritage in September 2021. Speaking of super copies of books featuring super teams, there are two copies of Justice League of AmericaNo. 1 graded CGC Near Mint+ 9.6 and none higher. Thats whya copy of the Super Friends first outing in their own title realized a record-setting $348,000. The CGC Near Mint+ 9.6 copy of the comic book that featured Wonder Womans second appearance is a sensation in every regard. Not only isthe copy of Sensation ComicsNo. 1 historic, but its also the highest-graded copy in the world. It realized a record-setting $420,000. Daredevil, whos about to be born againin a new Disney+ series, was another record-setting star in this event, as The Man Without Fears debut in DaredevilNo. 1 realized $360,000 with a CGC Near Mint/Mint 9.8 copy. AndDoctor Stranges debut in Strange TalesNo. 110 realized a record-setting $150,000, which proved that beauty is in the Eye of Agamotto, as this CGC Near Mint+ 9.6 copy is one of the five highest-graded in the world.