System Of A Down drummer John Dolmayan has purchased a rare copy of Action Comics #1 for $825,000, according to Louder Sound. The first issue, published in 1938, features the first appearance of Superman and is considered one of the most valuable comic books ever made.
Dolmayan, who owns Torpedo Comics in Irvine, California, has made this purchase as a collector. The price he paid is more than ten times the average annual salary in the US. This is his second copy of the comic.
“John Dolmayan has purchased a copy of what’s been described as the ‘Mona Lisa of books’: the first issue of Action Comics,” Metal Hammer reported.
“Dolmayan purchased the comic, which was published in 1938 and features the first appearance of Superman, for $825,000 – more than ten times the average annual salary in the US – and it’s his second copy.”
The purchase shows Dolmayan’s commitment to rare comic book collecting through his store and personal collection.
Dolmayan has been collecting rare comics for over two decades and operates Torpedo Comics. The shop began nearly thirty years ago when Dolmayan started selling books and purchasing small collections in the greater Los Angeles area under the name Middle Earth Comics. In May 2026, he closed the physical storefront for Torpedo Comics in Las Vegas and moved the operation online. Dolmayan is also the publisher of two comic books, Ascensia and Dead Samurai.
This is not Dolmayan’s first transaction involving Action Comics #1. In 2009, he paid $317,000 for a copy on behalf of a client. Dolmayan has stated that Action Comics #1 is “considered by most people as the most important book” that “ushered in the age of the superheroes.”
The comic book market for this title reached a new peak in January 2026, when Metropolis Collectibles sold a copy of Action #1 for $15 million, the highest price ever paid for a comic book. That copy had previously been stolen from actor Nicolas Cage and was recovered 11 years later. Dolmayan’s latest copy was sold at New York Comic Con earlier in October 2026 by Metropolis Collectibles.
