The Savage She-Hulk #1

The origin of She-Hulk, as well as her first appearance, in Savage She-Hulk #1 is too cheap not to buy. Jennifer Walters was saved from assassination by a transfusion of Bruce Banner’s blood and acquired his nasty temper, strength, and green complexion, becoming the Savage She-Hulk; this issue has the unique art of John Buscema and script by Mr. Excelsior himself, Stan Lee.

This comic has seen a downturn in short-term pricing over two years, perhaps a good time to buy? In the early 2000’s, it was probably easy to find this comic in the dollar bins. Now, with all things Hulk being popular, Savage She-Hulk #1 gets some space as a wall book. The upper grades 9.2 and above have taken a beating over the last 24 months. The top grade a 9.8 is down 8.1% over that time frame. I could see a truly impressive actress portraying the She-Hulk in a movie easy-peasy. However, at this time there is no talk of a movie and therefore no catalyst for this comic.

The Savage She-Hulk #1 is one of those issues that have slow upward momentum growth in price. As a long term investment over just six years: it has earned a total return of 5.8% NM grade (GoCollect). If the price on a 9.8 is too high then try a 9.6 for a recent price of $82 (GoCollect). This issue has had a slow but steady rise in long term price for six years.

Women are taking a more dominant role in Marvel and DC, and this early 1980’s creation fits right in. Hopefully, Marvel will not put She-Hulk in those horrible Jane Fonda jazzercise leggings. She-Hulk #1 has a lot of positives going for it: low print run, excellent character development, the superhero is a strong female, and was a member of the Defenders, Heroes for Hire, Fantastic Force, Fantastic Four, Shield and even an Avenger at one time. Her accolades as a hero are too numerous to mention here. Suffice it to say she has crossed paths with nearly every hero and villain in the known Marvel universe; this sets her up well for an entry at any point into MCU. The chances of her being in a MCU movie are strong. Investors should realize this is an under acknowledged Bronze Age key that is super affordable in high grade condition. Purchase this Bronze era gift before She-Hulk gets that movie deal!

Who Watches the Watchmen #1?

The Watchmen #1 written by Alan Moore and art by Dave Gibbons has become the quintessential comic for storytelling, not to mention a brilliant glimpse into the cold war era. This series captures the terror of nuclear annihilation better than any comic before, or since. For a long time, this issue was barely above your average back issue bin price. However, over the last two years, the price has risen as much as 30%, from a grade of very fine, and up. In fact, most of the categories have shown remarkable returns. If you take the time frame out seven years, the yields are even higher, 40% return on investment on average between grades 9.0 to 9.8.

I have heard through the comic grapevine; there is a possibility of bringing the Watchmen full into DC world. There have been numerous spin-offs of this Watchmen story already. For instance, the writers at DC have created comics like Doomsday Clock #1 a definite homage and continued storytelling of a favorite character. This story follows Rorschach, everyone’s favorite psycho anti-hero. This comic could very well be a catalyst for increasing prices of the original Watchmen #1 from 1986. Just like the rise in Bronze Age prices, we might be seeing the same thing happen with so-called Modern comics. The pricing models off GoCollect, for the Watchmen seem to support a conclusion that the Modern Age has arrived.

In the final analysis, Watchmen #1 has jumped 53 spots to a startling #32 most popular Modern Age comic (GoCollect). This comic deserves an even higher ranking, and given the current popularity will probably achieve it. I tend to pick comics as both an investor and a speculator. This comic can fit either bag depending on time frame. Don’t forget to “watch the Watchmen” and buy a copy of number #1 issue.