Incredible HulkWhile most of the Hulk-related attention has been on rumors of Hulk’s movie rights returning to Marvel and speculation surrounding She-Hulk, here are a few higher-numbered issues of Incredible Hulk on the rise that may have been flying under the radar.

 

 

The Incredible Hulk #212THE INCREDIBLE HULK #212 (1977)

In this issue, the Corporation sends an assassin named the Constrictor (in his 1st appearance) after Jim Wilson. Equipped with whips made of adamantium, the Constrictor (aka Frank Payne) was originally a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent who went deep undercover with the Corporation but unfortunately ended up defecting to the villainous organization.

In the chart below, you can see the sales for CGC 9.8 and 9.6 copies of The Incredible Hulk #212; this represents the top 19.8% and 51.6% of the census. Over the last seven years, both grades have been trending upwards; although 9.8 is at a much faster rate, 9.6 is steadily climbing. The sales volume is very low, but there is at the moment only 91 total universal slabs. Definitely keep this book in mind on any raw comic book hunts.

 

 

The Incredible Hulk #228THE INCREDIBLE HULK #228 (1978)

This book marks the first appearance of psychiatrist Karla Sofen as the new Moonstone. The original Moonstone was the Secret Empire agent Lloyd Bloch, whom Dr. Sofen had tricked into giving up the moonstone. While this book is the 1st Dr. Sofen as Moonstone, her first appearance was actually a few years earlier in Captain America #192 (1975)

Back to the market for The Incredible Hulk #228; the sales data for the book graded CGC 9.8 and 9.6 are shown below (the top 20.8% and 49.2% of the census). Both grades are included due to the low volume of sales. Despite this aspect, the few sales that occur do keep seeing higher highs and higher lows. Compared with the above The Incredible Hulk #212, the CGC 9.8 of The Incredible Hulk #228 slightly underperforms, but its CGC 9.6 slabs are outperforming.

Overall, the book appears to be a good addition for a longer-term investment. Furthermore, the ever-present rumors of the Thunderbolts and the Dark Avengers coming to the MCU should help.

 

 

The Incredible Hulk #234THE INCREDIBLE HULK #234 (1979)

The most significant aspect of The Incredible Hulk #234 is that it contains Wendell Vaughn’s name change from Marvel Man to Quasar, which also marks the 1st appearance of the Quasar alias. The name change was prompted by ridicule he received from a crowd of civilians, who laughed at his name Marvel Man. Quick note, Wendell Vaughn’s overall 1st appearance was in Captain America #217 (1978) as Marvel Boy.

Compared to the two books above, the market for Incredible Hulk #234 has both a substantially higher sales volume and higher market value at similar grades. It wasn’t always so. Sales prices had actually trended flat from 2014 to early 2018, where it finally made a big move upwards. See below for sales data for the book, graded in CGC 9.8. At the early 2018 inflection point, sales prices for CGC 9.8 of the book were lower than the CGC 9.8s of both The Incredible Hulk #212 and #228. In the two years since then, The Incredible Hulk #234 has far outperformed them both; with no signs of slowing down. Perhaps he will win the Guardians of the Galaxy 3 sweepstakes? Of particular note, there was a very high outlier sale of $675 for a CGC 9.8 slab in mid-2019.

 

 

“Heather, if I DO leave you, it'll be over something important. Like your annoying tendency to steal the blankets at night.” - Quasar

 

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