Original Cover Art for "The Amazing Spider-Man #100" Sets World Record at Heritage Auctions

Dallas, Texas - The original art for The Amazing Spider-Man #100 sold for $478,000, at Heritage Auctions on Friday, setting a world record for the most expensive Marvel Comics Silver or Bronze Age cover ever sold at public auction.

It also is the most expensive piece of Spider-Man art drawn by legendary artist John Romita, Sr.

The winning bidder chose to remain anonymous.

The previous public auction record for a piece of Spider-Man art drawn by Romita, Sr., was set by Heritage Auctions in 2013 when his cover for The Amazing Spider-Man #121 (Marvel, 1973) sold for $286,800.

Considered one of the most iconic covers of the 1970s, the cover masterfully portrays Spidey and dozens of famous canon characters. Collaborating with the legendary Stan Lee and artist Frank Giacoia, the trio understood the anniversary issue's cover needed to be a masterpiece. Historians and fans alike rank the cover among the most influential of all time.

The original cover was offered during Heritage’s Comics & Comic Art Auction held online and in Dallas.

“A true work of art, the winning bidder got a lot of bang for the buck in that the cover depicts so many iconic characters,” Heritage Auctions’ Senior Vice President Ed Jaster said. “This cover was done during the peak period of John Romita, Sr.’s artwork, at a time when Spider-Man’s popularity was extremely high.”

Presented in Marvel Comics’ popular “floating heads” style, more than two dozen famous faces surround a full-body image of Spider-Man. Vicious villains such as Kingpin, Doctor Octopus, Scorpion and the Beetle appear; and Peter Parker’s girlfriends Mary Jane Watson and Gwen Stacy, his beloved Aunt May and Parker’s boss at the Daily Bugle, J. Jonah Jameson, are also depicted.

Top sellers on the auction’s first day included a copy of Batman #1 (DC, 1940), which sold for $334,600 and the first appearance of Green Lantern from All American Comics #16 (DC, 1940), which brought $215,100. 

The auction continues Saturday with a Signature Internet Session beginning at 1 p.m. CST on HA.com. The session includes a copy of Spider-Man #1 (Marvel, 1963) and a high-grade copy of Fantastic Four #52 (Marvel, 1966), which features the first appearance of Black Panther, a character that shattered box office records last week when the superhero appeared in the blockbuster film of the same name.