Weekly Comic Report - May 27th, 2022
May 27th, 2022
Welcome to COVRPRICE's Weekly Comic Report!
This week we cover the hottest sales of the week, featuring a bunch of variants with all-time high sales. We mix in some incredibly tough books to find with a splattering of some of our other favorite shakers of the week. You're missing out if you're not checking out the SHAKERS list every day. They're there one day and refreshed the next. Enjoy, and have a happy weekend!
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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.
By Yves Navant
Faster than a speeding bullet, this key issue recently sold for $1,450 in a CGC-graded 1.5. The low condition of this sale is evidence that collectors are willing to buy up significant issues in any available grade. Few issues are as significant as this one for Kryptonian fans. This book features the first appearance of both Metallo (the villain with the Kryptonite-by-way-of-Uranium heart) and Superman's cousin, Kara Zor-El, Supergirl! Supergirl would enjoy a 26-year career before her epic death in 1985's Crisis on Infinite Earths, but she burst into the hearts of fans as her cousin's secret weapon against evil right here! DC tried out earlier versions of the Girl of Steel in non-cannon, imaginary tales, finally landing on a winning formula in Kara: a heroine seeking to do good because she WAS good. Supergirl was eventually resurrected and continues to be a superstar across television, animation, and her self-titled book. An alternate version of Supergirl will appear in the forthcoming live-action Flash film, portrayed by Sasha Calle. Supergirl's (and our deadly automaton, Metallo) Silver Age introduction makes this a beast of a back issue that we see collectors are coveting in nearly any condition.
SHAKER: AMAZING SPIDER-MAN ISSUE #4 | MARVEL | 2014
By Jeremy Imlach
In this issue, the radioactive spider that bit Peter Parker is BACK and looking for its next victim! As you all know, Cindy Moon/ Silk's first full appearance was in this issue. We've covered this book MANY times over the years, focusing on its aftermarket yo-yo surges and drops. However, it's once again shaking the market! Last week a raw issue sold for $175, and while it's not the highest sale price that we've seen, this book is showing a more steady and organic incline than in the past. This time, there's no content news to drive this latest trend. It's also worth mentioning that Morlun, a vampiric villain of Spider-Man, also has a cameo in this issue. Do yourself a favor and research how Spider-Man defeats him in Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #3. BRUTAL.
SHAKER: BATMAN #423 | DC | 1988
By Keith Shimabukuro
Here's another book we've covered in past reports. We've also covered the Spawn #230 homage, which sold for a crazy all-time high of $1,250 for a 9.8 on 8/15/21. Although the Spawn homage has come back down to earth (9.8s have settled at $800), the OG cover has continued its ascent. A 9.8 sold for a record-breaking $2,900 on 4/27/22, while raw books touched $300 with a record sale of $353 on 4/23/22 and, more recently, $335 on 5/18/22. This shows that a classic McFarlane will never go out of style.
SHAKER: BLOODSHOT SALVATION #1 - COVER G - BRUSHED METAL VARIANT - MICO SUAYAN | VALIANT ENTERTAINMENT | 2017
By Matt DeVoe
Valiant is noted as the first publisher to create a metal variant for 2017's XO MANOWAR #1 1:500 incentive. At the time, printing on metal was quite costly. After a year of research and sourcing the right materials, Valiant found success in this new type of variant. However, the higher printing cost required a high incentive requirement from retailers. To obtain a copy, they were required to order an aggressive order of 500 copies of XO MANOWAR #1. Flash forward a few months later, Valiant was able to reduce the cost and offer a slightly more obtainable metal cover for BLOODSHOT SALVATION, this time a 1:250 incentive. Keep in mind that this is still a VERY tough number for retailers to hit. Per former CEO Dinesh Shamdasani, only 200 copies were produced. They were so uncommon and unconventional that it took CGC a few years to grade ANY metal covers. Today, metal variants are prevalent. Due to their higher printing cost, publishers tend to keep them as special low print incentives, making them highly desirable and durable. Not every cover works in metal, and most feature one side metal and the back paper. Yet this awesome Mico Suayan has a "full metal jacket" (metal on both front and back) and is enhanced by the brushed metal. Its rarity and contribution to variant collecting is shown by this week's new high sale of $721 for a CGC 9.8.
