Rare, stolen comic book returns

LOS ANGELES – Maybe the Man of Steel should step in and help police unravel the mystery of the Man of Steal.

An original copy of the first Superman comic book that was stolen a decade ago from actor Nicolas Cage has been recovered, and Los Angeles authorities are searching for the thief who stole Action Comics No. 1 – a 1938 comic book now worth as much as $1.5 million.

The highly sought-after first edition was taken from Cage’s West Los Angeles home in 2000 and discovered last month in a San Fernando Valley storage locker.

The vintage comic is now in an LAPD evidence safe as the department’s art detail detectives try to bring the thieves to justice.

“We have it protected in a safe, and it isn’t going anywhere until we finish our investigation,” Detective Donald Hrycyk said Monday.

The Superman comic book, which cost 10 cents new, was part of a collection of vintage comics stolen from Cage.

The first edition depicts Superman hoisting a green sedan in the air as he breaks up the kidnapping of his Daily Planet newspaper co-worker Lois Lane.

Hrycyk did not identify the man who claims to have discovered the rare comic book after buying the contents of an abandoned storage container at auction. The veteran art detail detective said he’s still checking out the story of the man, who has been unable to identify the exact place from where the comic came.