Before there was Silk, Spider-Man crossed paths with Black Cat and Silver Sable. Since their team-up movie has been replaced by Silk's rumored solo film, they've become yesterday's news. Now comic collectors have to ask, how will this affect the value of the duo's first appearances?

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #194

In terms of value, Black Cat hasn't lost a step. Most grades of ASM #194 have seen an increase in value over the past 90 days, especially the higher grades. The hot sellers have been the 9.6s and 9.4s. Compared to last year, the 9.6s are keeping pace in terms of number of sales; so far this year, 22 copies graded at 9.6 have been purchased on eBay whereas there were 24 sold between January and the end of June in 2017.

At first glance, it would appear that the 9.6 grade has seen a significant price boost in the past 90 days. However, if you throw out the $956 copy that sold on May 27, then the 90-day average is closer to $450 rather than the $489 it shows.

Now that Sony has dropped the movie (for now, at least, but we all know the film industry is fickle and this could change down the road), I believe we are going to see the market turn away from ASM #194. Black Cat will not lose her popularity, and this will remain a key issue, but I don't see the price going any higher in the coming months; in fact, I predict it will drop by the end of the year if the movie project stays in the scrap pile.

All that being said, Black Cat eventually will find her way onto the silver screen. Keep an eye on the fair market value, and be patient. When the prices dip, buy up those high grades and wait for the pendulum to swing in your direction. You can thank me later.

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #265

What about Black Cat's partner-in-crime, Silver Sable? Even before the recent movie news, ASM #265 started to lose steam.  From an 8.5 up to a 9.8, only the 9.4 grade has seen a boost in the 90-day average, and that was only by $2; over the past 12 months, it averaged $76, and it has brought $78 in the past three months. All the other grades have lost value in that same time frame.

Silver Sable has never been the most popular of characters in the Spiderverse. Granted she has her fans, but she hasn't had the mainstream appeal of Black Cat, so it's only natural that her key issues aren't as valuable as Cat's. However, the numbers show that pre-bad news on the movie front, the Silver Sable first appearance was already losing money. In the coming months, you're going to see more collectors shying away from ASM #265 at the current averages as a direct result of the film being cancelled. Still, there is a silver lining (wink wink, nudge nudge); by the end of the year, possibly even sooner, this comic will be much cheaper. I'm not as confident that Silver Sable will be on film screens, but it can't be ruled out, either; right now, I'd say it's 50/50 that either Marvel or Sony will use her character in a movie. My advice is the same as with ASM #194 - wait until the bottom falls out, and then buy. It'll be worth the gamble.