The cover art for the Amazing Spider-Man #121, also known as The Night Gwen Stacy Died, has sold with outstanding results as part of Heritage Auctions' Vintage Comics & Comic Art Signature Auction, which was held on February 21-23 in New York.
 Gwen Stacey was Spider-Man's first love, before the arrival of the better known Mary Jane Watson |
The page, considered one of the most important in Marvel history, sold for $286,800. Created by legendary artist John Romita Sr, it is described by expert Arnold Blumberg as "the end of innocence for comics" and "one of the most potent stories ever published."
The 1973 issue sees long-time nemesis The Green Goblin cause Spider-Man to accidentally kill Gwen Stacy, his first true love before the arrival of the more familiar Mary Jane Watson. The controversial move was an earth-shattering blow for many comic book fans, who inundated Marvel offices with outraged letters that marked the end of the carefree Marvel Silver Age.
Original cover art from Amazing Spider-Man is some of the most valuable at auction, with Todd McFarlane's cover art for issue #328 selling for $675,250 at Heritage Auctions in July 2012, setting a new world record for any American comic art.
 The Shamus Modern Masterworks Collection, from which the cover originates, boosted Heritage's 2012 sales considerably |
Also selling well in the present sale was Dave Gibbons' original cover art for Watchmen #1, which brought $155,350. The cover is considered one of the most iconic in comic book history, with renewed interest brought by the release of the Watchmen film in 2009.
At the head of the auction was a copy of the legendary Detective Comics #27, which was graded 6.5. Seeing the first appearance of Batman, the comic sold for $567,625, providing an 8.6% increase in value on another 6.5-graded copy that sold for $522,500 at Heritage Auctions in February 2012.
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