More set photos from the Tom Hardy Venom movie have been surfacing in recent months, and that has kept the original Eddie Brock version of the character in the public spotlight. It’s also helping to drive prices of key issues, which leads us to the question: should you be investing in the Venom keys?

Anytime movie hysteria kicks in, sketchy comic dealers are notorious for raising their prices by 100% and more. If you don’t believe me, go to your local comic show and check the booths then compare their prices with the averages you’ll find on GoCollect and GPA for CGC Comics.

For the past year, the Venom movie news has symbiote-related keys on the movie. However, you need to be armed with knowledge before you go looking to pick up any of these issues.

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #300

There’s not much left to say about ASM #300 that hasn’t already been said multiple times. Any self-respecting Marvel fan knows this is the first full appearance of Venom, and the cover is among the most replicated in comics history.

A good thing about ASM #300 is that, expensive thought it may be, it is a solid investment. If you picked up a CGC 7.0 in 2016, then you likely paid along the average price of $147. Lucky for you, there is a significant return on that. It jumped to a $295 average last year. The other grades are seeing the same rise in value, and it will be interesting to see how much higher it will go in 2018.

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #298

This isn’t so much a Venom key as it is a Todd McFarlane key, but you can’t talk about Venom without mentioning McFarlane. Although Venom doesn’t make his first official cameo until ASM #299, this is when McFarlane took over pencil duties, and you can argue that Venom is the creation that put him on the proverbial map.

The original incarnation of Eddie Brock was 1990s comics incarnate - highly detailed with an overly-muscular, Arnold Schwarzenegger-inspired physique with exaggerated limbs. And then there’s the mouth and tongue that resonates from the Alien movie franchise.

With the Eddie Brock Venom resurgence, ASM #298 saw a boost in market value over 2017. A CGC 9.0 sold for $89 on December 29 whereas in 2015, a 9.0 peaked at $71. Virtually all grades have been seeing a boost in average price in the past 90 days, and I expect that trend to continue.

SECRET WARS #8

Again, Venom isn’t featured in this issue, but as we all know, there wouldn’t be Venom without Secret Wars #8 in which Spider-Man gets his alien suit.

Finding SW #8 isn’t difficult. In fact, when I searched the eBay listings, I found nearly 850 copies being sold, both graded and raw. If you are looking at buying mid-grade, expect to fork over $40-$50. Want a near-mint grade in the 9.0+ range? The prices aren’t astronomical by any means, but they are steadily climbing. At the moment, they average $75-$100 until you get into the elusive 9.8 grade and then it jumps to $200. While that may seem like too much to invest, consider that a CGC 9.8 was averaging $159 in 2016, so you may need to act on that $200 price tag while you can.