The amazing Spider-Man comic-book sale

Comics are as beloved and valuable as anything on canvas. Chris Carter reports

Spider-Man comic page
(Image credit: © Heritage Auctions)

Spider-Man is amazing. But he’s not as amazing as the record-high $3.4m that a page of original art from a comic book starring the web-slinging hero fetched at auction earlier this month. To understand why, we have to turn back a page. On page 24 of Marvel Super-Heroes Secret Wars #8 from 1984, a critical moment in the Spider-Man story starts to unfold. Here, Spider-Man is looking to replace his tattered disguise following a fight. At the suggestion of the Incredible Hulk, Spider-Man plugs himself into a sort of mind-reading mechanical haberdashery. But what comes out is an alarming black “glob” that attaches itself to Spider-Man’s arm. That page sold for $288,000 at Dallas-based Heritage Auctions.

Record breakers

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Chris Carter
Wealth Editor, MoneyWeek

Chris Carter spent three glorious years reading English literature on the beautiful Welsh coast at Aberystwyth University. Graduating in 2005, he left for the University of York to specialise in Renaissance literature for his MA, before returning to his native Twickenham, in southwest London. He joined a Richmond-based recruitment company, where he worked with several clients, including the Queen’s bank, Coutts, as well as the super luxury, Dorchester-owned Coworth Park country house hotel, near Ascot in Berkshire.

Then, in 2011, Chris joined MoneyWeek. Initially working as part of the website production team, Chris soon rose to the lofty heights of wealth editor, overseeing MoneyWeek’s Spending It lifestyle section. Chris travels the globe in pursuit of his work, soaking up the local culture and sampling the very finest in cuisine, hotels and resorts for the magazine’s discerning readership. He also enjoys writing his fortnightly page on collectables, delving into the fascinating world of auctions and art, classic cars, coins, watches, wine and whisky investing.

You can follow Chris on Instagram.