Coldest Comics 3/12Where there are winners, there must also be losers, and these five had the distinction of being the big losers in the world of comic sales this week. Welcome to the Coldest Comics.

Is this an indication that you should abandon ship on these five comics? Certainly not, but some readers misinterpret the Coldest Comics as suggesting just that. This is merely a snapshot that gives us an idea of what collectors were targeting for a week. The bigger picture is whether or not the issue routinely plants itself on the list. 

On that note, let’s examine the evidence.

Coldest Comics: Fantastic Four Antithesis971. FANTASTIC FOUR: ANTITHESIS #2 ALEX ROSS VARIANT (-829)

The first of two Alex Ross variants on today’s list, collectors turned a blind eye toward his depiction of Silver Surfer for the FF’s Antithesis storyline. As you will see below, there was a definite trend among the Ross covers this week, which is very surprising considering his immense popularity. I doubt this will become an ongoing trend, but for now, his variant for FF: Antithesis #2 fell on hard times for at least one week.

Coldest Comics: ASM: TSoNO100. AMAZING SPIDER-MAN: THE SINS OF NORMAN OSBORN #1 JOHN TYLER CHRISTOPHER VARIANT (-768)

There is a hot rumor going around that Willem Dafoe has been lurking on the set of Marvel’s Spider-Man 3. This has not been confirmed by any reputable news outlet, so take it with a grain of salt. However, it is possible, considering Elektro and Doctor Octopus are invading the MCU straight out of the Sony-verse. If the Green Goblin rumor turns out to be true, then we can expect all the Norman Osborn/Green Goblin issues to jump in value overnight, including Amazing Spider-Man: The Sins of Norman Osborn #1. It doesn't hurt this one that it happens to be part of the ultra-popular "Negative Space" variant series.

960. IRON MAN #1 ALEX ROSS TIMELESS VARIANT (-738)

It is always surprising to see any of the Alex Ross variants take a dive in the rankings. He is among the elite artists in the business, and his Timeless series of realistic superhero portraits has been very popular. This week, collectors didn’t just shy away from the Iron Man variant. A large number of Timeless variants fell below the #900 point this week. However, I expect them to recuperate soon simply because those covers are gorgeous.

959. DARK NIGHTS DEATH METAL: LEGENDS OF THE DARK KNIGHTS #1 (-734)

The Robin King has definitely cooled since his debut last year. Early on, those Robin King appearances were commanding high prices and staying high on the Hottest Comics rankings. Since then, not much is happening with his character in the comics, and that is putting less of an emphasis on his key issues. I suspect that Scott Snyder has more planned for the Robin King, and that will rejuvenate an issue like Legends of the Dark Knights #1 in short order when that happens.

1001. VENOM #28 COMICS ELITE VARIANT (-1)

At the bottom of the list this week, we have the Comics Elite variant of Venom #28. Marvel has hyped the final issue of the Donny Cates Venom run with issue #200 (though it will actually be #36 in continuity). Venom also is getting plenty of attention thanks to “King in Black” and the anticipated trailer for the Venom 2 movie. For this week, collectors were none too keen on this particular variant, and that is understandable, considering the volume of variants for practically every issue of Venom.

Do you own any of the books on this week's Coldest Comics list? Tell us about them in the comments!

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