DC Comics launches first comics in NFT format

DC Comics, the US-based publisher specializing in comic books, has announced a new line of digital comics that will be sold as NFT (Non-Fungible Token).

The name of the DC Comics digital collection in NFT format is DC Collectible Comics (DC3), officially launched today. The blockchain includes the historic first issue of Superman. 

What does the new DC Comics NFT collection look like

DC Comics announced that the actual number of these first NFTs sold will be limited to 3,000 individual copies. In addition, the comics line will consist of two different categories “Legacy” and “Modern.” 

The former includes digital certificates related to classic comics that may also be now unavailable and out of print; the latter, however, includes more recent titles. 

The different issues will feature variant covers made over the years that, in terms of print type, hues and color gradations, have been beloved by collectors of physical comics.

At the time of purchase, each DC3 certificate will be randomly assigned one of five rarity levels. These are “Common,” “Uncommon,” “Rare,” “Epic,” or “Legendary.” These will be classifications that will affect the appearance of titles in the “Legacy” category. 

Copies classified as “Common” will appear more faded and aged, as is the case with albums read and reread or passed from hand to hand. “Legendary” copies, on the other hand, will look like untouched comics purchased and jealously preserved. 

Prices, quantity and rarity level of each weekly sale may vary, with collectors finding NFTs purchased at nft.dcuniverse.com.

The focus of DC Comics’ NFTs

Anne DePies, senior vice president and general manager of DC Comics, states:

“We want to bring the physical and real-world experience of comic book collecting, which so many of our readers have loved over the years, and expand into a new digital community. We want to build that common and shared aspect, of which everyone was so proud to be a part, in our digital ecosystem to make the comic collection more available and accessible than ever.”

He also wanted to emphasize that the purpose of the DC Collectible Comics NFT titles is to expand and make comic book collecting accessible to more people. 

Finally, to take advantage of Black Adam’s renewed popularity resulting from the arrival of the movie starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, another of the DC NFT comics will be Black Adam #1 by Priest and Rafa Sandoval. 

NFTs: the expanding universe not only in the comic book world 

NFTs, Non-Fungible Tokens, are an ever-expanding world that lands today in the world of comics, but has already seen its creations in the world of fashion, art, video games, and more. 

NFTs are a kind of cryptocurrency that represents something unique, collectible, and that cannot be replicated. Hence, the NFT is a prestigious item because of its uniqueness and authenticity. 

Mainly, NFTs are digital artworks, songs, gifs or videos. In some cases, even collectibles from video games can be represented through an NFT and even some financial products related to staking. 

NFTs are created, sold, bought and traded via blockchain platforms. 

The originality and novelty of the NFT phenomenon lies in their very nature: the fact that they are irreplicable and cannot be subject to counterfeiting.  

Some of the most expensive NFTs ever sold 

As already anticipated, NFTs, prior to their launch into the comics world, already had their own prior history behind them. This history also includes sales of extraordinary value and priceless works. Let’s look at some of them. 

The absolute most famous and expensive sale in the NFT universe is that of the artist Beeple, whose real name is Mike Winkelmann. The NFT work, which sold for $69.3 million in February 2021, is named Everydays: The First 5000 Days. 

Beeple began creating his work in 2007, uploading a new image to his Instagram feed each day and continuing to do so for thirteen long years. Next came Everydays, a digital artwork, a collage of 5,000 artworks produced by the American designer. 

Immediately following, we find Julian Assange and Pak, with the work Clock sold for $52.7 million. The NFT in question depicts a timer that counts the number of days Assange has spent in prison. 

The work was curated as part of Pak and Assange’s Censored collection, which also featured a dynamic open edition. The curious fact is that Pak, the artist, has maintained anonymity throughout his career while becoming one of the highest-grossing living artists.

The NFT piece was purchased by AssangeDAO, an organization whose main mission is to fight for the freedom of the WikiLeaks founder.

Another famous NFT work is that of CryptoPunk #5822, which sold for $23.7 million on 12 February 2022. Punk #5822 in the CryptoPunk collection is the most expensive ever sold. 

The punk features an alien style with a blue bandana. The buyer is the CEO of Chain, Deepak Thapliyal. At the time of sale Punk #5822 came close to being the best-selling NFT, but missed the target by a few million.