Date:  August 5, 2020  |   Photography: Rett Peek  |  

Whether their mission is to save the world or simply make it to school on time, the heroes of comic books have long attracted the attention of readers both young and old. Rising to popularity in the 1940s and ’50s, kids often purchased the addictive series-style stories with money from their piggybanks. For many, these childhood treasures sparked a lifelong love of collecting the thin paper books. The best-loved copies may have dog-eared or worn pages from being read and re-read by the glow of a flashlight under the cover; however, some collectors prefer to keep their titles in pristine condition for posterity. Today, rare and highly coveted titles fetch top dollar at auctions, while numerous others continue to bring smiles to new generations of readers.