SHAKER: CEREBUS #1 | AARDVARK-VANAHEIM | 1977
By Nick Richardson
Back when funny, cute animal mascots were all the rage in comics, Cerberus the Aardvark took a different route. Dave Sims' 300-issue epic follows Cerebus on his many adventures, tackling challenging, controversial, and taboo issues like politics and religion. Designed as a 'parody' of Conan the Barbarian with a dash of Howard the Duck (but an aardvark instead), this is one of the longest-running and independently produced comic series. Sims and Cerebus have cemented their legendary status among the comic book community. With such a low print run, reportedly around 2000, less than 200 copies were considered NM. The max grade available is a 9.6, with only 314 on the CGC census. It's a gem for collectors and rarely comes up for sale. That explains why a collector recently put up the big bucks, dropping $4,100 for a CGC 6.5, up $2,300 from its last sale at the end of 2020. It's also one of the most counterfeited comics, plagued with forgeries. However, even those fake copies tend to sell for high numbers. With a style that helped inspire the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and an author who fought for independent publisher rights, this series helped set the stage for publishers like Image. Notably, Dave Sims publicly declared Cerebus would become public domain upon his death, leading to plenty of long-term potential for his continued presence in comics and, possibly, media.
SHAKER: GHOST RACERS #4 - STACEY LEE (1:25) | MARVEL | 2015
By Matt DeVoe
First appearing in 2011's Ghost Rider #1, Alejandra Blaze has had growing fanfare and MCU content speculation. Born to a Mexican mother and an American human trafficker, she was ultimately sold by her father to a Nicaragua Temple, controlled by the world's first man Adam. Tasked with the responsibility to extinguish sin from the Earth, Adam trained young orphans to prepare them to receive and wield the Ghost Rider. After Johnny Blaze relinquishes the spirit of vengeance, Alejandra is ultimately chosen as the next vessel. While she was killed in 2019's "Absolute Carnage: Symbiote of Vengeance," her popularity feels like it's just starting. She's featured on several covers, yet most look like your typical Ghost Rider appearance. This 1:25 Stacey Lee cover, from the very underorder GHOST RACERS series, is the most distinct of them all and is VERY tough to find due to its low print run. This week's new high sale of $195 will only increase as awareness around Alejandra increases across the comic verse.
SHAKER: THE INCREDIBLE HULK #282 | MARVEL | 1983
By Jenny Avendaño
The Incredible Hulk #282 (1983) has skyrocketed with a new high sale of $699.95 for a 9.8 this week, following the trailer release of She-Hulk: Attorney At Law scheduled to air in August 2022 exclusively on Disney Plus. This narrative by Bill Mantlo presents the first time Hulk and She-Hulk fight side by side. The unapologetic She-Hulk helps Hulk redirect his anger, reminding him, "Cousin, we're not monsters! We've got a great gift- The power and ability to do good." Bruce Banner fought hard against Hulk's explosive disorder and uncontrollable aggressive impulses for years, yet, he now willingly welcomes this duality. She-Hulk tells her cousin to fight with his rage and not just the intellect of Bruce Banner. Similarly, while in battle, she refuses to be called Jen as she indicates, "I've got to be the savage She-Hulk." Dominated by obtuse and action-packed panel art with pencils by Sal Buscema and inks by Joe Sinnott, She-Hulk and Hulk face Arsenal without the rest of the Avengers. Every time Hulk's temper escalates, so does his strength, surpassing all preconceived notions of what it means to be Hulk. His anger reaches its climax when he thinks his cousin is hurt, vigorously defeating Arsenal. Together, they demonstrate they got precisely what it takes to protect others and promote justice. A thrilling glimpse of what is to come in the highly anticipated series. A fun pop culture reference: in the Disney film Cool Runnings (1993), Sanka Coffie is seen reading this particular issue.
