Rare Batman Comic Valued at AED 60,000 Goes on Display in Sharjah

A 4.4kg edition of ‘Batman: The Killing Joke’ designed to resemble a camera is on display at the Sharjah Animation and Comics Conference, with a price tag of AED 60,000.

The handcrafted Avant-Garde Edition is being exhibited at the Argent Comics booth at Aljada, where the conference runs until Sunday. Only 47 copies are being produced worldwide, with the number chosen to reference silver’s atomic number in a nod to the Argent name.

Inspired by the camera featured on the cover of the 1988 graphic novel, the edition uses aluminium boards lined with goatskin and includes a detachable lens and viewfinder. It is housed in a calf leather carrying case lined with suede.

Argent Comics says the edition is the world’s first giclée-printed comic. Its pages are printed on specially made Hahnemühle metallic paper using a process that requires each side to be printed separately before the pages are fused and assembled by hand.

The book includes both John Higgins’ original colouring and Brian Bolland’s 2008 recolouring of the story, which was written by Alan Moore and illustrated by Bolland. It also comes with a transparent film negative, Bolland’s signature, a new introduction by the artist and additional material.

Visitors can also see a black-and-white Noir edition inspired by the Joker’s prison cell, featuring aluminium doors, a two-colour goatskin binding and letterpress-printed cotton paper.

Organised by the Sharjah Book Authority, the fourth Sharjah Animation and Comics Conference features more than 150 activities and over 75 speakers from more than 30 countries, including workshops, panels, screenings, live performances and exhibitions focused on animation and comics.