Welcome to COVRPRICE's SHAKER Report, where we cover our favorite high comic book sales of the week, including comics from all corners of the hobby - from vintage comic books to modern comics! In this week's shaker, we have BATGIRL, ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN, GOTHAM ACADEMY, X-MEN'97, BLUE MONDAY, and so many other comics from all ends of the comic spectrum!

SHAKERS OF THE WEEK

These are all comic books that hit our daily SHAKERS list. This list refreshes EVERY day, so don't miss out!

SHAKER: ALL-TRUE DETECTIVE CASES #NN | AVON | 1952

By The Professor

Like so many Golden-age comics, the All-True Detective Cases series of comics from Avon Periodicals consists of a number of short stories all related to violent crime. This first issue, a giant-size 100-page comic book, contains a compilation of stories from the other Avon comic books Gangsters and Gunmolls #3, Parole Breakers #2, and Crime on the Waterfront #4 (also published in 1952). The stories featured in All-True Detectives #NN include “Juanita Perez: The Gypsy Killer,” “Murder on the Piers,” “Fiddler of Death,” and “Insurance for Death,” among many others. The most famous contributor to this comic book was Joe Kubert, who crafted six pages of interior art for the story “Marion Gilmore Queen of the Waterfront Gang.” The cover art for this issue has many of the things collectors love - violence, a beautiful woman in bondage, and “headlights.” Unbelievably rare, this past week, we saw a unicorn sale of the only CGC 8.0 (and the highest grade on the census) for close to $16K! That is a serious amount of money for a one-of-a-kind comic. Who knows when we might see this book become available again for purchase! But here’s hoping we see any of the other three issues from this series come up for sale in the open market in the coming weeks and months!

SHAKER: ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #500 - PLATINUM EDITION POLYBAGGED | DC | 1993

By Nick Richardson

Those around back in the day understand how big of a deal the death of Superman was. Titles featuring the character ceased for three months before this book dropped. In it, DC revealed that Superman was back from the dead, or, at least, his coffin was empty. It also introduced the masses to Superboy and John Henry, who became Steel. Naturally, DC pulled out the stops and delivered numerous special editions for fans to chase. One of them was this book, but some escaped the warehouse that shouldn’t have. A subset of Platinum editions featured an error, which has driven up prices on the aftermarket. Recently, a CGC 9.8 of the platinum error edition hit the market and sold for $1,225. That’s a hefty price tag, considering CGC 9.8 copies of the non-error books can be had for around $300. Look to the census to get a better picture, as there are only nine copies of the error version on record, while there are 35 for the non-error version. Exclusivity is often the partner of high prices, and while Superman doesn’t quite dominate the market like he used to, he still has one of the largest fan bases, and one lucky fan got a neat Superman key!

SHAKER: BATGIRL #28 JONES (1:25) STEAMPUNK VARIANT | DC | 2014

By Van Denby

In 2014, DC Comics released a variant cover set with artwork by some of the top artists in the industry that featured our favorite costumed heroes in alternate costumes inspired by Steampunk esthetics. A number of these variants go on to succeed in the aftermarket, and some of them have been mentioned on our past Shakers lists and Top 10 lists. Books such as Wonder Woman #28, Superman/Wonder Woman #5, and Batwoman #28 have all been featured and sought out by collectors and completionists alike. This week, another cover from this set reached a new landmark. The JG Jones Variant cover for Batgirl #28, a $150+ raw book for years, sold for a new all-time-high sale of $400. This sale is only $50 short of the book's all-time high in graded form, which occurred in 2021. This set has many variants hovering in the $20 and below price range, and with each additional cover rising in price, collectors could move to some of the cheaper options to complete the set. These are worth seeking out when you are digging at your local shops and online.