SHAKER: LOVE AND ROCKETS #1 (SECOND PRINT) | FANTAGRAPHICS | 1987
By Keith Shimabukuro
Love and Rockets was a groundbreaking book originally self-published in 1981 by the Hernandez Brothers and featured stories about minorities, women, and LGBTQ characters. We originally covered the sale of the self-published first print on 11/07/21 for $750, which seemed like a steal at the time. The reprint was first printed by Fantagraphics in 1982 with a classic cover by Jaime and was reprinted three more times. Our last recorded sale for a second print was on 8/04/20 for a mere $75, which was eclipsed by a massive sale of $425 on 5/18/22. This is a pretty high price considering it isn't even the first printing of the reprint, but this series will always have historical importance for generations to come.
SHAKER: MARVEL PREMIERE ISSUE #1 | MARVEL | 1972
By Matthew Glover
A MAN GOD REBORN! Be prepared to see this issue a lot more in the coming months. This issue features the first appearance of Adam Warlock as the Warlock as well as his origin story. A 7.0 sold for $392.00 on May 25, 2022, and a raw copy goes for around $203.00. The highest known value was a 9.8, which sold for $18,000.00. This issue will likely increase in value as the release of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3 approaches. Will Poulter has already been cast and has been hard at work creating his own god-bod. While we haven't seen any official first looks at the character, it's rumored that he will have a significant role in the MCU moving forward.
SHAKER: MARVEL PREVIEW #4 | MARVEL | 1976
By Matt DeVoe
We noted in previous months a sudden uptick in sales and price for several well-established MCU characters. War-Machine, Nebula, Gamora, and now Star-Lord are hitting all new highs in 2022, despite appearing in the MCU eight years ago (fourteen years for "Rhodey" Rhodes). Case in point, this issue's first appearance of Star-Lord sold for a high of $2,825 in a 9.8, just $55 below the all-time high 9.8 sale this past March. So, why did it take so long? These four MCU stars were always the "more attainable" first appearances compared to Marvel's heavy hitters like Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, and The Hulk. With Cap and Iron Man out of the picture, these characters are now some of the more experienced MCU members. There have also been a years of their exposure to a new generation, making them today's collectible must-haves. The question is, is it time to look closer at characters like Mantis and Rocket? Based on these trends, the answer is yes.
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By Yves Navant
This counterculture reliquary just sold for $180 raw, nearly a 20% increase over recent raw sales. Who says you can't put a price on revolution? Not R. Crumb, the infamous pseudonym of Robert Dennis Crumb, an icon of underground comix and Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame resident. Crumb literally created the market for underground comix with successful strips in Zap Comix, including Fritz the Cat and his own Keep On Truckin'. Mr. Natural was created during a period in which Crumb used LSD (everyone sit down, it was a legal substance at the time), which strongly influenced and fueled his work. Mr. Natural's debut features the comix underground's most popular character in several adventures. This sale was for the first printing from 1970, distinguished from later printings by the .50¢ cover price, along with Apex Novelties and San Francisco Comics logo. The lower cover should also read "R. Crumb 1970", with an indicia reading "Copyright August 1970 by R. Crumb." This book is a genuine relic of a rebellious age and is among the first comics to depict sexual situations and recreational drug use in a casual manner.
