People love Spider-Man, not just comic book fans, but even your average Joe and Jane know his origin story nearly as well as you do. This cultural bedrock has been tapped many times for movies, tv shows, even underwear. But when it was mined for the inspiration to the Spider-verse, it hit pay dirt.  Especially with Gwen Stacy.

Historically, Gwen Stacy is more a victim than a heroine; she plays the part of a damsel in distress so that Spider-Man can rescue her.  She's a love interest before Mary Jane comes onto the scene, and is probably remembered most for her untimely death that Peter feels that he's responsible for causing.  Her story would end there if it wasn't for the interest various writers have played in keeping her alive.  Peter marries her in a famous Mexican variant.  The Mexican readers were too big of fans to see her die off!

 

Gwen Stacy's  First Appearance

Gwen Stacy made her debut in Amazing Spider-Man #31, along with Peter's friend Harry Osborne, who would later become infamous as the second Green Goblin.  Because of these significant first appearances, this book has always been considered a significant issue in the Spider-Man universe. It's difficult to find this book in the higher grades because of its age.  There have been no recent sales of graded books above 9.6, and just a sole book of that grade selling for $6,500.  9.0s are selling for $1,350 and are trending downward 22%.

Even with the current downward trend, this issue will continue to hold value in the long run.  Other grades of the book are seeing an uptick. The market is still strong with raws being available to be purchased at a reasonable amount.

The Real Winner of the Spider-Verse

Writers and artists have been exploring alternate universes and a variety of characters to populate them. The Spider-verse was created to give a diverse set of ideas room to germinate and grow. Spider-Gwen sprang from one of these alternate realities.

In the comics, Spider-Gwen is perky, intelligent, and relatable, making her books immensely popular. Demand is typically high for her keys, like Ghost-Spider #1, the Jeehyung Lee variant, from 2011. Highly desirable, this book has an FMV at 9.8 of $800. This grade has seen a 15% increase in value, with only around 200 books registered in the census. Consider this a blue-chip modern key.

Spider-Women Movie in the MCU?

Recent rumors have pointed to the possibility of a movie based on the women of the Spider-verse, specifically Spider-Woman, Silk, and Spider-Gwen, aka Ghost-Spider.  Both Spider-Woman and Silk will see their titles released in the next year, fueling interest and demand.  If this movie does get made, Spider-Gwen's key issues will see a boost.

Marvel's 2016 Spider-Women Alpha is an undervalued book, especially the Lee variant cover.  The variant cover has only 43 copies in the census, making it a perfect target for speculation.  Raw copies can still be found, but expect a 9.8 graded copy to set you back $325.

Recent Variant Covers Drive the Secondary Market Higher

Recently, variant covers of Gwen Stacy #2 have taken sites like eBay by storm.  Specifically, a variant cover by Jeehyung Lee that's reminiscent of his historic 2011 cover of Ghost-Spider #1.  A limited-edition comic, the "unmasked" variant seems to be the rarest and is seeing prices of $70 for raws on eBay as a pre-order.  I love this idea of reviving the previously out-of-reach cover for new collectors.

Gwen Stacy started out as a love interest for a certain web-slinger and has grown to be a character with value and importance of their own.  The Spider-verse will continue to grow with Sony and Marvel releasing new movies that will foster even more fame (and hopefully fortune) for Spider-Gwen.  Now is a great time to invest in her early key issues before they too rise in value and are out of reach.

 

 

 

Sign up for GoCollect Premium for just $5.99