Once again, the MCU’s influence was felt throughout the land of comic collecting, beginning with an iconic Jim Lee portrait of Magneto. Welcome to this week’s Hottest Comics.

Remember that the Hottest Comics rankings are not based on fair market value. This is a discussion about sales volume rather than dollar signs. What you will find here are the five comics that showed the most improvement in terms of the number of copies sold on eBay in the past week.

What does this tell us? Seeing which comics made notable gains helps collectors keep their finger on the speculative market’s pulse. This week’s movers and shakers may not have cracked the top 10, but we saw patterns that indicated why these comics were on the move. Spoiler alert, it generally came down to those MCU connections. Here’s the breakdown.

11. X-MEN #1 1991 (+988)

Jim Lee was at his best in the early 1990s. While his Batman artwork has become legendary among DC fans, he came into his own during his X-Men days. Here we have the passing of the torch, as it were. Lee and the godfather of all things X, Chris Claremont, combined creative forces to unveil the second volume of X-Men. This would be the end Claremont’s amazing run on the title, and he would soon hand over the creative duties to his heir apparent. 

This is one of five variants for the massive X-Men launch, and it featured a magnificent portrait of Magneto. The Master of Magnetism has been trending since the start of WandaVision. In the comics, he is the father of Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver, and theorists wondered if he would get at least an Easter egg. After Evan Peters appeared as Quicksilver in the MCU, the speculation has been that either Ian McKellan or Michael Fassbender will return as Magneto and join the show in some capacity. Lately, that seems less and less likely, but Magneto remains hot.

Why would 1991’s X-Men #1 have more momentum than 1963’s X-Men #1? Price. For that Silver Age Holy Grail, you better have thousands of dollars ready to invest. On the other hand, X-Men #1 from volume two is fairly cheap despite all the Magneto speculation. The most recent graded 9.8 to sell online brought over $100, but the 9.6’s FMV drops to close to $50. The moral of the story: if you want one, you can get one without much effort.

21. MOON KNIGHT #1 (+978)

Ever since Moon Knight was announced for Disney+, his fans have felt vindicated. After years of fruitless rumors springing up across the internet, Kevin Feige made the dreams come true months ago. Now Oscar Isaac has been cast in the lead role, and Ethan Hawke has joined the party as well. Fan enthusiasm has been rampant, and it is reflected in this week’s list. Although it ranks lower in the 63rd position, Moon Knight’s first appearance in Werewolf by Night #32 saw significant gains of its own, jumping over 900 places. It all comes from the character’s popularity, which was multiplied by the MCU news.

With greater popularity comes greater prices. The graded 9.8 Moon Knight #1 has jumped from being a $300 comic last year to a 90-day FMV of $500. If you want a copy of your own, you should hurry because values are still rising. The last 9.8 to swap owners on eBay saw it bring $563, and that followed a February 4 sale that earned a new record-high $700. 

Of course, if you dip the grade to 9.6, prices fall substantially. That particular grade has averaged $165 over the past three months, but the most recent sale was for $200, so it is on the move as well. Still, it is much easier on the budget than that 9.8.

26. NEW MUTANTS #87 (+975)

New Mutants #87, why do you vex me so?

Just last week, Cable's debut was on the Coldest Comics blog. In that post, I wrote about how this was such a roller coaster on the Hottest Comics list. Here we have just one more piece of evidence to present to the court of public opinion. Last week, it lost 961 spots just to gain them all back and more days later.

Of all the comics in the top 1,001 bestsellers, Cable’s first appearance has the most disparity from one week to the next. It is the rubber ball, bouncing to the top 100 then dropping to the bottom 100, all within a seven-day span. 

Relatively speaking, this is a fairly cheap key to own, especially since there is no official talk of Cable reemerging on the live-action scene. Still, it is hard not to speculate on his possible inclusion in the MCU. We know that Deadpool 3 will be an R-rated Marvel Studios production. Even though WandaVision has us wondering what is up with the Fox X-Men cast, the door is open for Josh Brolin to reprise his role as the time-travelling mutant. That is precisely why this comic has bounced back into the fray.

The MCU potential can also explain why the FMV has been on the move. Last year, a near-perfect 9.8 averaged $402, which was respectable. Over the past 90 days, that figure has grown to $470. What is more is that seven of the last nine sales have all been for over $500, and two of those reached the $600 mark. 

28. MARVEL SUPER-HEROES SECRET WARS #8 (+971)

Seeing Secret Wars #8 inside the top 30 hottest comics is no surprise. What is surprising is that it had to make such a jump in the first place. 

The classic Venom keys are always popular, and the first appearance of the symbiotic costume tends to stay inside the top 10 or at least close to that #10 spot. What happened last week for it to fall so drastically? That is hard to say, but SW #8 has returned to its rightful place among the most popular sellers on eBay. 

With symbiote fans waiting on the new movie trailer, it is understandable that the FMVS for nearly every grade of SW #8 have been seeing gains. At the top of the heap, the 9.8 is currently averaging $470 with the most recent sale netting $580 on February 23. Just below that near-mint-plus, the 9.6 has a 90-day FMV of $231. If you are looking for a smaller investment, anything up to a 9.4 is currently averaging less than $200.

As we wait for that Venom 2 trailer, don’t fret over making an investment in the black suit. It will pay off quickly whenever the first footage drops, and we see Venom and Carnage face off. That will create a quick spike in the market and push values through the roof.

30. SPIDER-MAN #1 SILVER EDITION (+970)

It makes sense that a Spider-Man #1 from 1990 would ascend the rankings. This is a perennial favorite among collectors, and there are plenty of choices as far as cover art. After all, the silver edition was one of five different variants released for Todd McFarlane’s beloved take Spidey. The cover art is among the most recreated in all of comics, and artists continue to be inspired by the striking artwork. Seeing all these tributes would naturally make collectors yearn for the original.

The silver edition has proven to be one of the more popular variants, but with so many copies available, the FMVs are typically low, even for higher grades. Even at a 9.8, the direct edition of the silver Spider-Man #1 has averaged $70 since December.

If you are willing to spend a bit more, there is the option of a newsstand copy. While the only difference is the barcode instead of the Spidey logo on the bottom left, a 9.8 of this version brought $180 on February 16.

That's that for this week's Hottest Comics roundup! What do you think about the books from this blog? Let us know in the comments!

Many are called, few will answer. Have you applied to be a GoCollect Ambassador yet?