It was recently confirmed that Marvel Studios has plans for Namor, the oldest character in all of Marvel Comics!!  A lot of Namor's key issues were published decades ago during the Golden Age of Comic Books and, as a result, are out of reach for most people.  This naturally raises a question: How can speculators on a budget invest in this newly confirmed character? Namor

Reprints

Namor first appeared in Motion Picture Funnies Weekly #1 back in 1939.  With low-grade copies easily clearing $10k, this book is firmly out of reach for the vast majority of people.

When situations like this arise, the best move is to invest in books that reprint the original story.

Since Namor is so old and such a big part of the Marvel Universe, his first appearance has been reprinted a LOT.

Here are the specific reprints I would recommend:

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

One of the most persistent MCU rumors suggests that Namor will be the primary villain for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.  Given how frequently Namor, Black Panther, and their respective kingdoms have fought in the comics, this theory makes a lot of sense and is well worth investing in.  The key books for this particular area of speculation are:

  • Defenders Vol. 1 #84 - The very first battle between Namor and Black Panther
  • Avengers Vs. X-Men #7 & #8 - The final page of #7 shows Namor beginning an attack on Wakanda, while #8 shows the actual conflict
  • New Avengers Vol. 3 #7 - Wakanda declares war on Atlantis in this book and the cover offers a great image of Namor and Black Panther in the middle of a heated battle.
  • Rise of the Black Panther #2 - This book is a phenomenal investment for Namor speculators.  The cover art alone makes it a great investment regardless of whether or not Namor shows up in the Black Panther sequel.  If he does show up, however, owners will benefit strongly from the book's narrative about the origins of the Wakanda / Atlantis war and its depiction on the cover art. Namor

Variants

For a character that has existed as long as he has, Namor has surprisingly few variants worth getting excited over.  There is, however, one particular variant that everyone really should be checking out: Black Panther Vol. 5 #1 Djurdjevic 70th Anniversary Variant.  It really is unbelievable how much this book has going for it.

First off, this is the first issue where Shuri becomes the Black Panther, an event that is largely expected to happen in Wakanda Forever.  Second, the cover features Namor, who, as previously mentioned, is also expected to show up in Wakanda Forever.  Any book that has just one of these qualities would automatically be worth considering on its own, let alone the incredible multiplicative value that arises from having both.  Factor in the incredible cover art done by Marko Djurdjevic, who has an incredibly large fan base, and the result is quite possibly THE definitive spec play for the next Black Panther movie.

Best of all, it can still be found out in the wild at a reasonably affordable price!

Conclusion

I hope this article has provided some ideas for how to invest in Marvel's oldest character before his MCU debut.  Let me know what you think in the comments and, until next time, face front, True Believers!

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