The following article has been written by Comic Book Speculation Dot Com writer, Nico. Read more articles from Nico here.

This is your Weekend Update!

Spotless Eternals’ copper shine

The Hollywood Reporter suggested this week that Hollywood A-lister, Angelina Jolie, is actively negotiating a role in the forthcoming Eternals film.  Jolie is contemporary Hollywood royalty by all accounts and would provide instant legitimacy to this film project. Fans are clamoring to discern whether or not she is will star as Sersi and sales of Sersi’s first appearance in Eternals #3 are on the rise.  Promptly following the news there were a few big recorded sales. On March 25th a live auction for a CGC 9.8 copy ended at $715.00. On March 28th two CGC 9.6 copies moved for $424.95. This is particularly telling to the extent that two CGC 9.6 copies of issue #1 sold for $300.00 the prior day.

 

The Eternals is slated to be directed by Chloe Zhao. Zhao who will be the first woman to direct a Marvel Cinematic Universe film solo (Captain Marvel had both Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck co-directing).  This film is reportedly “the love story between Ikaris, a man fueled by cosmic energy, and Sersi, who relishes moving amongst humans” according to the Hollywood Reporter and we may just be seeing the first major casting news heating up 1st appearances of these characters.  If you are out there hunting for Eternals books, you should keep an eye out for the following keys:
(A) Eternals #2 is the first appearance of the Celestials and the first appearance of Ajak; re is a price variant of this book;
(B) Eternals #5 is the first appearance of Domo, Makkari, Thena and Zuras;
(C) Eternals #7 is the first appearance of the One-Above-All;
(D) Eternals #9 is the first appearance of Sprite;
(E) Eternals #11 is the first appearance of Druig;
(F) Eternals #12 is the first appearance of the Uni-Mind;
(G) Eternals #13 is the first appearance of Gilgamesh (a/k/a “The Forgotten One”);
(H) Captain Marvel #59 is the first appearance of Elysius.

Second print, ratio, incentive, blah, blah, blah …

This week Marvel announced that it is releasing a second print of the highly anticipated Immortal Hulk #16 and many speculators and collectors threw a fit when they learned that Marvel is taking orders for the second print and advertising a 1:25 incentive variant before the first prints hit the shelves.  Although this practice is unusual it is not unprecedented. The collecting community is split between those collectors who support low print, hard to find exclusive variants under almost any circumstances and those who believe that the variant practices of the major retailers are sucking the life out of the comic community.  Some have likened this book to newsstand editions of Batman #457 Second Print and/or second print newsstand edition of Superman #50. Both books demand a significant premium in any grade. Obviously the point will be made that ratio/incentive variants of second prints are unlike newsstand editions of second prints and are easily distinguishable because they are essentially manufactured collectable, engineered to be  rare, etc. This fact has not stopped collectors from paying substantial premiums for 1st print ratio/incentive variants and it is safe to apply the same rules when you are making your decision to purchase (e.g., is this a 1st appearance, 1st cover appearance, classic cover, etc.).  I suspect that this is only the beginning of this practice and while there may not be much meat on the bone for speculators on the Immoral Hulk #16 2nd print 1:25 variants, keep a look out for overlooked incentive variants down the road, my instincts tell me there may be opportunities for speculators in the future.

Immortal Hulk mania continues to run wild

While many seasoned collectors are disgorging themselves of any and all Immortal Hulk related books, a considerable number of others continue to pay exorbitant sums for Immortal Hulk related keys.  The biggest of them all is the 1:25 variant of Immortal Hulk #2. No one denies that that this variant cover is nothing short of spectacular. This week there were four sales of CGC 9.8 copies of the 1:25 Zaffino variant.  The sales started Monday night when a live auction ended at $811.00. Thereafter on Wednesday, a best of $850.00 was accepted on a comparable book. Later on Wednesday, another best offer was accepted at $850.00. On Thursday a best offer of $841.00 was accepted.

Monster variants trade hands

This week a couple of rarely listed mega key variant covers moved in live auctions on eBay.  The first book is the Deadpool Siege #3 variant. This classic variant was only available to retailers who agreed to trade Marvel fifty unsold copies of DC’s Blackest Night crossover in exchange for one Siege #3 Deadpool variant.  This week a Siege #3 CGC 9.4 SS signed by J. Scott Campbell sold in a live auction for 1,675.00. In an era where Marvel is bad mouthed from all corners for its current variant practice, some collectors remember fondly this exquisite promotion from the House of Ideas. I for one die a little bit on the inside every time I see a retailer with boxes of unsold copies of DC’s Blackest Night crossover collecting dust.

Also this week, we saw CGC 9.4 Amazing Spider-man #678 Quinones Variant sold in a live auction for $1,625.00.  This 1:50 variant has been a ghost for the better part of a decade and enjoys a beloved cover that is a homage to the first encounter between Peter and Mary Jane in Amazing Spider-man #42.

It is clear that big variants demand big dollars in any grade and collectors continue to value these rare variants at sums comparable to keys that are 30, 40 and sometimes 50 years old.  Those who continue to treasure these books have always argued that these books are far more rare than bronze and silver age books which are relatively common by comparison. Only time will tell how these books will be valued in the years to come, but if there current and past value is any indication – it does not appear that collectors are showing any interest in releasing these highly sought after books from their possession.

