Actor Nicolas Cage's $1M Stolen 'Superman' Comic Resurfaces 11 Years Later
April 12, 2011 — -- Actor Nicolas Cage said it was "divine providence" that his stolen vintage comic book was found 11 years later in a storage unit in Southern California. This wasn't just any comic book. It is the first Superman comic, titled "Action Comics No. 1," worth about $1 million.
"It's the most important and valuable comic book," said Stephen Fishler, who sold the comic book to the actor in 1995. "Before this book was published, there was no such thing as a super hero. It really created the comic industry."
Detective Donald Hrycyk, head of the Los Angeles Police Department's Art Theft Detail, has been working on this case since the actor filed a theft report Jan. 21, 2000. The actor, who won an Oscar for his role in "Leaving Las Vegas," said the item was stolen from his home in Los Angeles. He reportedly received insurance money for its loss, according to Hrycyk.
Cage's publicist released a statement from the actor that said: "It is divine providence that the comic was found and I am hopeful that the heirloom will be returned to my family."
Fishler would not disclose the amount the actor paid for the comic book in 1995.
"It's worth considerably more than it was then," said Fishler, who owns ComicConnect.com, the world's largest retailer of comics. In March 2010, he said his company broke the record for the most expensive comic book for another copy of "Action One" for $1.5 million. In February 2010, he said his company sold another copy for $1 million. While there are about 100 in existence, only six of those comic books are in similar preserved condition, he said.
Mark Balelo, a collectibles expert in Simi Valley, Calif., was contacted by a man who said he found what was later discovered to be actor's comic book in a storage locker in San Fernando Valley. The man, who does not wish to be identified according to Detective Hrycyk, bought the locker's contents through American Auctioneers, a company based in Riverside, Calif. Elisabeth Metzidis, controller for Balelo Inc. confirmed that the man who found the comic book asked Balelo to sell it.
