NEW YORK – On August 23, starting at 7 pm Eastern time, Jasper52 will offer a 201-lot No Reserve Rare Comics sale. Absentee and Internet live bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers.

Comic books are much more than kid stuff. Those who would dismiss them risk marking themselves as out-of-touch fools of the highest order. These books convey tales that thoroughly infuse Western pop culture and drive billions of dollars in sales of movie tickets, digital subscriptions and merchandise. They are important and have fully earned the attention of scholars and collectors. That said, comic books are ephemeral. The writers, artists, and publishers who made them did not expect, or believe, they were creating art that would last for ages. Comic books were printed cheaply, sold cheaply, and generally treated as disposable. Ironically, that means the few copies that were treated like gold are sometimes worth more than gold today.

A standout lot in the upcoming auction is a copy of The Eternals #1, published by Marvel in July 1976 and featuring the debut of The Eternals, a race of humans designed to be protectors of the Earth. Comic books that feature the debuts of notable characters reliably draw collectors’ interest, and with the debut of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film Eternals set for November 5, this copy could well exceed its estimate of $5-$500.

The iconic villain known as The Joker made his first appearance in an April 1940 Batman comic book, but earned his own devoted (albeit short-lived) DC Comics title in May 1975. The copy offered in the auction carries an estimate of $5-$500.

Also of note is a copy of Uncanny X-Men #23 from August 1966, and thus dating to the original run of the enduring series created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. In this particular issue, Cyclops, Angel, Beast, Iceman, Professor X, and Marvel Girl (aka Jean Grey) try to stop Count Nefaria from stealing the city of Washington, D.C. The comic book is estimated at $5-$500.

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