Posted in: Comics, DC Comics, Superman | Tagged: action comics, action comics 1, Timmy Heague
Timmy Heague On Selling That Copy Of Action Comics #1… Part Two
Article Summary
- Timmy Heague reflects on the career milestones that led to brokering a high-profile Action Comics #1 sale.
- From Amazing Fantasy #15 to Hulk #1 and X-Men #1, key comic sales built trust for an Action Comics #1 auction.
- He explains his “Carving the Buffalo” strategy for valuing comics and choosing the best market for Action Comics #1.
- Meeting the collector and finally holding the restored Action Comics #1, Timmy knew he was meant to sell it.
Timmy Heague is the owner and operator of Arsenal Comics and Games, with locations in Ventura and Newbury Park. He is also a comic book writer, includingArchie vs Minor Threats withPatton OswaltandJordan Blum, and the backup stories in Lost Fantasy, such as the Bombshell feature with collaboratorEamon Winkle. In 2026, he handled the high-profile sale-by-auction of a rare copy of Action Comics #1 on behalf of an anonymous owner, one of the most valuable comics in existence. He gave us the lowdown a couple of months ago, but that was just part one… and there’s more to come.
“Ever since I opened up my first store back in 2014, I’ve accomplished plenty of things that I truly never thought were possible. There’s very much a timeline out there in the multiverse where my first store, an 800-something-square-foot hallway of a comic book store, was as far as I got, and, you know what, that’s completely fine. That in itself is something childhood me, teenage me, would never have fathomed possible. To this day, opening a comic book store at age 22 is something I am extremely proud of. Not just did it NOT crumble apart, but it sustained itself, and eventually grew. And as my business grew, I grew too.”
I hear they have a jab for that now, Timmy…
“With that came accomplishments and moments that, just like opening up my first store, I really never thought would be possible. I learned early on that hard, honest work, determination, strong relationship-building, and willpower can lead you to great things. Eight years ago, when I bought and sold my first copy of Amazing Fantasy #15, the first appearance of Spider-Man, a moment I never thought was possible. I never thought I’d ever hold that of a comic, yet here we are eight years from that milestone moment. And now here I was in a car on my way to meet with someone over selling their copy of Action Comics #1 on their behalf. In that car ride, I couldn’t help but play back the moments in my life that led me there, the milestone achievements in my career as a comic shop retailer that specializes in vintage comics. The deals and acquisitions that led to my building a reputation as a worthy candidate to facilitate a million-plus-dollar comic.”
It’s another flashback episode, isn’t it? I blame Watchmen…
“You don’t really realize it when you’re in the moment, but stuff like that is really just teeing you up for what could possibly be the next big moment in your career. People seeing you hold that type of comic, selling that particular collectable, are the collectors’ world seeing that you are someone who is trusted and capable of facilitating such a deal, whether it’s buying it outright or serving as the broker. After selling anAmazing Fantasy #15 for the first time back in 2018(a particular collectible that I have sold three copies of by now at this time in my career), I’ve sold other high profile key comics such as a Incredible Hulk #1, X-Men #1, Amazing Spider-Man #1 and tons of others that would make any collector drool, hell even I have wanted to drool over them (thank god for bags and boards). Never thought in my life I’d ever work myself to be in the running to sell an Action Comics #1″
And yet here you are, and here it is!
“When it comes to buying and acquiring a comic book collectable or comic collection to resell, I approach it with something called ‘Carving the Buffalo’. An expression taught to me years ago by one of my retailer mentors that translates to looking at a comics collection and knowing the best avenue for selling all the items in that collection. Knowing where the best place to sell the high-end keys (first appearances, iconic covers, rare books), the mid-range priced tier comics, and everything else that would be great for dollar boxes. For something like an Action Comics #1, that thought process still applies. All the multiple ways to go about it, all the ways I could potentially sell it to get the best value possible. This is my superpower in this situation. Being able to look at a collectable and know its grade, its value, its significance, and the best avenue to sell it for what its market value is currently set at, or as close as I can get to that. Something I think about a lot is a line of wisdom that another retailer mentor of mine once told me- ‘Something is only as valuable as whatever people are willing to pay for it.'”
I’m willing to pay… ooh, a good five dollars. No one will challenge me on that, right? Right?
“Even with a collectable of this calibre, I have been doing this long enough now to have a list of potential buyers that I would shop it to. With my store’s social media outreach and with my marketing skills, I know I’d find a buyer. But would it reach its max value if I went that route? was what I kept asking myself. The more I thought about it, I knew an auction house was the way to go by getting the most eyes on it as possible and to maximise getting its true market value. With that, I had a couple of auction houses already in mind, all of which I had, of course, already talked to about what I potentially had to sell with them. I needed as much info as possible both for myself and the owner of the Action Comics #1.”
Oh yes, Timmy hasn’t got it yet. Spoilers…
“While I’m generally a very unserious person, when it comes to the business of this nature, I wanted to be as thorough as possible and showcase to the owner of the collectable that I had put time, energy, and thought into how I would facilitate the strategy. Every business needs a business plan, every story needs an outline. But you still gotta have fun with it all. Somehow, I’ve always been able to maintain a fun atmosphere even in the most stressful or high-stakes business situations, which was going to be my approach even here with a million-dollar comic.” had never been so excited to knock on a door. Immediately upon entering the home of this collector, I’m happy to say we hit it off. This guy was COOL. His energy, humor, love for comics were all very familiar. It may sound weird, but believe it or not, ten minutes into the meeting with them, I thought to myself, ‘Wait, am I talking to myself aged up three decades?!'”
There’s a time travel story in here, right? Someone who goes back to the thirties, buys up all the copies of Action Comics #1, returns to the present day to discover they are worthless, and no one knows who Superman is, as no one bothered to buy issue 2…
“We both geeked out over Golden and Silver Age comics, we both loved to write, we both had comics retail experience, we were both in bands, we both passionately loved The Wizard of Oz, the list just kept going on and on. The stars really aligned with us. When it came to showing off his collection, I was in awe, to say the least. Even before seeing the crown jewel that I was there for, everything that was put in front of me was making my jaw drop more and more as the hits kept coming. Iconic pieces of comic book history, one after the other. Some I had never seen before, which, with the career I’ve had, is truly saying something… but we’ll talk more about those later.”
Don’t be too long, Timmy. You left us on quite the cliffhanger last time….
“After a good hour and a half, it was time to unveil the Kryptonian. The *THEN* PGX 9.0 restored Action Comics #1 was brought out. I don’t care how lame or dramatic I sound when I say this, but it was breathtaking. After a couple of minutes of gawking at it, the holy grail of comic book collectables was in my hands and, as crazy and cocky as it sounds… I knew from the moment it was in my hands I was going to sell that copy of Action Comics #1 and it was time to make it happen. To be concluded…”
Again, Timmy? Another cliffhanger? Seriously, I could have seen this coming. Here’s a Timmy Heague tag for when he returns… hopefully a little sooner than last time.
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