Silver Surfer is on the cusp of absolutely blowing up the comic scene, and if you don’t have those classic Surfer keys, you’d better act quickly.
If you haven’t noticed, the Silver Surfer is making a bit of a comeback. First, he’s the featured antagonist to Thanos (or Thanoses or whatever the plural of Thanos would be) in the incredibly popular Donny Cates/Geoff Shaw Thanos run. In fact, he’s on the cover of Thanos #17, which went on sale Wednesday, and it is a great read. Personally, I’m a much bigger fan of the alternate-future Silver Surfer, known as The Fallen One, than I am the Cosmic Ghost Rider. Having a more brutal Surfer wielding Mjolnir is simply icing on the cake. Cosmic Ghost Rider is getting a self-titled series this summer, and I’m crossing my fingers that The Fallen One gets a series as well.
There’s also the in-the-works deal for Disney to buy Fox, which would give Marvel Studios the chance to use the Surfer in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Ever since that deal was announced - although it is still pending, mind you - the Silver Surfer keys have been hot in anticipation of him debuting in the MCU.
Speaking of his possible MCU debut, that brings me to the other part to this equation: the latest big rumor swirling at the moment regarding the Surfer and the MCU. Some comic news sites are reporting that the Silver Surfer is listed in the credits for Avengers: Infinity War. For the record, I consulted the Internet Movie Database (IMDB), and he is not listed there. I don’t believe he will be in Infinity War since the Fox buyout hasn’t gone through, and, as far as anyone knows, there have been no deals between Disney and Fox to use those characters similar to the Disney-Sony deal for Spider-Man. However, the rumor is persistent, and if anyone has the clout to make it happen, it’s Marvel/Disney.
All that being said, Silver Surfer is primed to make a large impact on the Marvel Universe if things keep moving in this direction, and those key issue prices are inflating each day because of it. His first appearance in Fantastic Four #48 is seeing a spike that is bordering it on “Holy Grail” territory. In other words, it may soon reach the Incredible Hulk #181-unaffordable range.
Silver Surfer #1 isn’t in the same price range as FF #48, but it is certainly getting more expensive by the week. The 90-day average for virtually any grade of SS #1 has seen an increase in fair market value compared to the past one to two years. At the moment, anything above a near-mint 9.0 will cost over $1,000, and mid-grade copies are still in the $300-$400 range.
However, the comic from that series that’s making the biggest gains is Silver Surfer #4, which features the classic Jack Kirby cover showcasing the first meeting between the Surfer and Thor. A 9.0 has risen from an $859 average last year to $944. Even a mid-grade 6.0, which sold for $273 on average in 2017, recently brought $360 just this month.
So take my advice, and if you’ve been on the fence about these issues, go ahead and buy them now before they become astronomical.
