With prices for Star Wars key issues reaching four figures in some cases, which comics could turn into the next hot key?

The Mandalorian has revitalized what had been a stale Star Wars market. After the less-than-stellar receptions for Solo, Last Jedi, and Rise of Skywalker, even lifelong Star Wars fans were losing interest in the franchise, and prices for Star Wars key issues floundered. Then along came the Boba Fett-esque Din Djarin on Disney+, and suddenly Star Wars is the hottest commodity in comics. 

Now collectors are having a feeding frenzy for the first comic appearances of Boba Fett, Ahsoka Tano, and even Sabine Wren. As a result, values have inflated to the point of no return. For collectors who missed out on Ahsoka and Boba Fett, what’s next? Here are three issues that could be the next big thing. 

STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS DEFENDERS OF THE LOST TEMPLE #1

This issue has caught so many collectors off guard that you will not find it in the GoCollect listings. That should give you a clue as to how little interest there was in this issue before the third episode of The Mandalorian

What makes Star Wars: The Clone Wars- Defenders of the Lost Temple special is two-fold. Number one, it is the first (and possibly only to date) comic appearance of Bo-Katan Kryze, who made her surprise live-action debut in that third episode. Secondly, this is the same issue that saw the premiere of the darksabre. For fans of Cartoon Network’s series, they will remember this item fondly from Bo-Katan’s adventures on Mandalore, home of the famed Mandalorians. It then returned in Mandalorian’s season one finale and was alluded to in episode three. 

On eBay, prices are all over the place. A graded 7.5 sold for $350 on November 13, and a raw copy brought $147.77 the same day. A month ago, these were selling for as low as $15 to as much as $87.

KANAN: THE LAST PADAWAN #1

This issue has been on the move and for good reason. Tied directly to the Star Wars: Rebels cartoon, there are several first comic appearances from the show: Kanan Jarrus, Ezra Bridger, Zeb, and Hera. With The Mandalorian’s showrunners generously plucking characters from the animated universe, any of these faces could appear in live-action. 

Sabine Wren’s debut in Kanan #6 overshadows Kanan #1 in terms of fair market value, but that is a good thing for buyers. Where Kanan #6 at a 9.8 has a $350 FMV, Kanan #1 is resting at $200 for the same grade. While that is not a steal by any means, this issue has a stronger upside than #6. There are more character firsts in this issue, which means more chances for familiar characters to reach Disney+.

DARTH MAUL #2

With so many Clone Wars references and allusions being made in The Mandalorian, I can’t see how Cad Bane can be left out of the fun. In the cartoon series, he was known as the most ruthless of bounty hunters. This would make him a perfect adversary for Din Djarin. It is so perfect of a fit that I think he is the odds-on favorite to be added to The Mandalorian lore as a major character. 

The speculation for Cad Bane has already begun. However, it’s far away from those four-figure sales of Ahsoka and Boba Fett’s debuts. At the moment, the standard edition of Darth Maul #2 at a 9.8 has a 90-day average of $230, although the last sale was for a more-reasonable $155 in November. If you opt for a 9.6, that price falls to just $56. The bigger money is in the Aja variant, which sold for $700 in August.

MORE TO COME

Star Wars is the hottest commodity in comics at the moment, and so many issues are on the move that this could not be contained to just one post. Look for more Mandalorian-related keys in the coming days.