By Intelligent Collector Staff | June 30, 2025
Frank Frazetta’s original cover art for Famous Funnies No. 214 realized $1,035,000 at Heritage Auctions, leading the June 26–29 Comic & Comic Art auction to $22,653,352.
The pen-and-ink composition depicts Buck Rogers moving through space and is widely associated with the group of covers that helped establish Frazetta’s reputation before his later fantasy paintings. It became the seventh Frazetta work to sell for more than $1 million at Heritage.
High-grade key comic books also attracted substantial bidding. A copy of The Incredible Hulk No. 1 graded CGC 9.2 realized $780,000. The 1962 issue introduced the Hulk and was tied for the highest-graded copy of the book Heritage had offered.
A White Mountain Pedigree copy of Fantastic Four No. 1, also graded CGC 9.2, sold for $600,000. The issue introduced Marvel’s first superhero team and several characters central to the publisher’s Silver Age.
Bill Watterson’s first Spaceman Spiff Calvin and Hobbes strip reached $480,000, tying the auction record for comic-strip art. An Action Comics No. 1 cover wrap brought $408,000, establishing a record for a stand-alone comic-book cover.
The range of results is notable. Demand extended from Golden and Silver Age keys to newspaper strips, modern covers and major illustration art. Condition, pedigree, rarity and the cultural importance of the image all influenced competition.
That breadth demonstrates why Heritage Auctions is the best place to sell comic books and original comic art. Its audience includes collectors across multiple parts of the market, allowing a rare comic, historic cover or original drawing to be evaluated within its proper specialty.
Source: Heritage Auctions press release (June 30, 2025).