The finest known copy of 1940s Batman No. 1 sold Jan.14 for $2.22 million, far and away the highest price ever realized for a comic book starring Bruce Wayne and his caped-and-cowled alter ego. The issue, the sole copy ever to receive a 9.4 grade from the Certified Guaranty Company, was already a record-setter before the start of Heritage Auctions four-day Comics and Comic Art event. A week before the Jan. 14 to 17 auction even began, Batman No. 1 crossed the $1.53-million mark, besting the previous world comic record set for a copy in November of 2020 when Heritage sold 1939s Detective Comics No. 27 for $1.5 million. Shortly before the auction opened at noon Central Standard Time, it had climbed to $1.95 million. Heated bidding raised the final price to $2.22 million. This issue of Batman No. 1, featuring the debuts of the Joker and Catwoman, is now the most expensive comic book ever sold by Heritage Auctions. We knew when the book came in that it was beyond special, that it was a once-in-a-lifetime offering, from appearance, its blindingly bright cover to its white pages, to provenance, says Heritage Auctions Senior Vice President Ed Jaster of this newly discovered copy. As I like to say, this is just a breathtaking book in so many ways. So we are not at all surprised that this has become a record-setting issue. But we are extraordinarily proud and honored to have brought it to market, to have done justice to its owner and to have found it a new home. Until now, the highest price Heritage had ever realized for a Batman No. 1 was in 2013, when the Dallas-based auction house sold a CGC NM- 9.2 copy for $567,625. The first session of the Comics & Comic Art sale, filled with original art and high-condition first issues of numerous landmark titles, realized more than $4.56 million. Accordingly, Batman No. 1 was not the sole Dark Knight title to set a record day one. During that same kickoff session, one of the finest known copies of Detective Comics No. 359, from 1967, realized $132,000. Thats the most ever paid for a Batman title published from the mid-1950s until 1970, during DC Comics Silver Age. That price should not surprise: The book marks the debut of Batgirl, is graded CGC NM/MT 9.8 and bears the coveted Boston pedigree. And, it comes from the Alfred Pennyworth collection assembled by Randy Lawrence, whose celebrated collection of best-ever Batman comics was famously stolen in January 2019. Lawrence spent the next year tracking down his multi-million-dollar collection. There are myriad reasons why Batman No. 1 is coveted by collectors and cherished by fans. First, theres the iconic, oft-imitated cover image, Batman and Robin, smiling at each other as they swing across the Gotham City skyline against a bright yellow backdrop. Then theres the back-page pin-up autographed by the Caped Crusader and his fledgling sidekick promising bigger and better thrills. Inside, readers are presented with The Legend of the Batman, an origin story, which first appeared in Detective Comics No. 33, filled with grief and anger that will one day be retold, endlessly, in movies and television shows built upon that two-page narrative. After that comes the debut of a villain more popular now than ever before, star of his own blockbuster franchise: a man with a changeless masklike face but for the eyes burning, hate-filled eyes--called only the Joker. This copy, too, has a storied background, having spent the last 39 years in the hands of a collector who bought it from a renowned comic book shop in Houston,Texas. In 1979, Billy T. Giles moved from Shreveport, La., to Houston, when Texas Eastern Transmission Pipeline Co. relocated its headquarters to Texas. He fell in with the local comics shops and dealers and helped his son complete an Amazing Spider-Man collection and obtain other key comics. Giles then decided to collect Batman for himself, starting with the purchase of six of the first nine issues from Camelot Bookstore owner Willie Pattersons personal collection. Camelot was located in downtown Houston, where Giles spent many lunch hours discussing comics, especially the Batman No. 1, with Patterson. Around that time, Patterson advertised Camelots copy of Batman No. 1 in the Comics Buyers Guide for $5,000, at the time a costly investment. When it failed to sell at such a steep price Billy offered him $3,000 cash, which Patterson happily accepted. The first Batman became Billys, and friends and neighbors teased him for spending that much for a comic book they insisted might one day be worthless. History, of course, proved otherwise. When Billy retired from Texas Eastern, he began a comic book business called BTandWDGiles, and spent the rest of his life buying and selling comics; his passion had turned professional. When he died in 2019, Billys son, William, consigned to Heritage. It was time for somebody else to have it, William says. Dad would have been glad his story is being told ecstatic, really. What he did to get that book and how he took care of it. He always knew it was the finest and would have been so happy it has been recognized as the very best. So I am thrilled that I can use it to honor my father. Sure, I am a little sad seeing the book go. But I wish the new owner the best and hope he or she enjoys it as much as I have. For more information, visit www.HA.com.