A mostly overlooked first appearance could get much more popular in the coming months. Now would be a good time to invest in Doomsday Clock #12.

“Jon calls me Clark.”

Doomsday Clock was an amazing series, and it is worth collecting the dozen issues simply for masterful storytelling and fantastic artwork. Geoff Johns and Gary Frank did a superb job merging the Watchmen with the DC Universe, and I highly recommend this series. 

In the closing pages of issue #12 after Doctor Manhattan and Superman finally have their much-hyped face-off, Manhattan creates what appears to be a copy of Superman as a young boy. Jon seemingly transfers his powers to this new character, and on the final page, he introduces himself as “Clark.” More interesting is that he has Manhattan’s blue atomic symbol on his forehead, which signifies that Clark possesses both Manhattan and Superman’s power sets. That would basically make him more powerful than either of his predecessors.

MY DEATH METAL THEORY

Here is my theory: "Clark" is going to save the DC Universe from the Batman Who Laughs in the finale of Dark Knights: Death Metal

In the pages of Death Metal, Wonder Woman killed the Batman Who Laughs. In Hell. With an invisible chainsaw. Yeah.

True to Batman logic, the BWL had planned for this. The evilest of alternate Batmen left orders for his evil Alfreds to transfer his brain into a version of Bruce Wayne who became Doctor Manhattan in another timeline. That transforms the BWL into a godlike being with infinite power. He is seemingly unstoppable and unmatched with his newfound abilities. 

Enter: the Superman-Manhattan mashup. 

Clark, even as a child, would give BWL a challenger and establish him firmly in the DC Universe. That would elevate prices very quickly and ignite a feeding frenzy for copies of Doomsday Clock #12. 

Of course, this is all just my theory, but it definitely makes sense, and it would explain why such a powerful new character has only been seen so scarcely since his inception.

Doomsday ClockSTANDARD COVER

There are very few copies of this one being floated around online, at least graded. There have been just seven graded copies bought and sold online, and that includes both the sketch and variant covers. Considering a new character debut is on the final page, that is remarkable in itself. Safe to say, it simply is not a popular issue among collectors.

What caught my attention, however, was the May sale of a 9.8. This was the first near-mint-plus copy sold online, and it brought an even $100. That is fairly impressive considering that most collectors have stayed away from this one like the black plague. 

 

Doomsday ClockVARIANT

The variant cover has seen more action than the standard and sketch combined, but that does not translate into a high sales volume. So far this year, there have been three 9.8s sold online. What is worth noting is that the prices are steadily increasing. On February 1, one brought $50, which basically pays for the grading fees plus a little extra. By the end of the month, there had been only one additional sale, and it was for $54. Nothing happened for nearly three months until a May 29 sale netted $87. There have not been any sales since then, but it is worth keeping an eye on.

 

 

Doomsday ClockSKETCH

Maybe there have only been two graded sketch covers sold this year, but it does have the distinction of having the most recent sales. While the standard and variant covers have not traded hands since May, the last sketch cover brought $69 on August 15. That is in line with the only other sale, which was $75 on May 22. 

FINAL THOUGHTS

As I have written before, a first appearance's value is dependent on how the character is used going forward. Since Clark has been virtually forgotten, there is not much incentive to collect his debut comic. I think being forgotten is exactly what Johns and the DC editorial staff planned all along. When he saves the day in Death Metal, it will be a huge surprise, and that Doomsday Clock #12 collecting dust in your long box will jump in value.

 

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