Iron Man #1 Opening Splash Page Offered By Marvel Studios Founding Chairman Through Heritage Auctions

One of the most important pieces of early Iron Man original art is heading to auction later this month. Heritage Auctions will offer the opening splash page from Iron Man #1, drawn by Gene Colan and inked by Johnny Craig for the character’s first solo comic in 1968. The page is part of Heritage’s Comic Art Signature Auction running September 25 through 27.

The artwork is being offered by David Maisel, the founding chairman of Marvel Studios and one of the key figures behind Marvel’s move into producing its own films. Maisel became chairman of Marvel Studios in 2007 after helping develop the company’s film-production strategy and financing plan. That connection gives the piece an unusual history. The artwork comes from the first issue of Iron Man’s solo comic series, while Maisel later helped build the studio that turned the character into the centerpiece of Marvel’s first self-produced feature film.

The splash page shows Iron Man at the start of his first solo title after spending years appearing in Tales of Suspense. Colan and Craig’s page is listed as Lot 94005 in the Heritage sale. “Gene created two things,” Maisel says. “He made the suit expressive and almost limber, and he was very cinematic in his art, and almost foreseeing the MCU at some point in time, almost 40 years later. The combination of it being the historic first page of the first issue, the big art of a Page 1 splash, the fun ‘What a way to start out in your own mag’ and Gene’s art was something I couldn’t say no to.”

It arrives at auction only a few months after another major piece of Iron Man artwork set a record at Heritage. In July, Don Heck’s opening splash page from Tales of Suspense #39, featuring Iron Man’s 1963 debut, sold for $3.875 million. That became the highest auction price ever paid for original comic art.

The September auction includes another early Iron Man splash as well. Don Heck and Mike Esposito’s opening page from Tales of Suspense #65 from 1965 is being offered immediately after the Iron Man #1 page.

Iron Man is only part of a much broader group of major original comic art in the sale.

Heritage is also offering Jack Kirby and Joe Sinnott’s original cover art for Fantastic Four #56, featuring Klaw, along with Dave Cockrum’s story page from Giant-Size X-Men #1, Brian Bolland’s cover to 2000 AD #197 featuring Judge Dredd, and Bob Layton’s cover for Iron Man #144.

Other Marvel highlights include Jim Lee and Scott Williams artwork from X-Men #5, including a double-page spread from the issue featuring Team X, along with additional X-Men material from Lee’s early 1990s run.

Heritage’s Comic Art Signature Auction runs September 25 through September 27, with the Iron Man #1 opening splash among the featured lots.