Silver Surfer #1 went from riding the big waves to an epic wipe out in matter of 10 days.
What are the Hottest Comics? Based on eBay's sales data, these are the 100 best-selling, single issues across the world's most famous auction site. Rather than focusing on the biggest price tags, these rankings are all about the overall sales volume.
Just like the law of gravity, what goes up must come down. These five comics were once soaring high but have since been pulled to the bottom. Which issues lost the most ground to become the week's Coldest Comics? Let's kick things off with a rather surprising pick.
10 DAYS
Just last week, Silver Surfer #1 was blistering the eBay sales charts. Collectors were falling over themselves to get their hands on practically any copies they could find, raw or graded. It sent SS #1 on a mighty trajectory that had it ranking high in the Hottest Comics. However, the secondary market is a fickle thing, and suddenly buyers turned away from this Silver Age classic as quickly as they fell in love with it.
What made SS #1 so popular in the first place is the big Marvel movie news. After the studio revealed the full cast for The Fantastic Four back in February, the internet erupted when news broke of the Silver Surfer being added to the film. To make the story more intriguing, the comic community learned that instead of Norrin Radd's Surfer, audiences get an all-new Silver Surfer in Norrin's comic book love interest, Shalla-Bal.
Collectors and investors have long held SS #1 as an important key to own. The issue marked the first self-titled Silver Surfer comic and his first series. That alone made this a worthy addition to any collection. Factor in Shalla-Bal's first appearance, and this has been a red hot comic...until now. In 10 days, SS #1 had an unreal fall from grace, going from 10th to 95th.
There's no question that things will turn around, and it could happen in a matter of days. For now, SS #1 gets saddled with the title of the single Coldest Comic on eBay.
30 DAYS
Ah, Lobo. Week after week, buyers can't seem to figure out what to do with him. The cosmic bounty hunter and DC's answer to Deadpool, "The Main Man" is destined to make it to the DCU. As I have written many times, Lobo is perfect for James Gunn. After all, he's a bulky, 'roided-up superhero with a bad-yet-hilarious attitude. He even rides a Harley Davidson in space. If that doesn't sound like something Gunn can turn into gold, nothing does.
It's for the above reasons that Omega Men #3 never falls outside the Hottest Comics. The day will come when Lobo gets his own streaming show or, even better, a movie franchise. The modern superhero audience will love him, and that will catapult his keys to the top of the sales mountain. We've already seen shades of just such an occurrence. Remember when Jason Momoa teased switching from Aquaman to Lobo for the new-and-improved DCU? That caused a seismic shift, and Omega Men #1 had a rocket strapped to its back in almost no time.
Since there's no news on the Lobo movie front, it's kept buyers away from his first appearance...for now. When the day comes for a live-action announcement, things will change. At the moment, we can only wait for it to climb back into the top 50 before it falls to the bottom half once again.
60 DAYS
All has been quiet on the Black Panther MCU front for quite a while. The last time we saw Shuri was two years ago in Wakanda Forever. While that's a relatively short amount of time, it's ancient history in the fast-paced MCU world. That translates into a lack of sales in comic collecting.
True, there's been nothing new about Black Panther in the MCU, but the character has been making headlines in the comics world. When Marvel rebooted the Ultimate Universe, one of the first titles to hit shelves was Ultimate Black Panther. The first issue continues to rack up sales, and the momentum has been pushing the comic higher in the Hottest Comics.
Although the enthusiasm for Ultimate Black Panther hasn't translated into FF #52 sales, there's no reason to worry about your investment. This is the first appearance of Black Panther, and it will remain a holy grail no matter what happens in the MCU or the comics. Sooner or later, Shuri will star in another movie, and that will reignite the beacons for this comic.
90 DAYS
Spider-Man 2099 has taken a major hit as of late. Miguel O'Hara's first appearance has been getting the yo-yo treatment, and it is officially the coldest comic of the past three months. However, the time is coming when it will catch fire. If only Sony would give the world a Beyond the Spider-Verse release date, that would speed things up.
The huge popularity of Across the Spider-Verse brought a spotlight to ASM #365. Miguel won over mainstream audiences as Miles' antagonist in arguably the best Spider-Man movie ever made, and that brought buyers to the eBay doorstep. Both ASM #365 and Spider-Man 2099 #1 went screaming through the Hottest Comics rankings, and they stayed on top for some time. Then things went cold.
As mentioned earlier, time moves faster in the superhero movie realm. With so many new MCU and DCU projects on the horizon, it's easy to forget about Miguel's star-turning roll in Across the Spider-Verse. That has sent his first appearance dropping to the back of the Hottest Comics. Once the trailers for Beyond hit the internet, things will take a turn.
180 DAYS
For the past six months, it's been a tough road for the Red Hulk.
When Harrison Ford was initially announced as the MCU's new Thunderbolt Ross, the instant reaction was that we'd see a gamma-powered transformation on the big screen. It sent Hulk #1 speeding through the sales charts in short order. Of course, this isn't Red Hulk's first in-story appearance. That wouldn't happen until the following issue. Still, collectors love those awesome covers, so that's kept Hulk #1 as the premiere Red Hulk key to own.
Despite rampant gossip and rumors that Ford will change into a gamma monster in the upcoming Captain America: Brave New World, buyers have not been keen on his most famous comic. Once again, it comes down to a lack of news with so many other keys making headlines.
