Hello everyone, and welcome to the next installment of Investing On A Budget!  The goal of this article series is to provide investors and speculators with low-cost ways to invest in hot properties within the comic book community.  The focus of this article: Kang The Conqueror!!

Avengers #291 - 293

If you are looking for alternate versions of Kang the Conqueror, Avengers #291, #292, and #293 are an absolute gold mine.  Over these three books, readers are introduced to:

  • Kang-Nebula
  • Kanglet / Kid Kang
  • The Cross-Time Council of Kangs
  • Chairman Kang
  • Fred Kang
  • Kang-Kong
  • Kang-Cobra
  • Dozens of unnamed, but visually distinct Kang variants

Of all of these, the Council (which first appears in #292) is definitely the best bet, but there is still plenty of speculation value for the other characters, especially when you consider how easy it can be to find these books for under $5 raw. Graded copies are also very affordable.

Avengers Classic #8

Reprints can always be a bit of a gamble, but in recent years the market has seemed to consistently rally around the Avengers Classic books.  This makes a lot of sense, as each book in the series features original cover art and contains a new, in-continuity story set right before, during, or right after the events of the reprinted story.

With Kang's original first appearance out of reach for the vast majority of investors, Avengers Classic #8 represents a great alternative investment at a much more affordable price.

Avengers Vol. 3 #49

There are a couple of big draws for this book.  First, it is one of the most striking Kang covers out there and consistently sells for well over cover price.  Second, it was part of the acclaimed 'Nuff Said initiative, where every Marvel ongoing series published an issue that told its story only through art and without words.  These issues have become desirable amongst small groups of collectors, effectively ensuring that a market for the book exists.  Finally, it was part of the Kang Dynasty event, meaning the book may see a big resurgence in interest as we get closer to the premiere of the Avengers film of the same name.

Kang The Conqueror #1

I am a big believer in the long-term value of first solo titles like this one.  First, they represent major statements on a character's viability in the eyes of a publisher and potentially even portend future stories.  Second, they have the greatest SEO imaginable.  Half the battle in this hobby is just getting your books in front of potential buyers.

So when those buyers go to sites like eBay and search a character's name, they are way more likely to come across these kinds of books.  When I searched eBay for "Kang the Conqueror", more than 60% of the first page results were from this series.  That is a level of exposure that's hard to match, so why not take full advantage of it?

Avengers #200

Possibly the most controversial Avengers book ever written, Avengers #200 marks the first appearance of Marcus Immortus, the son of Kang.  Although the specific version of the character introduced in this issue soon perished, several different versions of him would continue to pop up over the years, including the Scarlet Centurion introduced at the beginning of the Kang Dynasty storyline.

Given how confusing Kang-related elements can be, it would not surprise me if the market decided that this was the Marcus book to own, especially since the controversy around the book has made it much more well known.

The FMV for the CGC 9.8 is $140, making it more expensive than some of the others on this list. Still, it's affordable to most.

Conclusion

That's all for this week!  For more Kang spec, check out my Weekly MCU Spec column, where I look at some of the best Kang investments no matter the budget.  See you next time!

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