Superman #1 Soars Past $9 Million at Auction

Every so often, real life hands you a plot twist straight out of a movie: three brothers crack open their late mom's attic and pull out a single comic worth more than a decent indie film budget. Also, while we're on the subject of Superman, there are updates on his next big-screen round and who is suiting up before he does.

Superman #1 just sold for $9.12 million after spending decades in an attic

A copy of Superman #1 just set a new all-time auction record at $9.12 million through Heritage. Yes, that makes it the most expensive comic book ever sold.

The wild part is how it surfaced. Three brothers were finally going through their mom's house earlier this year — she passed away right before the pandemic — expecting to haul away a mountain of junk. Instead, they found a box stuffed with yellowed newspaper clippings and, tucked inside, a near-mint Superman #1 their mom bought when she was nine years old in Depression-era San Francisco.

She'd apparently told them for years she had 'rare comics somewhere' but could never remember where she put them. Turns out, she really did.

The book was graded a 9.0 out of 10 by CGC, which is not only elite territory, it's the best-known copy of Superman #1 on the planet. The previous auction record belonged to Action Comics #1, which hit $6 million last year. So, yes, this just leapt past it by a mile.

Moral of the story: attics are either dust traps or treasure chests. Meanwhile, I continue to eye a closet of Beanie Babies like they're a volatile stock. Pray for me.

Screen update: Man of Tomorrow gears up, but Supergirl flies first

Superman returned to theaters earlier this year, and the sequel is moving along. Titled Man of Tomorrow, the movie pairs Clark and Lex Luthor against a much bigger threat — the one everyone expects is Brainiac. Cameras are set to roll in Atlanta in April, and Warner Bros. has it on the calendar for July 9, 2027.

James Gunn talked about the setup on The Howard Stern Show earlier this year and kept it pretty candid:

"It’s a story about Lex Luthor and Superman having to work together to a certain degree against a much, much bigger threat. It’s more complicated than that but. It’s as much a Lex movie as it is a Superman movie. I relate to the character of Lex, sadly. I really wanted to create something extraordinary with the two of them. I just love the script so much."

Before that, the next DCU film to actually hit theaters is Supergirl, arriving June 26, 2026. The cast is stacked, and yes, it includes a long-rumored role fans have been waiting on:

• Milly Alcock (House of the Dragon) as Kara Zor-El
• Eve Ridley (3 Body Problem) as Ruthye
• Matthias Schoenaerts (Rust and Bone) as Krem of the Yellow Hill
• David Krumholtz (Oppenheimer) as Zor-El
• Emily Beecham (1899) as Alura
• Jason Momoa as Lobo, a part he has chased for years

So, to recap: a golden-age gem just reset the record books, Superman and Lex are headed for an awkward team-up in 2027, and Kara gets the runway first next summer. Not a bad week for capes.