Riri & NaomiHello everyone! I hope everyone is doing well during the COVID-19 crisis. Please, everyone, stay safe and practice social distancing.

The comic industry is at a standstill these days, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Though, comics that are not newly released are still being bought. Speculating in comics will continue as the crisis continues. With that, here are some comics that have been lagging in value. Even with these comics receiving a good amount push from their respective publisher.

 

Naomi:

Firstly, let's start with DC Comics. Last year, they introduced a major character to their lineup and it received good praise. That character is Naomi McDuffie. Naomi is a female superhero introduced in early 2019. Naomi's first appearance is Naomi #1. The origin mystery sparked record values of the first appearance in March and April 2019. The values of a CGC 9.8 slab hit a price of $500 on 03/10/19 and $587.77 on 04/23/19.

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After the book hit its highest value, the price tumbled. Many factors contributed to the drop in value. Even with decent exposure, such as appearances in Action Comics and Young Justice, her value kept dropping.

Naomi's first series concluded with six issues with her origin story explained.  While her origin story is similar to Superman, it was confirmed she is linked to a lantern, possibly white or black. With that, the buzz of her being related to the Man of Steel ended. In addition, speculators are hesitant to invest in this character. It appears collectors need more proof that she is DC's next rising star. For that, a lot is riding on her second series to come out.  With this gap, prices have fallen hard and may continue to do so.

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Currently, the FMV of a 9.8 graded comic is sitting at $110. In fact, many high-grade copies (9.8, 9.6, 9.4) are all showing negative trends in value.

Riri Williams (Ironheart):

Even Marvel Comics has some characters that are dipping in value. Riri Williams was first introduced in the Invincible Iron Man series in 2016. She would make a cameo appearance in issue seven (7) and a full appearance in issue nine (9).  Just like with Naomi from DC Comics, Riri, also known as Ironheart, is linked to a famous superhero, Tony Stark, aka Iron Man.

With her super-genius intelligence, she built her own suit of armor off an outdated Iron Man Armor Model 41. With that, she would take the mantle of Iron Man and create her own story. Expectations were sky-high for this character, especially with Avengers: Endgame in April 2019. In addition, the death of Tony Stark in the MCU would spark the speculation rumors of Ironheart of taking his place.

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Speculation after Avengers: Endgame for her was riding high. Her first cameo appearance is in Invincible Iron Man #7. After the movie was released, the issue was averaging sale prices of a 9.8 graded copy for $175 and as high as $250. Her first appearance is in Invincible Iron Man #9. Similarly, just like issue seven, graded 9.8 copies went for around $200 to $230 during the fall of 2019.

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Currently, the FMV of an Invincible Iron Man #7 is $110 and an Invincible Iron Man #9 is $180. A couple of factors have attributed to that. The gap in time with no news of who will take the mantle of Iron Man is evident. The rumor that Stark's daughter in the movie, Morgan, could take his place has silenced Ironheart fans. Also, speculation that Tony Stark could come back in the MCU is hurting her value. Until we know anything concrete, the value of this character will be at a standstill.

 

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Do Not Worry...

Nevertheless, the dip in this character's value does show some concern. More on the DC side than Marvel, if I might add. In spite of this, both of these characters are created for the long run for both publishers. They are set up for success and it is only a matter of time for their time in the spotlight. In fact, with their value dipping, this is a good opportunity to buy low. Marvel, especially, has shown to bring out the best in their characters and maximize their potential. Once they figure out their financial issue, DC will move forward and push this character to the level expectation they are hoping for; with the likes of Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman.

Personally, I am all in with both characters, even with a recent dip in values. Both of their stories are great and I look forward to what will happen next with these characters.

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