DALLAS, TX.- Serious collectors are bidding on the very birth of the Iron Man franchise, the moment Tony Stark’s heroic alter ego began to live, walk and conquer — page 1 of Tales of Suspense No. 39 from March 1963. The original artwork depicting a monumental character introduction is one of many priceless pieces of Comic Books history available in Heritage Auctions’ Comic Art Signature® Auction and Comic Books Signature® Auction July 9–12.
The July 10 and 12 Comic Book Art auction offers a trove of original art from the genre’s foundational artists including live&page=204%7E1&ic=KeywordSearch-A-K-071316" >Joe Shuster, Alex Schomburg, Larry Lieber, Jack Kirby and Charles Schulz. The overlapping July 9 and 11 Comic Books auction features seven of the top 10 most valuable Golden Age comic issues and nine of the top 10 Silver Age issues per the ranking in the 2026 Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide, the bible of the hobby, headlined by a CGC 4.5 copy of Action Comics No. 1 followed by a CGC Restored 6.5 copy of the same title. Among the top Silver Age issues isa natural companion piece to the original splash page art of Iron Man’s debut — a CGC 9.4 copy of Tales of Suspense No. 39, the issue in which it appeared.
“Original artwork from the first appearance story of one of the truly major characters seldom comes up for sale, and to have the very first page of such a story is even more special,” Heritage Auctions Vice President Barry Sandoval says of the Heck original page.
The Comic Art auction is replete with treasures, any of which would make an outstanding centerpiece to the most impressive of collections. Among them is the cover original art by John Byrne and Terry Austin for Secret Wars II No. 1, a key Marvel Copper Age title from 1985 that brought back the art team behind the beloved X-Men run of the late 1970s and early ’80s for a sequel to the previous year’s Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars. The cast of popular characters on the cover made for an impressive ensemble before such crossover events were commonplace, making this debut the year’s top-selling issue sold to comic shops.
Among the other historically significant pieces are a dozen lots of illustrations by Superman co-creator Joe Shuster, including faithful recreations of the iconic covers for Action Comics No. 1 and Superman No. 1 drawn in the 1980s — which would make fine companion pieces to, respectively, the Action 1 and Superman 1 copies on offer in the Comic Books auction. The lots also include his proposal for a series of Superman educational comics meant to teach subjects including astronomy, science, world history and geography to people from diverse backgrounds and nationalities in order to promote world peace, democracy and understanding — or, in Supes’ words: “truth, justice and the American way.”
A complete 13-page set of preliminary drawings for the story “The Molten World!” in Superman No. 43 offers a fascinating look at Shuster’s creative process, capturing his breakdowns, staging and character work.
“This lot is particularly significant because it is a whole Superman story from Joe Shuster’s hand,” Sandoval says. “John Sikela and George Roussos were credited as the artists when it appeared in No. 43, but the version in the published comic was not as good. These have a dynamism and vitality the printed one didn’t quite reach.”
Shuster’s active connection to Superman ended the following year, in 1947, when he and co-creator Jerry Siegel were dismissed by DC/National after their lawsuit over the character. That historical context gives weight to these pages, making them much more than production prelims.
Other key cover art originals include the debut of Marvel’s premier British hero, Captain Britain, for Captain Britain No. 1 by Larry Lieber, brother of Stan Lee (born Stanley Lieber).
Alex Schomburg is remembered for his action-packed Golden Age superhero and airbrushed “good girl” covers as well as for his stellar science fiction scenes for pulps, digests, magazines and children’s books. In later years, Schomburg re-created some of his most famous comic book covers as finely detailed paintings.
“Usually if we had just one, it would be a highlight,” Sandoval says. “We have 13. The original covers he did for Timely Comics back in the 1940s in all probability did not survive, so to have these recreations in color is pretty amazing.”
Charles Schulz original Peanuts works are another highlight of any auction, and this one offers seven of them, including a 1964 daily strip featuring a baker’s dozen of beloved characters — Sally, Lucy, Pigpen, Charlie Brown, Snoopy and more — from the strip’s prime era.
“This one is about as good as it gets, with all these characters,” Sandoval says. “This could well fetch one of the highest-ever auction prices for a daily Peanuts strip.”
The Comic Books Signature® Auction is led by a CGC 4.5 copy of Action Comics No. 1, the perpetual chart-topping issue of the Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide.
“This is unrestored and looks great for a 4.5,” Sandoval says. “The cover colors are more consistent with a high-grade copy than a 4.5, and that fact will not be lost on our bidders.”
Superman completist fans looking for top copies will find a smorgasbord in the 81 Lost High-Grade DC Collection selections included in this Comics auction. The collection comprises copies purchased between 2009 and 2015 and will be a staple of Heritage Comic Book auctions now through August 22. Altogether, it includes 350 comics with an average grade of 9.44, 257 of which jointly or singly hold the highest grade for their issue.
“If you collect ’50s and ’60s DC, you might think some of these grades are misprints!” Sandoval says. “Almost every one is the best copy of that issue we’ve ever had.”
