Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Nope. It’s the most expensive comic ever.

Last week, an old comic book sold at auction. The bids went up, up, and away! Final price tag? Six million dollars.

The book was Action Comics No. 1. It’s the first appearance of Superman. When first published, it sold for 10 cents. Three years ago, a copy sold for $3.25 million. Another copy sold last year for $3.56 million. This year’s sale smashes that record. BAM!

Heritage Auctions oversaw the sale. The company says Action Comics No. 1 is the most valuable comic ever sold. A different Superman comic previously held the title of “most expensive.” It was a copy of Superman No. 1. It sold for $5.3 million.

Today, you’ll find superheroes everywhere. Superhero movies make millions of dollars. Look at toys, T-shirts, and lunchboxes. You’ll see Iron Man, Wonder Woman, and Spider-Man.

Superman started it all.

Before 1938, superheroes as we know them today didn’t exist. But writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster had an idea. They remembered ancient Greek myths with heroes like Hercules. What if those heroes lived in the modern world?

So they created Superman.

Action Comics No. 1 released in the spring of 1938. It introduced Superman—and superheroes—to the world. He already had his famous red-and-blue costume. The book also featured Lois Lane. She’s a reporter and Superman’s love interest.

Before long, superhero stories took over comic books. Kids and grownups loved the adventurous stories that pitted good against evil. Some American soldiers read comic books while overseas during World War II.

About 100 copies of Action Comics No. 1 still exist. That’s far fewer than the 200,000 printed. What happened to them? It’s hard to say. Many old comics were lost during World War II. People recycled comic books to support the war effort. Over the years, others were damaged or tossed into the trash.

Many people considered those comics disposable. Today, we see that some of those books sell for high prices. Humans can’t always predict what will be valuable.

More importantly, people also often cast aside what is valuable to God. For example, Isaiah said that people would reject Jesus. Read Isaiah 53:2-3. Even though the people didn’t think Jesus looked special, He is the King of Kings! God uses things that don’t seem important to us for His great purposes.

But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong. — 1 Corinthians 1:27