BY MATT TUCK
DC’s Vertigo and Black Label imprints shined brightly this week, but the gossip surrounding Namor’s arrival in the MCU ushered in a new hottest comic.
10. THE NICE HOUSE ON THE LAKE #1
Anything James Tynion IV writes turns into speculative gold. This time, his latest outing is under the DC Black Label, which gives it a leg up in the live-action department. If this is a big enough hit, we could very well see an HBO Max adaptation sometime in the future. That is what has spurred this issue so quickly. Anytime there is a hot new title hitting the comic shops, it warrants the live-action speculation.
The standard cover is selling for about $10-$15 at the moment, which is a hefty price hike considering the issue only debuted last week. There are several variants available, all of which are doing well on the secondary market. The 1:25 ratio variant is earning $50 on average, while the John Gallagher cover tends to sell for closer to $60.
9. GOD COUNTRY #1
The movie news has hit the internet, and sales of God Country #1 have shifted into high gear. Earlier this week, AfterShock announced that it had found its director for the feature film in Sweet Tooth’s Jim Mickle. Before that, God Country had been sitting on the optioned shelf for three years, and it was beginning to look like nothing would happen. That caused fair market values to dip. Now the pleasantly surprising news has given those God Country #1s a significant boost.
The standard cover is selling for a record-high $350, and the variant edition last sold for $180. For more on the God Country speculation, head over to the blog.
8. DC COMICS PRESENTS #47
The trailer for the new Masters of the Universe: Revelation Netflix cartoon has dropped, and that has this issue soaring to new heights. Once the movie reboot gets its Prince Adam lined up (the last actor changed his mind about the project, which is not necessarily a good sign), then we should see an even bigger spike in the values for the MOTU’s first appearance alongside Superman.
Just yesterday, a 9.8 sold for $3,500, and a 9.6 brought $815 only three days prior. That was on the heels of a June 1 sale of $940. When a 9.4 is earning $845, it is a tell-tale sign that the 9.6 will likely hit $1k this year when the series premieres.
7. MARVEL SUPER-HEROES SECRET WARS #3
There have been rumors and rumblings that Titania would be making her MCU premiere in the upcoming She-Hulk Disney+ series. Now that it is official, it has lit a fire under Secret Wars #3. While this is not the first time readers saw a character named Titania, it is the first appearance of the second incarnation of the character, Mary McPherran. The word around the digital campfire is that Mary will be in She-Hulk, which makes this the Titania issue to have.
The same day as the casting announcement, this issue gained a surge of momentum. The 9.8 sold five times on June 10, earning anywhere from $400-$555. At the same time, a 9.6 sold for $230, though that trails the record high of $310 from May.
6. JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY #85
Loki has arrived on Disney+, and it has made this Silver Age key even more expensive. On the plus side, the god of mischief has a much bigger upside as a hero, especially if he survives past the inaugural season of the self-titled show. That is why collectors are being driven to own Journey into Mystery #85, though the sales are not as strong as they were in May.
Along with the show’s popularity comes record numbers for Loki’s first appearance. The low grades tell the story here, and a 2.0 is now selling for $3,500.
5. RED THORN #1
Those non-superhero DC imprints are doing quite well on the secondary market. Here we have Vertigo’s Red Thorn, which was first published in 2016. Recently it was optioned with the intent to adapt it into a miniseries for the United Kingdom’s BBC. Thanks to the digital age and the rise of streaming services, we are sure to see it here in the U.S. as well, and that will give it an even broader audience.
There has not been a graded sale since a 9.8 sold for $16 in 2019, but the raw copies are moving rapidly, with one selling for $35 on June 4.
4. SWEET TOOTH #1
Vertigo’s hit comic series has spawned a hit Netflix series, and that has collectors scrounging up every copy they can get their hands on. That’s for good reason; values for Sweet Tooth #1 have been on the way up since Netflix first announced that a live-action adaptation was on the way. Now that it’s grabbed mainstream attention, the higher grades are seeing record highs so far in June.
Just two days ago, a 9.8 set a new record after selling for $999. Earlier in the week, it had reached $850 twice. Before this year, it had never sold for more than $575.
3. AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #300
With so much movie and series news, the Venom: Let There Be Carnage trailer feels like ancient history at this point. While those FMVs for Carnage’s first appearance in ASM #361 have not gotten the massive dose of steroids I had predicted, collectors are still buying up every grade of Venom’s debut they can get their hands on. Fortunately for them, eBay is filled with copies of ASM #300 of all shapes, sizes, and grades.
The 9.8 has already established a new high of $8,500 after a sale last month, though the prices have gradually settled back down into the upper $6k range. The 9.6 has steadily remained in the $2k+ neighborhood this month, and the 9.4 last sold for $1,200. While the FMVs may be coming back to normal, the sales volume is still exceptionally high.
2. THOR ANNUAL #18
Those previously ignored Thor issues have come en vogue thanks to Loki. Recently, the show’s producers have vehemently stated that Loki will be gender fluid in the Disney+ series. This aligns with both Norse mythology and Marvel Comics as there are many stories of the God of Mischief changing gender as he sees fit. Following the premiere of the first episode, there is ample speculation that we will soon meet the female Loki, who debuted in this very comic.
Back in 2013, a graded 9.8 sold for only $20, and there have not been any graded sales since then. Like Red Thorn #1, it’s the raw copies that are so prominent after Loki’s first episode. Even better, the prices are still rather inexpensive, generally selling in the $10-$20 range for higher grades.
1. SUB-MARINER #1
Will Tenoch Huerta don the green Speed-O and dive into action as Marvel’s first mutant? That is the rumor, and it is gaining traction with each passing day. That also helps bump up the prices for all of Namor’s Silver Age keys.
Anytime there are Submariner MCU rumors, this issue gets even more popular. Much of that can be attributed to the high prices of FF #4, which happens to be the first Silver Age appearance of Namor. In comparison to those values, this is the cheaper option that is still significant to the character’s history.
The highest grade sold this month so far has been the 9.4, which brought a record-high $2,850 earlier this week. That’s not the only grade setting new records; the 7.5 nearly reached $1,300, and the 7.0 is now a $1,100+ comic. Meanwhile, the 5.5 drew $800 while the 5.0 earned $475.
Matt Tuck is the author of the novel, Lost Bones of the Dead. He is a professional writer, avid comic collector, former teacher, and an international man of mystery. You can follow him on his Facebook page, The Comic Blog.