From comics to film to TV, the God of Mischief is everywhere. Everywhere and on all sides. He is just as quick with a dagger in the back as he is with an honest moment. Protagonist or antagonist, Loki has forever entered into the pantheon of fiction’s greatest characters of all time.  With Loki's popularity at the highest its ever been and no slowing down in sight, is it too late to get in on Loki's 1st appearance book?

 

 

JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY #85 / VENUS #6

Starting off with the legend himself, (a) Loki made his first-ever appearance during the Golden Age in Venus #6 (1949); which is an extremely rare book, but surprisingly much lower in market value than his first Silver Age appearance in the iconic Journey into Mystery #85 (1962). It’s debatable whether Loki can be considered the same, but Venus #6 could easily be a cheaper “1st appearance of Loki,” and at the very least a good conversation piece for a Loki collection. The latest sale of note for Venus #6 was a CGC 2.5 sold in Sept 2019 for $450; on the higher end, a CGC 7.0 sold for a $1,015.75 in late 2017. The sale prices are a bit fluid, which could provide an opportunity for a bargain; again, should one come on the market.

Moving forward to the popular Journey into Mystery #85, the 1st appearance of Loki complete with the green ensemble and golden horns. The book also boasts the first appearances of Heimdall, Balder, Tyr, and the city of Asgard; quite the cornerstone of an Asgardian collection. In the issue, the God of Mischief lives up to his name when he causes trouble on Earth and at one point even hypnotizes Thor to get him to give up his hammer. Sales for Journey into Mystery #85 for the grades CGC 6.5/6.0 and 4.5/4.0 are shown below; this represents the higher end 25.2/33.9% and lower 61.3/70.5% of the census, respectively.

Taking into account the sales figures for Journey into Mystery #85 from 2011 to present, the book is a definite strong buy. While slow and steady wins the race, Journey into Mystery #85 is winning with fast and aggressive. The history of its sales prices speaks for itself; the trend just keeps going up. Not much to say other than Journey into Mystery #85 might be one of the most attractive long-term investment opportunities. For perspective, at the higher 6.5/6.0, it has beaten the 10-year performance of the S&P 500; at the lower 4.5/4.0, it has matched it. Yeah, try to pitch that to your retirement planner.

 

 

LAEVATEINN

To fill out the Loki character, it is a bit surprising that little emphasis has been placed on his magical sword Laevateinn, which made its first appearance in Journey into Mystery #115 (1965). Like Excalibur is to King Arthur, Laevateinn is to Loki. Instead, the attention has been completely shifted to his Chitauri scepter, which made its first appearance in the first Avengers (2012) movie. At least Laevateinn has an actual history in Norse mythology with countless tales written about it, and a possible tool in the death of Balder (instead of mistletoe). Unfortunately, compared with Journey into Mystery #85, sales prices for Journey into Mystery #115 have been pretty flat for the last decade.

 

 

“The reason supercriminals fail is that they become obsessed with vengeance. After being beaten by a certain foe, what do you do? You go back, only to get beaten again. My advice to your team is simple: EXCHANGE OPPONENTS!” – Loki

 

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