BY MATT TUCK
IG@matt.tuck.writer
The ripples from Across the Spider-Verse are reverberating throughout the secondary market, and those Spider-Man 2099 keys are owning the auction sites at the moment. It’s time for #Trending10, the only weekly top-10 list with updated market data.
10. AVENGERS #19
Never before has the Swordsman enjoyed quite so much celebrity. As the debonair (albeit dorky) stranger in Hawkeye, he screams smarm as he woos Kate Bishop’s mother throughout the first three episodes. The lines have been drawn, and it would seem that Kate and Jack are heading toward a battle sooner rather than later.
Staying true to his Silver Age roots, Jacques “Jack” Duquesne is an over-the-top cheesy villain poorly masquerading as a hero. The mustache and turtleneck are enough to give away his secret agenda because only a truly heinous character would sport that look. While he has not fully revealed himself as the Swordsman, there have been several allusions to his true self. He stole the Ronin retractable sword, and he proved to be a master swordsman while fencing with Kate.
The interest in Swordsman is driving the market for Avengers #19 to new heights. Most likely, he will be a stepping stone/boss battle for Kate and Clint, but collectors are still scouring the internet for his debut in Avengers #19. Since this isn’t a Thanos-level future villain, Swordsman’s debut isn’t too pricey. At this point, you can still get a 3.5 for $100, and you can go all the way to a 5.0 for less than $200 based on December’s prices.
9. NOCTERRA #1
Months after superstar writer Scott Snyder revealed that Nocterra had been optioned for a movie, he recently announced that the future Netflix film has found its writer. When it comes to adapting comics for the big or small screen, that is moving quickly. The next step will be naming a director and featured cast, which should be incoming in the next few weeks. It has resulted in a hot market for the series’ first issue.
The story is that yet another apocalypse has spread across Earth, and this time it’s a darkness that transforms people into monsters. In a page taken straight from Alan Wake, the creatures’ weakness is light, so the remaining human population’s survival depends exclusively on staying in well-lit areas. The star of the show is Valentina “Val” Riggs, who drives a transfer truck (also known as a big rig, get it?). She makes a living hauling people and supplies along the dark roads in her dayglow truck, which gives me Mad Max vibes just thinking about it.
As the movie’s production is underway, investors and speculators are snatching up those first issues in the hopes that this can be the next Walking Dead. With an entire world to play with and a writer as accomplished as Snyder, there’s nothing that says it can’t reach that lofty status. Just yesterday, a graded 9.8 sold for $140, which is the highest price reached since the end of October. The real moneymaker is the Comics Vault Live edition, which brought $275 on December 5 and has sold for as much as $450 this year.
8. DAREDEVIL #52
The chess pieces are moving into play, and it looks like the endgame is Kingpin’s return to the MCU. Last week, there were two apparent Easter eggs for Wilson Fisk in the third episode of Hawkeye. First, there was the mysterious stranger from Echo’s childhood who gave her a loving pinch on the cheek before a martial arts class. Then Maya Lopez arrived at Fat Man Auto Repair, which seems like a very direct nod to Kingpin. It all validates the numerous rumors that have been making their rounds on the gossip sites all year regarding Vincent D’Onofrio’s return to the role.
The heaviest hitter among the Kingpin gossip has been the tale that Echo’s first season would serve as a surrogate fourth season of Netflix’s Daredevil. The word on the internet has been that all the original cast members from DD would return as a final send off for the beloved series. It all seemed too good to be true until today when Marvel chief Kevin Feige reportedly confirmed that the MCU’s Matt Murdock/DD will be played Charlie Cox, the same actor from the Netflix series. Adding that news to the equation lends an enormous amount of credibility to those Echo rumors.
It all results in an influx of sales for those Echo keys, and this week the focus has been on DD #52. While Maya’s origin story is broken up over five issues from #51-55, DD #52 specifically tales the story of Kingpin murdering Maya’s father and putting her on a path of revenge. That appears to be where things are headed in the MCU, and that has collectors targeting this particular issue.
