This is why we do not throw away comic books

Note to parents and spouses of comic book collectors: This is why we don’t throw those darned things away – a collection sold earlier this week for $3.5 million. That’s much more than the $2 million that Superman and friends were expected to bring. Granted, the guy who collected them died long before he could reap the benefits of his shrewd eye for ink, but his great-nephews are instant millionaires thanks to a spectacular find in their late great-aunt’s Virginia home. "It was amazing seeing what they went for," Michael Rorrer told The Associated Press. Rorrer discovered the collection of his late great-uncle Billy Wright last year while cleaning out the house of his late great-aunt in Martinsville, Va. The comics belonged to Wright, who died in 1994 at age 66. A 10-cent copy of Detective Comics No. 27 from 1939, in which Batman debuted, got the highest bid at the auction, selling for about $523,000 with a buyer’s premium. Lon Allen, managing director of comics for Heritage Auctions, the Dallas-based auction house overseeing the sale, said Action Comics No. 1, featuring the first appearance of Superman, sold for about $299,000. Batman No. 1, sold for $275,000. Allen said the 345 well-preserved comics included 44 of the Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide’s top 100 issues from the comics’ golden age. Rorrer, 31, who lives in Oxnard, Calif., got half of the collection. His mother, Lisa Hernandez, of League City, took the other half for his brother Jonathan in Houston. Rorrer said he didn’t know how valuable they were until a while later when he told a coworker about the collection. The co-worker mused that it would be special if he had Action Comics No. 1. "I went home and was looking through some of them, and there it was," Rorrer said. Once Rorrer realized how important the comics were, he called his mother, who still had the box for Jonathan at her house. They then went through the boxes, checking comics off their list. There were 200,000 copies of Action Comics No. 1 produced, and about 130,000 were sold. The remaining 70,000 were pulped. Today, experts estimate only about 100 copies are left in the world, making it the Holy Grail of comic book collecting. Not many collections are going to have rare treasures like that, but you’d be surprised at the prices many are fetching on eBay and other markets. Those Spider-Man comics I bought for a quarter each back in the ’70s would be worth a pretty penny today. By the way, I would love to interview Jonathan Rorrer and Lisa Hernandez. If anyone knows how to contact them, please let me know at jsouthern@hcnonline.com. Comicpalooza update One of the things I love about this time of year is seeing the expanding list of guests for Comicpalooza. Since my last report, some more big names have signed on. Joe Kubert, founder of the Joe Kubert School for cartoonists and one of the most renowned artists in the business, is bringing his more than 70 years of experience to the big show. This is a major coup for Comicpalooza. Other exciting announcements include author Timothy Zahn and actors Rachel Luttrell and Chandler Riggs. Zahn is a science fiction writer who is best known for his Star Wars novels. Luttrell has been in several television series, but is most recognized for her role as Teyla Emmagan on Stargate Atlantis. Young master Riggs plays Carl Grimes on The Walking Dead. Be sure to check out www.comicpalooza.com or “like” them on Facebook to keep up with the latest additions and announcements. Signing off for now, I am the Dork Ranger.