Perhaps not since we lost the great Stan Lee back in November 2018 has the comic resale market been so affected by the passing of someone connected to its stories than when we lost the incomparable Chadwick Bozeman on August 29th. Let's discuss the morality of posthumous comic sales.
In what amounts to just one full movie and small roles in three others, Bozeman had more of a cultural impact than any other comic character in cinematic history. In terms of impact on society, I put Bozeman's Black Panther on a shortlist with Heath Ledger's Joker, Christopher Reeves' Superman, and Hugh Jackman's Wolverine for pure cultural relevance.
Posthumous Comic Sales Price Hike
In the days that followed Bozeman's passing, however, we have unsurprisingly seen Black Panther books take off in price. With both increased supply (comic owners selling who had not originally considered it) and demand (prospective owners who want a piece of history) driving prices to record highs. As stated, this was not unexpected. This is a free market we live in and we are all able to buy and sell at our own pleasure. No other force than the Invisible Hand of the market driving our actions.
The recently sold listings on eBay tell this interesting story.
As an example, in the days preceding August 29th, the last ten sales of CGC 4.5 Fantastic Four #52 (the first appearance of Black Panther) sold for an average of $533 (with a max of $605) - all since May of this year. The first CGC 4.5 that sold after the Bozeman news went for $675.
Similarly, a CGC 6.5 sold in the late hours of that Saturday night when news broke for $1,688. According to GoCollect's sales database, only once has a sale approached that price in at least the last four years. The fair market value of a CGC 6.5 blue label before that sale was $825.
Both of these examples were Buy It Now options, which is important as it means sellers set those prices, and it wasn't auctioned demand driving them up.
The Question We Must Ask Ourselves
Again, buyers and sellers can do whatever they want - it's one of the greatest things about this country. But just because we CAN do something, does that mean we SHOULD do something?
Should we as comic collectors, investors, and speculators participate in the practice of financially benefiting from someone's passing by commoditizing it in some way? Whether buyer or seller, should we be on either side of the equation that creates inflated value due to some event related to someone's life and death? This isn't a new movie coming out, or a casting announcement, or a variant cover, or a new character. This is the passing of a young American icon. What should we be obligated to do?
Voices on Both Sides
As you might expect, there are plenty of voices on either side of this argument.
In the days following this tragic news, I have seen Instagram posts with literally hundreds of comments on the topic. I have seen Facebook groups banning sales of Black Panther books for two weeks. Members of that group then blast the administrators for stifling their liberties. If you have a stance on this issue, I assure you there is a large cohort of people who agree with you out there in the virtual comic community.
But what is right here? Can we even define what "right" is? As you can probably imagine, this falls well within the category of a moral and philosophical grey area.
Nietzsche and the Avengers
On one hand, you have Friedrich Nietzsche, who argued that all of our moral and ethical values should 
be judged individually based on our personal goals and desires of the self. There is no blanket "right" or "good" in this scenario. Each of these things should be given meaning and definition by the individual. What is moral for me may not be moral to others. That is my choice as long as I am not harming others.
If Nietzsche owned a near mint copy of Avengers #52 - when Black Panther joins the Avengers - he feels he would be completely justified to sell it for a price premium at this moment. Because the agreed-upon transaction would be acceptable to both parties, and since these are the only two parties involved and it doesn't impact or harm anyone outside of the transaction, these two sides are deeming the sale moral based on their individual values.
Kant We Agree on This?
On the other hand, however, we have Immanuel Kant. Kant was a major proponent of what is known as categorical imperatives. Simply, that if something is truly good or moral, it must be good or moral in all situations.
For example, I shouldn't lie to a potential buyer about the condition of a comic book. Although I can sell it for more money to help me feed my hungry family. Even though the "ends" of this transaction might have a noble intention. The "means" were by something that isn't moral in all situations, so we must refuse it.
In the case of Bozeman and comic sales, Kant thought that an individual cannot act in a certain way unless you think the reason for acting that way should become a universal law. Kant would not sell his Black Panther #1 well above fair market value after Bozeman's passing because he would have to be convinced that profiting as a result of the death of an individual is always the right thing to do.
For me, this is where I align myself most closely. Do I think Bozeman or his family care that comic collectors are price gouging? Not at all, but I would imagine they would think we should honor him in a better way.
It's All Relative
As with most things in life, this issue should be filed under the category of moral relativism. Moral relativism is the idea that each individual person in each individual society must determine their own moral judgments based on their individual situations. Which camp you fall into depends on a number of factors.
I personally find it despicable that someone would rush to make a buck off of this news. I would say we should honor the man, his abilities, and his contributions. Honor him before we start thinking of the best way to turn a profit.
But there is simply no universal code that states I am right and you are wrong. Where do you stand on the morality of posthumous comic sales? Let me know in the comments!
