The highest-grossing superhero movies of all time 0:54
(CNN) --
A pivotal moment in Spider-Man history, sketched out on a single page of a Marvel comic book, has become the most expensive comic book page ever sold at auction.
The site, which shows the first time Spider-Man dons the infamous all-black suit, fetched $3.36 million at auction earlier this week, making it the "world's most valuable page for original comic book illustrations." according to Heritage Auctions.
Another page of the same comic sold for $288,000.
Together, the two pages of Spider-Man history sold for $3,648,000, Heritage Auctions said.
"Today's results prove what we've been saying for a long time: comic book art is as loved and valuable as anything put on a canvas," said Joe Mannarino, who heads Heritage's comics and comic art department. Auctions in New York, in a statement.
The auction house didn't reveal the winning bidder, but whoever it was clearly knows Spider-Man's history well.
The pages come from Marvel's "Secret Wars" crossover series, in which beloved heroes squared off against classic villains on a planet called Battleworld.
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In the eighth installment of the limited series, released in 1984,
Spidey
encounters an alien symbiote (sound familiar?) who wraps himself in his traditional red and blue costume, which he damaged in battle.
"That goo just, just spread out and became a costume, and dissolved the shreds of my old man in the process!" Spidey exclaims on page 25.
But once our web-slinger puts on his new costume, the symbiote drastically alters his personality;
according to Marvel, he is no longer a good joker guy but a "revenge-driven vigilante".
Spider-Man finally separates from the symbiote after the conclusion of "Secret Wars" (a long story, but Mister Fantastic himself has to do some science to get him off Spidey once and for all) and that alien goo finds his way to a more suitable host: Eddie Brock, who becomes Venom.
The movie version of Spidey also found his way into the black suit, though the merger garnered decidedly mixed reviews.
In "Spider-Man 3," Tobey Maguire's Peter Parker donned the symbiote suit and got mad at his beloved Mary Jane, damaging their relationship.
He also inflated his ego to the point of dancing in the streets of Manhattan, an awkward but timeless piece of movie history.
spider-man