J M Wetherington Sr

Once I become a time traveler, the first thing I’m going to do (after killing Hitler before his rise to power and stopping Oswald before he assassinates Kennedy, but before I go visit with Einstein in Princeton) is go back to the year 1938. Sometime between April 18th and May 3rd because that’s when Action Comics #1, cover-dated June 1938, hit the newsstands with the first appearance of Superman, who celebrates his 80th anniversary this year.

I’ll buy 50 copies of Action Comics #1, seal them so they remain in pristine condition, place them in a safe deposit box that I’ve paid the rent on for the next 50 years, and return to my time. When I turn 18 years old I’ll remove one of the copies and sell it for hundreds of thousands of dollars and keep doing the same at the rate of one each year until February 22, 2010, when I become the first person to receive $1 million dollars for a comic book.

On February 22, 2010, a copy of Action Comics #1 CGCGrade 8.0 sold at auction for US$1 million, becoming the first million-dollar comic book.

Then, on August 24, 2014, I’ll pull out an even better copy and sell it for $3,207,852.

On August 24, 2014, a copy graded 9.0 by CGC was sold on eBay for US$3,207,852. It is the only comic book to have sold for more than $3 million for a single original copy.

Of course, it makes a nice story, but it won’t happen that way.

However, I did receive the book below in the mail a couple of days ago celebrating the publication of Action Comics #1 and the 80th anniversary of Superman. I thoroughly enjoyed the 384 pages which included a reprint of Action #1, behind the scenes stories from the children of the creators and editors, cover reprints, and the additional selection of Superman stories that have appeared over the past 80 years. So, it’s almost the same as my little fantasy above…minus the millions of dollars.

Happy 80th Anniversary, Superman!