Thanos and the X-Men are dominating December sales on eBay thanks to movie trailers and a rumored corporate deal in the works.
THANOS
Ever since the Infinity War trailer dropped, Thanos has become the most popular character in the Marvel Universe. Of course, we’ve been waiting years to see the Mad Titan finally get out of his chair and take on the Avengers, so it makes sense that all the Thanos keys are hot items these days.
First up is Infinity Gauntlet #1. Two weeks into December, and this one has launched 19 places and is perched in fifth. It’s not clear how much of the comic’s storyline will be used in the movie, but this iconic Thanos cover is enough to get collectors excited.
Next, we’ve got Iron Man #55 - the first appearance of Thanos and Drax the Destroyer. Like Infinity Gauntlet #1, Iron Man #55 is also up 19 spots in the Hottest Comics list. It’s much more expensive than the prior, so it’s not surprising that it is lower on the list. Still, being at number 20 is respectable.
X-MEN
Although nothing has officially happened, it seems imminent that Disney is going to buy 21st Century Fox. With the purchase, Marvel Studios will regain the film rights to several major characters, most notably the X-Men. This has collectors picking up all the old X-keys they can grab.
Giant-Size X-Men #1 tops the list this month, and for good reason. This is the premiere issue for the modern version of the X-Men that made them one of Marvel’s cash cows. GSX #1 has moved up nine places and is poised to crack the top 10 on the list at 13th.
Down a few spots on the list is an interesting key, X-Men #101. This one has gotten a boost in popularity for two reasons. First is the aforementioned Disney deal for Fox, but you’ve also got the newest X-Men movie, Dark Phoenix. And X-Men #101 is the initial introduction of Jean Grey as the Phoenix, so it makes sense that such a major key is a hot seller.
The real mover, however, is the 1963 Stan Lee classic that started it all, X-Men #1. So far this month, it has been a rocket in terms of sales climbing 113 places to land at 33rd on the list. Want one? Even a low-grade copy will cost you in the neighborhood of $1,000. Still, it would be a decent investment if/when the X-Men debut in the MCU.
SPIDERVERSE
Spider-Man may not have the biggest climbers in the Hottest Comics, but his spin-offs are certainly moving.
The most notable is Venomverse #1. We’re not talking about the regular edition. This is the Francesco Mattina variant cover, specifically the “virgin” edition (meaning it has nothing printed on the cover besides the artwork, which is exquisite, by the way) that was sold at New York Comic Con in October. This particular variant is in 26th after an astounding move of 1,174 positions.
Venom isn’t the only Spiderverse character selling comics. One spot back in 27th is the first appearance of Miles Morales in Ultimate Fallout #4. Ahead of that in 18th is the debut of Spider-Gwen in Edge of Spider-Verse #2. It will be interesting to see if these two continue to move up in the Hottest Comics come New Year’s.