There hasn’t been a graded copy sold since a 9.6 brought $31 a year ago. However, the raw copies are on the move. Prices are generally low and have been selling in the $10-$25 range.
7. WEB OF SPIDER-MAN #90
Across the Spider-Verse is dominating YouTube, and the crater from its meteoric landing is dominating the secondary market. That explains why today’s list is Spider-Verse centric because all the related comics are trending in a major way. While Web of Spider-Man #90 may not be the first appearance of Spider-Man 2099, this was the first time readers laid eyes on him as part of a two-page promotional for Spider-Man 2099 #1.
It is considered more of an advertisement than an in-story appearance, thus is gets the second billing next to ASM #365. Still, it has proven to be a worthy pickup for collectors and investors searching for those Miguel O’Hara key issues. This week, a 9.8 brought $90 marking the highest sale price since October.
6. SPIDER-MAN 2099 MEETS SPIDER-MAN #1
The trailer for Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse has put the comic world on notice. Following its predecessor’s blockbuster run in 2018, several key first appearances suddenly became red hot as a result. The debuts of Spider-Ham, Spider-Man Noir, Spider-Gwen, and Sp//dr were earning ridiculous prices thanks to the movie’s success. It also upped the ante for those Spider-Man 2099 early appearances. Now that he is confirmed in the new trailer, everything tied to Miguel O’Hara is getting the Midas touch.
There are a couple of reasons to want this issue in your collections. First and foremost, as the title predicts, this marks the first time Miguel, the Spider-Man of the year 2099, confronts the Earth-616 Spider-Man, Peter Parker. While we didn’t see Peter in the trailer, chances are he will be part of the sequel, and that will line up their first onscreen meeting, and that is precisely why buyers were investing heavily in this issue.
The other factor is an obscure character with a large upside, Max Born. He is the Spider-Man of 2211, and he also happens to be a time traveller. If that recipe doesn’t have Spider-Verse apparel written all over it, I don’t know what does. While nothing has been said, there is a strong possibility that we will meet him in Across the Spider-Verse, and that is when Spider-Man 2099 Meets Spider-Man #1 will erupt like Mount St. Helens.
Looking for a copy? You can take home a raw copy for $20 or less.
5. BATTLE CHASERS PRELUDE
Joe Madureira’s independent comic is getting the live-action treatment. Actually, you could say it’s getting the John Wick treatment since John Wick creator Derek Kolstad will be the driving force behind the upcoming television series. All that’s left is to put Keanu Reeves in the starring role.
Battle Chasers is a fantasy series that went from a comic to the video game world with Battle Chasers: Nightwar. The plot revolves around 9-year-old Gully, who is searching for her missing father with the help of a pair of magical gloves. She is joined by the swordsman, Garrison, who of course has a magic sword. There’s also Red Monika, the bounty hunter, as well as Callibretto the golem, and a wizard, Knolan.
This isn’t the first time Battle Chasers has been optioned by a movie studio. In 2003, Madureira inked a deal with Twentieth Century Fox, and nothing came from it. This time, it seems more promising that the show will reach fruition, and that has buyers on the hunt for the franchise’s first issue.
Prices are rising quickly, so don’t wait too long to get one. Raw copies have sold for as much as $65 this week. On the graded side, there haven’t been any sales since a standard edition sold for $115 in April.
4. ULTIMATE FALLOUT #4 SECOND PRINT
There is so much Miles Morales speculation at the moment, and it has all of his key issues on the collector’s watch list. At the top of that agenda, naturally, is his first appearance in Ultimate Fallout #4.
Ever since mainstream audiences first saw him in Into the Spider-Verse, this has been one of the hottest keys on the market. Then came his starring role in his own Spider-Man video game, and suddenly UF #4 became a modern holy grail with the prices to prove it.
Get ready for those values to get back to their record-setting paces from the spring. Not only is Miles returning in Across the Spider-Verse, but he is still rumored for Spider-Man: No Way Home. Since we are nearly two weeks from that movie’s premiere date, all the No Way Home keys (particularly those tied to rumored characters in the film) are on fire. Between NWH and Across the Spider-Verse, it makes a recipe for inflated UF #4 prices.
