Welcome to COVRPRICE’s Weekly Market Report!
Note: As mentioned last week, we’ve officially moved these to every Friday. Thanks for sticking with us and thank you for letting us take you into the weekend!
This week we cover some of the notable big Heritage sales (and there were a ton) that hit all-new high sales. With that said, moderns are a little less represented this week. And surprisingly, we had a lot more Batman in this one than we anticipated. Though, no fret, there’s plenty for everyone this week! Let’s just into it.
Also, don’t forget you can always swing by CovrPrice to check out our Movers and Shakers lists for a sneak peek at our newsletter picks! Enjoy!
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COMIC BOOK SHAKERS
Every day CovrPrice’s Daily Shaker List calls out comics with the highest sales value sold that day. Throughout the week we pull the more interesting ones and elaborate on them here. Check out our sweet Shaker List here.
SHAKER: ALL-AMERICAN COMICS #61 | DC | 1944
By Matt DeVoe
We’re covering a slew of all-time high sales from Heritage Auctions on this week’s list. For example, this first silver age appearance of Solomon Grundy sold for $36,000 for a CGC 6.0.
SHAKER: ALL-FLASH #32 | DC | 1947
By Matt DeVoe
While the first appearance of the Fidler may not be the main draw for this book’s new high sale of a rare CGC 9.8 at $66,000 though, the first appearance of Star Sapphire is pretty notable. It’s hard to believe that we wouldn’t see Star Sapphire and her purply-pink Sapphire Corp in the HBO Green Lantern series. She’s too good of a character to ignore.
SHAKER: ALL-STAR COMICS #37 | DC | 1947
By Matt DeVoe
The first appearance of the Injustice Society hit a new high sale of $24,000 for a CGC 9.2.
SHAKER: AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #16 | MARVEL | 1964
By The Professor
This issue marks the first meeting between Spider-Man and Daredevil. In it, the evil Ringmaster has put Spidey under a hypnotic spell, forcing him to battle it out with Daredevil beneath the Big Top! Although considered one of the more important silver-age ASM comic books, it was still impressive to see a record $20K sale for a CGC 9.6 this past week – more than doubling the previous record high in that grade. Spidey fans are still hot to trot for these early Amazing Spider-Man issues!
SHAKER: AQUAMAN #1 | DC | 1962
By Ryan Forster
The Aquaman run is light on keys, but the few it has have been growing in demand ever since Jason Momoa took the helm as the often shirtless main character in the DCEU. The prices of these keys often cycle with his appearances in the movies, but this week we had an exception with a huge record sale in grade for a CGC 7.0 of $2,640. This beat out the prior record of $1,562 from 2018 by 70% and more recent sales in the $1,200-1,300 range by over 100%. We’re not aware of any news that drove this huge sale, but those of us who are DC fans are looking forward to seeing the drum-playing octopus again on the big screen.
SHAKER: BATMAN #3 | DC | 1940
By Matt DeVoe
We are just noting this HUGE new high Heritage sale of $43,500 for a CGC 8.5 of the first appearance of the Puppet Master. The former high for an 8.5 was in 2018 at $15,537. The former all-time high we’ve tracked was a 9.0 at $22,800 in 2019. When looking at these key golden age books as investments, it definitely takes money to make money.
SHAKER: BITTER ROOT #1 – MCS EBAY VARIANT (LIMITED TO 500 COPIES) | IMAGE | 2018
By Matt DeVoe
We’ve covered this book several times in the past couple of years. However, even with no new news on the development of the BITTER ROOT show, this variant continues to increase in value. While a 9.8 sold for $400, well below the high of $756, a raw copy hit an all-new high sales of $350. It’s always odd when raw sales are close to a 9.8, but maybe that $400 9.8 was just a great deal?
SHAKER: BLADE: THE VAMPIRE-HUNTER #8 | MARVEL | 1995
By Matt DeVoe
This 1995 Blade series only lasted for ten issues. Due to its scarcity, the first issue has been pricey since Blade was initially rumored to appear in the MCU, selling for an FMV of $71 raw and $510 in a 9.8. The last four issues, #7 to #10, are also climbing in value. For example, #8 sells for an FMV of $31 raw and hit an all-time high of $625 for a CGC 9.8 last week. So why such a high price? It’s the ONLY 9.8 on the census (of only six total copies graded). The seller claimed it was the only modern cover featuring the two characters on the listing. This isn’t wholly true, as they’re together on the 2010 one-shot BLADE: CURSE OF THE MUTANTS #1 (which is a fantastic cover btw) and the upcoming MORBIUS #7 (2022). With that said, it’s one of the few and could be a great book to pick up.
