After a starring turn in James Gunn’s Suicide Squad film, Peacemaker received his own HBO Max TV series, released in January.  Let’s dive into the Peacemaker keys to find out what’s going on with this hero suddenly thrust into the limelight.

Sometimes it just happens: that obscure character who no one is paying attention to lands in a movie or TV show and becomes the darling of every collector.  Now in the spotlight is none other than the guy with the weird helmet and flashy clothes – Peacemaker.

The Charlton Issues

Peacemaker’s first appearance was in Fightin’ Five #40, published by Charlton Comics in November 1966.  This was quickly followed two months later by Fightin’ Five #41.  The character received his own series in March 1967, beginning with The Peacemaker #1.  The series would last five issues.

Fightin’ Five #40 is an obvious place to look to see how Peacemaker’s first appearance is performing in the market.  At present, there are 99 graded copies of this issue.  There are very few high-grade copies, and we have to go down to the 8.0 graded copies to determine any real trends.

What we see is a steep climb from a sale for $375 in April 2020 to a high of $1,895 in March 2021 as excitement built for Suicide Squad.  Since then, including a sale in an eBay auction on February 7, it's a flat trend.  It’s only in the 4.5 grade where we see a real uptick based on the release of the TV series – a $650 sale on January 14 to a $750 sale on February 4.

Fightin’ Five #41 only has 15 copies in the CGC census, far too small a sample size to note any trends.  This second appearance is far more affordable with 9.0 graded copies having a 90-day average sale price of $400.  Clearly, however, an issue that is not in high demand.

The Peacemaker # 1 & #4

What about The Peacemaker #1?  There are 96 copies in the CGC census.  This appears to be the book that benefited the most from the film release.  An 8.5 graded copy sold on July 16, 2021, for $600.  Then the book exploded in value with the release of the film, shooting all the way up to a $1,425 sale on August 18.  Since then, however, the book has plummeted in value, dropping all the way down to $829 in a January 31 sale.

Another key issue is Peacemaker #4, which contains the origin of the character.  There are only 24 copies in the CGC census and hardly any sales data.  This could be a fun hunt for raw copies in the wild to purchase and send in for grading.  If you’re a fan of the character and you think he has staying power in the DCEU and with the public, now might be the time to consider purchasing these key Charlton issues.

The DC Issues

In the mid-1980s, as Charlton finally went defunct, DC purchased the rights to all of the former publisher’s characters.  Peacemaker’s first DC appearance was in Crisis on Infinite Earths #6, along with a number of Charlton heroes.  The character would go on to star in his own mini-series, beginning with The Peacemaker #1 in 1988.

Neither issue has shown significant movement based on the release of the film or the TV show.  However, there are DC issues to pay attention to.  It’s just that they’re less focused on Peacemaker and more on the breakout character of the TV series, none other than Vigilante.

The two key comics that have shown explosive growth since the character’s appearance in the TV series are New Teen Titan’s Annual #2, the first appearance of Vigilante, and Vigilante #1, the first issue of the character’s 1980s series.  These books have increased in value in the 9.8 grade 93% and 46% respectively.  Another key issue to consider speculating on, and one that is not on many people’s radar, is Vigilante #36, the first meeting of Peacemaker and Vigilante.

Are you a fan of Peacemaker or Vigilante?  If so, which issues are you collecting?  Let us know below.

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