There's so much talk of X-Men in the MCU and casting choices that it's bound to impact the market for all things mutant, especially the holy Wolverine trinity of Hulk #180-182. (Spoiler alert: they're getting more expensive.)
The X-Men are swarming the mainstream media. There's the endless Wolverine casting rumors, with everyone from Keanu Reeves to Jason Momoa throwing their names in the hat as potential candidates. Then Mark Millar added fuel to the fire when he predicted Taron Egerton will win the role of the MCU's Logan.
To top it off, preorders for Jonathon Hickman's X-Men relaunch have been through the proverbial roof, and House of X #1 and Powers of X #1 are already going into second printings. That puts more emphasis on Marvel's former cash-cow franchise. All of this adds up to collectors aiming their cross hairs at Wolverine's key issues.
I'll follow up with an X-Men mega-key update in the near future, and I'll include Giant-Size X-Men #1 and X-Men #94 on that list. Today's focus is strictly on Wolverine, and while GSX and X #94 feature his second and third full appearances, respectively, I consider those more X-keys rather than just Wolverine.
Need to get your X-Men fix now? Check out "Giant-Size X-Men's Price Inflation."
Why not start with the bronze age behemoth? Casting news or not, this holy grail continues to gain value across the board, which should be no surprise to anyone. Just for fun, a complete 9.8 is now selling for over $37k, but who among us can afford that?
With mega-keys like this, I pay more attention to the lower grades, and they don't disappoint in this case. The complete 3.5 is in the $1,500-$1,600 range whereas it averaged $1,400 in 2018. Even an incomplete 0.5 sold for $875 last month, and that is both impressive and sad at the same time. I'm waiting on the day that the 0.5s cross into the $1k range.
I can't mention Hulk #181 without giving an update on the companion piece, the first cameo appearance of Wolverine in Hulk #180.
With the Wolverine hype (and Hulk #181 prices) growing, many collectors are opting for this issue, and that is driving up values. Every single grade that has sold this year has surpassed its 2018 fair market value. An incomplete 1.5 recently sold for $133, and a 4.0, which had been a $250 comic in 2018, reached a record-high $400 on July 17.
Are you finding Hulk #181 and #182 too expensive for your budget? You can always settle for the second cameo (and third overall) appearance. While he's only featured on the first page being hauled away in a Weapon X helicopter, this comic completes the Wolverine holy trinity. It's also much cheaper than the other two, but it is still on the rise. A 9.8 has averaged $700 since May, earning a record-high $800 on May 4.
On the plus side, you can get up to an 8.5 for less than $200. If you want to keep your budget lower, opt for the 5.5, which has a 90-day average of $86.
Last on today's list is the first self-titled Wolverine comic from 1982, Wolverine #1. The four-issue limited series boasts some of the greatest Wolvie art ever drawn courtesy of the legendary Frank Miller. Compared to the other issues on this list, even in a 9.8 it's a bargain with its $288 12-month average.
After virtually every grade jumped last year, the current 90-day averages tell a different story. For the most part, prices are plateauing and staying within $5-$10 of the 2018 averages. However, I continue to advise getting the entire series now before any official news regarding Wolverine or the X-Men is handed down.
Looking for more Wolverine keys? Read about those in "The Collectible Wolverine" and "The Affordable Wolverine."
