Eight Billion Genies is primed for a movie and spinoffs galore, and it has made the title a speculative darling as of late. What issues should be on your wish lists?

Eight Billion Genies has been one of the hottest new titles of 2022. Of course, that seems to be a common theme when it comes to Image Comics, and the Charles Soule/Ryan Browne fantasy series is keeping that trend alive.

The first issue debuted with plenty of fanfare. Soule, who established himself in the Marvel Comics ranks with 2014’s Death of Wolverine before co-authoring Undiscovered Country with Scott Snyder, had the name recognition to get eyes on the Eight Billion Genies #1 when the issue reached store shelves this past spring.

It doesn’t hurt matters that it’s already been optioned for a feature film by Amazon, but that’s not all. The streaming giant has plans to turn the intellectual property into a cross-media attraction with spinoff shows and more movies. If everything goes to plan - and if audiences latch onto the live-action adaptations - Soule’s creation could be the next streaming phenomenon.

What’s the story about? The premise is that one day, every single person on Earth gets a tiny, cartoon genie. Everyone gets exactly one wish, but they can ask for anything imaginable (besides the old trope of “you can’t wish for more wishes”). As you may have guessed, when the world’s population begins using their wishes, the planet gets turned upside down as chaos ensues. While this could easily be written as a drama, Soule and Browne play it more as entertaining satire.

With the prospect of riches for those key issues, which comics will you be wishing for?

EIGHT BILLION GENIES #1 SPECIAL PREVIEW EDITION

Limited to just 500 copies, the preview edition was given away at last year’s C2E2 convention in Chicago. Many of these were signed and remarqued by Soule, which helps make them a bit more valuable. With so few copies scattered about the marketplace, this should be the first issue on your wish list. Since mid-July, the signed raw copies have been steadily earning anywhere from $157 to as much as $300.

So far in 2022, there haven’t been any CGC-graded copies bought and sold online, which means there’s no sales data to speak of. However, a 9.8 graded under CBCS’ Signature Series program traded hands on eBay on August 2. Since the seller apparently accepted a lower offer than the $1,001.89 that was asked, the exact price is not available. It was the same case for another CBCS yellow label that sold on July 10, which had been listed for $550 before the seller took a lower offer.

EIGHT BILLION GENIES #1

The variant covers abound for the first issue, but today we’ll be focusing on the standard edition with Browne’s cover art. 

This comic has been heating up as of late. In July, the CGC-graded 9.8 had been earning close to $150. September has seen prices jump into the $200 range, and it has a 30-day fair market value of $194. At the moment, the high sale stands at $235, but that mark will likely fall in short order.

WISHING FOR SUCCESS

It all hinges on Amazon Prime’s feature film. If fans tune in for the Eight Billion Genies movie, then that will keep the ball rolling for those aforementioned spinoff projects. Depending on fan reception, that could have heavy implications on whether your investment will be a boon or a bust. Keep your fingers crossed.

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