It's a bird! It's a plane! It's a rare Superman comic book! And it fetched $9.12M!

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A copy of the first Superman issue, unearthed by three brothers cleaning out their late mother's attic, netted $9.12 million this month at a Texas auction house which says it is the most expensive comic book ever sold.

The Superman No. 1 comic, released in 1939 by Detective Comics Inc., is one of a small number of copies known to be in existence and is in excellent condition. The Man of Steel was the first superhero to enter pop culture, helping boost the copy's value among collectors, alongside its improbable backstory, Allen said.

The previous record for the world's most expensive comic book had been set last year, when an Action Comics No. 1 - which first introduced Superman to the world as part of an anthology - sold for $6 million. In 2022, another Superman No. 1 sold for $5.3 million.

A small, in-house advertisement in the comic book helped experts identify it as originating from the first edition of 500,000 Superman No. 1 copies ever printed. Allen estimates there are fewer than 500 in existence today.

The copy was not given any special protection, but the cool Northern California climate helped preserve it, leaving it with a firm spine, vibrant colors and crisp corners, according to a statement from Dallas-based Heritage Auctions. The copy was rated a 9.0 out of 10 by comics grading company CGC, meaning it had only the slightest signs of wear and aging.

The three brothers, in their 50s and 60s, did not wish to be identified due to the windfall involved nor did the buyer of the comic book, according to the auction house.

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