On April 7, Heritage Auctions kicked off its four-day (April 7 to 10) Comics and Comic Art Signature Auction with a few record-setting, international headline-making marvels starring Captain America and the Fantastic Four. And by the time the sale closed on day four, it had realized a staggering $27,674,844. This was, by far, the most successful comics auction ever held. The auction, in every sense, was a tale to astonish. Nearly 6,000 bidders from around the world participated. Every single one of the 1,766 lots offered were sold. The final number was split almost evenly between comic books and original art. No auction has ever before approached the $14,040,290 realized by the art portion alone. Interest in vintage comics and comic art is at an all-time high, with so many people discovering or re-discovering the hobby over the last two years, says Heritage Auctions vice president Barry Sandoval. And our January auction clearly paved the way for this one. Bidders saw earlier this year that anytime something special came up, only an ultra-aggressive bid would win the day. Three months later they came prepared to go to the mat for the exceptional items, of which there were many. In fact, numerous items in this auction had been in the collections of their owners for a long, long time. Some were just waiting for the right time to sell, and the results confirm that their timing was impeccable. More than 50 consignors to this auction saw their totals hit $100,000 or more, continued Sandoval. Straight off, the auction garnered headlines spanning the globe, from The New York Times to New Delhi, when the first session resulted in a sale that continues to make news. A near-mint copy of 1941s Captain America Comics No. 1, by Jack Kirby and Joe Simon, sold for $3,120,000 to become the fourth most expensive comic book ever sold at auction. Super soldier Steve Rogers joined Spider-Man and Superman as the only superheroes whose debuts have sold for more than $3 million. Another Kirby co-creation, The Fantastic Four, likewise clobbered its way to the top, as a CGC NM- 9.2 copy of the superteams 1961 debut sold for $1.5 million, marking the first time Mr. Fantastic, Invisible Girl, the Human Torch and The Things introduction has ever crossed the million-dollar mark. It was also the second highest price ever paid for a non-Golden Age comic. Another Kirby landmark reached a record sale price in the first session, when a near-mint copy of 1962s Journey Into Mystery No. 83, the book that introduced the God of Thunder himself, Thor, sold for $432,000. That was more than twice the books previous high reached seven years ago. Another auction record on day one occured when the splash page from August 1964s Tales of Suspense No. 59, Captain Americas first solo Silver Age story, sold for $630,000. That was the highest price ever paid at auction for a King Kirby original, toppling the previous record set last year when the cover for Fantastic Four No. 86 realized $480,000. Heritage offered the entirety of the 10-page story, the first time the whole work had ever been to market. The 10 pages sold for a combined $975,600. The day two comic-art session saw Jim Lee and Scott Williams action-packed page from Uncanny X-Men No. 271 sell for $360,000. The Wolverine-dominated work opened live bidding at $55,000, but collectors quickly brandished their claws, and when the dust settled, it proved a new record for an interior page by Lee, who is now DC Comics chief creative officer. For the complete results from Heritage Auctions Comics and Comic Art Signature Auction, visit www.HA.com.