THE LATEST SPECULATION
For the third time this year, the Wolverine market is catching fire. This time, it comes from the onscreen Logan himself, Hugh Jackman, after he Tweeted two pictures that have caused meltdowns across the internet.
On Monday, Jackman posted a fanart picture from Boss Logic that focused on Wolverine’s famous claws. Alongside that share, the actor also posted a pic of himself alongside Marvel chief Kevin Feige. Granted, the Feige pic is from a couple years back, but it has caused imaginations to run wild in the comic circles.
The recent posts follow a string of Wolverine speculation that began earlier this year with WandaVision. When Evan Peters initially set foot on screen as what appeared to be Quicksilver, it sent shockwaves through the MCU fandom and led to theories that the Fox X-Men movies would be Marvel canon. Of course, that was all used to make a “Bohner” joke.
Things quieted down for a short time before Sam and Bucky ventured to Madripoor in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. While they were in Wolverine’s favorite fictional island nation, the duo made a trip to the Princess Bar, which Logan owns in the comics. That fueled a new batch of rumors that Wolverine would star in his own Disney+ anthology series.
Jackman’s Tweets add fuel to what has already been a hot market. Thanks to all the Logan speculation, Wolverine’s key issues have been setting and breaking records like clockwork. With the latest commotion, expect those issues to get even more expensive, starting with the two most coveted of Wolverine keys.
THE INCREDIBLE HULK #181
Since 1974, Wolverine has been one of Marvel’s most popular and enduring characters. Regardless of movie news, this will always be one of the most coveted key issues in the collecting world.
Even so, this year’s MCU rumors have made this holy grail even harder to come by, with or without the Marvel Value Stamp.
Up to this point, fair market values for Hulk #181 were beginning to slow down and reach a plateau for most grades. Now that Jackman has spurred a new round of Wolverine MCU theories, the record sales should begin to fall once more.
The highest grade sold so far this month has been the 9.4, which sold for a record
While that is no small price tag, it is a long way from that record high.
The true tale of the tape is in the low grades. At the bottom of the heap, an incomplete 1.5 sold for $1,675 in June. If a copy that low can inch toward $2k territory, that tells you all you need to know about this holy grail’s popularity.
THE INCREDIBLE HULK #180
While Hulk #180 will never surpass Hulk #181 as the key among keys for Wolverine collectors, Logan’s official first appearance has been gaining respect for the past couple of years. Much of this can be attributed to those rising costs for Hulk #181; when that one is out of reach, collectors target the next best thing, Hulk #180.
Like its counterpart, Hulk #180 has been on a record-setting pace this year. Less than a month ago, a 9.8 sold for an astounding $40,800, annihilating the previous record of $25,500, which was also set this year. On Sunday, a 9.6 brought $9k, nearly doubling last year’s high of $5k. That same day, a 4.5 earned $1,320, making it the seventh time that grade has reached four figures in 2021.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Rumors will come and go, but the first appearances of Wolverine will remain. Still, these new developments will inevitably impact the prices going forward. The real madness won’t start until Marvel Studios makes an official announcement on the MCU’s Logan. Until then, this is all just a tease for the real fireworks.
