From Wonder Woman to Wolverine, if comic books are your thang, check out the comic book auction happening now through Sunday, Feb. 20! Bidding is now open online for this awesome auction from Black & Gold Auctions LLC.

According to Publisher’s Weekly, sales of comic books and graphic novels topped $1.28 billion in 2020, an all-time high. Other than a few dips, comic book sales have climbed steadily for decades. 

So what’s the appeal? Comic books reflect our society’s changing culture, norms and lifestyle.

For instance, during the Depression, Mickey Mouse Magazine introduced the sweet, somewhat silly character of the same name, who was portrayed conquering a giant. Cut to 30 years later. Amid the turbulence of the ’60s, a new rodent became the rage — the rotten anti-hero Mickey Rat.  

The Library of Congress has 140,000 issues of some 12,000 comic books — the largest collection in the United States. And comics have increasingly become the subject of many studies.