 

Shazam!

 

As we roll into opening weekend for DC’s next big blockbuster film, the price tag on Shazam continues to reach all time heights.  Earlier this week we saw a CGC 9.8 copy of Shazam #1 sell for $971.00 in a live auction. Two other 9.8 copies sold on eBay this week.  A CGC 9.8 sold for $999.99 and a CBCS 9.8 sold for $800.00. Some speculators are suggesting that now is the time to be thinking about the future of Shazam as a property and beginning their efforts to seek out and secure copies of Black Adam’s first appearance in the Golden Age classic Marvel Family #1 and/or the Bronze Age first appearance of the character in Shazam #28.  The box office will be the true measure of the longevity of this property on the big screen, but early responses have been nearly universally popular. We should have a good idea of how well this film is going to perform by the end of the weekend.

 

Big Bucks for Kirkman’s cult classic

 

While almost everyone is familiar with Robert Kirman’s cult classic, the Walking Dead, only comic collectors are familiar with his beloved super-hero coming of age story – Invincible.  This is all about to change as we fast approach the release of Invincible as an animated series and collectors are scurrying to secure copies of the fist issue of this beloved title by any means necessary.  This week we saw two huge sales of Invincible #1. The fist copy, a CGC 9.8 moved on eBay for a BIN price of $1,195.00. The second copy that sold this week was a CGC 9.4 blue label that sold for a BIN of $495.00.

 

While its been a very long time since these books were under any collector or retailer’s radar, copies of the Invincible previews in the back of a number of Image books continue to be unknown to many collectors and shop owners. “Invincible #1 first appeared as a preview in three Image Comics titles, Savage Dragon #102, Masters of the Universe #1 and Tech Jacket #1. While there has been debate about which preview was published first making it the first appearance it all comes down to release dates. Tech Jacket #1 was released in late October, Masters of the Universe #1 was released in November, Savage Dragon #102 had a planned release date of August but was delayed and came out in December as shown on the Diamond Website under Shipping This Week: December 4. The First appearance of Invincible is in the preview in the back of Tech Jacket #1. This is the book you should be looking for.” Be aware, the preview for the Walking Dead in Capes #1 and the Agents #6 have never been more than a $100.00 book and are generally available in the range of $25 to $50 in high grade condition, but in an era where collectors are hungry for speculation and everything old is somehow new again, we may see renewed interest in these preview books sometime in the future.

“Ruh-roh, Raggy!”

Deadline reports that Zac Efron and Amanda Seyfried will provide the voices of Fred and Daphne in the forthcoming animated Scooby Doo film.  Similarly, Will Forte is attached to the project as “Shaggy” and Gina Rodriguez as Velma. Veteran voice actor Frank Welker, meanwhile, who’s been with the franchise since its inception in 1969, will once again voice the lovable Scooby Doo.  In the event that you may be unaware, there is a big market for Scooby Doo comics. This week a low grade raw copy of the 1st appearance of the Scooby Doo gang in the iconic classic Scooby Doo #1 (1970) sold for $145.00.  This book was sold less than 24 hours after it was initially listed.

Golden Goodies

Two of great big books that moved in the Golden Age market this week.

Sensation Comics #1 (1942) is the first cover appearance of Wonder Woman (Wonder Woman first appeared in All-Star Comics #8 DC Comics back in 1941).  Wonder Woman’s second appearance is a grail book for many collectors and features an H.G. Peter cover and art. In a live auction, Sensation Comics #1 CGC 1.8 sold for $12,600.00.

The other monstrous Golden Age book that moved this week was a raw copy of Headline Comics #8.  Headline Comics #8 is notorious to the extent that it features an unsettling image of ghoulish Adolph Hitler emerging from a genie’s lamp.  This book showed interior holes, a large cover stain with the interior loosely attached to cover by center staple and sold in a live auction for $4,186.00.

 

Legendary Pictures continues to gobble up quality properties

 

This week, Legendary Pictures acquired the film rights to Image Comics’ Bitter Root.  This property was very well received and has had a ton of different awesome variant covers.  It is a property that has been almost universally well received by readers, but has not received a lot of attention from the speculator market.  Do your homework before spending money on this book. There are a ton of variant covers and this book was available everywhere in the weeks and months following its release.  There is also an Akira homage cover of the first issue that is sharp and apparently an eBay exclusive according to online listings.

 

I hope you enjoyed this segment of  Weekend Update. Remember we broadcast live each and every Thursday night on the comicbookwars youtube channel where you can join Keith, Brandon, Trey and Jimmy for their weekly roundtable on the state of the speculation market.  The podcast delves into topic areas other than strictly comics, including the sports cards, Magic the Gathering, sneakers, toys, and more. If you enjoyed this article, please take the time to listen to the podcast and subscribe to our MeWe and Facebook groups.

 

Thank you all for your continued support and comments.  They are much appreciated. That’s all for this week. I’ll be back next week with more news and original content.  In the interim, “Happy hunting! You bunch of savages!!”
– Nico, Esq.

Read more articles from Nico here.