It was a Star Wars kind of week on the Hottest Comics, but it was once again Morbin’ time for Amazing Spider-Man #101. 

As always, let’s not forget how we get these rankings in the first place. Using eBay’s sales data, the Hottest Comics are based on actual sales volume, not fair market value. Although huge price increases may nab the most headlines, it’s the number of sales that will keep your finger on the market’s pulse. The list is updated daily, so take this as a snapshot of what buyers were targeting. This week, they had some interesting picks.

33. THE NICE HOUSE ON THE LAKE #1 (+38)

Once again, The Nice House on the Lake #1 takes the top spot in this week’s movers and shakers. The most likely reason it keeps making such notable gains is due to the series rounding the corner for the end of its 12-issue run. 

As I have written before, much of Nice House’s collecting potential comes from it being in the DC fold. This was part of the darker, more horror-centric Black Label imprint. The comic itself, from James Tynion IV’s narrative style to Alvaro Martínez Bueno’s artwork, has an enchanting cinematic quality. It’s helped the title stand apart from the numerous cartoony and anime-inspired offerings on your local comic shops’ shelves and lends itself to a live-action adaptation. Although it is a standalone story apart from the DCU, most fans have predicted it will get a movie or HBO Max show at some point. There’s still no word on that front, but I imagine it’s only a matter of time. 

Since day one, Nice House has made an impact in the direct sales market. With so many variants available, not to mention a sizable print run, the FMVs are not overly impressive for the first issue. On the plus side, it means you can grab any copy you want without much effort. Even better, it won’t be a major gamble, either. 

The graded 9.8 is selling cheap as of late. After averaging over $100 last year, the prices have been steadily declining basically for all of 2022. The last time a 9.8 sold online, it brought less than $30. You’ll find a similar trend with virtually all of the variants as well, so now is the time to grab all the covers you like.

29. INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #9 (+37)

Is it any surprise that Ironheart is one of the top sellers of the past week? The latest trailers for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever feature her in prominent fashion, and she’s poised to leave a crater in the MCU. Besides getting what we assume will be plenty of screen time in the BP sequel, we knew about her Disney Plus series well before her Wakanda Forever appearance was announced. It’s safe to assume that she will be part of the Armor Wars movie as well. Put it all together, and there are major plans in place for Ironheart. That is exactly why her key issues have been outselling those Black Panther collectibles as of late. 

Riri Williams’ first appearance in Invincible Iron Man #7 has been on the move, and this week, it’s Iron Man #9’s turn to shine. Here we see her in full armor for the first time before she would star in the Iron Man title. More fittingly, she would lead her own self-titled series in short order. Will her MCU arrival precede the live-action Young Avengers? The team has been teased for years, and Disney Plus seems to be oriented around their arrival. Once Ironheart arrives on streaming, she could bring the group together before they get their own series or possibly a movie. That will put even more emphasis on getting your hands on those Riri keys.

Like most other keys on the market, the prices are down compared to last year. Over the past 12 months, the graded 9.8 has averaged $555. Despite the MCU hype, the values have been well off that mark in 2022. In fact, the most recent sales have been for under $400, which is a surprise for such a character with such a bright live-action future.

43. STAR WARS: THE MANDALORIAN #1 (+37)

Just when it looks like fans have gotten their fill of Star Wars, the franchise comes roaring back with more excitement. Of course, that’s all thanks to The Mandalorian’s success. The original Disney Plus show revived the pop culture behemoth, which had been limping its way to the box office after the sequel trilogy’s overall disappointment. As it appeared the Force may have finally abandoned the once-mighty Star Wars, Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau injected a dose of midi-chlorians into the mythical franchise. 

It was only a matter of time before Din Djarin starred in his own comic. We were teased with cover appearances before he finally made his full debut this year in his own self-titled series. Now his first actual comic is climbing the ranks and planted itself inside the Hottest Comics’ top half this week. As we get closer to Mando’s third season, the more popular this issue will become. 

When it comes to the standard cover, the 9.8’s prices have been all over the place in recent days. Over the past five sales, it’s earned from as little as $53 to as much as $95. The more impressive price tag lies with the Black Flag virgin cover. At a 9.8, that one has averaged $96 over the past 30 days, though one sold for $180 on October 29.

42. DARTH VADER #3 (+25)

It was a week heavy with Star Wars titles. Besides 1977’s Star Wars #1 climbing to the 20th spot, Doctor Aphra’s first appearance once again scaled the ladder to crack the top 50 Hottest Comics. 

While the Disney era of SW has been sketchy at best, there’s no denying its impact on the secondary market. The recent news that Damon Lindelof is spearheading a new movie trilogy along with The Mandalorian’s season three teaser is no doubt causing a stir among collectors. The new movies are said to directly follow the events of Rise of Skywalker, and we’ll see some familiar faces, for better or worse. That could be where the Doctor Aphra speculation is coming into play. The Disney Plus shows have pulled extensively from The Clone Wars cartoon as well as the modern Star Wars comics. There have been high hopes for Aphra to arrive in some fashion, but she could be destined for the silver screen rather than streaming.

At any rate, her first appearance remains a hot seller. Darth Vader #3, at a 9.8, has averaged $275 for the past 30 days. That’s a mighty leap from the $404 FMV it secured for the past 12 months. Still, it makes now a good time to roll the dice. One way or another, we’ll see her in live-action. 

70. AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #101 (+24)

Indeed, it was Morbin’ time on the Hottest Comics. 

Rounding out this week’s movers and shakers, the Living Vampire’s first appearance made its way up the chain. This was just after it was in danger of falling out of the top-100, best-selling comics altogether. Why wouldn’t it? The movie was a massive flop and further proved that Sony will be at the MCU’s kid table this Thanksgiving. Maybe one day, the studio will learn what audiences actually want in a superhero flick. It leaves me with low expectations for Madame Web, Kraven the Hunter, and pretty much any other bad idea they’ve got cooking.

What could possibly have ASM #101 grabbing more than 20 positions? My guess is it’s tied to the Legion of Monsters speculation. After the Werewolf By Night Disney Plus special introduced both Jack Russell and Man-Thing, it’s led many fans to ponder if the Legion will be next on the Marvel Studios agenda. Morbius happened to be included in the original lineup, and the Sony-verse is technically within the MCU. That is breeding ground for theories that Jared Leto will reprise the role for a team-up movie. 

The highest grade sold in the past month has been the 9.4, which brought $2,582 on October 23. Of course, that’s a huge drop from the $4,500 price tag it had in January. Then again, it makes for a buyers’ market for all those faithful Morbius fans.

*Any perceived investment advice is that of the freelance blogger and does not represent advice on behalf of GoCollect.