I’m happy to be back again bringing you the latest quarterly installment of Undervalued Comics in 2022. Books that, in this volatile and news-sensitive market, actually seem to hold strong future value potential. If you missed any of the previous iterations of Undervalued Comics, you can find them here. With all eyes laser-focused on new announcements surrounding the MCU Phase 5, Phase 6, the Multiverse, DC projects, and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever right now, what books are slipping through the cracks to the point of being undervalued as we move into the cool months of Fall 2022? Let’s find out.

Hulk #271

Besides a blink-and-you-missed-it short scene in Thor: Love and Thunder this past summer, we haven't heard much from our MCU friends the Guardians of the Galaxy. But that's about to change over the next six months, and I have a feeling a lot of the story is going to revolve around everyone's foul-mouthed vermin, Rocket the Raccoon.

Over the next several months, we will get a GOTG Holiday Special on Disney+ in December, some Gamora and GotG in What If...? Season 2 this spring, and Guardians of the Galaxy: Volume 3 slated to hit theaters on May 5th. There are numerous rumors floating around that GOTG Vol. 3 will feature Rocket Raccoon heavily. Some say it will explore his backstory. Others say he will die in the third movie. But one thing is clear, Rocket has always been the heart and soul of the team, and that leaves his first (well maybe second) appearance in comics extremely undervalued.

Hulk #271 in a CGC 9.6 grade sold for $306 this month. That is the same price the book was selling for in January 2016. At its peak, that grade sold for around $750, and while it may not get back to those levels, there is plenty of room for upward movement for this key. If you want to go a little lower, grade 9.0 copies are barely selling for $200 right now.

X-Men #94

Search through a list of all upcoming MCU properties over the next several years and will notice there is still a massive mutant-sized hole in that list. Yes, we know Namor is a mutant. So is Ms. Marvel, apparently. We have the Wolverine news straight from Hugh Jackman's mouth. But where are all those sporadic moments heading, and - more importantly - WHEN are they going to get there?

Often seen as the less-expensive companion book to Giant Size X-Men #1, X-Men #94 picks up where that story leaves off and gives the first new story in the X-Men canon line in years. We get the second or third appearance of all of Wolverine, Storm, Nightcrawler, and Colossus. Plus, as an added, bonus, it is the beginning of Chris Claremont's unprecedented 16-year run working on X-Men.

Like with many mutant or X-Men books, I see this one receiving a massive spike in value when some form of Charles Xavier's team materializes. Right now, we are seeing some incredible price drops compared to years past for this book. On the CGC census, the grade with the most copies is a CGC 7.5. Just in the last two months, that grade has sold for $960 and $922. It is miles away from the peak of $2,000 set in April 2021. As with most books, we won't see those kinds of values for a long time, but I see $900 as more of a floor and not a ceiling when the MCU heads down the mutant path in a more earnest way.

Batman #307

One of the questions that fans asked after the February 2022 release of The Batman was "Where was Lucius Fox?" After all, the "Q" of Batman's operation (to use James Bond vernacular) has been seen in the Dark Knight Trilogy, Gotham, the upcoming Pennyworth show, Batman: The Animated Series, and Batman: Bad Blood, to name a few. Why wasn't he in the new Matt Reeves film, especially when some of the bat-tools and the Batmobile were such centerpieces?

Likely the reason for this is the Batman in that movie was still relatively new. No advanced Batcave, still working on his own car, making weapons in his basement. Perhaps he doesn't know Fox yet? Does that mean we will get to meet Lucius Fox in the sequel to The Batman that has already been given the green light? I'm predicting yes. As Batman develops and has more baddies as antagonists he is going to need more support. Fox could serve that role just as he has done for many other iterations of the Dark Knight.

Batman #307 is the first appearance of Lucius Fox, and you can practically find it for nothing these days. There are only 133 copies on the CGC census, but a 9.6 version just sold in August for $109. This is not going to be a shoot-to-the-moon kind of book, but one that could return a very reasonable investment considering the consistent role Fox plays in comics and on the screen.

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