Marvel comics book sells for a whooping $1.26 million at an auction

The 1939 piece features the first appearances of characters including Human Torch and the Sub-Mariner

REUTERS: A 1939 comic book that introduced Marvel characters for the first time sold for a record $1.26 million at auction, Dallas-based auctioneer Heritage Auctions said on Thursday.

Marvel Comics No. 1 features the first appearances of characters including Human Torch and the Sub-Mariner. Decades later, Marvel debuted Spider-Man, the Incredible Hulk and other superheroes that have headlined recent blockbuster films.

The item was originally purchased at a newsstand by a Pennsylvania mailman. The book’s condition was rated as 9.4 on a scale of 1 to 10, the auctioneer said.

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The sale was part of a four-day auction of vintage comic books and comic art.

The previous record-holder for a Marvel Comics book was a 1962 issue featuring the first appearance of Spider-Man, which sold for $1.1 million in 2011.

A handful of other comic books have topped the $1 million price tag. In 2014, a Superman comic was purchased for $3.2 million on eBay.

Marvel to launch first Muslim superhero on Nov 12

On the film front, Marvel have recently announced three new superheros to land in Marvel's Cinematic Universe (MCU). CEO Kevin Feige revealed the news, however, their secret identity was not published initially. The studio’s president claimed that they will first be introduced in Disney+ television shows and then end up in Marvel movies.

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Nevertheless, in a conversation with The Hollywood Reporter, Feige revealed that it would actually be Ms Marvel, Moon Knight and She-Hulk that will show up in films. The Ms Marvel series will focus on a Pakistani-American teenager named Kamala Khan. The superhero will be the first Muslim character to lead her own comic book.

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