Silver age Amazing Spider-Man comics are among the most solid investments...usually. Lately, ASM #18 has been taking a backwards slide. Is it cause for concern?

When it comes to investing in comics, you can't go wrong with silver age Amazing Spider-Man. Particularly those from the Stan Lee/Steve Ditko era, they seemingly gain value year after year. Why wouldn't they? Spider-Man is arguably Marvel's most popular character ever. Whether it's movies, cartoons, new comic titles, or action figures, the Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man is always in the pop culture spotlight. No matter what depiction that happens to be - looking at you, Amazing-Spider-Man 2 - fans can never get enough of Spidey.

That popularity translates to the classic Spidey keys. Any of the silver age issues of ASM rarely see a drop in value, especially those high-ranking keys. So what's happening with Amazing Spider-Man #18?

If you weren't aware, this is the first appearance of Ned Leeds. In the comics, he would later become the Hobgoblin. There's no telling what the MCU has planned for Ned. In Spider-Man: Homecoming, he was re-imagined as Peter Parker's tech-savvy, socially-awkward teenage sidekick. It's hard to imagine Marvel evolving this version of Ned Leeds into an onscreen villain, but who knows what Kevin Feige has in the works?

Setting the conjecture aside, what we do know is that Ned's first appearance has been losing money recently. It's hard to say exactly why, but my guess is that it's related to this completely different version of Ned as compared to his character in the comics. While none of us can 100% say whether or not Ned Leeds will ascend into the role of Hobgoblin, it looks unlikely at this point. Is this what's causing the drop in ASM #18 values? It could very well be. Let's break down the numbers.

Not every grade of ASM #18 has experienced a falling fair market value. Still, of the 14 grades that have sold in the past 90 days, half of those have dropped in FMV compared to the 12-month average.

The 9.0 saw the most significant falloff. In 2016, it sold on average for $867. The following year, it fell to $788 and has only been up a single dollar for the 12-month average. But in the past 90 days, it's down to $681.

The 7.0 has been a popular seller in these last 12 months, selling 11 times for an FMV of $321. However, it's only averaged $282 in the last three months, which is closer to its 2016 average of $250.

The real opportunity here is in the lower grades. Last year, it seemed you'd have to break into the triple digits to get anything in the 4.0 range. If the 90-day trend continues, you'll be in luck; both the 4.0 and the 3.5 have sold for right at $100, and you'll want to keep a close eye out to see if it gets back below that mark.

This may be the perfect time to invest in this lower key. If Marvel does transition Ned Leeds into the Hobgoblin (and wouldn't he look good on the big screen?), then this issue will climb very high in a short matter of time. That will leave you with an easy chance to make a decent profit.