Did you get your copy of Batman Damned #1? All the controversy over the first appearance of Batman's other sidekick (wink, wink) made it white hot in October, but the market is fickle, and those sky-high prices are falling fast. 

Whether or not you approve of Batman's nude pic in Damned #1, we all have to agree - the guy looks great for pushing 80 years old.

Sure, we're tired of hearing the Bat-penis puns (my personal favorite was the first appearance of Bat-a-wang), but that single panel of Bruce Wayne in all his glory stirred a major controversy not just in comic circles, but in the mainstream media as well. That's why the Hollywood Reporter grabbed the story, and gave collectors some handy facts in the article, "DC to Censor Full Frontal Nudity in Future 'Batman Damned' Printings."

First, we know that DC had an initial print run of 115,000, and publishers don't always reveal those figures to the public. Second, they broke the news that DC would not be reprinting the issue, at least not with the Bat-a-wang in full view. That created a feeding frenzy for what otherwise would not have been a key issue.

Across the country, copies of the first printing of Batman Damned were selling out. Here we are two months later, and the graded copies are still bringing solid prices - the highest recorded sale of a 9.8 Damned #1 was for $300 - just not the same prices as before.

There's actually been a surprising number of 9.9s and even 10.0s that have been circulating; so far, 25 graded 9.9s and 20 perfect 10.0s have sold since the beginning of October, and that's not counting the signed copies. One of those 10.0s brought an impressive $1,250.

But a controversial comic only stays hot for a short time, and we're already seeing the popularity for Damned #1 waning.

Where the mythic 10.0s were selling for $900 and over $1k throughout October, they have since steadily dropped to the $500-$600 range. Those 9.8s, which had peaked at the beginning of October, experienced the same decline and are dipping into the $100 range. It won't be long before they're going for under $100. So if you have been debating putting yours up for grabs, do it now.

If there's one thing we know about comics enveloped in controversy it's that once the novelty wears off, the prices fall. Look at X-Men Gold #1. The first print ruled the market for a few weeks because the artist slipped in some antisemitic Easter eggs.  At first, it was selling for as much as $103 in May of last year, but it soon dropped to the $50 range. Although the recent X-Men resurgence has boosted sales, it's still far from that the record high.

The lesson to be learned here is if you're going to max your profit from a controversial comic, do so quickly. Be among the first to get your copy graded and put up for sale, and you'll be in for some easy money. The longer you wait, the more competition you have, and the fickle market will lose its collective interest as the attention will be passed on to another comic. Certainly there's money to be made when it comes to controversy over an issue, especially when it deals with a character as famous as Batman, but be ready for it to peak very quickly.