Reward Offered for Detective Comics #27 Stolen from Nicolas Cage

And now… Part 2 of the Great Nicolas Cage Comic Book Caper A very rare book is still missing, and a substantial reward is being offered for its return

NEW YORK, NY, UNITED STATES, February 5, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- In the first chapter of this exciting tale, a rare, highly-graded copy of Action Comics #1, featuring the first appearance of Superman, is stolen from actor Nicolas Cage’s home on December 31, 1999, and recovered 11 years later. Cage then sells it to an anonymous buyer.

Last month, Metropolis Collectibles/Comic Connect of New York announces that it has sold that 1938 comic book for an amazing $15 million – the highest price ever for a printed collectible.

But wait. There’s more.

Another book went missing during that fateful New Year’s Eve party 26 years ago at Cage’s house, and it’s still out there somewhere. At least Stephen Fishler, CEO of Metropolis Collectibles/Comic Connect, hopes it is.

It’s Detective Comics #27, the 1939 comic book that introduced Batman to the world, or The Bat-Man as he was known then, in a story called “The Case of the Chemical Syndicate.” Debuting just 11 months after Action #1, the Caped Crusader was DC’s answer to Superman. Perhaps 100 to 125 original copies are thought to exist, Fishler says, calling it “the second most valuable comic book in the world,” valued at around $5 million.

Cage’s copy, he says, came from a Sotheby’s auction in 1992, and Fishler sold it to the actor in 1995 for $100,000. Cage had it displayed on a wall until someone opened the custom acrylic case during the party and made off with it.

“Over the years, I haven’t talked about it in hopes it would turn up,” Fishler says. “Now I think the only path for us to recover it is a no-questions-asked reward.” He’s offering $100,000 to the person who can produce Cage’s book. “It’s a bit of a Hail Mary,” he admits.

Anyone with information about this missing treasure can call 646-345-3908 or email stephenf@metropoliscomics.com.

In case you’re thinking Fishler could be tricked into handing over the reward for a different copy of Detective Comics #27, think again. There are features on the cover, drawn by legendary artist Bob Kane, that will tell him whether it’s the real deal.

Cage is supportive of his mission, Fishler says. “I know Nic would want it back. If we recover it, it’s his call what he wants to do with it. But it would close the chapter. The theft was very disturbing. He was very upset,” he says.

Heists in which valuable artworks disappear are nothing new. In one of the most infamous capers, two men disguised as police officers stole 13 artworks by Vermeer, Rembrandt and other masters, valued at $500 million, from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston in 1990. The pieces remain missing and the case unsolved, despite the museum offering a $10 million reward.

Fishler doesn’t believe the thief still has the comic book. “Maybe somebody bought it and didn’t realize it was stolen,” he says. “Perhaps now they realize it was stolen so they can’t offer it for public sale. I hope it hasn’t been destroyed.”

He considers Detective Comics #27 one of the cornerstones of the collectible comic book world.

“To have a comic book of this caliber and in this type of grade go missing is the stuff of urban legend,” he says. “Isabella Gardener’s Vermeer may be lost forever, and the thought of Cage’s Detective 27 meeting the same fate is the type of thing that keeps me up at night.

“A $100,000 payday awaits the lucky holder of this book.”

Joanne Levine
Lekas & Levine PR
joannepr@aol.com

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