The ‘Rotten Tomatoes’ score for the Ant-Man sequel ("Ant-Man and the Wasp," opening July 6) has been revealed, and, with 76 reviews in, it's currently soaring with an 88% fresh score. That could change as more reviewers weigh in, but for now it looks like the MCU has done it again. Marvel has released yet another potentially crowd-pleasing and, so far, critically well-received movie - quite an impressive achievement. Even more impressive is that they seem to have produced a sequel as good as the original, since, as a rule, it's rare that a sequel is as good or better than the original film it is based on (even within the MCU some of the sequels, while not terrible, were a definite drop in quality: e.g. Iron Man 2, Thor: The Dark Word).

A few weeks ago, I posted (here) on which comics to look out for regarding the upcoming new Ant-Man movie. Now that the release date is practically upon us, I want to pay one more visit to the Ant-Man universe. As is now well known Hank Pym’s one-time colleague Doctor Bill Foster (portrayed in the film by Laurence Fishburne) will play a significant role in this film.

For long time readers of Marvel Comics, Bill Foster is well known as the second Giant Man or the third Goliath. In the comics Foster is currently deceased (he died in Civil War), but, as we all know, a character’s death in a comic book is not necessarily the end of that character.

That said, what Bill Foster comics are worth seeking out and may even heat up with his big screen appearance?

Avengers #32 (September 1966) – First Appearance of Bill Foster

This is the first Bill Foster appearance and it is well worth seeking out. Given that many early issues of the Avengers have seen price hikes, this will probably appreciate regardless of the interest or lack thereof in Foster. So is his appearance here significant? The villains the Avengers combat in this issue are a racist organization known as the Sons of the Serpent. Foster, who is black, is attacked because of his appearance. But he is more than a victim. Foster is introduced in this comic as an assistant for Hank Pym. Pym has transformed into Giant Man and is having trouble getting back to normal size. Foster is hired due to his scientific brilliance. He is called an assistant, but really, as is revealed in time, he’s the intellectual equal of Pym. Returns on this are mixed but mostly up in higher grades. The last 20 sales of 9.6 graded copies have seen a return on investment of almost twenty per cent since 2003.

Luke Cage, Power Man #24 (April 1975) – First Foster as Black Goliath

I’m half way through Season 2 of the Netflix Luke Cage series and I’m really starting to enjoy it. In the Netflix series, Luke becomes romantically involved with Claire Temple. In the comics Claire was actually married to Bill Foster before she met Luke. In Luke Cage, Power Man #24, Foster has harnessed his knowledge of Pym Particles to transform himself into Black Goliath and appears here for the first time in his Giant form. Currently, due to his Ant-Man appearance, prices have started to rise on this comic on recent Ebay sales. If you have a copy and want to sell it, now is probably a good time to do that. If you want to purchase it, I would wait, it might very well see a drop in price after the movie has come and gone. At the time of my writing this, 9.6 graded copies are priced at over $300.00.

Black Goliath #1 (February 1976) – Origin of Black Goliath Retold

As was mentioned above, Foster was the third Marvel hero called Goliath (after Hank Pym and Clint Barton who both used the code name before him). In this comic, written by Tony Isabella, one of the themes explored was whether he should be a hero at all. This story picks up after the events in Power Man #24. Technically this is the second appearance of Foster as Black Goliath, but it is his first solo-series. Currently return on investment is strongest on higher grades from 9.0 up, with 9.8 copies currently fetching around $400.00 and showing a %100.00 rise in value since 2017.