No article I have written elicited as much controversy as my article on Ultimate Fallout #4.  I stated this book might fall in value.  The readers responded.  Here is my rebuttal to those responses.

A Hero For The Next Generation

Readers' Points:

The main argument was Miles Morales was THE Spider-Man for the next generation.  Miles Morales was a teen that young readers could relate to.  Fans of Spider-Man now had two characters that could exist in the same universe.  Miles Morales was for the younger generation. Appearing in the MCU would only cause this book to explode in value.

Rebuttal:

Morales may be the new Spider-Man, but not necessarily in comics. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse was a movie that most of the younger generation first got to know Miles. Young adults are not reading comics.  They are watching movies, reading manga titles, and playing with apps. Adults read comics.  Alan Moore said as much in a recent interview with Deadspin.  Adults read comics because comics were written for adults.

Middle-aged and older buyers buy this book looking to capture the next hot thing.  The fear of missing out on the next big Spider-Man key is driving this market.  Morales appearing in the MCU WILL increase this book's FMV, but how long will that last if the only people buying the book are older investors waiting for younger investors to buy this book. 

 

Right-Wing Conservative Far Left Bias

Readers' Points:

Readers called me a right-wing conservative.  They believed I did not like investing in the first appearance of Miles Morales because he was a minority member.  This was shortly after I was called a  far-left liberal for another article calling out Kevin Feige for the lack of mentally and physically impaired characters in the MCU.   Readers said that Marvel making Spider-Man a non-caucasian character was a monumental event.  This fact alone makes the book a good investment. My political ideology was hindering me from seeing this was a good book to invest in.

Rebuttal

I  started to read Miles Morales stories to make a better-educated investment decision.  My reason for not liking this book is that his race is not that important to the character.  I can still see no significance in these stories to justify all the money being spent for Ultimate Fallout #4.  In Alpha Flight #106 Northstar came out.  Investors and speculators took notice.  Shortly thereafter no one cared.  Sexuality, race, and national origin are not as important to investors as a good character with quality stories.  Speculators will hope to make a quick dollar on the buzz.  They will leave eventually like they did with the Northstar issue.

Better Choice #1

If you want to invest in a book that demonstrates how the race of character plays a significant role in a story read Adam: Legend of the Blue Marvel #1. It reworks the Marvel Universe and addresses the question of why there were not more minority characters in the Silver Age.  This story is a reflection of our real society.  If cultural significance is driving Ultimate Fallout #4 why then is everyone not going after this book?  Please note the price is high for this book.  This issue is a sound investment because of the total number of books in the census. Very few books printed and even fewer graded.

Everyone says Miles Morales in the MCU will drive his price up.  Speculators have been saying that for years and the price is already high.  Blue Marvel has no MCU hype and yet look at the numbers on this book.  If he appears in the MCU what will the new FMV look like?

Better Choice #2

Another book to read and invest in is Truth: Red, White & Black #1.  This is the first appearance of Isaiah Bradley, the first black Captain America.  This story again derives plot elements from historical events.  His story is more compelling than the Miles Morales story when it comes to addressing cultural issues.

This character is not in the MCU, but you never know how Marvel works.  Imagine Carl Lumbly as an aging Mr. Bradley revealing an unknown tale of the MCU universe on "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier". Eli Bradley is appearing as a character on the show so an elderly Isaiah Bradley appearing is not an out-there idea.  Thus if the reason for Ultimate Fallout #4 being so valuable is because of its cultural importance and the MCU,  I again state there are better choices out there. Please note that before the pandemic I could still find this book in a few dollar bins.

The Numbers Do Not Lie

Readers' Points:

The next reason readers told me to buy this book is because of the numbers.  Repeatedly I was told that this book keeps increasing in value.  The fact that this book keeps rising in value is the only number I should be concerned about as an investor.

Rebuttal:

The data cited on Comichron.com indicates that the total number of issues released is 73,764.  That means there are a lot of issues out there.  Ultimate Fallout #4 appearances in local comic book stores are not out of the norm.  This book is, again, not even 10 years old. The age of the book works against the investment potential of the issue when you look deeper into the numbers.

I am going to tell you a little secret about GoCollect.  The FMV of books listed in the guide are not, sometimes, the most important numbers the readers should review.  GoCollect gives you more than just a guide for the price of the book.  The first appearance of Miles Morales is not that rare.  Right now 8,636 issues have been graded.  That means that 11.7% of the TOTAL number of books have been graded and that a total of 3,663 sales have been documented in the GoCollect data.  Reviewing the data also indicates that 4,918 copies graded have a total grade of either 9.6 or 9.8 (57% of the total number of books graded). How many books exist raw that could also obtain that grade?

Golden Age/ Silver Age Comparison

Readers' Points:

One reader presented an argument based upon the Silver Age replacement of known characters.  The reader stated that years from now no one will remember Peter Parker.  I realized that the same could now probably be applied to Golden Age Green Lantern Alan Scott.  When you mention the name Green Lantern people now think of Hal Jordan, John Stewart, Guy Gardner, Kyle Rayner, Jessica Cruz, and Simon Baz.  How many truly remember the very first hero to use the name Green Lantern.  This was an argument that seems to be on point.  As new generations come new people assume the mantra of cultural icons that have survived for generations.

Rebuttal:

There is one problem with the theory that more people will remember Miles Morales as Spider-Man than do Peter Parker.  The problem is that fewer and fewer younger people are buying comic books.  Go to any comic book store or auction and you will see the age demographic shifts to the older generations.  Even if more people MAY identify Miles Morales as Spider-Man, how many of those people will be comic book collectors.  Even fewer will be able to pay for a common modern book that exceeds $1,000. People buying Ultimate Fallout #4 are older investors.  They are investing because this is the new Spider-Man so this book "SHOULD" be valuable.   I think I heard that before with the first appearance of Miguel O'Hara.  Fool me once....

So, Readers:

I made my arguments before and you responded.  I have taken your points and researched your rationale.  As said in the movie "A Knight's Tale, "...You have been weighed; you have been measured, and you have been found wanting."  I ask the readers what you now think. Do you agree with my rebuttals? More important is what do you think is a "correct" FMV for the regular edition of Ultimate Fallout #4?  I await your replies.

Great material awaits! Be sure to check out GoCollect on Youtube!