Why the Superhero Looks Like a Million
Batman
Even through his shaded glasses  Tim Burton clearly was wide-eyed. The famed "Batman" director motioned toward the crowd at San Diego Comic-Con and said  "I can't believe just how big
 it's gotten." He was referring not just to the physical size of last year's convention  but also to the existential sense of the comics world itself: The scene was shining a white-hot Bat light on just
 And this week  Batman and Superman flexed the comics market's muscles again.
 Holy collectibles  Batman. Suddenly  by tripling the record sale price  comics as a collectible were being mentioned in the same breath as gemstones and paintings. The twin sales garnered headlines and Google searches worldwide. And all the while  longtime comics scholars and non-geeks alike mouthed the question with dropped jaws:
 something to them. Spider-Man  Superman and Batman _ that's history to them. And in this country  we're a society built on popular culture."
 Once Superman crossed the million-dollar threshold  Batman was quick to follow. "As they say: Without Superman  there would be no Batman _ as a character and as a record comic-book sale " Zurzolo says.
 At Dallas-based Heritage Auction Galleries  which conducted the Batman auction Thursday  the house's comics expert agrees.
 "I think that the million-dollar result made somebody feel comfortable on (bidding) those kinds of numbers" in the Batman auction  said Lon Allen  37  sales director for Heritage's comic books division. "This is going to give a boost to the ... highest-grade of all comics."
the Batman auction Thursday  the house's comics expert agrees.
 "I think that the million-dollar result made somebody feel comfortable on (bidding) those kinds of numbers" in the Batman auction  said Lon Allen  37  sales director for Heritage's comic books division. "This is going to give a boost to the ... highest-grade of all comics."
Even through his shaded glasses  Tim Burton clearly was wide-eyed. [TGT] motioned toward the crowd at San Diego Comic-Con and said  "I can't believe just how big
 it's gotten." [TGT] was referring not just to the physical size of last year's convention  but also to the existential sense of the comics world itself: The scene was shining a white-hot Bat light on just
 And this week  Batman and Superman flexed the comics market's muscles again.
 Holy collectibles  Batman. Suddenly  by tripling the record sale price  comics as a collectible were being mentioned in the same breath as gemstones and paintings. The twin sales garnered headlines and Google searches worldwide. And all the while  longtime comics scholars and non-geeks alike mouthed the question with dropped jaws:
 something to them. Spider-Man  Superman and Batman _ that's history to them. And in this country  we're a society built on popular culture."
 Once Superman crossed the million-dollar threshold  [TGT] was quick to follow. "As they say: Without Superman  there would be no Batman _ as a character and as a record comic-book sale " Zurzolo says.
 At Dallas-based Heritage Auction Galleries  which conducted [TGT] Thursday  the house's comics expert agrees.
 "I think that the million-dollar result made somebody feel comfortable on (bidding) those kinds of numbers" in [TGT]said Lon Allen  37  sales director for Heritage's comic books division. "This is going to give a boost to the ... highest-grade of all comics."
[TGT]the house's comics expert agrees.
 "I think that the million-dollar result made somebody feel comfortable on (bidding) those kinds of numbers" in [TGT]said Lon Allen  37  sales director for Heritage's comic books division. "This is going to give a boost to the ... highest-grade of all comics."