Collectors have been getting behind The Empty Man thanks to the upcoming movie.
Talk of The Empty Man being adapted into a live-action movie have been circulating for years. It has been given an official release date of December 4, so that has pumped excitement into the first issues and its numerous variants. Here is the latest market report.
WHAT IS THE EMPTY MAN?
Originally a six-issue limited series in 2014, the title gained enough popularity that it was given an ongoing series beginning in 2018.
The plot for The Empty Man is similar to the 2002 movie, 28 Days Later. From the Boom Studios site: "It's been one year since the first reported case of the Empty Man disease, and no drug has been able to slow its progress. The cause is unknown, and the symptoms include fits of rage, hideous hallucinations, suicidal dementia, followed by death, or a near lifeless, 'empty' state of catatonia. As murder cults rise nationwide, the FBI and CDC enter a joint investigation of the Empty Man, hoping to piece together clues to stop the cult and uncover a cure."
THE EMPTY MAN #1 (2014 STANDARD COVER)
Like almost all modern comics, The Empty Man #1 from six years ago had its share of variant covers. Compared to the 2018 ongoing series, three is not so bad.
Two years ago, the 9.8 was a $155 comic, and its fair market value was a respectable $79 in 2019. However, values had dropped to $63 over the past 12 months with just a $60 90-day FMV.
In mid-July, it was selling for about $50, but there was a sudden spike on July 25. That day, it suddenly jumped to $110. There have not been any sales since then, so the jury is still out on whether or not this is a trend. Last month, a 9.6 did trade hands for $60, which is worth noting.
THE EMPTY MAN #1 (GONI MONTES VARIANT 2014)
Along with the standard cover, Boom Studios issued the Montes virgin variant. At the moment, the 9.8 has an FMV of $142. That figure is based on just two sales, one from April for $109, and the other was for $175 on July 12.
THE EMPTY MAN #1 (2014 VANESSA R. DEL REY VARIANT)
The third variant was completed by Vanessa R. Del Rey, who also completed the interior panels. There have not been sales for graded copies of this one, but that will change once the movie premieres, especially if it is a hit. At the moment, you should be able to grab a raw copy off eBay for no more than $50.
THE EMPTY MAN #1 (2018 STANDARD COVER)
Four years after the limited series premiered, The Empty Man was given the green light for an ongoing series. It is nothing new, but it does make it pertinent to 2020 because the story is set during a global pandemic where government-mandated quarantines are common. In that regard, this title was ahead of its time, but we can say the same thing for Stephen King's The Stand.
Again, there have not been many graded sales for any of the 2018 #1s. The plus side of that is you can get your hands on the raw copies for as much as $20 for the variants or as little as $10 for the standard cover.
