As fans get ready for Deadpool & Wolverine, collectors and investors are stockpiling copies of Hulk #181, which saw a sales spike on eBay.
What is this blog series all about? It all comes down to sales. The Hottest Comics ranks the 100 best-selling, single issues on eBay. However, these are not dependent on the largest price tags. Instead, the index is based solely on sales volume. What you see below are the five issues that had the most upward momentum compared to this point 10, 30, 60, 90, and 180 days ago.
TRACKING THE MARKET
Before we dive into the Hottest Comics, let's take a moment for a market welfare check. According to GoCollect's Collectible Price Index, everything is down, minus one exception: the Golden Age, which saw a +3 gain over the past month. In the last week, it's risen by one point, so those GA investments are paying dividends overall. With Deadpool & Wolverine nearing its theatrical release date, the Copper and Modern ages should get a boost from the movie hype. The Silver Age market will rebound in time, given all the Marvel firsts during that era.
10 DAYS
24. INCREDIBLE HULK #181 (+30)
In last week's Coldest Comics blog, the X-Men keys were seeing a cooldown in their eBay sales. While those issues are gradually beginning to slow in the sales department, Wolverine's solo keys have thrived in the past 10 days. Wolverine Limited #1 remained the highest ranking Logan key, but his most famous comic stole the spotlight in the Hottest Comics.
As fans prepare for Hugh Jackman to bring Wolverine into the MCU, collectors and investors were on the hunt for Hulk #181. This is a perennial market favorite, and why wouldn't it be? It's a Bronze Age holy grail with the price tags to prove it. The grading companies still acknowledge this as Wolverine's first full appearance and first cover appearance, which gives it more clout among CGC aficionados. Even though Logan's actual debut occurred on the final page of Hulk #180, that iconic cover art with Wolverine in full view gets the collecting nod virtually every time, hence the massive price tags.
Another factor in the Hulk #181 investment game is the Marvel Value Stamp. Before publishers shifted their focus mainly toward the collectors, Marvel hatched a scheme to get fans to spend more money. Several issues contained a collectible stamp that readers could clip from the pages and paste into a portfolio of sorts. So many copies of Hulk #181 are missing the MVS that it's put a premium on a complete copy, and that automatically inflates the prices. With D&W on the way, it will add more emphasis to an already massive key issue.
30 DAYS
The Hobgoblin has made his triumphant return to the Hottest Comics blog. That's not to say ASM #238 has been AWOL from the eBay top 100, but it's been a little while since it was among the biggest movers and shakers. With Hobgoblin's media appeal, it's no wonder buyers keep track of this gem.
Of course the reason for ASM #238's key status is Hobgoblin's first appearance. In the lead up to Spider-Man: No Way Home, there was massive speculation that he would appear in the film with Ned Leeds taking a villainous turn. The filmmakers leaned into that theory a bit, with Ned promising to never become a supervillain, which was a clear wink and nod to the audience. While many will see that as a foregone conclusion that Hobgoblin will be featured in a future Spider-Man film, this is the MCU, where plot holes and threads are ignored on a regular basis.
The more likely place for Hobgoblin to surface is Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man. Formerly titled Spider-Man: Freshman Year, the cartoon series is slated for a November release, and we will likely see many lesser-known Spider-Verse villains in that show. If it garners the same following as X-Men '97, then plenty of Spidey keys could soon see a resurgence.
60 DAYS
Just when it looked like the X-keys were taking a sales dip, X-Factor #6 comes charging back with the most gains in the last two months. The culprit for this sprint to the finish could be partially due to a viral meme format.
In the original X-Men: The Animated Series, next to Magneto, Apocalypse was the show's most popular villain. When En Sabah Nur arrived in live-action, many fans begged for Oscar Isaac to have a booming voice reminiscent of the character's portrayal on the show. While we didn't anything close to the Apocalypse from X-Men: TAS, he is returning in cartoon form. After many teases, he finally made his X-Men '97 debut in the season finale as Professor X and company found themselves teleported to Ancient Egypt.
As a whole, the market has a short attention span, and news becomes ancient history in a matter of weeks. With X-Men '97's first season having concluded, fans have moved on to other interests. As a result, many keys began to slump, including X-Factor #6. Two months ago, it ranked 80th, yet it came storming back this week. Obviously, the biggest factor is X-Men '97, but there has been a meme featuring En Sabah Nur's introduction making the internet rounds. It's become so popular that it could have been enough to put Apocalypse in the minds of so many fans, thus leading to an uptick in sales.
90 DAYS
Those Ultimate firsts are still surging. After the Ultimate Universe was given a reboot with all-star writer Jonathan Hickman at the helm, the different series are hot with collectors. For the past three months, Ultimate Black Panther #1 and Ultimate X-Men #1 have been setting the pace, but it's harder to have more momentum than Ultimate Spider-Man #1, which climbed nearly 60 spots in that span.
That first issue was flying off shelves upon its initial release. The comic went to an impressive fifth printing (not to mention the 40-plus variant covers), and collectors are always excited for those smaller, subsequent print runs. Still, it's that first printing that is getting all the love on eBay.
180 DAYS
The big winner for the last six months is a familiar favorite. The Last Ronin was a massive hit for IDW, and it helped rejuvenate the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, at least in comic book form. In mainstream media, they never left. The brand is constantly being reinvented for modern viewers, and that's about to happen once again. Only this time, it's going to be aimed at a much different cinematic audience.
Last year, TMNT was reimagined in the hit animated movie, Mutant Mayhem. That is leading to a new cartoon series, and we all know a sequel is coming. Where that family-friendly incarnation was a fresh take on an old story, Last Ronin is a completely new tale like nothing general fans have ever seen. It's been announced that the live-action adaptation will be an R-rated affair, making this the first TMNT movie geared towards an older-teen and adult crowd. If it is a hit, we could see more mature content from the Ninja Turtles, and that will have collecting implications.
Since Last Ronin was such a success, there have been spinoffs and the tease of a new TMNT team. If we get more than one Last Ronin movie, we could see those spinoff comics getting more attention on the secondary market.
