Between Lobo and the symbiotes, it was a tough week for these established keys in this week’s Coldest Comics.

Love it or hate it, the secondary market boils down to the box office. Ever since the MCU began its mercurial ascent to the Hollywood throne, comic collecting has become more mainstream. It’s more of a stock market than ever before, and those ebbs and flows are primarily based on hot movie and streaming news. For that matter, all it takes is a good rumor to beef up those fair market values.

Where there are winners, there must be losers. With so many movies and shows coming down the pike, a movie or streaming series has a rapidly decreasing shelf life. Moon Knight wrapped up its first season a week ago, and it’s already become old news. It’s all about what’s next. The same can be said for those key issues. The next big thing gets all the glory while yesterday’s hot title sinks to the bottom. 

That brings us to this week’s Coldest Comics, where we take a closer look at the five issues that lost the most positions on the Hottest Comics index in the past 30 days. These figures are not based on FMVs, but rather sales volume. Oftentimes, it’s the higher-priced issues that scare away buyers, creating a path to the top for a cheaper comic. 

With that in mind, let’s explore the list.

88. THE OMEGA MEN #3 (-43)

Where, oh where, has my Lobo gone? Where, oh where, could he be? At the moment, he is in danger of falling out of the Hottest Comics rankings altogether. Once again, his first appearance in Omega Men #3 has taken a dip, and the key issue now sits in the precarious 88th spot. 

It is easy to see this as a negative, but there is a silver lining. While the rest of the collecting world fawns over those Love and Thunder keys, you can find better deals for Omega Men #3. Sure, Thor #1 or God of Thunder #2 may be the flashy new speculative darlings at the moment, but those prices are rapidly on the incline. Meanwhile, Lobo’s debut is being largely ignored based on the eBay sales trends. That makes this an opportune moment to scoop up a higher grade at a decent price.

Again, it all comes down to the movies and streaming. Granted, the DCEU keys don’t rival those MCU speculative issues in terms of FMV, but that’s okay. It means those DC comics are easier to find, especially those from the Bronze to the Modern Ages. In Lobo, you have a rated-R superstar in the waiting. After The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker, the DCEU’s mature offerings are proving to be hits. At some point, Lobo will get his due on the big stage, and that will cause massive inflation for Omega Men #3’s values. That makes now a perfect time to get in the game.

At the moment, a graded 9.8 is averaging less than $400, and the 9.6 has a 30-day FMV of $159. For a key with as much potential as this, those prices are bargains. 

100. AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #300 NEWSSTAND (-38)

Anytime an ASM #300 finds its way onto the Coldest Comics, it’s an attention grabber, no matter what edition it happens to be. Although the newsstand copy sits in the dreaded 100th position, there is nothing to worry about here. Venom is and always will be one of Marvel’s most popular anti-heroes despite how bad his movies may be. There’s just something about a muscle-bound alien with massive teeth that is irresistible.

The newsstand may be clinging to the bottom rung of the ladder, but the direct edition is firmly cemented in the top 10, landing at number eight this week. The only thing that keeps the newsstand from climbing higher is availability. Generally speaking, the newsstands are more rare than the direct editions. In the case of ASM #300, there is no shortage of either direct or newsstand copies, but the higher grade newsstands are harder to find. That’s why they command impressive price tags. Consider this: there are only 14 recorded sales for newsstands graded at 9.8. On the other hand, there are 736 sales on record for the direct edition. That explains why the direct has averaged close to $5k and the newsstand brings over $14k.

93. AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #361 NEWSSTAND (-35)

It’s not truly a Coldest Comics list unless we pick on Carnage. Years ago, all the early Carnage appearances fetched top dollar and were considered a sure thing. Then we saw Woody Harrelson in a comically bad wig, and it gave us a clue as to the shenanigans Sony had in store for everyone’s second-favorite symbiote. 

After Carnage’s lackluster live-action debut (and demise) in Let There Be Carnage, the market has mostly turned away from Cletus Kasady. Despite the ASM #361 direct edition remaining in the top-10 Hottest Comics, its FMV has fallen from averaging over $800 a year ago to close to $500 in recent weeks. 

The newsstand is a similar story. Again, those newsstands in higher grades are harder to find, so they get the more impressive prices. However, that doesn’t make it immune to falling values. Last year, you could hardly find a 9.8 for less than $1k. Earlier this week, that same 9.8 sold for $865.

Ultimate Fallout 4 Second Print64. ULTIMATE FALLOUT #4 SECOND PRINT (-28)

What dark magic is this? How can a Miles Morales key be on the Coldest Comics index? It all comes down to inflated prices, and every print and variant of Ultimate Fallout #4 has FMVs on steroids.

Heading into NWH, there was gossip that Marvel Studios had secretly cast Miles for the MCU. That began pushing the UF #4 keys, which have been hot for years now. Although that rumor didn’t pan out, Sony treated fans to the Across the Spider-Verse: Part One trailer, and that served to reignite interest in Miles. 

Sooner or later, we all know that Spider-Miles will debut on the big screen. Whether he will be directly involved in the MCU or if Sony will keep him in their corner of the Multiverse remains to be seen. In either case, that day is coming when the collecting world erupts for a live-action Miles. That is fueling those higher prices for all the UF #4s, specifically the second print. With the 9.8 earning a $600 FMV for the past 30 days and knocking on the door of $700, it’s no wonder buyers were taking a step back.

54. AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #101 (-28)

We all knew this was coming. ASM #101 had a great run on and off for over two years. It started with the news that Morbius would star in his own solo film. Then the first trailer sparked imaginations in 2020 just as the COVID-19 pandemic was revving into high gear. Last month, the movie finally saw the light of day, and Morbius had never been more popular. With that popularity came high prices for his first appearance in ASM #101.

Even for the best-received superhero movies, the pendulum inevitably swings to the opposite side. When a movie bombs, it swings a bit faster. After a great opening weekend, the Morbius ship sprang an epic leak and sank faster than the Titanic. As things tend to go, the poor showing at the box office created a whirlpool that pulled ASM #101 into the murky depths. The result is a drop in sales that saw the Living Vampire’s debut fall outside the top-50 Hottest Comics.

If you are an avid collector and lament the MCU age, this is welcome news. While prices are still inflated for the higher grades of ASM #101, they are beginning to fall. The highest grade sold in the past month has been the 9.2, which has averaged over $3k since last year. These days, it has fallen to the $1,800 range.

Read more!

TRENDING COMICS: MORE MOON KNIGHT AND MORBIUS
HOTTEST COMICS: THE THUNDER GODDESS REIGNS
CHECKING UP ON ULTIMATE FALLOUT #4 VALUES

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