SHAKER: BLUE MONDAY: THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT #3 | ONI PRESS | 2000

By Xavier

If you primarily focus on the super hero side of comic books, chances are you haven’t heard of Blue Monday. Blue Monday is a coming of age series that focuses on a group of teenagers going through high school. The series is named after the British band, New Order. The main characters are social outcasts that spend their time daydreaming and pulling pranks on each other. Creator, Chynna Clugston Flores, has referred to her teen comedy series as, “ Archie on crack, with cursing and smokes.” What makes this particular issue special is the highly popular artist behind it, J. Scott Campbell. Even moreso, this book is a rarity, having seen a minimal print run of under 4000 copies. There are only 18 copies of this book graded at a 9.8, according to the CGC Census. One of these copies sold for a new all-time high of $350. This is over $50, the last high sale for a 9.8, back in 2017. Since that sale, the price of a 9.8 of this book declined, selling for a little over $125 last year. It looks like the demand may be back, a perfect time for the other 17 owners of these 9.8s to revisit the aftermarket!

SHAKER: THE CREATURE ISSUE #1 - CARL TAYLOR & DAVID STEVENS | CARL COMICS | 1977

By Jeremy Imlach

In our November issue of the Shakers Report, we delved into the fascinating history of The Creature #1, highlighting its significance as the FIRST PUBLISHED COVER by the legendary Dave Lee Stevens. At that time, a CGC 9.6 copy fetched a new all-time high of $700, surpassing the previous high for a 9.8 of $600. However, just when we thought the excitement couldn't get any higher, a new titan sale has emerged to claim its place at the top. Last week, a CGC 9.6 copy of The Creature #1 sold for a staggering $1,100, significantly outpacing the previous sale from November. It's clear that David Stevens' popularity is continuing to soar rapidly, with collectors eagerly seeking out his early contributions to the comic book world. For collectors and enthusiasts alike, it's essential to keep your eyes peeled for opportunities to acquire rare treasures like The Creature #1. With each new sale setting records and pushing the boundaries of value, securing a copy of this iconic issue will only become more challenging over time.

SHAKER: FARLAINE THE GOBLIN ISSUE #5 - SKOTTIE YOUNG | STUDIO FARLAINE | 2017

By Matthew Glover Esq.

Have you ever heard of Pug Grumble? What about Farlaine the Goblin? If not, you are not alone. This seven-issue comic follows the titular character and his sentient tree through an adventure to find a forest they can call their own. Farlaine the Goblin is an all-ages book with a fun and quirky sense of adventure in the same vein as Asterix and Donald the Duck comics. This project is completely contained, and Studio Farlaine has not done any other stories since. This is a true Indy original. The creator initially didn’t want to have a creative name attached to the book but wanted the focus to remain just on Arlaine. However, they started to run into problems when trying to attend conventions that needed a real name. From this need, the pen name of Pug Grumble was born. Pug Grumble has worked on this project from before the 2013 releases all the way up to the series finally in 2018. Due to the Indy nature, Farlaine has shared definitive printing numbers. Book five was printed in May 2017, with only 2000 copies printed, 1350 Regular Covers, and 650 Skottie Young Variants. The ordering ratio was 1:3, meaning that a shop needed to order at least three copies to get the Skottie Young version. Ever the tongue-in-cheek writer Pug Grumble pointed out that most stores don’t buy this book, so this cover is gonna be super rare. It appears Pug was right because, recently, an ungraded copy was sold for $125.

SHAKER: GOTHAM ACADEMY #1 CLOONAN (1:25) | DC | 2014

By Van Denby

Gotham Academy was a DC Comics series that debuted in 2014, and instantly, fans and critics met the series with rave reviews. The series followed a girl named Olive, who attended a prestigious prep school in Gotham that happened to be located across the street from the infamous Arkham Asylum. This series introduced many characters, one being Mia Mizoguchi also known as Maps. Maps was Olive's best friend and was also shown to be friends with Damian Wayne. This character was a favorite for many readers who thought she would have a future in the DC Universe. DC rewarded those readers in this week's Brave and the Bold #12 when Maps was officially revealed to be a Robin. This reveal led to her first appearance at Gotham Academy #1, where she saw renewed interest. The cover of choice happened to be the Becky Cloonan 1:25 variant, which saw a new all-time high sale when a CGC 9.8 graded copy was sold for $450. This sale could also lead to collectors picking up cheaper raw copies of the variant. Another option for Maps' first appearance, aside from the standard cover A, is the 2nd printing which seems to be selling in the $7-15 range.

