With System Of A Down having been partaking in a heavier slate of touring in recent years, there’s no doubt that the personal finances of the band have been receiving a nice boost. After all, the band’s vocalist Serj Tankian said in his 2024 ‘Down With The System‘ memoir, “System is lucky enough to make royalties from selling music, and that income is reasonably consistent. If you outspend that income, you can always refill the coffers with big checks from touring. Playing live can become a bit like visiting the world’s most generous ATM.”
That apparent increased cashflow appears to be on display in a recent purchase made by the band’s drummer John Dolmayan. An avid comic book fan, collector and retailer, Dolmayan has penned his own comics over the years.
This past May, he closed down the physical storefront for his Torpedo Comics shop in Las Vegas, NV, moving the operation online. This past February, Dolmayan purchased an 8.5 restored graded copy of Action Comics #1, aka the 1938 comic book that debuted Superman. Dolmayan stated at the time that he had dreamed about owning a copy of it.
A restored grade however indicates that a comic was altered from its original state, usually to repair weathering, damage or age. That caveat can knock down the overall value of the book. Dolmayan has since upgraded his collection, purchasing a different higher graded copy of that same issue at the New York Comic Con earlier this month.
Dolmayan paid $825,000 for a raw copy of that comic in original condition in a deal that was brokered by Metropolis Collectibles. That price was paid without the comic being graded by a third party. That copy of the book was actually one of two sold at that convention by Metropolis Collectibles, which when combined fetched over $2 million dollars. The other copy sold was a slightly restored book that was graded 9.0 and sold for $1.3 million.
This past January saw a 9.0 graded copy of that comic sell for $15 million, setting the record for the higher price ever paid for a comic book. Vincent Zurzolo, President of Metropolis and its sister company, ComicConnect, stated of Dolmayan:
“John has loved comic books for his entire life and when he’s not touring with System, he is wheeling and dealing comic books. He’s also the publisher and creator and writer of two very successful independent comic books, Ascensia and Dead Samurai.”
Dolmayan himself said of his lifelong passion for comics, “I started selling in the early ’90s because, at 18, it’s hard to go to your parents and say, ‘Can I borrow money to buy comic books?’”
