Your Star Wars keys are returning to form while a comic about therapy sessions brought home the award for outstanding achievement in randomness. It’s time again for Trends & Oddballs.

Last year, Star Wars comics dominated the secondary market. On the back of The Mandalorian’s second season, collectors could not get enough Star Wars, and many first appearances blossomed as a result. After a semi-hiatus, those Star Wars keys are regaining their momentum with the latest Disney+ announcements.

Meanwhile, Sony and Marvel Studios fueled the speculative market thanks to their upcoming projects. Here’s more.

37. STAR WARS: HEIR TO THE EMPIRE #1 (+469)

The news spread rapidly across the internet: Grand Admiral Thrawn has been cast, and it is renewing interest in his first appearance. That is not to say Heir to the Empire #1 was not already an expensive issue.

Prices soared last year when Ahsoka named dropped Thrawn in her episode of The Mandalorian. Since the word was already out that she would star in her own Disney+ series, that basically confirmed that the grand admiral would be the featured villain. Now collectors will have even more incentive to grab hold of those Thrawn keys before he makes his live-action debut.

41. AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #15 (+958)

The live-action news is what is propelling the market this week. Then again, is that not the case every week? Be that as it may, Kraven’s first appearance was back in the spotlight.

Although there have been no official updates from Sony, the rumors and speculation are running rampant across the gossip sites. It serves to put Kraven’s name back in the forefront of collectors’ minds. After all, movie news travels so fast that anything more than a week old feels like ancient history.

56. STAR WARS #2 (+944)

Obi-Wan Kenobi has made SW #2 one of the better Star Wars keys to own, at least among those from the original series. While he was on the cover for SW #1, the fan-favorite character did not appear in the story until the second issue. That is why collectors have been clamoring for this one since Disney announced that actor Ewan McGregor would star in the Kenobi streaming series.

Personally, I think the bigger question is, will we see the return of Darth Maul?

73. YOUNG AVENGERS PRESENTS #6 (+460)

All those Kate Bishop keys have been on the front burner all year, but this is the first time YAP #6 has ascended the ranks of the Hottest Comics.

What makes this issue special is not any first appearances. Rather, it marked the first meeting between Kate and Clint Barton, who gave her his seal of approval on using the codename Hawkeye. Clearly, this will be the basis for much of the Disney+ Hawkeye series on the horizon, and it will be another show tie-in that collectors will want to add to their shopping lists.

ODDBALL OF THE WEEK

649. PSYCHOANALYSIS #4 (+350)

When the Comics Code Authority gripped its iron fist over comic creators, it caused publishers to make hard right turns with their subject matter. Who needs action-packed superhero comics or spine-tingling horror tales when you can thrill readers with the exploits of Freudian psychoanalysis?

That’s right; someone at EC Comics thought it would be a winning idea to showcase normal people’s therapy sessions in sequential art storytelling. This is such an odd, random title and such a sign of the times in 1955 that I can see where collectors would want to own a copy. It’s just too weird to pass up.

Which of these do you have in YOUR collection? Let us know in the comments!

Upgrade to a GoCollect PRO membership and never guess at a sale again!