SHAKER: HACK/SLASH #25 FRISON | IMAGE | 2013

By Van Denby

Jenny Frison is among the most sought after artists in the comic book industry today. Her work on titles such as Vampirella, Red Sonja, Wonder Woman, and others cemented her as a fan favorite and one of the most active cover artists working today. Frison has a number of collectible covers that have eclipsed $100 for a single raw copy on the aftermarket and another one of her more rarer covers achieved the same milestone. Matching a previous all time high sale in March, HACK/SLASH #25 sold this past week for $100. This beautiful cover joins some of her heavyweighs such as Sandman, Voltron, and Something is Killing the Children among others. This book also has a very limited number of high grade copies available so if you happen to find one for a reasonable price, there is no shortage of demand that's for sure. This cover remains one of her best yet and should be highly sought after for a long time

SHAKER: HUZZAH #1 | SELF-PUBLISHED | 1979

By Ron Reyes

Steve Gallacci is widely known as a talented illustrator who gained recognition for his exceptional work in Albedo #0, often considered the starting point of his career. However, it's worth noting that two other periodicals existed before Albedo was released in 1983. These were "Fanzines," or "works created by amateur publicists," that played a significant role in Gallacci's historical career. One such work was Yearnings #1, released in 1982 and designed by the famed ElfQuest team of Jane Fancher and Wendy Pini. Steve is credited with illustrations in the short story "Leadership in EQ" by Eric Ozog. The other work is this week's Shaker, Huzzah #1, which reached an all-time high of $1500 for a CGC 8.5. It should be pointed out that CGC has been apprehensive about pressing fanzines due to the ease of counterfeiting the material (recall Cerebus?).

Nevertheless, there are six copies of this book on the census, and while this one is the least graded version, three other 9.2s and two 9.0s remain in the wild. Another interesting fact about Huzzah, produced by Ben Burgraff, Jeff Kilian, Jon Warner, and Kevin Carroll, was that it was the official start of Steve's famous anthropomorphic creation, Erma Felna! Humanoid animal hybrids were gaining immense popularity in science fiction genres at the time and, thus, responsible for the subsequent rise of Gallacci's Albedo.

*Fun fact: Erma's 4-page story featured in Huzzah #1 was later reprised in the 4th Print of Alebedo #0!

SHAKER: SPAWN #231 - TODD MCFARLANE - B&W (1:25) | IMAGE | 2013

By Travis Millsaps

In what might be considered a perfect mix of popularity, nostalgia, and rarity combined into one, the 1:25 Black and White Spawn #231 Variant sold this week for a staggering $1400. This sale of a CGC 9.8 copy eclipses the book’s previous high of $1,003.78 from September 2023. With a near 40% increase over the previous highest sale and a near doubling of the most recent documented sale of a 9.8, it’s easy to wonder what has prompted the increase.

Well, Spawn is popular, which is likely news to very few folks operating within the comic book industry. However, the real draw of this issue is the homage to one of the most popular covers in comic book history, Spider-Man #1. In 1990, Todd Mcfarlane took his talents to an all-new Spider-Man series titled “Spider-Man.” The covers from Todd’s initial run continue to be some of the most highly sought-after and oft-sold books on the market daily, none more so than issue #1. The Spawn #231 cover is almost a direct copy of Todd’s original Spidey cover, down to the title print and the “Collector’s Item Issue” banner at the top. Given the popularity of the original cover, this homage, combined with the scarcity of this 1:25 Black & White variant, creates a book tailor-made to hit its all-time high. While it’s never a surprise to find McFarlane books changing hands and selling often, it’s certainly hard to ignore a jump of this magnitude.

