X-Men comics are regaining popularity with Marvel’s recent push and the Disney acquisition of Twenty-First Century Fox. Fans are now awaiting the X-Men’s impending arrival in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. When that happens, the X-titles will see a large spike.
When it comes to the X-Men entering the MCU, fans are most excited over the inclusion of Wolverine, whether he’s played by Hugh Jackman or another actor. Only four years ago, the seemingly-immortal mutant was killed off in the comics, replaced by Laura Kinney as the All-New, All-Different Wolverine, and, to a lesser extent, by the alternate-timeline Wolverine, Old Man Logan.
It’s safe to assume that when Disney/Marvel introduce Wolverine into the MCU, it will be the original incarnation of the character. In recent months, Marvel has resurrected Logan in the comics, too. Put those two facts together, and it leaves to wonder where does this leave Laura Kinney and Old Man Logan, particularly those key issues that fans were clamoring for only a short time ago?
Laura Kinney’s first appearance has always been a popular comic, but it truly took off in 2014 when Marvel announced the Death of Wolverine storyline.
As soon as fans knew X-23 would be taking on the mantle of Wolverine, her first appearance exploded. Prices spiked last year when she was introduced in the film Logan. All year, we saw every grade of this comic increase in fair market value, and it’s still selling for those $200+ prices. However, as the world waits for Logan to take his costume back in the comics and step onscreen in the MCU, buyers are seemingly backing off Nyx #3. At the moment, the prices are plateauing, and I anticipate they’ll be more in line with the 2015 prices once Marvel establishes Logan as the one-and-only Wolverine.
A departure from the standard timeline, Wolverine #66-72 featured an alternate timeline in which Logan was the last hero alive after the villains banded together and murdered the superheroes before dividing the United States into their own territories. No longer Wolverine, Old Man Logan sets out on a quest to find his place in this apocalyptic wasteland. The Mark Millar/Steve McNiven tale became an instant classic in the eyes of many fans, and gained such popularity that the concept was resurrected during the 2015 Secret Wars event.
Back in 2016, Wolverine #66 peaked at sometimes over $200 for a graded 9.8. Much of that price was due to the success of Fox’s Logan film which borrowed somewhat from the Old Man Logan storyline as he was the last X-Man left standing. These days, Wolverine #66 is still a popular one, but the prices have fallen to the $130 range, and I predict they’ll drop even more within the next 12 months.
FINAL THOUGHTS
The Laura Kinney Wolverine and Old Man Logan have enough of a fanbase that I doubt they’ll vanish from Marvel’s main continuity, but their importance is greatly diminished by the completely unsurprising return of the original Wolverine, Logan. Now that Disney/Marvel has the movie and television rights to the X-Men, I’m positive that we’ll see Logan getting much more attention as he is pushed back into the forefront, which is going to hurt the value of the previously mentioned comics.
All three are interesting characters, and I can’t blame Marvel for bringing the original Wolverine back into the timeline, but I hope they have big plans for Laura Kinney (who will always be X-23 to me) and Old Man Logan so that they aren’t more-or-less cast aside and forgotten.
