Old copy of Spider-Man's premiere issue sells for over $1.3 million

The New York Post tells of another dreary auctioning of an old classic's premiere issue, here of Spider-Man's first as a series (remember, of course, that Spidey first debuted in the last issue of Amazing Fantasy, 15), selling for the usual million-plus bucks:

A near-perfect copy of “The Amazing Spider-Man #1” sold for over $1.3 million at auction, breaking the record for the highest price the issue has ever fetched on the block.

The unrestored copy of the Marvel hero’s self-titled series debut was purchased for a staggering bid of $1,380,000 through Dallas-based Heritage Auctions on Thursday.

The record-breaking sale was part of a larger comic auction that included a 7.0-grade “Fine/Very Fine” copy of “Superman #1,” which sold for $2.3 million.

Industry experts said the Spidey comic’s 9.8 “Near Mint/Mint Condition” grade by the Certified Guaranty Company, the comics industry standard, easily justifies the seven-figure price tag.

But why must the whole speculator market be considered justifiable? It's long come at the expense of actual reading, to say nothing of story merit. Whenever I read these kind of articles, it's simply frustrating, and as I've said before, it's not improving the industry's reputation because of how entertainment value is marginalized in the process.