With so many new additions to the Hottest Comics top 100, room had to be made somewhere. This week, Codex, Cable, and even the mighty Wolverine felt the sting.
Here are five issues that took significant damage in the sales department over the past week. These figures are based on eBay’s last seven days’ sales data and are current as of the time of this writing.
223. VENOM #25 2ND PRINT STEGMAN WRAPAROUND COVER (-199)
The big loser this week was Codex.
One of the many new villains inserted into the Venom-verse, there is plenty of speculation surrounding him. Will he be the next Knull? Who knows, but collectors are scrambling for those early keys on the off chance that he reaches the next level of popularity.
At the top of the list was the second print of Venom #25, specifically the Ryan Stegman wraparound cover. What made this special is that it is the first cover appearance of Codex. With many new issues, prices will inflate very quickly then fall when the character takes a hiatus. At the moment, not much is being done with Codex, though I will wager that he will be a player in “The King in Black” crossover. In that event, this issue will rebound in a hurry.
170. NEW MUTANTS #87 (-150)
Week after week, those old Rob Liefeld creations ride the roller coaster of popularity. Last week, Cable’s first appearance was nestled in the top 20, and this week, it has dropped by 150 positions. Considering this comic’s trend, I would not be surprised to see it bounce back this time next week.
What could help Cable and Deadpool’s first appearances is the talk surrounding Deadpool 3. Apparently, Kevin Feige has given the third installment the green light, and that will undoubtedly impact the values of New Mutants #98.
Will Cable come along for the ride? He was a hit with fans after Deadpool 2, and the ending of that movie has X-Force set and ready to go. Any speculation of Cable or X-Force joining DP 3 will push New Mutants #87 back to the forefront.
155. TRANSFORMERS #1 (-116)
This is another issue that has the yo-yo effect in the Hottest Comics rankings. A week ago, Transformers #1 was a top 100 comic and made big gains over the course of a week. Here we are just seven days later, and it has lost over 100 spots.
By no means is this evidence that Transformers is losing its audience. This could be a sign that it has reached a lull until the next installment of the Netflix animated series is released. With the franchise’s enduring popularity, there will always be a market for their first comic appearances, and this issue will rebound very soon.
143. MARVEL PREMIERE #15 (-89)
It is hard not to pick on Iron Fist.
In an era of comic collecting when Marvel Studios appears to be unable to make a mistake, there came Netflix’s Iron Fist series. Although it did make it to two seasons, and Iron Fist was a major player in the Defenders show, Danny Rand’s first foray into live-action left a bad taste in fans’ mouths.
Years after the series saw its final episode, Iron Fist’s keys have yet to recover. Marvel Premier #15 is no exception. Just when it looked like things could be turning around, Iron Fist’s first appearance plummeted by close to 100 spots.
73. INCREDIBLE HULK #180 (-60)
When it comes to cold comics, many of the issues that take a hit in sales volume can blame that on high prices.
Enter: Incredible Hulk #180.
While technically the first appearance of Wolverine, albeit for a single panel, this issue has been gaining respect in recent years. Although it will never compete with those Hulk #181 prices, Hulk #180 has been getting more expensive month after month. When that happens, it will inevitably become too pricey for many collectors and fall to the wayside in favor of cheaper Wolverine keys.
