DALLAS — Frank Frazetta’s 1976 painting “Dark Kingdom” sold Thursday at Heritage Auctions for $6 million, breaking the record for original comic book or fantasy art set in 2019 by Frank Frazetta. Among the late artist’s most potent and popular works, “Dark Kingdom” was first used as the cover of Karl Edward Wagner’s 1976 novel Dark Crusade, one in a series of tales about the immortal pre-medieval warrior Kane. But it’s far better known for its second appearance: as the album cover for Molly Hatchet’s 1979 Flirtin’ With Disaster. “Dark Kingdom” depicts a brawny warrior wearing a winged helmet and wielding a blood-dripping ax as he steps over the skeletons of the fallen. It ranks among Frazetta’s most reproduced works, from prints to posters to tee shirts to coffee mugs. But there is just one original, offered for the first time in Heritage’s June 22-25 Comics & Comic Art Signature auction, which kicked off with a first session that realized $11,079,240. “It’s extraordinarily rare whenever an artwork universally considered the best in any genre becomes available on the open market,” says Heritage’s executive vice president Todd Hignite. Prices quoted with buyer’s premium as reported by the auction house. For information, 214-528-3500 or www.ha.com.