Except for Batman, I think most people would agree that Spider-Man has the best rogues gallery of villains in comic book history. Although not as well-known as the Green Goblin or Doctor Octopus, the Vulture's first appearance actually occurred before either of those characters in Amazing Spider-Man #2. GameRant ranked the Vulture #7 on its list of The 25 Best Spider-Man Villains Of All Time, Ranked. We also saw Michael Keaton deliver a gangbusters performance of the Vulture in Amazing Spider-Man: Homecoming.

If you collect key issues from the Amazing Spider-Man run, this week's PWCC auction features several minor keys related to the Vulture. Let's take a closer look at those comics.

Amazing Spider-Man #48 (Marvel, 1967) CGC 5.0

This minor key features the first appearance of Blackie Drago, the second incarnation of the Vulture. Created by Stan Lee and John Romita, Sr., Blackie Drago was a younger, more physically imposing version of the character, especially in comparison to the geriatric Adrian Toomes (the first Vulture). Drago meets Toomes in prison and later manages to steal Toomes' flight suit which he uses to battle Spider-Man.

According to GoCollect, the FMV of a 5.0 copy of this book is currently $110. One sold for $112 back on March 11th, and another sold for $134 on January 27th. Both were fixed-price sales on eBay. As of Saturday, May 13th, the current bid on PWCC is only $27. Right now, this looks like a steal.

Amazing Spider-Man #49 (Marvel, 1967) CGC 4.5 

PWCC has also Amazing Spider-Man #49 for sale which continues Blackie Drago's storyline from issue #48. This issue has a villain cross-over where Drago joins forces with Kraven the Hunter to fight Spider-Man. Not surprisingly, Spider-Man manages to defeat them both and Drago is sent back to prison.

During the past few months, the sales price of a 4.5 copy of this book issue has varied quite a bit. For example, on March 29th, one buyer purchased a 4.5 for $75 through a fixed-price sale on eBay. Roughly a month earlier on February 13th, another buyer purchased a 4.5 for just $54 through an auction hosted by eBay. And then back in August, another bought a 4.5 for almost 2.5x that amount ($112).

According to GoCollect, the FMV for a 4.5 is $75. As of Saturday, May 13th, the current bid on PWCC is only $27.

Amazing Spider-Man #63 (Marvel, 1968) CGC 5.5

In this issue, we finally see Adrian Toomes regain the mantle of the Vulture fro Drago. Toomes frees Drago from prison, but only so Toomes could prove himself to the superior version of the Vulture. Although not a major key, this issue still has a great cover featuring both versions of the Vulture in their flight suits captured in the light of Spider-Man's Spider Signal.

According to GoCollect, the FMV of a 5.5 is $85. Looking at the original list prices for the "best offer" sales (from $275 to $320), $240 sounds about right to me. As of Saturday, May 6th, the current bid on PWCC is only $26.

Have any other items in this week's PWCC auction caught your attention? Please let our community know in the comments section below!

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