Just when Superman thought he had come out on top, Batman swoops in from behind and beats his record. Earlier this week, the Guardian reported that the first comic book to feature Superman, the 1938 Action Comics #1, sold for $1 million U.S. to a private buyer – the highest price for a comic book on public record. But the same paper is now reporting that yesterday, the first-ever Batman comic – Detective Comics #27 – sold for $1,075,500 U.S. at a New York auction, becoming the new champ. From the Guardian:

“We can really say that Batman has nosed out Superman, at least for now,” [said Barry Sandoval of Heritage Auction Galleries.]

He said the seller had bought the Batman comic in the late 1960s for $100. With a bright yellow background, it features Batman swinging on a rope above city rooftops.

Before this week, the record was held by another copy of Action Comics #1, which sold for $317,200 U.S. last year because it was in lesser condition – the copy that sold earlier this week was reportedly rated an 8 out of 10. CNN had this to say:

For comic book lovers who have struggled to elevate their trade to the level of fine antiques, paintings and even collectible coins, record-breaking sales make for a big victory. In the last year, [Vincent] Zurzolo, [co-owner of auction site ComicConnect.com], said he’s seen more non-comic fans than ever purchasing rare copies as investment vehicles during the recession.

Quite the investment indeed – when these comics were first published in the 1930s, they sold for 10 cents apiece.

Some book-related links:

• The catalogue pages for disgraced U.S. Governor Mark “Appalachia by way of Argentina” Sanford’s (cancelled) book
• Meth ring uses rare comic books to launder drug money (I knew there was something wrong with adults reading comic books…)
• Indian politician’s sympathetic book about Pakistan’s founder gets him booted from party, starts a firestorm
• Lemony Snicket working on new quadrilogy
• Wanna buy a million-dollar wine book?
• Dissertations as haiku

No, not Michael Ignatieff. We’re talking about the Captain Canuck, the Canadian superhero first dreamed up in 1971 by artists Ron Leishman and Richard Comely. (Their original name for the character – Captain Canada – had already been taken by the Hudson’s Bay Company.) The first issue of the Captain Canuck comic appeared in 1975, and now, 34 years later, San Diego-based IDW Publishing is releasing a hardcover omnibus containing issues #4-10 (it’s unclear what happened to issues #1-3). Captain Canuck Vol. 1, written by Comely and with art by George Freeman and Claude St. Aubin, also contains previously unpublished sketches by Freeman. IDW plans to release the second volume, containing issues #11-14, later this year.

According to the IDW press release, Comely doesn’t see any contradiction in publishing the Captain Canuck omnibus with an American publisher: “Captain Canuck has a large fan base in the U.S. as well as Canada. It’s been a joy to work with a company and an editor who enjoy the work and the characters we created. Fans will be delighted to see the art so well presented.”

The art was always paramount for Comely and his collaborators, according to the official Captain Canuck web site:

A new colouring method was devised by Comely with the help of Dick Thomas who at the time worked for a colour separation/film house in Winnipeg. Dick Thomas became co- owner, along with Lovern Kindzerski of Digital Chameleon, one of comicdom’s foremost computer colouring and colour separation companies. George Freeman who became the primary artist for Captain Canuck would become one of Digital Chameleon’s principal colourists. In 1975 computer based colouring was still years away.

With the “Comely” method, derived by Comely with Thomas’s help, animators’ colours are painted on to an acetate overlay placed over the finished line art. The colour overlay is separated into yellow, cyan, magenta and a line shot negative is made from the black line art. This method was later used by a few other publishers – particularly Capital when they published Nexus and Badger.

The omnibus is only the latest testament to Captain Canuck’s enduring popularity: in 1995, to celebrate the comic’s 20th anniversary, Canada Post issued a commemorative stamp.

The Globe and Mail had a feature on Canadian comic star Seth in its Saturday review section to coincide with the weekend’s Toronto Comic Arts Festival. Here are a few photos from the event held at the Toronto Reference Library.

Canadian comic artists created posters celebrating the event. The poster on the right was designed by the Scott Pilgrim series’ creator Bryan Lee O’Malley.

Comic fans of all ages came to check out exhibitors, get their favourite books signed, and attend panels on webcomics, manga, and graphic novels for the teenage crowd.

Eric Wight, the writer and illustrator of the children’s comic series Frankie Pickle, created an exhibit featuring the setting of his first book, Frankie Pickle and the Closet of Doom.

Tomorrow, May 2, is the eighth annual Free Comic Book Day – the best day of the year for comic book fans. Participating comic book shops across the country will be offering a selection of free issues to their customers, ranging from superhero comics such as Wolverine: Origin of an X-Man to kiddie fare such as a special Disney/Pixar Cars book.

Stores across the nation are hosting events to celebrate, featuring author appearances, book signings, and more. In Toronto, the biggest party will be at The Beguiling from noon to 5 p.m. This year the shop has teamed up with the Toronto Comic Arts Festival to produce a special comic book, titled Comics Festival!, featuring cartoonists who will be exhibiting at the TCAF next weekend (May 9-10) – many of whom will also be at the store’s Free Comic Book Day event.

To find your nearest participating comic book store, use the store locator on the main page of the Free Comic Book Day site (even though it says to enter a zip code, your postal code will work just fine).