SHAKER: TOMB RAIDER ISSUE #1 - C2E2 | DARK HORSE | 2014

By Jeremy Imlach

Following the game's acclaimed bold and sophisticated new vision of the time, this series launched Lara Croft on the formative adventures that changed her story forever. Tomb Raider #1 - C2E2 edition has made waves with a recent new all-time-high sale of a Raw NM copy fetching $75. This sale marks the only recorded raw aftermarket sale, with two other slabs, both graded 9.8, selling for $25 and $50, respectively. The scarcity of recorded sales for this issue makes this sale particularly noteworthy. With only eight graded copies on record, all of which are graded 9.8, and two of those being signature series, Tomb Raider Issue #1 is an undercover gem in the comic book market. It's hard to determine if this recent sale indicates significant movement for this issue or if it's merely an outlier. However, the increasing value of this comic suggests growing interest among collectors in Lara Croft's comic book adventures.

SHAKER: VENOM #23 - RAMOS VARIANT | MARVEL | 2012

By Dana Forsythe

Humberto Ramos was about a decade into his stint at Marvel Comics in 2012 when he created this incredibly cool and hard-to-find variant for Venom #23. Ramos, who rose to prominence in 2010 after re-launching the Amazing Spider-Man with Dan Slott, has had a lot of practice drawing both Venom and Spider-Man, having worked on Peter Parker: Spider-Man starting in 2002, but this cover stands out for its deep purple background and stylistic look at Flash Thompson’s Agent Venom. Agent Venom was introduced a little more over a year prior in 2011 (in Amazing Spider-Man #654), generating a lot of buzz for the new character, but this cover stands out as one of the anti-hero’s best.

Price-wise, this book has been all over the place since CovrPrice started keeping track in 2018. Then, ungraded and raw copies were selling for anywhere between $30 and $250. Since 2024 started, though, NM raw copies of this issue have sold from $100, all the way up to the most recent sale of $300 on Apr. 27. This one remains a sought-after modern variant by an artist that has become synonymous with the Spider-family.

SHAKER: WORLD WAR III #1 | ACE MAGAZINES | 1952

By The Professor 

World War III #1 provides a wild insight into the imaginations of America during the Cold War. Published in 1952, the splash pages show "Russia's Military Rulers" in the "Secret Kremlin Headquarters" in the future of 1960. It reads, "Let the reason for publishing this shocking account of World War III be completely clear. We want only to awaken America…and the world…to grim facts. The one way to prevent this mass destruction of humanity is to prepare NOW. Only a super-strong and fully enlightened America can stop this onrushing horror of the future!" What unfolds in the pages of this comic book is utter world destruction. First the Russians attack the US - dropping multiple nuclear bombs on the eastern coast of US, including Washington, DC. America responds in kind, dropping bombs on Russia. Worldwide war ensues. Everyone loses…It is not the most uplifting vision of the future from this 1952 comic book. It is part patriotic comic book and part warning signal to what might happen if the US does not remain strong and alert. This issue speaks to the general conscious of many Americans during this period in history. This past week, we saw a high-grade CGC 8.5 copy make shock-waves by selling for $4500. Generally speaking, war comics are more of a niche market for collectors, so it was great to see such an explosive sale for this Cold War era comic!

SHAKER: X-MEN #23 - JOHN TYLER CHRISTOPHER - VENOM (1:50) | MARVEL |2012

By Travis Millsaps

In the same vein as Jenny Frison, Skottie Young, Artgerm, and the litany of other massively popular cover artists gracing the front of our favorite books with regularity, John Tyler Christopher's work has garnered significant attention over the last few years. His ever-popular Negative Space variants are some of the more unique and enjoyable cover series that we see on a regular basis. However, it is a 1:50 variant from Marvel's popular "Venomized" cover run that graces the Shaker Report today.

