Mystery Solved! Nicolas Cage's Rare Superman Comic Found 10 Years After Being Reported Stolen

Actor calls it "divine providence" that his mint-edition copy turned up after 10 years

Nicolas Cage was recently on the receiving end of some very good news.

A mint-condition copy of Action Comics No. 1—i.e., the first-ever Superman—that Cage reported stolen 10 years ago was discovered last month in a San Fernando Valley storage locker, and the Oscar winner can't wait to get it back.

"It is divine providence that the comic was found and I am hopeful that the heirloom will be returned to my family," Cage said in an awesome statement Monday.

So, how did the Superman nut enthusiast (Cage's 5-year-old son is named Kal-el) get so lucky?

According to the Ventura County Star, a man purchased the contents of a storage locker at auction last month and discovered the comic book. He consulted American Auctioneers co-owner Dan Dotson, who in turn got in touch with Simi Valley, Calif.-based collectibles expert Mark Balelo.

Balelo emailed photos of the comic to New York comic book dealer Stephen Fishler, who identified it as the one he sold to Cage 11 years ago.

The long-lost issue is currently in LAPD custody while police investigate the original theft and its random recovery.

Cage auctioned off a collection of 400 vintage comic books in 2002 for upward of $1.6 million. Meanwhile, a different copy of the debut Superman, which was issued in 1938 with a 10-cent price tag, was sold in March 2010 for a reported $1.5 million.

Nothing like another valuable asset to get a guy back in the black.