SHAKER: CINDERELLA LOVE #25 | ST. JOHN | 1954
By Matt DeVoe
Before the comics code, Golden Age legend Matt Baker produced clean-cut romance comics like Cinderella Love, a highly sought-after series for many collectors. This week, a new high sale was hit with a CGC 4.5 sale of $17,400. These romance issues typically fly under the radar of old antique shops and markets, and it’s possible to find these at a steep discount.
SHAKER: CRIME DOES NOT PAY #24 | LEV GLEASON | 1942
By Matt DeVoe
How brutal is this cover? This is a perfect example of why pre-code horror truly received some censoring in the mid-century. While the cover alone is enough to generate demand, this issue also featured the first appearance of Mr. Crime, who is considered to be the first comic book anthology narrator. The characters never saw Mr. Crime in these stories, as he was a spectral being only to push the characters into committing an evil act by whispering in their ears. This week, this hard-to-find PCH cover sold for a new high sale of $102,000 for a CGC 9.4 on Heritage, shattering the last high of $21,600 for a 9.0 in 2018. Seriously, buy pre-code horror. Like, today.
SHAKER: THE CROW #1 | CALIBER PRESS | 1989
By Matt DeVoe
The Crow is simply one of those bronze age characters that defy comic laws. Trapped into an infinite loop of content hell, this is one of those properties begging for a streaming show. Despite nothing currently in development, it’s been skyrocketing massively for the past two years, culminating in this week’s all-new high sale from Heritage at a massive $18,000 for a CGC 9.8, obliterating the highest sale of $3,236 for a 9.8 in 2020. This is just a shocking sale that makes us realize how important it is to focus more on some of these bronze age-independent keys.
SHAKER: DETECTIVE COMICS #108 | DC | 1946
By The Professor
It’s not just the first character’s appearance that makes a comic valuable. Sometimes, it is the first appearance of an iconic element tied to these characters’ world. In this case, the first appearance of the famous Bat-Signal makes this issue so appealing to collectors. Story-wise, there is not much going on here – Batman and Robin clearing the name of a framed police detective. Still, as we all know, the Bat-Signal went on to become one of the most definitive elements of subsequent Batman comic books, TV shows and cartoons, and Hollywood blockbuster films alike. We saw a nice CGC 4.5 sell for just over $1,000 right before the holiday break, but last week a rare CGC 9.0 sold for almost $10k. With the new Batman movie slated for release relatively soon, we will likely see more and more baller Batman comic book sales. So be sure to tune in subsequent weeks right here on Covrprice.com for all your Batman-related comic sales news – same bat-time, same bat-channel!
SHAKER: EDGE OF SPIDER-VERSE #2 – SIYA OUM – 5TH PRINT – COMIC BUG – COLOR (LIMITED 3000) | MARVEL | 2014
By Matt DeVoe
Due to VERY loose rumors of Sony developing a Spider-Gwen film, her key issues and variants are rapidly increasing. This first print to EOSV #2 recently jumped from an FMV of $1,100 for a 9.8 to now, where it hit an all-new high sale itself last week of $2,040. One of the books that joined it on its rise is this Comic Bug exclusive, the 5th print in the indicia. The Los Angeles comic shop sold it during free comic book day on May 3, 2014 (8 months after the first print was released), limited to 3,000 copies, with a B&W version limited to 1,500 copies. This week, the color version hit a high of $1,160 for a CGC 9.8 and the B&W at a new high of $675. These were both considerable increases and should only keep going.
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SHAKER: EXCITING COMICS #3 (9) | PINES | 1941
By Matt DeVoe
Despite a few reboots from Dynamite comics, the Black Terror isn’t quite a household name among comic collectors. Though he should be, he was quite possibly one of the most popular comic book characters from the ’40s to the ’60s. He was one of Alan Moore’s personal favorites, reintroducing the character in his 2001 TOM STRONG series. Despite his lack of prominence these days, his first appearance in this issue is still highly sought after and quite valuable, as seen by this week’s new high sale of $33,600 for a CGC 6.5.
