Record sum for first Spider-Man comic

The 1962 Marvel comic book, Amazing Fantasy No. 15, which was auctioned off for $3.6 million (€3 million), marks the beginning of the success story of the superhero Spider-Man.

It was in that comic where superhero made his debut, wearing the suit with the spider-web pattern that is still legendary today.

According to the US Heritage Auctions auction house, the issue sold is the priciest comic book ever sold at auction.

When Amazing Fantasy No. 15 appeared in 1962, it cost just 12 cents.

The comic introduced readers to the story of Peter Parker and his alter ego, Spider-Man. Peter turns into a hero who learns that "with great power comes great responsibility." The teenager, who as an orphan struggled with the problems of everyday life, becomes a famous fighter for justice.

It is now impossible to imagine the Marvel superhero universe without him.

Stan Lee, a famous comic book writer, and co-writers and illustrators Steve Ditko and Jack Kirby created the Marvel universe, which still today enjoys great success with the Avengers film series.

They wrote Incredible Hulk and Iron Man , too, leading Marvel, which emerged from the Timely Comics publishing house in 1961, to become the world-famous comic empire it is today.

Comic book boom

Sales of comic books have repeatedly fetched record amounts.

Recently, a Superman comic book was auctioned for about €2.7 million — a record now broken by the Spider-Man comic book.

While the comic book business is currently booming, Marvel actually went bankrupt in the past. In the 1980s and 1990s, Marvel comics were visibly more lavishly produced and were almost only hoarded as collector's items and investments — until financial bubbles burst, leading to the collapse of the company's stock value.

New Spider-Man film out soon

Marvel recovered eventually with the sale of film licenses to major studios, ringing in the second golden era of the comic empire.

Today, film series including X-Men, Avengers and Spider-Man are among the most successful Hollywood productions, and continue to generate record profits. Marvel successfully came up with a new, more contemporary image.

Meanwhile, a sequel to the successful saga is scheduled to hit movie theaters later this year.

Tom Holland stars as Spider-Man, fighting for justice alongside Zendaya Coleman as Peter Parker's girlfriend in Spider-Man: No Way Home.

This article has been translated from German.