It is time again for the Comic Trends & Oddballs, where we take a closer look at some of the titles moving up the Hottest Comics index. Inevitably, it leads to those weird titles that leave more questions than answers but are just too much fun to ignore.
1. X-MEN #4 (+4)
For months now, Omega Red’s first appearance has been one of the hottest comics in the land. It all stems from the endless rumors of “Big Red” joining the MCU in the near future. Last year, there were false reports that an actor was in full Omega Red costume on the set of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. It turned out those were actually unused design stills from Deadpool 2, but collectors are banking on him turning up one way or another.
Back when X-Men #4 was printed, the second volume of X-Men was arguably the biggest title in the comic world, thus it had thousands and thousands of copies in circulation. It also hit in the age of collecting, so many of those were kept in pristine, 9.8 condition. That means that getting a near-mint copy is not hard, which is why those high fair market values are so surprising. Welcome to modern market inflation.
53. MARVEL COMICS PRESENTS #72 (+947)
The Wolverine talk continues, despite Marvel Studios saying absolutely nothing on the subject. That has not stopped the rumors, and the most prevalent has been that Logan will be introduced to the MCU via his own Disney+ series.
What’s more is the speculation is that the show will follow his time with the Weapon X program, and that is why Marvel Comics Presents #72 has been picking up steam. It doesn’t hurt that this previously overlooked issue is still available at reasonable prices, at least compared to everything else tied to Wolverine.
88. HAHA #1 (+707)
Those off-beat Image titles always do well, at least with the first issues. Here we have Haha #1, an anthology series that follows a group of professional clowns. Considering the brains behind the concept is W. Maxwell Prince, the creator of Ice Cream Man, we can expect plenty of dark humor, horror, and gore. It’s also helping to boost sales for the premiere issue, which quickly climbed the ranks. Taking into account that the prices for Prince’s Ice Cream Man #1, this is an issue you will want to keep an eye on.
237. JUPITER’S LEGACY #1 (+763)
Millarworld’s deal with Netflix is beginning to take shape, and Jupiter’s Legacy recently premiered on the streaming service. So far, it has received mixed reviews from critics and fans. This makes me wonder what the viewership numbers look like. Since Netflix doesn’t release its data, we will never know. Regardless, the comic inspiration was hot this week as a direct result of the new show, and the first issue gained over 750 positions.
The bigger picture is the Millarworld/Netflix-verse. The word on the internet is that Mark Millar and Netflix plan to make Jupiter’s Legacy the center of its own shared universe between the Millarworld titles. If it is a hit, that would make Jupiter’s Legacy #1 an important addition to your collections.
ODDBALL OF THE WEEK AWARD:
541. DISNEY’S DARKWING DUCK LIMITED SERIES #1 (+458)
As I’m paging through hundreds of comics, I see Spider-Man, the X-Men, the Avengers, Spawn...and Darkwing Duck. Wait? What?
Technically, Darkwing would be considered a superhero. Still, I don’t recall ever seeing his first comic appearance in the Hottest Comics. Who’s buying this stuff? My guess is it’s investors and speculators banking on a successful series reboot. Last year, Variety reported that the 1991-1992 Disney series was following in DuckTales’ footsteps and getting a modern update on the beloved favorite.
With the current state of the market, virtually every key issue gets injected with steroids at the mention of a new series or movie. It’s not out of the realm of possibility that Darkwing’s first comic could get a mighty boost thanks to the show’s reboot.