SHAKER: FANTASTIC FOUR #4 | MARVEL | 1962
By Yves Navant
Days ago, this book sold raw for $3,360, which is a steal considering the significance of this issue! Not only is this the 4th published appearance and second costumed appearance of the Fantastic Four, but it is with Stan Lee and Jack Kirby’s Fantastic Four that the Marvel Age of comics began. This issue is also the first modern appearance of Namor the Submariner! IMPERIOUS REX! Marvel used the 4th issue of the Fantastic Four and the Avengers to reintroduce Golden Age characters Namor here and Captain America over in the Avengers. Marvel, never settling for a boring reintroduction, places Namor as an amnesiac vagrant found in squalor by Johnny Storm, who recognizes him and reawakens his memory. The avenging son of Atlantis returns as an antihero, proto-environmental terrorist, and adversary of our beloved FF. Predating DC’s Aquaman by more than a year, Namor was introduced in 1939 as a brooding, nazi-punching, human/Atlantean hybrid. Revived after a long absence, Prince Namor of Atlantis became the bad boy vying for the love of Sue Storm and teaming up with Doctor Doom to punish a surface world that destroyed his home and people with pollution from military weapons tests. Did I mention Namor predated Aquaman? Just saying is all. Sales for this issue are trending upward, and that trend might become much steeper as Marvel Studios divulges more information about the forthcoming Fantastic Four film.
SHAKER: INVINCIBLE #1 – TYLER KIRKHAM – WHATNOT – OMNI-MAN – GOLD – FOIL (LIMITED TO 150) | IMAGE | 2003
By Matt DeVoe
We’ve noted the Tyler Kirkham Whatnot Invincible #1 variant on a previous list. That covers featured a bloody and beater Mark Grayson aka Invincible, on the cover and has steadily sold for high prices across covers. Well, Skybound, Whatnot, and Tyler Kirkham partnered again to produce an Omni-Man set of covers which is, once again, selling for big numbers. The rarest cover, the gold foil, is limited to 150 copies and sold for a new high sale of $1,700 for a raw copy last week.
SHAKER: MILES MORALES: ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #1 – 2ND PRINT | MARVEL | 2014
By Matt DeVoe
2nd Prints are getting major price bumps lately. However, no other character seems to have more than Miles Morales. This 2nd print of the first issue of his 2014 series sold for a new high sale of $245 raw. In September, the last raw sale sold for $185, so this isn’t a fluke. Its all-time high of $800 for a 9.8 helps support this. The print run is unknown as it doesn’t even come up, which means it’s very, very low. Keep an eye out for any subsequent print for early Miles Morales issues.
SHAKER: MOON KNIGHT #1 – MARCO RUDY (1:25) | MARVEL | 2016
By Matt DeVoe
Moon Knight’s books are on fire. There are a TON of variants seeing significant bumps in price. This particular cover was a steady seller at $20 until the MOON KNIGHT trailer hit and pushed it to a new high of $100 raw. It’s a creepy cover that matches well to the Disney+ series.
SHAKER: MORE FUN COMICS #73 | DC | 1941
By Matt DeVoe
AND back to Aquaman. It’s easy to forget that AQUAMAN has been around for a very long time, first appearing in this issue of MORE FUN COMICS. Before Jason Momoa took on the mantle, the character wasn’t taken very seriously, thanks mainly to the ’60’s SUPER FRIENDS take on the character, which portrayed the character with weak powers compared to characters like Superman. This was a running joke through pop culture and shows like ROBOT CHICKEN. Despite DC’s push to constantly reinvent the character, trying to make him edgier with each version, this cultural perception kept the value of his first appearance low. However, that’s no longer the case, as seen by this week’s substantial new high sale of $192,000 for a CGC 6.5, crushing the previous high of $70,000 in that grade back in 2018.
