The original Ms. Marvel and Spider-Woman dominated the sales this week in an all-Marvel Comics top-five movers and shakers. Here is a look at this week's Hottest Comics!

The women ruled the rankings in the latest round of the Hottest Comics. At the top of the mountain was Carol Danvers in her first turn as Ms. Marvel long before she was promoted to captain. Just behind that key was Spider-Woman’s debut in Marvel Spotlight #32, a comic that has been on fire since Sony’s Into the Spider-Verse sequel announcement.

These figures are not based on fair market values, so don’t mistake a pricey comic with the Hottest Comics, although the two are often acquaintances. These rankings are based on sales volume over a week. As a collector and investor, it gives you a snapshot of what buyers are searching for in the never-ending quest for the top keys.

12. MS. MARVEL #1 (+988)

August has been a good month for Ms. Marvel’s first self-titled comic. A 9.8 Ms. Marvel #1, after setting a record of $1,685 on June 1, continues to rack up the four-figure sales. A copy brought home $1,557 on August 7, giving the 9.8 three straight sales of $1,500 or more. Then there is the 9.4, which has a much more reasonable price tag. So far this year, it has earned as much as $315, and the last sale was for $228 on August 9. 

The sales trend continues down the line, and many grades are creeping back into the previous marks from the Captain Marvel movie premiere. What could be propelling these sales? That would be Disney+. Marvel’s streaming home has proven hugely popular, and every series released produces massive sales for the related comics. On the agenda is Ms. Marvel, and collectors are right to add those keys back to their sets. In the current MCU, Carol Danvers is already Captain Marvel, so this series will focus on Kamala Khan, the teenager Ms. Marvel with a power set closer to that of Mister Fantastic than Captain Marvel.

The bigger picture is that Kamala’s introduction into the MCU further sets the stage for the Young Avengers. Between Disney+ and the prior films, several of these characters have already made their debuts or they are on the immediate horizon, including Kamala Khan.

13. MARVEL SPOTLIGHT #32 (+986)

There has been buzz surrounding Spider-Woman since Into the Spider-Verse proved to be a massive hit for Sony Pictures. Soon after the film was released, Sony officials stated their intent to create a female-centric sequel, and that immediately led to speculation that the original Spider-Woman, Jessica Drew, would be the main player. 

Since then, the rumors have not slowed. Last year, word spread that Sony was working on a secret Spider-Verse project with Olivia Wilde, and fans connected the dots to Spider-Woman. Then, in June of this year, Sony announced that Issa Rae will voice the character for the upcoming Into the Spider-Verse sequel. That has created an even larger market shift toward those early Jessica Drew appearances, beginning at the top with Marvel Spotlight #32.

Initially written as a villain, Spider-Woman had a much different costume that would be modified once Marvel figured out she had greater upside as a hero. Still, there is just no replacing that coveted first appearance. After the casting news circulated the comic sites, the issue saw an immediate bump.

The 9.8 sold for a record $6,500 on June 20. Since then, the values have come back to reality, and the most recent sale was for a respectable $4,475 on August 4. Likewise, the 9.4 set a new record of $1,026 in June, but the values have leveled out to the $800-$850 range.

This is basically the case all the way down the board, with fair market values spiking after the June casting news and tapering off in recent weeks.

21. CONAN THE BARBARIAN #21 (+978)

All things Conan have been gaining popularity for years now. It started in 2019 when Marvel claimed the publishing rights to the classic character, bringing him back to the company that first brought him to comics in the Bronze Age. The new series proved to be a hit with fans, and the editorial team added more titles to answer the call. He was even added to the Savage Avengers and brought into the modern Earth-616, meeting the likes of Wolverine, the Punisher, Venom, and Elektra. 

It doesn’t stop with the comics. Nearly a year ago, Netflix announced that it was producing a Conan streaming series. Details as far as casting or a projected release date have been not been announced, but the news has only added to the Conan speculation of late. 

Here, on this week's Hottest Comics list, we have Conan the Barbarian #21, a seemingly random issue from the title to reach so high on the Hottest Comics index. Issues like Conan #1 or Red Sonja’s debut in Conan #23 are understandably popular, making Conan #21 stand out like a sore thumb. I view this as a sign of the Hyborian’s mainstream attention spilling into even non-keys from his original series.

In June, the 9.6 reached a new record $360, though the last sale was for $204. Still, that is ahead of its 2019 average of $160. Prices fall quickly beginning with the 9.2, which sold for $145 in June.

23. TOMB OF DRACULA #10 (+976)

When Mobius casually mentioned vampires in an episode of Loki, it turned the attention to the upcoming Blade reboot. Well before that moment, fans were anxiously awaiting any news or Easter egg for the famed vampire hunter’s arrival in the MCU. Now that vampires are established as existing in some corner of the Multiverse, the carpet is being rolled out for Blade.

The comics are prepping fans for his entry into the MCU. This year, Blade was a central figure in the “Heroes Reborn” crossover, and he also is a member of the Avengers these days. It elevates the character and puts him on par as a superhero with the non-supernatural characters. 

Even before the MCU news, TOD #10 was one of the most sought-after keys from the Bronze Age. The rumors and anticipation have only added to the issue’s appeal at any grade. On August 3, a 9.2 brought an astounding $11,000. However, that could prove to be an outlier, as the bookend sales were more modest and stayed in the $4k range, where most sales have been in the past month.

That 9.2 was not the only TOD #10 setting records this month. A 6.5 set a new high of its own when a copy earned $2,025 on August 8. There also was a 5.5 that swapped owners for a record $1,526 on August 3. 

26. HOWARD THE DUCK #1 (+974)

Howard the Duck has long had a cult following both in and out of the Marvel canon. Besides his humorous take on the Marvel Universe, there is the infamous movie from 1986 that is still perplexing audiences 35 years later. James Gunn brought Howard into the MCU with cameos in both Guardians of the Galaxy films, and Kevin Smith nearly headed up a Howard animated series on Hulu before the idea was axed.

What has sparked fans’ interest comes from ‘86 Howard actress Lea Thompson. Reportedly, she pitched Marvel on the idea of directing a live-action reboot for the MCU. However, she said the project was rejected because Marvel Studios has bigger plans for the anthropomorphic duck. Of course, that lends to speculation that Marvel is putting together a Howard movie or series, but nothing has been confirmed. Nevertheless, it has sparked interest in the first of his solo comics.

Prices have quietly moved back into their 2016 forms. Just this month, two 9.8s sold for $1k each. That is less than $100 from the record set five years ago.

If you are looking for better values, the 9.6 has a 90-day average of $267. In fact, the 9.2 has an FMV under $100 at the moment.

So what do you think about this week's Hottest Comics prospects? Will you be looking for any of them? Let us know what you think in the comments!

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