Comic Books: Solid Value Bets for the Next Five Years

After 603 articles and well over four years working with GoCollect.com, I feel I have a solid range of knowledge both anecdotal and quantitative for tracking returns of comics. That said, here are my picks for some "must-own books" for my readers for the next five years. This article is for long-term investors and collectors of comic books. People that are patient and see comics as collectibles. What are the best value investments in comic books over the next five years?

A multitude of events can happen over five years, the good, the bad, and the ugly. If the "past is prologue?" I am quite sure America will see a ton of change hopefully for the better over the next few years. That has never been more true than with comic books as investments.

So many choices for collectors, Bronze Age, Silver Age, and Modern Age; what to choose? Do you go with superheroes, sci-fi, or independent comic books? Who knows, maybe Westerns will come back?

Conan the Barbarian #1

For my generation, Arnold Schwarzenegger will always be Conan. For the Millenials and Gen Z, this is yet to be determined. Furthermore, there is controversy surrounding rights to the Conan character and world. Not to mention that Arnold has been trying to get a new Conan movie made for years with no luck.

According to the internet, "Netflix is developing a live-action series based on the iconic world of Robert E. Howard's Hyperboria." That was last reported in 2020, so who knows? That said, the book itself is a great investment.

You can buy a grade 9.2 for around $1,200, on average. This is the first appearance of Conan in Marvel comics. If Netflix ever gets this character off the ground, watch sparks fly on his first appearance.

Daredevil #1

According to the latest from SDCC 2022, Daredevil will appear on Disney+ in "Daredevil Born Again." Thank you, Disney, for retaining the one crucial actor for Daredevil. The leading man Charlie Cox, whose Daredevil is breathtakingly good and almost guarantees success. If they write Daredevil streaming as well as the Netflix series, watch out; this book will explode in value.

Now, he might not be Spider-Man, but Daredevil is a huge character in the MCU. Beloved by fans, yet quietly forgotten, this book appears to have lagged for years. Currently, a grade 4.0 will cost you $3,600 FMV. That could easily hit a triple over five years. After all, this is a Silver Age key and is not as easy to find as maybe it once was.

Daredevil #1 has price lagged for years now, and all you have to do is spend some "moolah" while being the "Speculator Without Fear!"

Ultimate Fallout #4

Everyone loves Spider-Man, but there has to be the next leg to his saga and that is where Miles Morales takes the reigns. Never able to replace Spidey, but merely honoring his creation and legacy by continuing Peter Parker's good deeds with another version of Spidey.

This book is huge and going to get bigger. At grade 9.6, you are paying about $1,000 for this first appearance of Miles. This Modern Age key is a great bet going into the future, having been created just in 2011. More and more people will gravitate to this character once he gets his own movie (not animation but an actual movie).

Conclusion

One book from each of the ages Silver, Bronze, and Modern Age. All three are first appearance key books with huge followings and generally lagging book prices vs. the reality of time, several fans, and limited issues at hand. That you can still buy a first Conan #1 or Daredevil #1 for a couple of $1,000s is a shocker. Not to mention a steal of a deal for long-term investment.

Further rounding out this group of investment opportunities is the first appearance of Miles Morales. Perhaps a transitional aspect of Spider-Man for the 21st Century, maybe, maybe not? Like him or not, Miles is here to stay and has already had an impact on the collectibility of his comic book. I say it is a positive turn to keep Spidey alive for future generations, so why not make some Quatloo while we are at it?

If each of these books performs close to what they did over the last five years then Conan the Barbarian could be a nice double, Daredevil a solid triple, and Ultimate Fallout #4 a potential Grand Slam! Again, the "past is a prologue" for comic books as investments. If that is truly the case, then these books seem like an easy bet. They are rapidly dwindling collectibles, with room for media expansion in fantasy, streaming heroes, and new movie superhero demographics.

Want more investment spec?

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