An early Tarzan comic strip by famed illustrator Burne Hogarth has sold as top lot at a cartoon art auction in the US.
Created in 1937, the Sunday comic strip full page sold for $9,000 at the August 23 Florida auction.
 Hogarth drew the Tarzan strip from 1937 to 1950 |
Its value was boosted both by its rarity and as an example of one of Hogarth's first Tarzan efforts. He would go on to produce the strips until 1950.
Tarzan made his first appearance in 1912, in Edgar Burroughs' novel Tarzan of the Apes. Tarzan first appeared in newspaper comic strips in 1929, with Hogarth among several luminaries to produce the strip over the years.
Taken from the Sinister Allies episode, its value was enhanced by an inscription of the New York address of Hogarth, as well as that of the United Feature Syndicated Daily News building.
A 1935 Tarzan strip by Rex Maxon also sold for $300, clear evidence of the auction appeal of the Hogarth name.
An original Mickey Mouse strip also performed well at the Charles L Howard Collection of Early Comic Art and Original Political Illustration.
The 1934 four panel, signed by Walt Disney and dedicated to cartoonist Geo T Maxwell, sold for $8,500, just below its $9,000 high estimate.
Mickey had made his debut in 1928, in the Steamboat Willie animation, before branching out into comic strips in 1930.
We have a fine selection of Walt Disney memorabilia available to buy today.
The sale also featured a real surprise in the form of a 1927 Pat Sullivan comic strip of Felix the Cat, which sold for $8,000, beating its $1,000 high estimate by 700%.
