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Micro-Face Auction: The Most Collectible Comic Book Of All Time?

Kenny Malone
/
NPR

The journey of Micro-Face isn't over just yet. Micro-Face has his own cheese, his own musical, and now his own auction! The superhero's next stop: eBay.

We've set out to transform our Micro-Face comic book into the most collectible item ever created. Will we succeed? Let the market decide!

For one week only, you will have a chance to bid on a one-of-one, official collectible comic book featured in the Planet Money Buys A Superhero series episode, "PM Live: The Most Collectible Comic Book Ever?" As documented in that episode, this collectible edition of our Micro-Face comic book incorporates as many "collectible lessons" as we could apply to one book.

The auction can be found here. It will start on May 27 at 6 p.m. EST, and end on June 3 at 6 p.m. EST. All proceeds of this auction will go to support NPR. Don't miss out!

Now to the fun stuff. Micro-Face: Origins Edition features...

  • An embossed variant cover by interior artist Jamal Igle.
  • A one-of-a-kind audio message – from Micro-Face himself! – that plays when the comic book is opened to the center page.
  • The official foil seal of Planet Money's real shell corporation: Delawho?, LLC (as featured in the comic book as well as episode 390 of Planet Money, "We Set Up An Offshore Company In A Tax Haven").
  • A signed, numbered and authenticated piece of the material used by Planet Money to create Micro-Mask sound effects in the radio drama PREMIERE of Micro-Face in episode three of our superhero series.
  • A "certified burned, pod-used material" seal that requires some explaining: To ensure real scarcity, we burned the excess podcast-used Micro-Mask material from above. Then, inspired by the band KISS's 1977 comic book, we mixed those ashes with red paint and hand-painted a red ash-flame onto the yellow and gold-foiled seal seen on the back of the comic book.
  • A signed, original page of the pencil sketches created by interior artist Jamal Igle while mocking up this comic book. These particular sketches are the book's very first glimpse of Planet Money's new Micro-Face in action.
  • A real page from the 1943 Clue Comics debut of Micro-Face. This page is the very first glimpse of Micro-Face. Ever. Additional pages from this same comic book are owned by Planet Money host Kenny Malone and Peggy Loucks – daughter of Micro-Face creator Allen Ulmer.
  • The AirPods through which Planet Money first told writer Alex Segura the name "Micro-Face"... and through which Alex told Planet Money "that is an unfortunate name." (As heard in episode three of our superhero series.) AirPods case is autographed by Alex Segura. Please note the AirPods are now broken.
  • A collectors edition sketch of the infamous radio interview scene from Planet Money's comic book. Discussed in the episode titled, "Finally, Our Comic Book," this panel is part of a probably-too-long-but-VERY-accurate radio interview scene that contributed to our comic book's many delays. Based off of Jamal Igle's original pencils, this sketch was made by host Kenny Malone. He trained a Cricut robot to hold a silver Sharpie and draw things.
  • And, of course, the briefcase is included. Featuring a hand-made, in-laid label that reads: Micro-Face: Origins Editions.
  • To bid on the Micro-Face eBay auction click here.

    Disclaimer: Although the proceeds of this auction will go to support NPR, neither the purchase price nor any bid qualifies as a gift or charitable donation to NPR.

    Miss any of the Micro-Face madness? Listen to the whole series here.

    A limited supply of our embossed variant cover is also available here.

    Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.