One of the latest Disney+ news to make waves (or at least a ripple) in the comic book market is neither of the usual suspects of Star Wars or Marvel, but rather the caped crusader known as Darkwing Duck.  With rumors and news of a reboot animated series in the air, what does the Darkwing Duck comic book market look like?

 

THE SCOURGE THAT PECKS AT YOUR NIGHTMARES

A few months after the broadcast of the animated series, DWD made his comic book debut with Disney's limited series Darkwing Duck #1 (1991); in which Darkwing Duck tries to stop Taurus Bulba from getting his hands on the gravitational Waddlemeyer Ramrod weapon.  The earliest CGC 9.8 sale occurred in late 2013 for the low price of $43. This would be the only CGC 9.8 slab sold for the next few years; until finally in 2019, a handful of CGC 9.8 slabs came back to the market. These have been selling for a price range roughly in the low $200s level. The recent increase in sales volume for this book is indeed relatively small when compared to the greater body of the entire comic book market. It is big news for the small mallard pond, though.

IT'S A DUCK'S WORLD

The sudden rise in popularity of this Darkwing Duck book does draw similarities to Disney’s other popular duck property, Duck Tales. Duck Tales saw an animated series reboot that premiered in late 2017. Quick note, this does predate the Disney+ platform. For Duck Tales, the most popular comic book in the market has been Disney's DuckTales #1 (1988). Despite the earlier debut of the Duck Tales reboot series, sales for CGC 9.8 slabs of this book were also absent from the market.  Until the last few years, that is.

While the biggest CGC 9.8 sale of note was a $300 one that occurred in early 2020; the overall CGC 9.8 FMV currently sits at $140. Patience could have allowed for two books for the price of one. With the performance of Duck Tales #1 in mind, it might be a good precaution to sell out of any spikes for Darkwing Duck #1. That being said, perhaps the popularity of Disney+ could be a bit of a wildcard to the upside.

FINDING A NEST

After the decline of the Disney Comics division, subsequent DWD adventures found a home in the Disney Adventures magazine, Marvel Comic’s Disney Afternoon, and later on at BOOM! Studios. Some of these other Darkwing Dark books to look out for include Darkwing Duck Annual #1 (2011) and the variant version of Darkwing Duck #7 (2010). This is more so for the cover aesthetics than anything else. Darkwing Duck Annual #1 features a cover that is a homage to Batman: The Killing Joke and Darkwing Duck #7 variant has a cover homage to Batman #1. Currently, there are listings for CGC 9.8 slabs for these books in the $300 level. For the time being, however, buyers are absent. It’s a bit hard to justify a price higher than Darkwing Duck #1 (1991).

So what’s next? Perhaps TaleSpin? TaleSpin limited series #1 (1991), not to be confused with the other Talespin (1991) #1 that was released a few months later. General confusion could lead to a price spike for either book should news/rumors about a reboot animated series ever drop.

 

 

“I am the thing that goes bump in the night! I'm the neurosis that requires a $500 an hour shrink!” – Darkwing Duck