With so many different ideas to adapt, it can be tough to find the right investments at the right price. Fortunately, GoCollect is here to help!!
Low-Cost Options
Annihilation: Super Skrull #1
I absolutely love this book as an investment opportunity for several reasons. First, it is the first solo title for Super Skrull. I am a big fan of first solo titles, as they represent a publisher's confidence in a character. With Secret Invasion soon to be released, two Guardians of the Galaxy projects filming, and a Nova projected confirmed to be in the works, opportunities abound for this deeply layered character to show up in live-action.
Number Two - every book in this series has a gorgeous cover produced by Gabrielle Dell'Otto. Dell'Otto has legions of fans who collect his books and a lot of variants that have become extremely valuable. As a result, the book is unlikely to ever lose value.
Number Three - This book is part of the comic book event Annihilation, one of the greatest crossovers Marvel has ever produced. With damn near every big player in that story either already in the MCU or announced to be appearing soon, the stage is perfectly set for a live-action adaptation. Any such adaptation would almost definitely cause a spike in interest in the books that make up the event, making now a great time to buy low before the rest of the market swoops in.
Realm Of Kings #1
Realm of Kings is another great low-cost option with a big upside. First and foremost, it marks the beginning of the end of the DnA era of Marvel Cosmic, one of the most celebrated eras in Marvel Comics. It is rarely a bad idea to invest in good storytelling
Second, this book marks the first appearance of the Revengers, the evil version of the Avengers, and their home dimension the Cancerverse, an eldritch alternate dimension where life has conquered death. Both the Revengers and the Cancerverse have a lot of interesting MCU appeal.
Revengers is a very visceral name and could easily be used without the added backstory of the Cancerverse. The Cancerverse, meanwhile, is well fleshed out and leans heavily into the kinds of Lovecraftian themes that audiences are very familiar with.
Consequently, it is a great option for adaptation as the MCU continues to explore different dimensions within the multiverse. Finally, Realm Of Kings #1 did not have a large print run, making it the rare Marvel event book that can take advantage of the economic principle of scarcity. That is a lot of value for a book that can still be easily found for single digits.
Medium Cost Options
Annihilation Conquest: Prologue #1
It blows my mind that a book with so much going for it can still be affordably found so easily. To start out, the cover art is absolutely gorgeous, especially in its depiction of Phyla-Vell. Given that Phyla-Vell has been cast in one of the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy projects and does not have that many great covers, the exceptional art is already enough to make this book worthy of consideration.
Next, this book has the first cameo appearance and first cover appearance of fan-favorite character Wraith. Furthermore, this book marks the beginning of Annihilation: Conquest, an absolutely beloved event that would be incredibly easy to adapt. So, to summarize this book's appeal:
- Phenomenal cover of a character with very few good covers
- First cameo and cover appearance of a fan-favorite character
- Fantastic storytelling
- Start of an event that could easily make its way into the MCU.
Honestly, need I say more?
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 5 Annual #1 1:25 Bartel Incentive Variant
Much like her wife Phyla-Vell, Moondragon also does not have a lot of great covers. That, in turn, is a big part of what makes this book so wildly enticing. This variant has an absolutely gorgeous cover depicting two characters that rarely grace the front of a comic at all. And, as if that was not enough, the cover was created by superstar Jen Bartel and is a ratio variant for a book with a low print run.
I expect this book to grow in value even without any substantive MCU news, so imagine where it could go if / when these two characters show up in a movie.
High-Cost Options
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 #7 1:100 Pichelli Variant
According to Comichron, approximately 69,000 copies of the regular cover exist, meaning that there can only be, at most, 690 copies of this variant. Here is the thing: there is no way the actual number is even close to that. This book has two other 1:100 variants, a 1:50 variant, and a 1:25 variant, meaning the few shops that even qualified for this book had plenty of other options to choose from. Compounding all of this is the fact that the variant is almost identical to the regular cover, with literally the only difference being Angela standing in the middle instead of Star-Lord.
Personally, I have a hard time believing many shops went with the least distinct version of the three 1:100 covers. This is seemingly confirmed by the dearth of listing and sales for the book on eBay. Consequently, this variant is one of, if not THE hardest to find Angela books out there. Given how heavily rumored Angela is to appear in the MCU, investors would be wise to keep an eye out.
Strange Tales #178
This book contains the first appearance of Warlock's evil side, Magus, and is possibly the biggest layup on this list. First of all, Magus has been a part of damn near every storyline that has also involved Warlock. Given that Warlock has been announced for an upcoming Guardians project and Marvel's fondness for villains that are dark reflections of heroes, the odds are already really good that Magus will show up soon. Furthermore, Magus also has strong connections with many MCU characters that already have been or soon will be introduced.
As a result, there is a wealth of source material for screenwriters to draw upon. This book is already tough to find at an affordable price even at lower grades; If Magus does end up making an appearance in the MCU, who knows what heights the price could reach.
Out of Nowhere Pick
Darkhawk Vol. 2 #1
In August 2021, Marvel unveiled a new Darkhawk. This version eschewed many of the character's more convoluted elements and focused instead on a more grounded tale. This story centers around Connor Young, a high school basketball star whose entire future is derailed by an ALS diagnosis.
The series is incredibly well-written and masterfully executes its central theme that power is just as much a curse as a blessing. Investors should not expect a quick turnaround, but all of the ingredients are there for something great.
Want more MCU spec?
That's all for this week, folks! Check back next week for a new MCU topic!
