The Amazing Spider Man. Whether or not you regularly read comic books or watch superhero movies, you’ve probably heard of this spider-powered superhero.
Now a comic book store in Milwaukee is selling an original edition of the Amazing Fantasy No. 15 comic in which Spider Man first appeared in 1962.
Steve Dobrzynski is the owner of Collector’s Edge Comics in Milwaukee’s Bay View neighborhood, and is now selling this original issue. In 1962, the issue was sold for 12 cents, but Steve thinks this single issue could be worth up to $35,000.
“You can’t just say this book is worth ‘X.’” Dobrzynski says. “The range of sales I’ve seen in the last year have been anywhere from $24,000 up to $35,000.”
Though he says that the comic is ultimately worth “whatever someone is willing to pay,” Dobryznski says its value comes from the popularity of superheroes.
“People who don’t read comics are still going to those Marvel movies and spending their money,” he says. “Having that piece of history — this is the first time Spiderman has appeared anywhere — that’s what gives it the panache.”
Despite being such a central part of superhero lore today, Dobrzynski notes that Spider Man was almost never released. Originally created by Stan Lee, his pitch was initially rejected.
“He made it a teenager, somebody who has problems, with powers from a spider, and his boss did not want to put that out into the public,” Dobrzynski says.
However, with the Amazing Fantasy series set to come to a close, Spider Man was greenlit and instantly connected with readers.
“It was the end of the run, they were going to do their last issue and that was it, so they said, ‘Go ahead, do your story,’” Dobrzynski says. “It was very well received, it sold out very quickly.”
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