Just as DC Comics enters a new era in TV and movies under the leadership of filmmaker James Gunn, the most famous heroes and villains from the comic book series will soon have their lineup of collectibles greatly expanded under a new deal with Upper Deck.
Starting with the release of DC Annual, Upper Deck’s first physical release under its new deal, characters — including Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman and more — are expected to have some of their most important trading cards created over the next decade.
As new collectors enter the non-sports category and comic fans join the hobby for the first time, cllct spoke with experts from Heritage Auctions, CGC Comics, CGC Cards and PSA to better understand who the most collectible DC characters have been and what items collectors have been chasing.
Batman
With appearances in thousands of comic books and more than a dozen live-action and animated movies and shows, Batman is among the most important and iconic superheroes ever created.
The character is also arguably the most collectible from the DC Universe when accounting for comics, cards and even Funko Pops.
To date, the highest public sale for a Batman comic is the $2.22 million paid for a Batman No. 1 CGC 9.4 example at Heritage in 2021. The first comic dedicated to the character, it also featured the first appearances of the Joker and Catwoman.
Batman has a long history in trading cards, too, with the character’s “rookie” considered card No. 1 from 1966 Topps Batman. A PSA 9 example of the card, which is easily spotted by its bright red background, fetched $45,000 at Heritage in 2024. Earlier that year, a cello box of 36 unopened 1966 Topps Batman packs sold for $93,000.
Beyond comics and cards, Batman’s collectibility has been extremely powerful in recent years across the Funko Pop market. Funko debuted its Pop lineup for the first time at San Diego Comic Con 2010, and Batman, along with Green Lantern and Batgirl, was one of the first three characters ever released.
“What makes these [Batman Funko Pops] extra special is that there are limited-edition metallic variations that are limited to 480 pieces,” Dan Gomez, head of pop culture authentication at PSA, told cllct. “Due to the rarity and historical significance of these first releases, these figures have grown to become some of the most sought after by collectors.”
One of those metallic variations sold for $4,270 at Goldin in 2023.
Superman
Superman made his debut in 1938’s Action Comics No. 1, and the comic industry hasn’t been the same since.
Considered the first superhero comic, that issue launched the comic book industry’s Golden Age and has remained near the top since.
The record public sale for any comic book is the $6 million paid for a CGC 8.5 example of Action Comics No. 1 in 2024. A private sale for 1939’s Superman No. 1, the first series dedicated to the hero, fetched $5.3 million in 2022 — that example was a CGC 8.0.
“There’s a small group of copies of these books,” Aaron White, vice president of comics at Heritage, told cllct. “They’re very hard to get, especially at high grades. With Action Comics No. 1, that’s one of the nicest copies in existence. Very few copies survived from 1938 to now.”
Collectors have also coveted the hero’s first flagship trading cards from 1940 Gum, Inc. Superman.
Considered arguably the most important non-sports card set of all time, the release featured high-quality, colorful drawings of Superman saving the day and fighting bad guys across 72 cards.
The set is believed to be much more rare than other key non-sports card sets from the era, and card No. 1 has been the key chase. A PSA 5 example of the set’s first card sold for $13,800 in 2021, and a complete set of PSA-graded cards sold for $91,000 at Memory Lane in 2022.
Wonder Woman
Part of the “Trinity” with Superman and Batman, Wonder Woman is the final solo character sitting atop the DC Universe’s collectibles hierarchy.
Though she doesn’t appear on the cover, the key issue for Wonder Woman is her first appearance in 1942’s All Star Comics No. 8. Widely considered one of the most important comics ever made, the record public sale is the $1.62 million paid for a CGC 9.4 example in 2022.
Unlike Batman and Superman, however, the highest prices paid for Wonder Woman cards have been for ultra-modern sets.
With the character most recently portrayed by Gal Gadot in DC’s live-action films, Gadot’s autographs and other Wonder Woman cards from 2019 Cryptozoic CZX Super Heroes & Super-Villains have been among the most popular. The high price for a Wonder Woman Gadot autograph is the $7,000 paid for an on-card auto numbered to just 20 in 2022, according to Card Ladder.
That set, which also includes on-card autographs from Henry Cavill (Superman) and Ben Affleck (Batman), continues a long history of important trading card sets from manufacturers collectors aren’t always familiar with.
Heroes from DC have long appeared in oddball sets, including the 1974 Wonder Bread Warner Bros, which also includes Looney Tunes characters, and the 1989 Mayfair DC Heroes release.
CGC Cards vice president Andy Broome encourages collectors to explore these sets, but hopes additional research is done when vetting the many international and food-related sets.
“I will say I would give caution to collectors that are just getting into this type of stuff, especially with foreign issues and obscure food issues,” Broome said. “There’s a lot of stuff out there outside of the main manufacturers, and I personally love that stuff, but one has to be careful ensuring that it is in fact a licensed card.”
