I'm often charting the furious rate of inflation for Hulk 181, but FF 48 has the potential to be the next 181. 

About once a month, I report on the ridiculousness that is The Incredible Hulk #181. It doesn't matter what shape your copy is in, it goes up in value almost daily. Eventually it will plateau, and prices might come down a little, but the indication is that won't happen anytime soon.

We'd all like to get in on the next Hulk 181 before prices reach pure insanity. One comic that could reach that level is Fantastic Four #48. The first appearances of both Silver Surfer and Galactus, at least in cameo, has always been a major key, but it hasn't been able to keep pace with Hulk 181 for a simple reason; as popular as Silver Surfer is and has been, he's just not Wolverine.

While the Surfer remains a recognizable face in the Marvel Universe, his appeal hasn't been nearly as broad as that of Wolverine, whose fan base continues to expand every year. Why wouldn't it? He's been Marvel's "cash cow" for years, appearing in almost every title the company publishes at one point or another, and Hugh Jackman's portrayal of Logan in a slew of successful movies doesn't hurt, either. But the Surfer will be catching up to him in the not-too-distant future thanks to Disney's buyout of Twenty-First Century Fox.

With Disney/Marvel Studios having access to the film rights of the Fantastic Four and all its family of related characters, it's a lock that the Surfer will be entering the Marvel Cinematic Universe sooner or later. When that happens, you're going to see a full onslaught of Surfer media hype. Not only will he be on screen, but he'll get a bigger presence in the comics than he's had in decades. That will mean that FF #48's prices will skyrocket.

Where's it at now? Across the board, it's seen some huge gains in the past three months.

The prices for FF 48 are already in the upper echelon. Two years ago, $2,000 would have been a reasonable price for a graded 9.0, which averaged $1,613 in 2016. It's been making leaps and bounds since then. At the end of 2017, it's fair market value jumped to $2,132. Over the past 12 months, its average has hit $3,872. Where the numbers really get crazy is in the 90-day average where you'll find its FMV is $5,038. On August 18, it brought a record-high of $5,800. Prior to that, the highest a 9.0 FF 48 sold for was $2,564 in 2014.

Want to see something else startling? The 8.0 grade has tripled in two years. That's right; in 2016, it had an FMV of $903 over 21 sales, but the last six sales since June have seen record numbers. It's 90-day FMV stands at $2,723, and the three most recent sales have all been in the $3,000 range.

Another grade that's tripled is the 6.0. It averaged $392 in 2016 and has steadily climbed since. Last year, its FMV moved up to $525, but that's nothing compared to what its bringing since the first of the summer. In the past 90 days, it's averaged $1,280 with a high of $1,950 on August 17.