From Bedroom Wall to Auction House: Rare Thor’s Comic Goes on Sale | Comics and graphic novels

A rare first image of the superhero incarnation of the Norse god Thor, which has hung on a bedroom wall for decades, is expected to be auctioned later this week.

The artwork, the original cover illustration for the December 1968 issue of The Mighty Thor, was designed by Jack Kirby, the creator known as the “King” of comics for helping invent characters from Captain America at the Fantastic Four, as well as Thor. It shows the Norse god and son of Odin in his winged helmet battling a giant, and will go up for auction on June 24 for an estimated price of between £ 5,000 and £ 8,000.

Thesaleroom.com, which hosts the online auction, said the artwork was inherited by the seller from her father and had been hanging on her wall since the mid-1970s. She had originally believed that Thor was the monster, rather than the hero.

A spokesperson for Charterhouse Auctioneers said: “Sometimes when you own a piece of art and hang it in your home, no matter how valuable it is, you don’t automatically place a value on it. You get used to it being a work of art in your home. Marvel has become more and more popular in recent years. Out of curiosity, the owner got in touch… and we were able to assess the art and make the owner aware of the value.

There are pencil and ink markings around the edges of the design, thesaleroom.com said, and parts of the image were taped on, as that was how the covers would have been created at the time. “Rare and old Marvel comics can command six-figure sums in mint condition – they’ve always been in demand, and with a recent string of blockbusters, there’s even more interest in favorite superheroes. . ”