The magic has faded from The Eternals over a month after the movie’s premiere, but that presents a golden opportunity for the shrewd collector. Let's take a look at the coldest comics over the last 30 days.

Don’t forget that the Hottest Comics (and Coldest Comics) are all about sales volume. While fair market values are the guiding force behind the secondary market, there is something to be said for the comics that are on the move. In this case, something is to be said for the issues that are on the decline. Take a look.

87. ETERNALS #2 (-79)

I think we all knew this was coming. The build-up to The Eternals was, as always, a spectacle that engrossed millions of eyes worldwide. Naturally, the hype train propelled those Eternals key issues to new heights along the way to the theatrical release. In this case, it was twice as exciting because it had been so long in the making. Eternals was originally slated for 2020 before the pandemic effectively shut down the movie industry. Disney/Marvel put the brakes on and held all its movies a year until audiences could safely return to theaters. That gave fans and theorists ample time to pontificate on what we could expect from the film and what secrets it had to offer. By the time the train arrived at the station, those Eternals issues were as hot as they had ever been. 

With any new movie, the excitement and novelty soon wear off. There’s so much happening with Marvel and the MCU these days that any film has about a two-week lifespan before fans move on to the next big thing. Movies and series grow old quickly in the MCU, and it makes for seriously cold key issues just as fast. Then, they show up on the coldest comics list.

In this case, collectors were hot for Eternals #2 because it was the first appearance of Ajak and Arishem the Judge. Salma Hayek is reportedly on board for more MCU appearances, so we will see more of Ajak in the future. The bigger character - literally and physically - is Arishem. The Celestial is poised to be a major player in the future MCU, especially after the sequel tease at the end of Eternals. While this issue is down at the moment, it has enough potential that it will rebound whenever Arishem makes his return to the movies.

The good part is that prices have fallen for the time being. Remember that a graded 9.8 had averaged over $1,300 in the past year. The most recent sale brought that down to $780, which is getting closer to the pre-movie hype figures.

90. AVENGERS #48 (-52)

Speaking of keys with a huge upside, may I present to you Avengers #48. Its 30-day slide can’t be ignored, but there is potential galore with this key issue. No, we didn’t see Black Knight take up the Ebony Blade in Eternals, but I feel certain that Dane Whitman will become his superheroic self in the not-too-distant future. After all, there was that post-credits scene in which Dane is about to touch the sword when Blade stops him. That leads many fans to believe that the next step will be for MI:13 to bring Blade and the Black Knight together to fight the supernatural threats of the MCU.

As is the case with Eternals #2, the movie hype has come to its inevitable halt. While there is potential for Dane Whitman to return to the MCU in a big way, unfortunately, he is old news at the moment. That has pushed back the sales for the Black Knight’s first full appearance in Avengers #48. Once again, it is making for an opportune moment to get a copy before the values get another hike.

Take the graded 9.0. Leading up to last month’s release date, that same grade had averaged over $2,300, but the most recent sale from earlier this month saw that price drop to $1,733. There’s also the 4.5, which last sold for $338 on December 5 after averaging $421 over the past 12 months.

97. NICE HOUSE ON THE LAKE #1 (-48)

During the summer, James Tynion IV further established himself as the premier horror writer in all of comics. He struck gold with Something Is Killing the Children and The Department of Truth, and then he continued his critically-acclaimed status with The Nice House on the Lake. This proved to be one of the biggest hits of the summer and gave DC’s Black Label a much-needed boost in sales. 

For the time being, Nice House is experiencing a lull. While the follow-up issues are still selling well enough, the first issue is always the big mover when it comes to a new series. Since we are six months removed from Nice House #1’s premiere, fan interest has cooled. Like the rest of today’s entries, this is a good time to pick up a copy if you haven’t already. This week, the standard edition graded at a 9.8 is holding steady at $60, which isn’t too far above the grading fees.

What will send prices and sales skyrocketing will be when it gets the serious movie talk. Since Nice House is already under the Time Warner banner, it makes sense that HBO Max will eventually take a closer look at Tynion’s intellectual property. If you have read the comic, you will know that the story is tailor-made for a film adaptation. Sooner or later, Time Warner will get the ball rolling on a movie or series for HBO Max, and that is when prices will balloon. 

70. AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #316 (-42)

For the second time this month, ASM #316 has found itself on the Coldest Comics list. By no means have collectors fallen out of love with Venom, but those symbiote keys fell on hard times between November and December. Maybe it’s the post-movie lull after Venom: Let There Be Carnage. Then again, there was the big teaser in the mid-credits scene. October seems like a year ago with the pace at which the Marvel movies and shows come and go. At the time, fans lost their collective minds when Eddie Brock shimmered into the MCU, and we can assume it was all part of Doctor Strange’s erroneous spell.

Since then, the LTBC mid-credits scene has spurred the imaginations of Venom fans everywhere. It was safe to predict that the Venom-verse and the Spider-verse were about to merge in one epic battle between Spidey and the Lethal Protector. Still, it wasn’t enough to spur the sales for ASM #316. Just when we were certain a Venom-Spider-Man crossover was inevitable, the No Way Home mid-credits scene possibly axed the idea in some respects.

The scene in question featured Tom Hardy’s Eddie with a bartender giving him the breakdown on all the MCU happenings. Just when we were ready for a preview of things to come, the spell is broken, and Eddie/Venom head back to the Venom-verse. While the symbiote left behind a piece of itself, it poured a bucket of cold water on the possibility of seeing Tom Hardy’s Venom battle Spider-Man in the MCU. 

It all spells bad news for ASM #316, at least in terms of sales volume. On the plus side, the prices are getting back to their 2019-20 levels. The most recent sale of a 9.8 was one for $910 on December 20. Before that, December 19 saw one trade hands for $780. Prior to those sales, all month had seen $1k+ price tags, and that was likely in anticipation of Venom appearing in NWH. It will be interesting to see where things go from here, both in the MCU and the secondary market.

73. UNCANNY X-MEN #221 (-39)

It wasn’t long ago that collectors were hot on the trail of those Mister Sinister key issues. After all, he had been teased in Fox’s last X-Men movie, Apocalypse, and Jonathan Hickman’s X-Men relaunch gave Sinister a new personality and a new fanbase. Then there were the rumors that Marvel Studios was considering using the character as the first villain the team would face when they arrived in the MCU. And just like that, the gossip stopped, and collectors began pulling away from UXM #221. 

The result is that Sinister’s first appearance has landed on the dubious Coldest Comics list. However, don’t think that a slow in sales means the prices have dropped. Yes, the other four comics on today’s agenda did just that, but UXM #221 is bucking the trend. On December 18, two 9.8s sold for $450 and $490, both of which are over $200 higher than last year’s average sale price. That, in itself, could be why the sales volume has declined.

Why do you think these books hit the Coldest Comics list? Let us know in the comments!

*Advice and opinions offered in this blog are those of the author and do not represent any investment advice on the behalf of GoCollect.