After years of being forgotten, Incredible Hulk #418 has finally gotten its due. While you may not recognize this issue at first glance, it's suddenly become profitable with its Captain Marvel movie tie-in.
Wedding issues are typically bad investments. Publishers roll out the red carpet for them, particularly when an old fan favorite is getting hitched. Then the mainstream media gets involved, and the issue gets treated like a major key when it isn't and likely won't ever be.
All that being said, what's the deal with Hulk #418? What's so special about this issue? It's not Rick Jones' wedding, that's for sure; it's the first appearance of Talos the Untamed, who will make his film debut in Captain Marvel.
The MCU can heat up the comic market like nothing else, and everything linked to the Captain Marvel movie is lighting up the market. Since Talos is the film's main antagonist, his first appearance has been skyrocketing after years of being at best a very minor key. That has changed.
Who is Talos? His comic origin is that he is a Skrull who was not born with the ability to shapeshift. Not to be a failure in the eyes of his friends and family (and possibly some insecurity issues), Talos was fitted with machinery and turned himself into a cyborg. In his comic debut, he picked a fight with the Hulk.
Judging by the Captain Marvel trailer, it doesn't appear that the MCU Talos will necessarily follow the comics since he doesn't appear to be a cyborg, and he seems to have no trouble shapeshifting. Then again, the cyborg part could be something Marvel is saving for later in the movie or in another movie altogether.
As far as the investing side of things, the only issue that has been selling is the Incredible Hulk #418 collector's edition. In fact, there hasn't been a standard edition sold since 2016, and no more than two have traded hands in a year. Compare that with the collector's edition. From 1994 to 2017, there had never been more than eight graded 9.8s ever sold in a single year, and the lower grades are almost nonexistent in terms of sales data. This year, it has ballooned to 16 copies and counting, and the bulk of those have been since the fall.
Over the years, this issue has been slowly picking up value and setting record highs. As the MCU moved into the cosmic realm, Hulk #418 has benefited, going from highs of $32 and $35 in 2014 and 2015 to $40 last year. That's been completely obliterated (and Talos would be proud of that). In September, a 9.8 sold for $120, and another brought $103 earlier this month. Since September 11, only two of the eight copies sold on eBay have been for less than $75. If you had the foresight to buy a 9.8 back in the spring, you could have added this to your collection for about $20, give or take.
Since Captain Marvel is shaping up to be a huge hit, this issue will only gain in value. If Talos becomes the breakout character in the film, then this will instantly become a major key, and you'll wish you had grabbed a copy when you had the chance.
