With the first appearance of Batman’s Batplane within its pages, this example of DC Comics’ Detective Comics #31, graded very good/fine (5.0) by CGC, was considered a “Golden Age gem” by the auction house; it flew to $39,040 to lead the sale ($40/50,000).
Review by Kiersten Busch
LAMBERTVILLE, N.J. — Icons and heroes of all shapes and sizes crossed the block at Landry Pop Auctions’ February 18 Icons & Heroes: Comics and Comic Art auction. Just under 400 lots of comics and art featuring the world’s favorite superheroes, beloved story book characters and other pop culture symbols were on offer, earning the sale a 97 percent sell-through rate by lot and a $498,709 total realized.
Swooping in to lead both comic books and the auction as a whole was a 1939 DC Comics Detective Comics #31, which featured a “classic” cover by Batman creator Bob Kane and additional art by Fred Guardineer and Joe Shuster. Featuring stories by Gardner Fox and Jerry Seigel, “this issue introduces Batman’s first Batplane and marks the first appearances of the Monk — one of the Dark Knight’s earliest supernatural foes — and Julie Madison, Bruce Wayne’s original love interest,” catalog notes explained. Rated very good/fine (5.0) with cream to off-white (C-2) pages by the Certified Guarantee Company (CGC), the comic was bid to $39,040.
Fifty-three additional lots of Detective Comics volumes were sold throughout the course of the auction, ranging in price from $153 for a CGC 6.0 (fine)-rated Detective Comics #292, to $23,180 — the second-highest price of the sale — for Detective Comics #30. Freshly graded as a top-nine copy, according to catalog notes, the issue featured an appearance by Doctor Death and concluded the story from issue #29. The cover for the 1939 issue was done by Fred Guardineer, with additional art by Sheldon Moldoff, Joe Shuster and Bob Kane; stories were written by Gardner Fox and Jerry Siegel.
Featuring the first appearance of Batman’s sidekick, Robin, this example of DC Comics’ Detective Comics #38, graded fine/very fine (7.0) by CGC, soared past its $10/15,000 estimate to achieve $19,520.
Another important Detective Comics issue flew past its $10/15,000 estimate to achieve $19,520. Issue #38, with a collaborative cover by Bob Kane and Jerry Robinson, featured the origin and first appearance of Robin (Dick Grayson) and “introduced the concept of a teenage sidekick to comics.” This example was CGC-graded fine/very fine (7.0).
Original comic art was also very popular with bidders, with a complete seven-page story from Journey Into Fear #6 — Canada’s first horror comic — more than doubling its $3/5,000 estimate to earn $13,420. The 1952 comic story “Rose of Doom!” by Robert Webb and S.M. Iger Studio, was done in ink on paper and was considered “a rare find for collectors today,” according to auction catalog notes.
Steering away from comics, bidders also found interest in other original illustrations, such as concept presentation art for the Disneyland “It’s a Small World” attraction done by Mary Blair. The oil crayon, gouache and graphite illustration depicted a group of singing children in white outfits against a colorful background, capturing “the essence of global unity and childlike wonder” that is a staple of the attraction in the California-based Disney Park. Signed by the artist lower right, the work had provenance to the private collection of a close friend of Blair’s from Great Neck, N.Y., passing down through the family to the consignor.
While the attraction may be a “small world,” the illustration did not go for a small price, crossing the block for $8,890. One other work by Blair, a mockup for an illustration featured in Gelolo McHugh’s 1950 book Baby’s House, was offered in the sale and made $4,826, crawling past its $2/3,000 estimate.
Prices quoted include buyer’s premium as reported by the auction house. For additional information, 508-470-0330 or www.landrypop.com.
