Spider-Man Creator Stan Lee to Sell Personal Comics/Art Collection

Dallas, TX -- Stan Lee, co-creator of such legendary figures as Spider-Man, the Hulk, Daredevil and the X-Men, and Heritage Comics Auctions (HCA) have joined forces to publicly offer Stan’s personal collection of comics and art.

“This is the material that Stan has kept all these years,” says John Petty, Director of HCA. “Included here are such gems as his personal reference copies of all the key Marvel issues; Fantastic Four #1, Amazing Fantasy #15 (the origin and first appearance of Spider-Man), Avengers #1, Daredevil #1, Amazing Spider-Man #1…they’re all here. They’re all being graded by CGC (Comics Guaranty Corporation), and will bear the designation ‘Stan Lee File Copy’.”

"These comics are my personal copies, the ones I've read and referred to over the years," said Stan Lee. "They may not be in mint condition but I love each one because they represent the highlights of my career to me and I've enjoyed thumbing through them time and again. In fact, they're the only copies of these key books that I've saved and treasured. I've been waiting for just the right opportunity to release these colorful old friends of mine to collectors all over the world, and Heritage is absolutely the right company to do that for me."

“In addition to the comics,” Petty continued, “there’s a wonderful selection of original art from the Spider-Man newspaper strip. Written by Stan, there are several fabulous artists represented in this collection, including Dan Barry, Paul Ryan, Joe Sinnott, Alex Saviuk, Fred Kida, and Larry Lieber, one of the great Marvel artists of the Silver Age. Once again, these pieces of art have been in Stan’s personal collection for years, and we feel so honored to be offering them to his vast legion of fans.”

And the icing on the cake? “Stan will actually be in Chicago on July 5th for our Wizard World auction,” said Petty. “He will open the Marvel section of our sale that evening with a few words. For someone like me, who learned to read on Stan’s comics, this is a real thrill.”

In related news, Heritage affiliate Ivy Press has obtained the rights to republish The Comic Book Greats, a series of video interviews that Stan Lee did with such comics luminaries as Will Eisner, Bob Kane, Jack Davis, Harvey Kurtzman, John Romita Sr. and Jr., Todd McFarlane, Sergio Aragones, and more. The set of interviews will be offered later this year on DVD, and will be available through various retail outlets and Heritage’s own web-site. More details will be announced shortly.

Even with all these exciting happenings, there is still time to get consignments in under the wire for Heritage’s sure-to-be-legendary July 4-7 Signature Sale - their first-ever Wizard World auction. Prospective consignors are invited to call John Petty at 214-252-4392 or Ed Jaster at 214-252-4288 to discuss consigning rare comics and original art. Or if you have classic movie posters, call their movie expert Grey Smith at 1-214-668-6928. Or visit http://www.HeritageComics.com and click on the “consign” tab. Or simply email JPetty@HeritageComics.com or EdJ@HeritageComics.com or GreySm@HeritageMoviePosters.com.

Prospective bidders may pre-order the sale catalog now for $25 (or Heritage’s next 3 Signature catalogs for $50), fully refundable with any successful purchase in the auction. Visit www.HeritageComics.com, email your name, address & credit card info to Auctions@HeritageComics.com or phone 214-242-4242 (24-hour voicemail - simply leave your address & credit card info) to order by credit card, or mail a check to: Heritage Comics Catalog Offer, 100 Highland Park Village, Second Floor, Dallas, TX 75205

The Wizard World Chicago 2002 (July 4-7) Signature catalog will mail approximately June 15.

Interviews and photography available to the press on request.