A year after making predictions for 2019, it is time to check on the picks and see how they fared for the past 12 months.

Before I make my 2020 choices, it's time to analyze last year's selections from "Four Comics to Watch in 2019" and "Best Bets of 2019: Incredible Hulk #377." Did they hold up throughout the year? Here's the breakdown.

Incredible Hulk #377INCREDIBLE HULK #377

"Professor Hulk" made his live-action debut in Endgame, and values peaked with the movie, which is typical. At the end of last year, a 9.8 for the standard edition typically sold in the $100-$150 range. If you bought one for those prices, the gamble paid off in April and May when the hype for the movie was at its highest. During those months, that 9.8 sold for between $175-$275. Since then, after the movie hype died down, prices have gone back to those late-2018 values, which is still up from 2017's $70 average.

I see this issue holding around $150 in 2020. There's not much reason for interest to suddenly spike, but I can't see the values going back to their 2017 levels, either.

 

Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars #7MARVEL SUPER HEROES SECRET WARS #7

In the past 90 days, values have dropped for Secret Wars #7, but I stand beside this pick.

After the success of Into the Spider-Verse, Sony announced a female-led sequel on the horizon, and the rumors swirled that Julia Carpenter would be part of it. That pushed values for a 9.8 over $200 at the end of 2018. Since then, the talk of Julia being in a Spider-Verse sequel has quieted, and that has affected values. For the most part in 2019, sales stayed in the $100-$150 range, though there were the occasional $300 sales. In fact, one reached a new record high of $310 in March.

Although values may not be what they were this time last year, Secret Wars #7 still has potential. As I wrote in "Check Your Long Boxes for ASM #210," Sony reportedly has a Madame Web film in development. In the comics, Carpenter took up the mantle of Madame Web, and I suspect that it is a possibility we'll see that play out if the movie does come to fruition. That will inject new life into Secret Wars #7 in 2020.

Young Avengers #1YOUNG AVENGERS #1

While Secret Wars #7 may not have panned out as I predicted, Young Avengers #1 made up for it thanks to Disney+. This past summer, the Hawkeye series was announced, and it will feature Kate Bishop. She made her debut in the first issue of Young Avengers, and that has given this issue a huge boost. Take the standard edition 9.6. In 2018, it carried a $68 FMV, but for the past 90 days, it has averaged $122. Even better is the Wizard World Los Angeles edition. Graded at a 9.8, it averaged $173 last year, but its 90-day average currently stands at $351.

The prognosis for this issue is good heading into 2020. Supposedly, Kevin Feige has been interested in a Young Avengers movie for years, and Kate Bishop could be the first domino in bringing that idea to life. If more rumors surface of a Young Avengers film coming to the MCU, this issue will get even hotter.

Jupiter's Legacy #1JUPITER'S LEGACY #1

The 12-month averages for Jupiter Legacy #1 are still up from last year, so investing last year was a wise move. In the past 90 days, values have been falling, but don't worry. Once Jupiter's Legacy debuts on Netflix, interest will pique, and the FMVs will get a boost from the publicity. At the moment, you can still get a standard Jupiter's Legacy #1 for about $50, which could be a steal if the series is a hit.

 

 

 

Empress #1EMPRESS #1

Like Jupiter's Legacy, we're still waiting for the Netflix premiere for Empress. Few graded copies have traded hands over the course of 2018, but they have brought eye-opening prices. Since January, there have only been three sales of graded 9.8s. One of those went for as much as $90 in February, while the last sale was for $85 in June. Again, this issue will pick up when the movie debuts on the streaming platform, so don't fret.

 

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