SHAKER: SONIC THE HEDGEHOG #1 | SEGA | 1991
By Matt DeVoe
Despite a rocky start, the first Sonic film was saved by VERY vocal fans in 2019. The initial poor CGI was corrected and the film went on to successfull box-office resulsts that warranted a second film, released this past April. Sonic 2 was so successful that it beat the original film with a global box office of $331.64 million worldwide, making it one of the most successful video game adaptations of all time (Resident Evil's films take the crown). With ugly Sonic making a surprise cameo in CHIP AND DALE RESCUE RANGERS, Sonic's stock is going way up amongst collectors. Due to this, many of his key comics and hard-to-find variants have seen significant upticks in price. Yet, it all started with this first appearance arriving BEFORE his official video game appearance on the Sega Genesis. This week, this rare first sold for a mere 99 cents behind the all-time high of $999.99 for a 9.8 in September 2021. It seems immensely undervalued when you look at how valuable the Nintendo Preview comic and Nintendo Power #1 are and compare them to this key first of one of the most iconic video game heroes.
SHAKER: SPAWN #5 GERMAN THERMO COLOR VARIANT | IMAGE | 1992
By Nick Richardson
The '90s were a wild time for comics, especially super limited Spawn variants. This German-based book had a print run of only 400, and when heat was applied, it changed the color of its simple, yellowish-green cover. Its simplicity and unique feature were bold enough to help pay off in the form of a new all-time high sale! Going for $2,220 in a 9.6 is incredible, considering it sold for $1,009 in a 9.8 in 2020. But, this book has more than the cover going for it. Sold only at Modern Graphics in Germany during the '97 month-long shopping season, it is incredibly exclusive, with only ten on the CGC census, seven of which are 9.8. It also reprints Spawn #9 and #11, aka the first appearance of Angela, who now resides in the Marvel Universe as Thor's sister. As one of the only variants released for the first nine issues of Spawn, outside of issue 1, this early Spawn key book is an excellent pickup for the hardcore Spawn and Angela collectors.
SHAKER: SUPERMAN #204 (DIAMOND RETAILER SUMMIT) | DC | 2004
By Keith Shimabukuro
Here's one more affordable Shaker that's on the rise. This book is the companion cover to the more famous Batman #608 second print by Jim Lee. The color version was printed as the main cover to Superman #204, and since the print run is sky high, the book never took off in value (FMV for a 9.8 is $128). The sketch version of this cover was handed out as a freebie at the Diamond Retailer Summit, which first began in 2001 as a way for the distributor to connect with its comic book retailers and publishers. This sketch version doesn't come up for sale too often, a recent raw copy sold for $69 on 5/18/22 (which was a steal) with a 9.6 selling for a new-high in-grade of $250. Keep an eye on this and it's "up, up and away" for this variant!
SHAKER: TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES #13 | MIRAGE | 1984
By Matt DeVoe
It's easy to be distracted by the first several issues of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. And why wouldn't you be? The first issue hits new high sales across all printings month after month. The second and third issues have also seen crazy new highs over the past two years. Yet many comic hunters stop after that. Trending at an FMV of $15, this isn't a big aftermarket raw seller. Yet TMNT collectors are just as diehard about their books as Spawn fans are. Yet TMNT fans have to deal with nearly a decade ahead of him and some terrible paper quality. With only six 9.6 copies and three 9.8's on the CGC census, fans are desperate for high-grade copies for their collection. Paying attention to high-grade early TMNT can pay off in a big way, as these are some of the BEST gap books in all of comics. While 9.4s sell for a mere $110, jumping to this week's 9.6 at $1,600 should help motivate you to take a second look. (Note, we've never seen a 9.8 come to market).
SHAKER: TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES #16 | MIRAGE | 1988
By Matt DeVoe
Ditto for this issue of TMNT. This issue has only two 9.8's on the census and ten 9.6s. Yet this week, a copy sold for a massive $2,600 for a CGC 9.6, toppling the last sale of $480 for a 9.6 in November 2021. Is this price a fluke? We'll have to see. For now, raws are so cheap (FMV of $12) that there's not much risk if you're lucky to stumble across a high-grade copy.
