As always, nothing stirs the market like movie and streaming series news, and Marvel Studios is never short on either. This week saw the premiere of Ms. Marvel on Disney+, and Kamala Khan’s first appearance is ruling the roost.
Here at the Hottest Comics, it’s all about sales, and we are not necessarily talking about price tags. Granted, the fair market values are the driving force behind basically the entire collecting hobby, but this list is all about sales volume. In fact, these are the 100 best-selling single issues on the daddy of all auction sites, eBay. While an issue may be breaking records and getting all the attention, it may not have the same number of copies trading hands as a cheaper key issue.
On that note, let’s explore the list and see what five issues made the most gains to become this week’s Hottest Comics.
30. ALL-NEW MARVEL NOW! POINT ONE #1 (+56)
Kamala Khan’s first appearance as the all-new, all-different Ms. Marvel was on fire. Not that anyone should be surprised. Her new Disney+ series debuted last week, and it has speculators and investors grabbing all her key issues. Being her debut as a superhero, it is only natural this would be the Hottest Comic on the market at the moment.
Like so many other keys that spiked in 2021, Marvel Now! Point One #1 has slipped from its previous highs. Granted, the 9.8 has averaged over $900 for the past 30 days, but that is down from the $1,262 FMV it has sustained since this time a year ago. During that span, it sold for as much as $1,800. It has still been reaching the $1k mark since last month, but four of the six June sales have been below that. The most recent purchase was for $850.
While that is down from previous figures, it is still well above 2020’s average of $600. Once the show’s first season wraps, we can expect values to fall, but for now, Ms. Marvel investors will enjoy the ride.
38. MARVEL SUPER-HEROES SECRET WARS #3 (+44)
The She-Hulk keys are feeling the effects from her upcoming streaming series. While fans have been critical of the CGI in the initial footage, it has not deterred buyers from tracking down anything tied to the new show. Of course, that extends to her primary antagonist, Titania.
It’s not been a secret that she was one of the first characters cast for She-Hulk. In the comics, she’s long been a thorn in Jennifer (and definitely not Jessica) Walter’s side basically from the beginning. Although not the first character to use the name Titania, Mary MacPherran made her first appearance in 1984’s Secret Wars #3.
The former “Skeeter” MacPherran gained her powers when Doctor Doom captured her and future Spider-Woman, Julia Carpenter, and conducted metahuman experiments on them. Later, she would join the Frightful Four and the Masters of Evil, so there’s no ruling out either of those two groups. I wonder if we will see Absorbing Man in She-Hulk, since he and Titania are a comic book power couple. It only raises the odds that Absorbing Man is a classic Hulk villain.
In recent years, the Secret Wars comics have become a collecting mainstay. For decades, the only issue anyone bothered tracking down was SW #8. Thanks to She-Hulk, we can add SW #3 to that list as well.
This month, the graded 9.8 has been selling for $250 plus, and it has averaged $283.51 for the past year.
59. TALES OF THE TEEN TITANS #44 (+30)
One of this year’s hot rumors has been that Dick Grayson is coming to the big screen. Sure, we have seen him in the HBO Max live-action series, Titans, but the gossip had it that Nightwing would be part of the Batgirl movie. That makes sense, considering that he and Batgirl have had an on-and-off relationship over the years. While Leslie Grace says Dick Grayson hasn’t been cast for the film, it’s not slowing down the Nightwing speculation.
This week, Dick’s first appearance in the original, disco-inspired costume climbed 30 positions and approached the top 50 Hottest Comics. It shouldn’t cool down anytime soon, either. Nightwing has long been one of DC’s most popular characters, and fans have been waiting years to see him on the silver screen. With the run of success the DCEU has been having lately, introducing Nightwing could preface a Teen Titans movie, but that’s purely speculation on my part.
The prices are seeing a spike along with the news and rumors. Last month, a graded 9.8 sold for $700, though most copies tend to stay in the $500-$550 range. The better purchase is the 9.6, which averages closer to $200 and is virtually identical to the 9.8.
24. ETERNALS #1 (+29)
This time last year, Eternals #1 was one of the hottest comics on the market. Ever since the first rumors began circulating about a movie, speculators and investors pounced on the higher grades. About 13 months ago, the 9.8 was routinely selling for $2,000+, and it earned as much as $3,800 in May 2021. It was quickly becoming the next holy grail, but we knew the bubble would burst at some point.
The thing with Marvel speculation in particular is that it lives and dies by the movie and streaming hype. Following the normal routine, in the weeks preceding Eternals’ theatrical release, the sales volume was through the roof, and the prices were consistently staying in the $2k range. Then, the bottom fell out. In the weeks following the movie’s premiere, prices began to drop. Suddenly, that same 9.8 that was worthy of $3k was selling for $1,200-$1,500 as buyers shifted their attention to the next big Marvel announcement.
With the uptick in popularity, the values are beginning to edge upward as well, though they are nowhere near the pre-movie numbers. Since April, most 9.8s were earning around $900, but two of the last four sales have hit four figures. In fact, a June 10 sale went for almost $2k for the first time since December.
What has Eternals #1 suddenly making waves again? It could be based on the speculation for the sequel. Given the movie’s open ending with Arishem threatening the Earth, we are bound to see more of Cersei and the gang.
34. AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #4 (+28)
The Cindy Moon speculation is still churning the collecting waters. As with so much else in the world of comics, it all comes down to the live-action news. Reportedly, Cindy will be donning her Silk costume as she stars in a streaming series for Amazon. While filming has supposedly started, there’s been nothing new on that front in several months. In fact, there haven’t been any casting announcements, which usually precede filming. It leaves me to wonder if there is a production delay that Sony and Amazon are keeping under wraps.
Despite the lack of Silk news, it hasn’t stopped collectors and investors alike from tracking down her first appearance in 2014’s ASM #4. So far this year, the graded 9.8 has generally stayed in the $300-$350 range. That is quite the dropoff from 2021’s record of $515, and the most recent sale was for $280 on June 13. Once Amazon releases some new information or possibly a trailer, that should trigger a spike in values, so now could be a good time to invest.
Keep up with comic trends of all temperatures!
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