Morbius and Star Wars took a polar plunge in the deep end of the collecting pool, and ASM #101 is struggling to keep its head above water. Take a dive into the Coldest Comics of the week.
The Hottest Comics rankings are based on current sales data, which is ever-changing. Where there are weekly winners, there must be losers. Here are five comics with notable losses in the past week.
29. STAR WARS #42 (-20)
This may not be a tremendous drop, but it is noteworthy after ranking ninth only a week prior. For a top-10 book to fall outside the top 20 is the equivalent of a top 50 comic dropping past #100.
Following the season two premiere of The Mandalorian, prices for Boba Fett’s first appearance became one of the hottest comics on the market. Not that it wasn't already feeling the heat from Star Wars’ saving grace, but it picked up significantly thanks to a cameo by what may have been an unmasked Boba Fett.
If Star Wars is so hot, then why has Star Wars #42 fallen out of the top 20? Prices. Since the October 30 season two premiere, 9.8s of SW #42 have sold for $1,500 three times. Before this year, it had never sold for more than $720. Even a low-grade 4.0 sold for $100 last month. Simply put, this comic is becoming vastly overpriced for many collectors.
187. AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #101 (-144)
Amazing Spider-Man #101 had eye-catching numbers this week, but not for the right reasons. After it made huge gains and was one of last week’s hottest comics, the first appearance of Morbius took a tumble in the past seven days.
What could be the reason for this? First, Morbius has never been one of Marvel’s elite characters. His popularity will wax and wane depending on what Marvel’s editors do with him, but the upcoming solo movie has put him in the mainstream spotlight. With that, prices have inflated, and speculators may be holding tighter to their investment dollars until it gets closer to the movie’s release date.
91. THOR #337 (-59)
Beta Ray Bill has been falling on hard times. Bill’s first appearance is standard in the top 100. That is partly due to his popularity and from the undying rumors that he will be in the MCU soon. In fact, Kevin Feige confirmed after Thor: Ragnarok’s release that Bill was set for a cameo in that movie, but Marvel Studios chose to pull that because there are bigger plans at work for the horseman.
Since then, the Bill front has grown quiet. Sure, there are ample opportunities to include him between Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and Thor: Love and Thunder, and prices have ascended due to that. With the Beta Ray Bill talk becoming more whispers than shouts, speculators appear to be waiting for those inflated fair market values to dip before making more investments.
That could prove to be a risky gamble. The day will come when Beta Ray Bill is announced for a movie, and when that comes, today’s prices will seem like bargains. Until then, we'll keep an eye on Thor #337 and see where it goes.
180. X-MEN #58 (-104)
X-Men #58 is special because it features the debut of Havok in full costume. The problem is there are no legions of Havok fans. Sure, he has a following, but Havok is not the household name compared to Cyclops or Wolverine, and that leaves his key issues lagging behind. Last week, this issue made a surprise appearance in the top 100 only to plummet seven days later. While Havok loyalists will always look to collect this issue, the character does not have enough mainstream appeal to keep speculators buying from week to week. The silver lining is for hardcore X-Men fans because that at least keeps the prices down.
182. GREEN LANTERN #76 (-105)
Green Lantern #76 has the distinction of being the first Bronze Age DC comic. The problem is that collectors are more concerned with those first Silver Age comics rather than Bronze.
As Silvers become more expensive and filmmakers pull from those 1970s’ comics, these Bronze Age keys are gaining more attention. Unfortunately, outside of being DC’s first Bronze Age comic with amazing Neal Adams cover art, there is not much else to pull in buyers. Granted it is the first issue with the Green Lantern/Green Arrow combination on the title, but that is not exactly a milestone attraction. All of that adds up to this issue continuing to fall in the coming weeks.
THE TAKEAWAY
Which of the bottom five has the best shot at rebounding? Star Wars #42 is at leading that race. With The Mandalorian’s immense fan following, it has ignited all things Star Wars. Since the entire show is linked to Boba Fett one way or another, as long as The Mandalorian is popular, this issue will be on many wish lists. Once we get a full episode with Boba Fett, prices will spike again.
