The Coldest Comics spread its icy wings, and, boy, did it have it in for the X-Men and the Guardians of the Galaxy.

Before we take the polar plunge, it’s time for your weekly reminder. Taken from the Hottest Comics market watch, these are the five issues that lost the most ground over the past 10 days. The data is taken from eBay, though fair market values are not what’s important here. Instead, these rankings are all about the sales volume. 

With that in mind, let’s do some exploring.

97. X-MEN #94 (-61)

Is it just me or can you not see the number four without hearing Alan Rickman’s voice? Hans Gruber or not, it wasn’t enough to keep this classic X-Men issue out of the cellar for this round of collecting. If you’re going to fall, you might as well fall the loudest, and X-Men #94 lost the most spots of any single issue in the top 100 best-selling comics. 

A few X-keys fell on hard times this week, so X-Men #94 had some company. Besides X-Men, Vol. 2 #1 ranking third in the Coldest Comics, we’ve got Rogue’s first appearance on this week’s list. For that matter, even Hulk #180 took a dive in the rankings, though it narrowly escaped being an official Coldest Comic. 

None of these comics will stay down for long, especially once Wolverine arrives in the MCU via Deadpool 3. Whether or not the original cast from the Fox films sticks around or if this will serve as the curtain call, it’s too early to say. One way or another, the X-Men are on the way, and that will mean big things for all things X-Men.

Once the X-Men are in the MCU, there’s little doubt that many of Chris Claremont’s stories and interpretations of characters will inspire their silver-screen adventures. After all, he is the single most prolific X-Men writer of all time, and the title is virtually synonymous with his name. That’s what makes X-Men #94 so significant. Following the team’s revival in Giant-Size X-Men #1, Claremont took the reins beginning with this comic. In some ways, it is like owning the legendary writer’s first appearance. For the X-Men faithful, that makes it a treasure to own in any grade. 

82. THOR #165 (-57)

The Coldest Comics were all about those X-Men and Guardians of the Galaxy key issues. In both cases, the lack of interest made sense. With the GOTG, it’s the standard rise and fall of those movie keys. We see this basically every time a Marvel flick reaches theaters. The hype from the initial trailers gets the market pumping, and it peaks with the film’s release. Buyers stay laser-focused on those issues for about two weeks, and then things start to pilfer off. That’s precisely what we are seeing here.

One of the standouts from GOTG Vol. 3 was Adam Warlock. As I have written before, his character came across like a goofy Thor copycat. With James Gunn having exited Marvel Studios for his massive role under the DC banner, the next writer/director may have a different vision in mind for the golden man-god. When it comes to collecting, what matters even more is that he plays a larger role in the MCU going forward, and there is that chance. It’s definitely keeping Warlock’s early appearances on the hot seat.

When Adam first debuted, he was known simply as HIM, the results of a science project to create the perfect specimen. It wasn’t until Marvel Premiere #1 that he was rebranded as Warlock, and that has been the more popular issue to own. As collectors target HIM’s transition into Warlock, his first full appearance in Thor #165 has been put on the back burner. 

86. X-MEN, VOL. 2 #1 (-54)

X-Men 1 with art by Jim Lee for X-Men Artists That Rock by Patrick Bain

It wouldn’t be a best-selling blog without at least one of the Usual Suspects making an appearance. Here we have possibly the most usual of all the suspects, 1991’s X-Men #1. There are so many copies floating around, can you call yourself a comic book collector if you don’t own at least one of the numerous covers? 

In many ways, it was this issue that started the variant craze of the ‘90s that is still prominent today. Practically every ‘90s kid owned multiple copies with the superb Jim Lee artwork that was on another level. Combine that with Claremont’s storytelling, and you had an instant hit at the height of the X-Men’s popularity.

Besides this being a staple among collectors, what has ushered X-Men #1 back into the spotlight over the past year has been the new cartoon series. Last year, Marvel confirmed that X-Men: The Animated Series would be revived under the name X-Men ‘97. The original show was taken straight from the pages of Jim Lee’s X-Men run, specifically his artistic style. It made the show an instant classic among X-fans, and the new show promises to remain true to that ‘90s feel.

With X-Men ‘97 pulling straight from X-Men, Vol. 2, it’s no wonder that X-Men #1 has been as hot as ever in the past year. Sure, it lost plenty of ground this week, but it will rebound in mere days. Trust me.

63. AVENGERS ANNUAL #10 (-45)

I wasn’t kidding when I said it was a rough week for the X-Men. Just when Marvel’s merry mutants were down, eBay’s buyers decided to punt-kick them for the fun of it. Specifically, they left Rogue hanging out to dry. What did she ever do to you guys?

Piggybacking off X-Men #1, Rogue’s key issues will get a boost once X-Men ‘97 rolls around. Certainly, her fans were disappointed that she likely won’t appear in The Marvels. For a time, the hot rumor was that Rogue would steal Carol Danvers’ powers in the Captain Marvel sequel, thus setting the stage for Monica Rambeau to take up the title. However, it doesn’t seem that will be the case.

We are likely to see Monica and Carol have a throwdown, but sadly Rogue will not be part of the fun. Be that as it may, she has been confirmed for X-Men ‘97. By all accounts, that should be a major cartoon series, and Rogue will have a large part as she did in the original show. It should help build her a new fan base, and that is always good for investment potential.

71. INCREDIBLE HULK #271 (-36)

Like Adam Warlock, Rocket Raccoon suffered a dramatic fall in his first appearance. As audiences saw in GOTG Vol. 3, the pair will return in future films. With Star-Lord likely getting his own film or Disney Plus franchise, Rocket has taken the GOTG lead with Warlock joining their ranks. There’s nothing Guardians related on the current slate of MCU projects, but I imagine they will play a part in The Multiverse Saga as the story plays out. That should give Rocket’s first appearance in Hulk #271 a jolt when that happens.

For the moment, this issue has hit the skids, but it goes along with the movie hype speculation. If you bought a copy thinking you’d turn a quick profit weeks after the film’s release, you were kidding yourself. At this point, we all should know how this trend works. Again, think of it as a long-term investment for when the Guardians return to the screen. On that day, Rocket will likely be a hot commodity once again.

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