The Eternals have been on fire since last year, but it's not just the first issue that has become profitable. Both the second and third issues are getting the rub from all this attention on Marvel's immortals.
Cliche though it may be, I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: no single person can change the course of the collector’s market like Kevin Feige. Case in point: the Eternals. Last April, he confirmed that an Eternals movie was officially in development, and the market erupted soon thereafter. Here we are nine months later, and it’s only gotten hotter.
Eternals #1 is by far the most popular issue to own, but you’ll want to add Eternals #2 and #3 to your wish list as they’re proving to be geysers in their own rights. Here’s your market report on all three.
It’s no wonder that this was one of the hottest books of 2018. In this issue, Jack Kirby not only debuted the Eternals, but he also introduced the Deviants, the rumored antagonists for the upcoming film, as well as the Celestials, who have already been introduced into the MCU.
If you had the foresight to have bought any grade of Eternals #1 in 2017, that investment is paying large dividends. For the past 12 months, every grade that has been sold has risen in fair market value with no signs of slowing down. We still have two weeks left in January, and it has only sold below $900 once, and the last sale on January 9 was for $1,050. Two years ago, that 9.8 averaged $271.
When I’m gauging a comic’s popularity, I look at the lower grades, and these numbers did not disappoint. The lowest grade sold this year has been the 5.5, and one recently sold for $270 when it had a 2017 FMV of only $35.
The 9.8 Eternals #2 has almost matched Eternals #1 in terms of price after selling for $1,000 last month. That could prove to be an outlier considering that no other 2018 sale was over $810 and the 90-day average has been $699.
Like its predecessor, nearly all grades of Eternals #2 have been gaining value since 2018 with the exception of the 7.5, which is averaging just $36. Still, the second appearance of the title characters is much more affordable as you can stay under $200 with even a 9.4.
As with issues #1 and #2, if you have Eternals #3 in a high grade, you have money in your hands. A 9.8 sold this month for $700 when it didn’t surpass $280 before last August. If you’re willing to sacrifice the grade to a 9.6, the price takes a large step down to a $277 FMV, though I expect that to pass the $300 mark very soon.
Only higher grades have been sold in the past year, with the lowest being a 7.5, and even that one last sold for $79 in December.
FINAL THOUGHTS
This is going to be a hot comic for months as we get more information about the Eternals movie. Sellers, however, will be wise to show patience for now and wait until the first trailer launches. That’s when things will really get crazy.
