Ever so quietly, Kamandi prices have crept upward even without any recent movie or television news.
Jack Kirby may be most famous for his silver age Marvel Comics co-creations, but his DC Comics run has its gems. Back in 1972, when the country was still excited over the original Planet of the Apes, “King” Kirby created a post-apocalyptic world populated with anthropomorphic animals and humans reduced to the role of beasts. Taking readers into this nightmarish landscape is Kamandi, the Last Boy on Earth, complete with boots and cut-off blue jean shorts (his fashion sense was far ahead of its time).
Although hardly a forgotten character (he did have a new series in 2017's Kamandi Challenge), not much has been happening with the Last Boy as of late. Still, he has kept a following over the decades. Now we’re seeing prices for his first appearance edging higher.
Why is that? There’s no clear-cut explanation, but odds are it’s partially due to movie speculation and the hope that he will appear in Legends of Tomorrow. So far, nothing has been said about a live-action Kamandi being brought to big or small screens, but it would make for a visually-stunning movie that differentiates from the MCU.
At the moment, all grades of Kamandi: The Last Boy on Earth #1 are still reasonably priced, but they are on the rise. At the end of Legends of Tomorrow’s second season, the finale gave fans a glimpse of buildings that hinted of Kamandi’s world. That sent collectors into a small feeding frenzy, and every grade from a 7.0 to a 9.8 got a boost in 2018's fair market value. The 9.8 moved from a $381 average in 2017 to $430 last year.
The graded 9.6 has done exceptionally well, nearly reaching a new record-high sale last year. After averaging $148 in 2017 with a high of $175, it rose to an FMV of $176 in 2018. Most impressive was the $200 sale in November.
Moving into the 9.2s and below, prices begin to dip, but that's good news from an investment standpoint. The 9.2 is down from the $88 average from 2018 with a 90-day FMV of $64, though the last sale was for $78 in December, indicating it's not going to stay so close to $60.
Nothing below a 6.5 has sold in the last three months, and it is currently a bargain at $38 considering that CGC or CBCS grading fees match the value of the book.
Comic investments and speculation is about being ahead of the curve. Of course, trying to predict where the market is headed and investing money based purely on educated guesses is very much a gamble. Certainly, Kamandi could be a boon for the DCEU, which after being on life support after the botched adaptations of Justice League and Suicide Squad received a B-12 injection in the shape of Jason Momoa. If DC wants to separate itself from the MCU, Kamandi’s world is a great way to do it. If that ever were to happen, Kamandi #1 will take off.
Nothing has been said and there’s no rumors of it happening, but that’s the fun part of comic speculation - making a guess and seeing if you're right.