SHAKER: TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES ADVENTURES #72 | ARCHIE | 1995
By Prof. X
There's been a lot of focus on TMNT Adventures #1 – the limited series from 1998. What's not to love with the first appearance of Krang, Bebop, and Rocksteady (the last two as humans). Huge! But there's also another TMNT Adventures series – you know, the one you are disappointed to see when you're searching for TMNT Adventures #1 (the good one), and the cover image comes up of Shredder staring down at the turtles? However, the series ran from 1989 to 1995 spanning 72 issues! 72 ISSUES!! While we don't have any hard data as to the actual print run of TMNT #72, it must be relatively low as there are only 35 universal copies on the CGC census, including 11 in CGC 9.8 condition. There is a mythical Canadian price variant per the census, yet only one CGC slabbing has been documented (a 9.6). So while you're digging in those long boxes, you might want to keep an eye out for TMNT Adventures #72 as a raw copy hit an all-time high of $132 raw this week. While you're at it, watch out for other books from the end of that series, as there's some margin available if you're pulling from dollar bins (or even $5 boxes!).
SHAKER: THOR #1 - ARTHUR ADAMS - 2014 NYCC | MARVEL | 2014
By Jeremy Imlach
Not only is this NYCC exclusive a low print run book (limited to 500 copies), but it's also gaining some serious momentum with the MCU. As one of the many variants tied for the first cover appearance of Jane Foster as Thor, this book is shaking the market! This week's sale of $699 for a 9.8 graded copy tied the record from a sale back in January of this year. The closest sale price was $669 from last month, followed by two sales of $549.99 in March and May of last year. Back in October 2019, a 9.8 sold for $84! To say this book is trending is obvious, as the new Thor trailers held no bars back, showcasing Jane as Thor. Much to the excitement of MCU fans!
SHAKER: WONDER WOMAN #38 - DAVID FINCH (1:100) | DC | 2015
By Mr. Long/Short
It is not often that we see 1:100 ratio variants deep into runs like this, but that is what makes this amazing David Finch cover so desirable. Wonder Woman #38 had approximately 40,000 initial orders, meaning that most comic shops were not coming anywhere close to ordering 100 copies. Currently, there are 235 total copies on the CGC census, which is relatively low for most modern comics. Three sales trended this week: A CGC 9.6 sold for $535, a price at which 9.8s were selling for nearly three years ago. A new all-time high 9.8 sale of $950 and a recent 9.8 at $800. As the comic book market pivots its attention to scarcity, we expect lower grades of rare books to rise as 9.8s premium prices skyrocket.
SHAKER: X-MEN #96 | MARVEL | 1975
By Matthew Glover
This issue sees the first appearance of Moira MacTaggert. In this issue, she is introduced as the Xavier School's housekeeper. This was later retconned to make Moira a scientific partner for Xavier and then later retconned again to make her the Moira from House and Powers of X. This week we saw a sale of $2,176.00 for this issue in a 9.8. The fair market value of a raw copy of this is $107.00. In May of 2019, this book in a 9.8 went for 1,250.00. That is a substantial increase in value, and it seems to be consistent with a sale from March of this year for $2,520.00.
SHAKER: X-MEN #268 - J.C. PENNY "VINTAGE" 2ND PRINT | MARVEL | 1990
By Matt DeVoe
Printed three years after the first printing in 1990, this classic cover was noted as a second print. It was exclusively distributed at JC Penny's via a comic-book multi-pack to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Spider-Man. Despite its rarity, this subsequent printing has been highly ignored for the past two decades. This week, this seems to be shifting with this week's new high sale of $475 for a CGC 9.8. This 2nd print cover and the standard look almost identical. The easiest distinguishable differences are the Spider-Man's in the barcode box. The original features Spidey's head, while this cover displays the Spider-Man 30th Anniversary McFarlane logo.
RUMORED/OPTIONED COMICS
RUMORED/OPTIONED: MULLET COP
This week, Scout released a press release announcing that they have "partnered with screenwriter James Butler to develop Tom Lintern's post-apocalyptic sci-fi comedy MULLET COP as an animated series. Kevin Biggins is attached as showrunner, and Adriel Garcia will direct." This news hasn't yet created any market traction, yet it's still early in its development.