This week, a CGC 9.8 graded X-Men #23 shattered all records, soaring to an unprecedented high of $650, surpassing the previously documented all-time high sale of $450. The cover itself is a masterpiece, with a special mention to the striking venomized Jubilee holding a to-go cup. Marvel released numerous venomized variants during this period, but the combination of Christopher's popularity and the rarity of the 1:50 ratio variant has undoubtedly contributed to this book's exceptional performance.

WHAT THE WATCHER WATCHES

WHAT THE WATCHER WATCHES: SCARLET WITCH #9 JEN BARTEL NEW CHAMPIONS VARIANT | MARVEL COMICS | 2023

By: Lefteros

Are you getting tired of watching us watch New Champions Variants yet? Completely understandable. But with five of them already introduced, and the variants associated with those doing well, it's probably a good idea to stay focused. This time we are watching this New Champions version of Scarlet Witch featured on this variant, and it;'s not just because it's a nice Jen Bartel cover either.

Earlier this week, Scarlet Witch scribe Steve Orlando retweeted an article on X (formerly Twitter) about how Spider-Woman #7 was selling on eBay for $18 on release. For those who don't know, that is the issue that introduced The Assembly, a new superhero team that features four New Champions. The thing is, he didn't just retweet it, he quote tweeted and said that if Spider-Woman #7 interests you, then you will want to make sure you pick up Scarlet Witch #6.

Honestly, I have no idea which Scarlet Witch #6 he is talking about. I know he is the writer for the upcoming Scarlet Witch series, but the first issue is not even out yet. That means the sixth one is months away. That got me thinking, did he mean that The Assembly may appear in that issue, or perhaps the Scarlet Witch New Champions Variant character? I don't know, but I want to find out. This one is still selling at cover price, so may be a good idea to grab a copy just in case. We are watching!

CONTENT/RUMORS

RUMORED/CASTING: AVENGELYNE / MARGOT ROBBIE

We recently broke the news that Olivia Wilde, Margot Robbie and  “X-Men” producer Simon Kinberg would be bringing the 90s comic, Avengelyne, to the big screen.  Now it’s being reported via Variety that Margot Robbie is now eyeing the titular role with the movie being set up at Warner Bros. 

RUMORED/RELEASE DATE: MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE

While The Hollywood Reporter reports that the live-action Masters of the Universe has a release date of June 5, 2026, with Travis Knight (Bumblebee and Kubo and the Two Strings) set as director, this movie has had so many delays that until we see a trailer, this will be kept in the rumor column. The movie will be produced through Amazon MGM with a script by Chris Butler.

KEY OF THE WEEK

SHAKER: X-MEN '97 #1 - TODD NAUCK - REGULAR | MARVEL | 2024

By Nick Richardson

To say that X-Men '97 has been a hit would be the understatement of the year! The community assumed it would be, but until it hit audiences, there was no way to know for sure. Nostalgia is fickle and can go south quickly if the IP is not treated with care. Luckily, this series was in good hands, and the X-Men are enjoying a renaissance. But, before the series dropped, we got this book detailing what went down during the ending of the original series and the debut of the new one. However, many fans were skeptical, opting to skip this book as the series was still out of reach. Now that it’s been lovingly received, fans are tracking down copies. Recently, one fan opted to skip the raw book and go straight for a CGC 9.8, dropping $161 to acquire it. The previous high was $80, and as the show continues, it’s likely to rise more. Still, that’s a steep asking price considering NM raw copies routinely sell for under $10 until recently, when there has been a steady uptick in price with fewer left on LCS shelves and back issue bins. For fans of the series, it’s a great book to acquire, akin to X-Men Adventures from the 90’s. It checks that nostalgia box, much like the recently released Whatnot Con gold foil exclusive that was limited to 250 copies of each, topping out at $206! What year is it again?

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