No.  Not the "Spider-Pig" that Homer danced across the kitchen ceiling in The Simpsons Movie.  We are talking about the original Spider Pig.  Today we are going to have a quick review of that beloved anthropomorphic pig that goes by the identity of Spider-Ham!

Spider-Ham, or Peter Porker (Heh...see what they did there) made his Marvel Comics debut in the amazingly satirical Marvel Tails (a play on the Marvel Tales series).  In a great twist of an origin story, Peter was actually an ordinary spider who was bitten by an irradiated pig scientist to become a swine who retained his spider-like abilities.  Peter decides to use his powers to fight for injustice on his alternate Earth-8311.  The comic was also used to introduce a plethora of animal versions of your favorite superheroes and villains to keep the hero/animal puns rolling.  These included: Captain Americat, Hulk Bunny, Goose-rider, Fantastic Fur, Ducktor Doom, and Deerdevil to list a few.

Census information for Marvel Tails #1 shows a high density of 9.8 graded books (38) with fewer copies listed in the 9.0-9.6 grade range.  Fair market value for a 9.8 hovers around $150.  A newsstand variant of the comic does exists as well, being printed after 1980.  The last qualified sales of a 9.8 was in February of 2018 when a run of four 9.8 graded copies sold within a day.  Data for 9.8 sales shows a 30.6% increase in the value of this book and we can expect to see that trend continue with any future sales that may show up soon (*UPDATE:  A copy was listed at the time of this posting).  Lower graded versions' sales have been a mixed bag and may be due to the abundance of 9.8 copies at a reasonable price-point.  While 9.6 and 9.4 graded books are showing a decline in their value, sales of 9.2 graded copies show a nearly 200% increase over time.  For collectors who are unable to score a copy of Marvel Tails #1, there is also the ability to get your Spider-Ham fix by purchasing a copy of Peter Porker, The Spectacular Spider-Ham #1 for under $100.

Spider-Ham is a great oddball character, similar to the likes of a Miek or a Howard the Duck in the Marvel Comic Universe (MCU).  These types of characters are great for fans as an easter egg to discuss, for kids to gain exposure to heroes, and for merchandising and pushing the brand outside the norm.  Look for the stock of Peter Porker to continue to rise as Marvel shows a willingness to have fun in its deliverables.  We have seen Spider-ham show up in cartoon form over numerous TV offerings; maybe we will have Thanos use the Infinity Gauntlet to turn the avengers into animal version of themselves with the reality stone.  It seems even more likely we see Peter Porker with the release Spider-man: Into the Spiderverse in December!  I mean, it has Spiderverse right in the title, so we have that going for us.

Is Spider-ham your favorite alternate version of Spider Man?   Will we be treated to Peter Porker or other version of Spider-Man in the MCU?  Feel free to drop your comments and join in the conversation.