For many collectors, comic books are as much about the art as they are the story.
This certainly rings true for the original cover art for Batman No. 423 (1988) by Todd McFarlane, which is currently being auctioned at Heritage, with bidding sitting at more than $640,000 (including buyer’s premium) and 10 days remaining in the bidding.
Known as one of the most iconic covers in the Batman franchise, displaying the hero with a billowing cape surrounded by bats, it’s also the sole cover created for the flagship title by McFarlane, one of the most famous and well-regarded comic artists of the modern era.
The comic itself is not typically expensive when compared to other key issues from the era, with CGC 9.6 copies fetching around $400.
Heritage is no stranger to massive results for comic book art, with the art for The New Mutants No. 98 page 14, which introduced Deadpool for the first time, selling for $960,000 last year.
Heritage also holds the all-time record for comic book art after The Dark Knight’s cover fetched $2.4 million in 2022.
Will Stern is a reporter and editor for cllct, the premier company for collectible culture.