ACTION COMICS NO. 1, SUPERMAN NO. 1, AND DETECTIVE COMICS NO. 27 FEATURE MAJOR MOMENTS FOR THE WORLD’S MOST FAMOUS SUPERHEROES
By Jesse Hughey | February 17, 2026
Heritage Auctions will close out February with a monumental comics auction offering rare opportunities to own top-condition key issues, including the three titles at the pinnacle of the collecting hobby. The February 26–28 Comic Books Signature® Auction features copies of 11 of the top 20 most valuable Golden Age comic book issues of all time, according to the latest Overstreet Comic Price Guide, including the top three.
‘Action Comics’ No. 1 (DC, 1938) CGC Qualified GD 2.0. Available in Heritage’s February 26–28 Comic Books Signature® Auction.
1. Superman Leaps Onto the Scene
Action Comics No. 1, released in June 1938, introduced Superman to the world and has been at or near the top of priciest collectible issues for decades. The issue singlehandedly launched the Golden Age of comics and the concept of the superhero, and it introduced a cultural icon who has endured for almost a century. Superman’s runaway success spawned numerous imitations and established DC as the preeminent superhero publisher for more than two decades. Originally created as a newspaper strip, the 12-page tale includes Superman’s iconic origin story written by Jerry Siegel and drawn by Joe Shuster.
‘Superman’ No. 1 (DC, 1939) CGC FN+ 6.5. Available in Heritage’s February 26–28 Comic Books Signature® Auction.
2. The Man of Steel Gets His Own Comic Book
The 1939 debut issue of Superman’s title comic book is another extremely desirable issue, and this Superman No. 1 copy is in outstanding condition, with only five graded higher by CGC — one of which, of course, is the 9.0 example sold in November by Heritage for a then-record comic book price of $9.12 million. Adding to the significance of this lot: It is the very copy that resided in the Smithsonian Institution American History Museum for the Superman: Many Lives, Many Worlds display from June 24, 1987, through September 1, 1988, bracketed by the release of Superman IV: The Quest for Peace — Christopher Reeve’s last appearance as the superhero — and the 50th anniversary of Action Comics No. 1.
‘Detective Comics’ No. 27 (DC, 1939) CGC FN/VF 7.0. Available in Heritage’s February 26–28 Comic Books Signature® Auction.
3. Batman Makes His Big Debut
The May 1939 introduction of Batman in Detective Comics No. 27 made a greater impact than co-creators Bill Finger and Bob Kane could have ever imagined. Over time, the Caped Crusader became the title character of Detective Comics, earned his own solo series with Batman, and helped found the League in Justice League of America. His presence also extended into serials, television shows, feature films, video games, toys, and more. On the value front, Detective Comics No. 27 is consistently in the top three titles according to Overstreet, and only six copies have ever been graded higher by CGC than this 7.0 specimen. In fact, this is not the first time this copy has sold through Heritage. It went for $1.5 million in 2020. “At the time, that was our highest-ever comic book price,” says Heritage Vice President Barry Sandoval. “That shows you how quickly things have been moving in the comics collecting hobby.”
Other titles available in Heritage’s February 26–28 Comic Books Signature® Auction that rank among the 20 most valuable Golden Age comic books include:
- Batman No. 1 (ranked No. 5)
- Captain America Comics No. 1 (ranked No. 7)
- Action Comics No. 7 (ranked No. 8)
- Detective Comics No. 31 (ranked No. 9)
- Detective Comics No. 29 (ranked No. 14)
- All Star Comics No. 8 (ranked No. 15)
- More Fun Comics No. 52 (ranked No. 16)
- Detective Comics No. 33 (ranked No. 18)
- Sensation Comics No. 1 (ranked No. 20)
