Have collectors gotten their fill of Black Panther? Outside of Fantastic Four #52, prices for Black Panther keys are falling, including the debuts of Killmonger and Klaw.

You’d think that with Black Panther’s enormous financial success that anything related to T’Challa would have the Midas touch. It's been among the most successful superhero films of all time. Not only did it dominate the box office, but it was nominated for multiple Golden Globes, and it’s recently been nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars, a first for a superhero movie.

Black Panther’s first appearance in Fantastic Four #52 is one of the hottest comics around, it has been for close to a year. In the past 90 days, it’s still setting new highs, and all but one grade has been up compared to last year’s numbers. It has been the best-selling, graded silver age comic on the market after selling almost 550 times, followed by Fantastic Four #48 in a distant second with 406. At this rate, you’ll have to take out a small loan to buy an FF #52 when the sequel rolls around.

Outside FF #52, however, the early Black Panther appearances are taking a dive.

 

 

 

 

Michael B. Jordan’s performance as Killmonger has been almost unanimously praised, and it’s garnered the character newfound attention. However, his first appearance in Jungle Action #6 has taken a downward turn. Like all things associated with Black Panther, the movie’s release gave JA #6 a huge boost, but in the past 90 days, many of those values have dropped to their 2017 FMVs. 

For instance, look at the 9.0. In 2017, it had an FMV of $250, and it rose to a 12-month average of $268. On May 27, that particular grade reached a new high with a $390 sale. Now it's lost that momentum, and the 90-day average has sunk to $190.

 

 

 

Before the movie premiered last year, collectors wanting a piece of the action but unable to afford FF #52 opted for Black Panther #1.

After a great 2018, it's hit a slump of its own. The 2018 numbers were stellar, and every single grade sold was up in terms of yearly average. But for the past three months, only the 9.8 has gained in fair market value. That leaves 10 different grades dropping in FMV.  On the plus side, BP #1’s 90-day averages are still above the 2017 averages, but the drop is still concerning.

 

 

 

 

The second appearance of Black Panther (and the first appearance of Ulysses Klaw) in Fantastic Four #53 is doing better than the aforementioned comics, but it’s on a downfall as well. More than half of the grades sold in the past 90 days have experienced a drop in FMV compared to their 2018 averages. The 4.0 took a particularly hard hit. Back in 2017, it was averaging $82, but in the last 90 days, it’s brought just $57.

 

 

 

 

 

Aside from Killmonger, one of the breakout characters from Black Panther was Klaw. While he made his debut as Ulysses Klaw in FF #53, his first appearance as the supervillain Klaw was in Fantastic Four #56. Again, you would think this would be a hot comic considering the popularity of Andy Serkis' portrayal in the Black Panther movie, but it's cold at the moment.

Like the other keys related to the movie, this comic was booming last year with most grades showing gains in FMV. Over these past 90 days, only four graded copies have sold on eBay, and three of those sold for below their 2017 averages.

Take the 8.5 for example. After earning an FMV of $141 last year, its 90-day average stands at $107 when two years ago it averaged $126.

 

 

What does this all mean? It seems that while mainstream movie fans are still high on the Panther, collectors have lost interest. Since Killmonger and Klaw were killed off in the movie, these keys aren't likely to pick back up for quite some time.