SHAKER: MY LITTLE PONY: FRIENDSHIP IS MAGIC #3 – COVER RI – J. SCOTT CAMPBELL | IDW | 2013
By Matt DeVoe
Finally, an entry for all you Bronies out there! J. Scott Campbell is immensely popular amongst comic collectors. Many of these fans actively seek out to own every cover he produces. Though, many are truly difficult to find. This MLP cover was never considered one of those until it started drying up last year to the point today where one of the last copies on eBay sold for $100 raw.
SHAKER: RED SHE-HULK #58 – HORN (1:50) | MARVEL | 2012
By Matt DeVoe
When Red She-Hulk first appeared in Hulk #15 (2009), she was instantly popular. By issue #58 of the She-Hulk series it was re-titled RED SHE-HULK. Many of these variants have been exceptionally difficult to find for the first several issues, starting with this Greg Horn 1:50 variant. Over the past ten years, this variant has dried up into collections and rarely surfaces for sale. However, one copy did last week and sold for a new high sale of $1,100 for a CGC 9.8.
SHAKER: SENSATION COMICS #6 | DC | 1942
By Ryan Forster
Given that it’s one of her most iconic and well-known weapons, you may be surprised to learn that Wonder Woman didn’t always have her Lasso of Truth to wrangle villains. It wasn’t until about seven months after her first appearance in All-Star Comics #8 that she began using the lasso, which made its grand entrance on part of the front cover art in Sensation Comics #6. This may seem like an obscure “first,” but it’s such an essential part of her legacy now that it’s a massive key for collectors. This week we saw a CGC 0.5 surpass the prior record of $1,550 from May 2020 by $1,810 with a huge sale of $3,360. This copy was missing an interior page but presented very well for a 0.5, which likely helped drive up the price. There are only 33 universal copies of this book on the CGC census, meaning getting any copy is a difficult task regardless of grade, so Wonder Woman collectors fought hard to add this rare gem to their collection.
SHAKER: SHOWCASE #17 | DC | 1958
By The Professor
Adam Strange is teleported 25 trillion miles through space to the planet Rann where he meets the scientist, Sardath, who shares with him his people’s history. Meanwhile, alien invaders are known as “Eternals” arrive in search of the rare mineral Vitatron. The invaders are trapped in a fourth-dimensional prison, and Strange is transported back to earth. The cover boasts a fabulous mid-century modern space-age scene complete with a spaceship, laser gun, and a red-suited Adam Strange donning his jet pack, all popping out from the black backdrop. A rare CGC 6.0 sold for a record $4,350, with a very low-grade FR reader copy hitting $200.
SHAKER: SOMETHING IS KILLING THE CHILDREN #2 4TH PRINT | BOOM! | 2019
By DiodeLad
Something is Killing the Children #2 4th print, had its high sale in early 2021 for $360.55 for a raw copy, and one year later, it’s still going strong. A 9.8 graded copy sold this week for $350. This issue was quite under-ordered, to begin with, and almost no one bought this 4th print! Comichron reported preorders of only 887 copies total back in 2019. Meanwhile, without knowing the current preorder numbers, it would not surprise us if preorders for the forthcoming SIKTC #21 hit 887,000 or a preorder multiple of 1,000. That’s crazy to think about.
SHAKER: SPIDER-MAN 2099 #35 | MARVEL | 1995
By DiodeLad
Key comics at the intersection of Spider-Man, Venom, and the Multiverse are enjoying an explosion of interest as many roads converge around black-suit Spider-Man, Venom’s introduction into the MCU, and Spider-Verse characters such as Spider-Man 2099. Big keys like Marvel Super-Heroes Secret Wars #8 and Amazing Spider-Man #252 and #365 appear on the CovrPrice Shakers List regularly these days. An original drawn page by Mike Zeck from Secret Wars #8 even sold for $3,360,000 this week, bringing renewed aftermarket attention to the comic for which it was drawn. Well, here’s a comic that has it all! Spider-man 2099 #35, the first appearance of Venom 2099, sold for a record high of $350 for a graded 9.8 this week. In this issue, Kron Stone, who first appears in Punisher 2099 #1, becomes Venom 2099 and battles Spider-Man 2099. The variant cover is also fantastic, and a 9.8 was sold in late December for $188.48. Collectors interested in this comic might also want to pick up the cool connecting covers from issue #36 in the series, featuring Venom 2099 and Spider-Man 2099.