RUMORED/OPTIONED: PLASTIC WOMAN
Comicbook.com recently announced "Leslie Jones to Voice Plastic Woman in New Warner Bros. Animated Series ."While Plastic Woman doesn't have much of a precise in DC comics, her first appearance in COUNTDOWN PRESENTS: THE SEARCH FOR RAY PALMER: SUPERWOMAN / BATWOMAN has seen sales as high as $59 raw.
RUMORED/OPTIONED: SPEED RACER
Deadline is reporting that "'Speed Racer' Live-Action Series in the Works at Apple, J.J. Abrams Executive Producing." This news has already given his first comic book appearance in 1987 a decent bump in price to $30 raw.
WHAT THE WATCHER IS WATCHING
WATCHING: WITCHBLADE #1 | IMAGE | 1995
By Matt DeVoe
The '90s were packed with new characters from new publisher Image Comics. First issues and first appearances were a steady weekly stream of new collectibles for fans to pick up. When we look back at this unique time in comics, only a few of those characters stood the test of time. Spawn, of course, is the king of Image. He's hands down the aftermarket darling of ALL comics. However, the second (or maybe third with Savage Dragon in the mix) '90s favorite and ultimate market survivor had to be Witchblade. The scantly clad heroine was an instant draw on comic stands. Was it sexist? Yep. It's hard to defend a character who was borderline naked for the first five years of her existence. With that said, Witchblade's development and storylines got good throughout the 2000s... like really good. The series eventually moved away from her sexy '90s days and transformed her into one of comics' top female comic stars. With a failed TV series already under her belt, she's due for another content attempt. Even if there isn't a new show or film, the nostalgia around the character (plus a fantastic Michael Turner cover) is helping this first issue already move up in value like this week's new raw height of $55.
KEY COMIC OF THE WEEK
KEY OF THE WEEK: NEW YORK WORLD'S FAIR COMICS #1 (15¢ VARIANT) | DC COMICS | 1939
By Yves Navant
A CGC-graded 2.5 copy of this comic book grail just sold for $3,360. That is a steal for this comic! This limited series was published to be sold at America's World's Fair exhibitions, part memorabilia and part gateway drug for other DC comics published at the time. This comic also directly led to Superman and Batman's shared World's Finest title. A couple of seismic events occurred here; it not only features Zatarra (Zatanna from the Justice League's dad) among other beloved characters of the time, but also Superman's first appearance outside Action Comics! Er… Superman's also blonde. Most notable is the first appearance of the Sandman! Depicted here as a gas mask-wearing Mystery Man who is wanted by police on two continents, despite never having committed a crime, Sandman thwarts an attempt to steal plans for a ray gun of his own design. The Sandman concept was, of course, later wildly reinterpreted by Jack Kirby and Neil Gaiman before Matt Wagner returned him to his roots as a Mystery Man in a noir world. Superman's first non-Action Comics appearance, his miscolored hair, Sandman's first appearance, and a .15¢ sticker creating a very early variant makes this book a remarkable rarity.
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The CovrPrice Contributors
It takes a lot of work and research to bring you our Weekly Comic Report. Special thanks to our fanatical writers for their weekly contributions and comic know-how. If you'd like to learn more about our writing team, follow the links below.
Lead Writer & Editor: Matt DeVoe | matt@CovrPrice.com
Writer : Jenny Avendaño | PostModern.Mommy
Writer: The Professor | Lady T Comic Keys
Writer: Yves Navant | Yvesnavant.com
Writer: Mr. Long/Short | mr._long_short
Writer: Jeremy Imlach | Venomized_truebeliever
Writer : Keith Shimabukuro | cardboard_fiend
Writer: Nick Richardson | Nick's Fresh Press Comics
Writer : Matthew Glover
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Slabbed Sales Data
