The early days of June saw the premieres of five TV episodes for comic-related properties and two trailers over the course of six days.  Let’s take a look at how the market reacted.

Obi-Wan Kenobi - Meh

Friday, June 3 saw the first airing of the third episode of the Obi-Wan Kenobi series on Disney+.  As of this writing, it has been two weeks since the May 27 premiere of the first two episodes of the series.  In that time, 31 graded copies of Star Wars #2, the first appearance of Obi-Wan, have sold, for an average of 2.4 copies per day.

Not bad, until you consider that it’s only a slight uptick from the 2.0 per day average the month prior to May 27.  The peak sale during the two weeks since the series premiered was a 9.6 graded copy that sold on June 5 for $711, down 64% from its peak sale in that grade on November 21, 2021.

The Boys – The Big Winner, Sort Of

Friday, June 3 also saw the premiere of the first three episodes of season 3 of The Boys on Amazon.  This was the one bright spot for the week.  12 graded copies of The Boys #1 sold in the six days after the first airings, for an average of two copies per day, besting the average of 0.7 copies per day the month prior.

There was a huge sale, too.  A 9.8 graded copy sold on June 3 for $1,400, 36% higher than the October 24, 2021 sale of a 9.8 graded signed copy for $900.  Of course, this looks a bit like a lunatic sale, or a sad attempt at market manipulation, as the average price of the four other 9.8 graded copies that have sold since June 3 is $393.50, 5% above the $375 FMV.

But we take our bright spots where we can find them.

Sandman – OK on Volume

Monday, June 6 brought us a brand-new trailer and a premiere date – August 5 – for the Netflix series, The Sandman.  11 graded copies of The Sandman #1 have sold since June 6, for an average of 3.7 graded copies sold per day.  For the month prior, the average was slightly above one copy per day.  So, we have a nice uptick in volume.

Price is another story.  The top copy sold in the few days after the trailer’s premiere was a 9.8 graded copy which sold on June 6 for a slashed $1,500.  The peak 9.8 sale – a slashed $1,899 on June 9, 2021, down 21%.

Black Adam – A Big Bust

We finally got a trailer for Warner Bros. Discovery’s Black Adam on Wednesday, June 8.  The character first appeared in comics in Marvel Family #1.  Of course, that’s a Golden Age book with only 144 graded copies in the CGC census, the type of book less apt to respond to film or TV appearances.  And it didn’t; the last recorded sale of a graded copy was on March 24.

So, we turn to Black Adam’s second appearance, the Bronze Age Shazam #28.  Surely, a more accessible comic like this would respond.  Alas, no.  Since the trailer’s premiere, only two graded copies have sold, the higher of the two being a 9.0 copy that sold for a slashed $600, 42% below the FMV for that grade.

Ms. Marvel – Circling the Drain

Wednesday, June 8 was also the premiere date for the first episode of Ms. Marvel on Disney+.  Ms. Marvel first appeared in All-New Marvel Now Point One #1, a book that has been plummeting in value this year.  Four graded copies have sold since the series premiere.  The high was a 9.8 graded copy that sold on June 8 for $959.  That’s down a staggering 52% from its peak sale in that grade for a slashed $2,199 on June 11, 2021.

Analysis

It’s hard to believe that we’re only three months removed from the heady days of the Moon Knight series premiere, when we saw huge increases in volume and record sales for key Moon Knight issues.  We’re only a month removed from the cinematic premiere of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and the premiere of the trailer for She-Hulk Attorney at Law.

While prices may not have been up in those glorious days of May, we at least saw big upticks in volume.  This past week has served as a microcosm of the market as a whole.  Our expectations over the past few years, that key issues related to movies and TV series were an opportunity to cash in, have caused the collecting community to bet big in the hopes of a bigger payday.  It looks like that is no longer the case.

We’ve entered bear market territory for comic books.  Some will flee the hobby, hoping to recoup some of their investment.  As someone who has been through multiple upturns and downturns in the comic book market, I say to you newer collectors:  stay the course.  Like all markets, the comic book collecting market has its ebbs and flows.  Now is the time to start looking for deals.  Not deals that will gain you 10 to 20% in six months or less.  Now is the time to look for deals that could net you much, much more over a longer time period.  We’re in a buyer’s market now.

Want more Market Reactions?

What are your thoughts on the state of the comic book market?  Let us know below.

*Any perceived investment advice is that of the freelance blogger and does not reflect advice on behalf of GoCollect.