SHAKER: SPIDER-WOMAN #1 MILO MANARA (1:50) | MARVEL | 2014
By The Professor
This Spider-Woman #1 variant cover from famed artist Milo Manara is one of the more controversial ones released by Marvel Comics. Critics note the blatant sexualization of the character, while its defenders say it is unfair to criticize Manara for creating art that was, and is, definitive of his style. Of course, what did Marvel expect by hiring such an artist, to begin with? Regardless, collectors are interested in obtaining copies. This particular variant recently saw record CGC 9.8 sales of $610 and $695, respectively. There are currently no raw copies for sale through the usual outlets.
SHAKER: STAR WARS: JEDI – MACE WINDU NEWSSTAND | DARK HORSE | 2003
By Matt DeVoe
The last years of newsstand comics are scarce. When you apply that to a key issue, such as the first appearance of Asajj Ventress, it’s a perfect recipe for a high market value. The Witches Of Dathomir were recently referenced in the BOOK OF BOBA FETT. For those who know their Star Wars history, Asaji was born into the coven of the Nightsister Witches on Dathomir (where Darth Maul is from). This brief mention made some collectors feel like this was a nod to her future appearance in BOBA FETT or another satellite Disney+ series. This helped this newsstand hit a new high sale of $1,525 for a CGC 9.8. Asaji is a complicated and nuanced character that has changed from Jedi, Assassin, Sith, Bounty Hunter, and then back to Jedi ally. Dave Filoni used the character throughout CLONE WARS, so her likelihood of showing up at some point is very high.
SHAKER: ULTIMATE COMICS SPIDER-MAN #1 – SARA PICHELLI – DIRECT EDITION (1:15) | MARVEL | 2011
By Matt DeVoe
For almost a decade, this 1:15 variant was at a reasonable purchase price. In 2019, pre-Miles-Mania, a 9.8, sold for as low as $237. Flash forward to today, where Miles is the hottest modern character in comics, where a 9.8 sold this week for $3,500. This is almost double the price from December 2021’s high of $1,500. With that said, it’s time to examine Spider-Gwen and her first solo series. There are WAY more covers for her, but can any see a similar increase?
RUMORED/OPTIONED COMICS
RUMORED/OPTIONED: MOON KNIGHT
While there wasn’t any notable comic news last week, the Disney+ MOON KNIGHT trailer set the market on fire for MK books, and this was enough traction the market needed for the week.
WHAT THE WATCHER IS WATCHING
WATCHING: MOON KNIGHT #188 – DANIEL WARREN JOHNSON (1:25) | MARVEL | 2017
By Matt DeVoe
While the MOON KNIGHT trailer was met with positive reactions, many felt disappointed in the reveal of Ethan Hawke playing Arthur Harrow, a relatively obscure Moon Knight villain. So much so that speculation began that he was another character in disguise, like Dracula. The other theory surrounds the cult-like scenes involving Harrow, leading many to believe he’s either a pawn of the Sun King or possibly the Sun King in disguise. Regardless, the hope of the Sun King playing a significant role has made his first appearance in this issue trend in a huge way. This variant could grow even higher if one of these theories pan out, but it could also crash. So, we’re closely watching to see what it’ll do.
KEY COMIC OF THE WEEK
KEY OF THE WEEK: DETECTIVE COMICS #28 | DC | 1939
By Matt DeVoe
We’ve covered how many modern comic book characters are seeing huge spikes in their 2nd appearances and first solo series. When collectors get priced out of a first appearance, it forces them to move down the line and buy something a little more affordable. This, of course, ends up raising that price, and the fans continue moving down the key issue line. So, when you look at this week’s new high sale of $66,000 for a CGC 6.0 for the 2nd appearance of Batman and compare it to the recent $1.5M for a CGC 4.5 for his first in DETECTIVE COMICS #27, then you can see a HUGE opportunity for those collectors with some money to spend.
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Lead Writer: Matt DeVoe | [email protected]
Comic Contributor: Mr. Day
Comic Contributor: DiodeLad
Comic Contributor: Ryan Forster
Comic Contributor: The Professor
Comic Contributor: Topher S
Comic Contributor: Yves Navant
Editor: John Sulaitis | [email protected]
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