One of the single biggest drivers of comic book speculation nowadays is the MCU.  From major characters like Spider-Man all the way down to D-listers like Frog Man, the MCU has fundamentally changed the way people look at comic books.  The goal of this article series is to provide investors of all stripes with some well-reasoned speculation opportunities so they can be one step ahead of a constantly shifting marketplace. So for this issue, let's talk about the magical elements of Marvel!!

Doctor Voodoo: Avenger of the Supernatural #1

Doctor Voodoo has long been rumored for an MCU appearance.  Unfortunately, copies of his first appearance (Strange Tales #169) are incredibly expensive and out of reach for most buyers.  In situations like this, first solo titles come to represent excellent alternatives.  This, combined with the book's low print run, makes the book incredibly appealing.  FYI, there is also a ludicrously rare variant of this book that goes for quite the pretty penny.

Graded Analysis: The current CGC 9.8 FMV for this book is $140.  That is more than 6x its value in 2016.  With only 37 copies of this book in the census, owners will be in excellent shape if / when Doctor Voodoo makes it into the MCU.  And frankly, even if he does not show up in the MCU, the book's growth over the last few years clearly indicates that the market percieves the book as having value independent of any movie considerations.

Weirdworld Vol. 1 #1 1:25 Frison Incentive Variant

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Weirdworld Vol. 2 #3 1:25 Carreon Incentive Variant

There are few magical villains in the Marvel Universe more powerful than Morgan Le Fay.  Unfortunately, her first appearance is an incredibly expensive golden age book and her first modern appearance is unclear at best.  So, instead of wading into either of those topics, we are instead going to focus on these two beautiful incentive variants.  Thanks to data from Comichron, we know that there can only be, at most, 951 and 429 copies of these books respectively.  That rarity, the gorgeous nature of the covers, and the dearth of quality Le Fay covers makes these books incredibly appealing.

Graded Analysis: There are only 6 copies of the Frison variant in the census and none of the Carreon variant.  If / when Le Fay pops up in the MCU, owners of these books could be in for a big payday.

Strange Tales #150

With Clea poised to make a big splash in the MCU, her warlord mother Umar, who first appeared in this book, cannot be far behind.  Umar is a major player in Marvel's magic scene as well as in the life of Clea and Dr. Strange.  Due to this significance, the book is unlikely to lose value long-term and is well-positioned for an MCU bump.  Hard to ask for more from an investment than safety and tremendous upside.

Graded Analysis:  the FMV for this book has been trending up over time in nearly every single grade, so its definitely a good book to pick up.  The most common grade in the census, 8.5, currently has an FMV of $350, more than quintuple its value a decade prior.

Ka-Zar The Savage #11

This book contains the first appearance of Belasco, the demonic sorcerer most well-known for kidnapping a young Ilyana Rasputin.  Belasco is an incredibly powerful magic user in his own right and plays a foundational role in Magik's origin story.  His potential for both magic and mutant stories gives him an incredibly interesting appeal for MCU investors.  That appeal is buoyed even further by the book's incredibly low buy-in cost.

Graded Analysis: Only 26 copies of this book exist in the census and less than half are 9.6 or higher.  None of the grades currently have a higher FMV than $36, meaning there is plenty of opportunity here to buy low.

*Any perceived investment advice is that of the freelance blogger and does not represent advice on behalf of GoCollect.