Justice League
Beyond Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman, the collectibility of many of DC’s most important heroes shifts to teams more so than individuals.
DC’s most famous team, The Justice League, includes that trio alongside a number of less popular but well-known characters, including The Flash, Green Lantern, Aquaman, Martian Manhunter and Green Arrow.
The most important comic book for the group arrived with the team’s debut in 1960’s The Brave and the Bold No. 28. The highest graded example of that book is also the most expensive copy to sell publicly — that copy, graded CGC 9.6, sold for $810,000 in 2024 at Heritage.
There’s also, of course, extremely high sales for characters such as The Flash. A Showcase No. 4 The Flash CGC 9.6 example, which featured the debut of Barry Allen as the hero, sold for $900,000 at Heritage in 2024.
Outside of books, original comic artwork for many of DC’s most popular characters has become extremely expensive over the better part of the last 20 years. Collectors often hunt for the rarest items, and one-of-a-kind pieces of original art pair nicely alongside any comic.
For these pieces, collectors will typically search for iconic characters, covers, pages or their favorite artists.
One such piece is the original cover for Green Lantern No. 76, which was drawn by beloved artist Neal Adams. Considered one of the most important covers ever, it introduced the concept of the “buddy book” with Green Lantern and Green Arrow shown on the front.
The original artwork for that cover sold at Heritage in 2015 for $442,150.
“You’re going to have people who want to collect Jack Kirby and Neal Adams and they want to collect John Buscema. … It’s cool to get a page where an artist that you love, their hands touched that art and their pencil touched that art,” Aaron White, vice president of comics at Heritage, told cllct.
“I think that’s special in a very tangible way that is more so than even a comic book.”
Suicide Squad
Though many new hobbyists will strictly associate collecting with heroes, super villains have an important place — heroes need someone to fight, after all.
Because of this, the Suicide Squad plays an important role for many and is among the universe’s most important teams.
Original cover artwork from Jim Lee and Scott Williams for 2017’s Suicide Squad No. 8, which features Harley Quinn, Katana, Deadshot, Rick Flag, Killer Croc, Enchantress and Boomerang, sold for $32,500 at Heritage in 2024.
The Suicide Squad made its comic debut in 1955’s The Brave and the Bold No. 25, but newer collectors might associate the group with The Suicide Squad film from 2021. A sequel to 2016’s Suicide Squad, it eventually spawned the Peacemaker series staring John Cena as the title character.
According to vice president of CGC Comics Shawn Caffrey, collectors should watch for characters with the potential to have their stories expanded in major ways. Though Peacemaker wasn’t considered an ultra-popular character among comic fans, it resonated with more casual fans and now has a much larger role within the DC Extended Universe of films and shows.
“If you look at Suicide Squad, one of the biggest things that came out of that was Peackmaker because you have John Cena, who now has his own show, and nobody even knew who Peacemaker was at one point,” Caffrey told cllct.
“You had this kind of joke character in the beginning — he was kind of this patriotic, violent character that nobody really cared about and went under the radar for a long period of time — then this series comes out, and they add the humor to it without overdoing it and making it cheesy.”
A CGC 9.4 example of 1966’s The Fightin’ 5 No. 40, which features Peacemaker’s debut, sold for $5,040 at Heritage in 2023.
Teen Titans
To many comic book fans and collectors, no team has been more important in the DC Universe in recent years than the Teen Titans.
The team made its debut in 1955’s The Brave and the Bold No. 54 and featured Robin, the Boy Wonder, Kid Flash and Aqualad. The group has earned recent relevance with the animated Teen Titans show, which ran from 2003 to 2006, the animated Teen Titans Go! show, which debuted in 2013 and has run for more than 400 episodes, and the live-action Titans show, which debuted in 2018 and ran for four seasons.
A CGC 9.6 example of The Brave and the Bold No. 54 sold at Heritage in 2022 for $43,200.
Among the group’s most popular characters is Dick Grayson, better known as Batman’s sidekick, Robin. The first and most popular Robin, Grayson eventually becomes the hero Nightwing.
The evolution of many of DC’s characters is something Upper Deck plans to explore as it releases new trading card sets, starting with DC Annual this month.
“People know Batman and Robin, but a lot of people don't know Robin later became Nightwing, who is a really cool character in of itself,” Upper Deck entertainment director Travis Rhea told cllct. “I think going deeper into the connections with the stuff that you already know on the surface level is going to be really exciting for this lineup of characters.”
According to both Broome and Gomez, Superman’s pet dog, Krypto, has a chance to become a fan favorite in the coming years. Krypto recently appeared in the live-action series Titans and is also expected to appear in 2025’s "Superman" reboot and "Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow" in 2026.