Considering the escalating values for the UF #4 first print, buyers have been opting for the second print and its variant cover instead. Granted, these are not cheap buys, but they are far easier on your wallet than the first print. At the moment, the graded 9.8 has a 90-day average of $660, and the last sale was for $550 a day ago.
3. AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #365
Three years of waiting has paid off for many collectors. This past weekend, Sony upended the market once again, this time releasing the first teaser trailer for Across the Spider-Verse, which is the sequel to 2018’s smash hit, Into the Spider-Verse. The footage revealed the return of Spider-Gwen/Ghost Spider from her corner of the Multiverse along with a new costume for Miles. The most intriguing moments featured the long-awaited debut of Spider-Man 2099, Miguel O’Hara.
Since fans saw him in the Spider-Verse mid-credits scene, prompting an endless supply of memes along the way, there has been persistent Spider-Man 2099 speculation. Will he be in the sequel? Will he get his own cartoon? Could he be in line for a live-action Disney+ show? There were so many possibilities for the futuristic Spider-Man, and now we have confirmation that not only will Miguel be part of the sequel, but he has a fight with Miles. More than likely, the two will be at odds for maybe half the movie before they realize there is a common enemy. They will put aside their differences and work as partners to thwart the big bad, and it will be a crowd-pleasing (yet predictable) finale.
Since the weekend, the 9.8 ASM #365s are consistently earning over $400, and the most recent transaction saw a purchase for $435. If you don’t want to shell out quite that much for a slab, the raw copies have been hanging out in $30 territory.
2. EDGE OF SPIDER-VERSE #2
Anything connected to the Spider-Verse trailer and all its characters has been on a straight trajectory into orbit. It doesn’t hurt matters when that character has both animated and live-action speculation attached to the key issues.
The alternate universe Gwen Stacy was a major hit with fans when she appeared as Spider-Gwen/Ghost Spider in Into the Spider-Verse. Seeing her return for the sequel reignites those key issues as expected. What few people are discussing, however, is her potential for No Way Home or a future MCU movie. With the Multiverse opening the door for virtually every possible comic universe, it would be a bold move for Emma Stone to return to the world of superheroes as the star of her own Spider-Gwen franchise.
As it stands, prices for graded Edge of Spider-Verse #2 are on the high end. Keep in mind that the 9.8 averaged $434 in 2019, and last year that figure rose to nearly $700. Those numbers have been obliterated. It’s already sold for $2,000 this year, and another copy has brought over $1,500 this week.
1. SPIDER-MAN 2099 #1
What was already a popular comic on the merit of rumors alone has erupted since the weekend. We all knew that Miguel O’Hara was part of Sony’s animated Spider-verse. After his mid-credits scene from Into the Spider-Verse, Spider-Man 2099 - voiced by A-list actor Oscar Isaac, no less - was introduced to mainstream audiences, and the waiting game was on.
For three years, investors stockpiled those Spider-Man 2099 keys, readying for the big payoff. With little to no news of Miguel’s impending cartoon arrival, the market had cooled down until this past spring when the gossip started anew. Then it came back to reality, where it has been for months.
In retrospect, the real clue was Isaac’s comments to Fandom. While promoting Dune and The Addams Family 2, he commented on how much he wanted to reprise the role. A little over a month later, here we are with Spider-Man 2099 in the first trailer for Across the Spider-Verse.
All those Miguel keys have gotten a sales spike thanks to the news, but none are selling as quickly as Spider-Man 2099 #1. This issue doesn’t get credited as Miguel’s first appearance, but the epic cover art draws in buyers like nothing else.
A year ago, you could have owned a graded 9.8 for $81. For the past 90 days, that average has doubled to $162. Yesterday alone, three copies sold for $250+, and there is no sign of slowing down.
Matt Tuck is the author of the novel, Lost Bones of the Dead. He is a professional writer, avid comic collector, former teacher, and the Blogger Supreme. You can follow him on his Facebook page, The Comic Blog, or on Instagram at matt.tuck.writer.