Best known for directing Marvel’s "Guardians of the Galaxy" trilogy, James Gunn was hired by Warner Bros. in 2022 to reimagine the DC Extended Universe. Voiced by Bradley Cooper in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Rocket Raccoon has become an ultra-popular animal character, and Gunn could have similar success with Krypto.
“Krypto the Superdog has the potential to gain significant popularity with his upcoming appearance in the new Superman film,” Gomez said. “James Gunn has a talent for creating lovable and memorable animal characters, as seen with Rocket Raccoon in the 'Guardians of the Galaxy' films. If Krypto is given the same charm and personality, he could easily win over moviegoers, fans, and collectors alike.”
“Krypto is a really cool character because it hasn’t been explored that much,” Broome added. “Going back, Krypto has cards from the 1970s. So I think that’s what is going to happen with DC — everybody knows that small, top-tier of characters, but we’re going to explore those other tiers.”
A 1978 DC Super Heroes Stickers Krypto Taystee Bread PSA 10 sold at Fanatics Collect for $324 in 2023.
Creature Commandos
Of the teams featured in the DC Extended Universe, none might see the rise of Creature Commandos.
Released in late 2024, the animated series is packed with characters casual fans are likely unfamiliar with, including Rick Flag, the Bride, Nina Mazursky, G.I. Robot, Doctor Phosphorus and Weasel.
Despite the team’s lack of starpower, the MCU has shown any character can become popular with the right portrayal.
Marvel’s Iron Man character was never extremely popular among comic book fans, but the hero’s reputation drastically shifted once he was played in movies by Robert Downey Jr. The same can be said for the Guardians of the Galaxy, who have now become fan favorites among superhero fans.
“You have James Gunn kind of heading up your relaunch, so to speak, of the DC Universe. He’s really kind of focusing on your, I hate to say, your D-list characters,” Caffrey said. “Those are the characters that not many people know about, but eventually everybody will know. You look at something like Guardians of the Galaxy, they were no-name characters until the movie came out. Gunn did a great job making these D-list characters household names.”
Rhea also believes a shift could happen, in which case Upper Deck would certainly pursue more trading cards featuring the team.
“Creature Commandos is already putting those characters into pop culture.”
Joker
There are plenty of villains more powerful, but none has transcended pop culture like the Joker.
From live-action portrayals by Heath Ledger and Jack Nicholson to Mark Hamill’s run as the character in "Batman: The Animated Series" since 1992, there have been a number of iconic iterations of the character that stick with viewers.
That popularity has spilled into collectibles, too, making the Joker one of the most important villains in comic book history.
The Joker’s debut arrived with 1940’s Batman No. 1, but the character has had plenty of success on its own.
Neal Adams’ original cover artwork for 1973’s Batman No. 251 sold for $600,000 at Heritage in 2019 — according to the auction house, that cover was the Joker’s first appearance in a Batman comic since 1969 and featured a portrayal that would “become the standard.”
High-grade comic covers, of course, sell for six figures as well, with a CGC 9.4 example of 1942’s Batman No. 11 and a CGC 9.6 example of 1948’s Batman No. 49 both selling for $132,000. A CGC 9.8 copy of 1946’s Detective Comics No. 114, which featured more beloved cover art of the Joker, sold for $156,000 in 2021.
“It’s the same thing we have said about the first appearance of heroes being good, the first appearance of villains is a big thing,” White said. “Joker covers have been popular for a long time and people have collected a lot of the Golden Age Joker covers.”
Harley Quinn
Though Harley Quinn has been a well-known character since her debut in 1992, the character’s popularity has exploded in recent years following a number of live-action appearances and animated appearances.
In addition to the Harley Quinn TV series, which premiered in 2019 with Kaley Cuoco voicing the title character, Margot Robbie has frequently portrayed the character in live-action films.
Robbie starred as Harley Quinn first in 2016’s "Suicide Squad" and has since gone on to play the character in 2020’s "Birds of Prey" and 2021’s "The Suicide Squad."
“Since Margot Robbie took on the role of Harley Quinn, the character's popularity has surged, becoming a fan-favorite in both movies and pop culture,” Gomez said.
“Her frequent presence in cosplay at conventions has further cemented her status, driving increased demand for Harley Quinn Funko Pops. Some collectors even argue that her Funko figures have surpassed Superman’s in popularity.”
“I think a lot of it is pop-culture driven,” Caffrey said. “One of the characters we get tons of submissions for is Harley Quinn. She’s a popularized character across all platforms, from cartoons to the movies, you name it. She’s well-known, and there’s definitely been an influx since she’s been put out there and popularized.”
A surprising fact about Harley Quinn is the character made her debut in "Batman: The Animated Series," not in a comic book.
A publicity cel from her debut moment, which features a fight against Batman with the Joker, sold for $156,000 at Heritage in 2022. According to Heritage, the hand-painted original cel was first seen on the cover of the New York Times’ Television Supplement.
Ben Burrows is a reporter and editor for cllct.