Hulk 181 may get all the attention, but savvy collectors will be watching The Incredible Hulk #180 as Wolverine’s first cameo appearance has become one of the most stable of investments.
For most collectors with normal budgets, The Incredible Hulk #181 is beyond reach. Granted it’s always been a hugely popular issue (Why wouldn’t it be? It’s the first full appearance of one of the most famous characters in all comics), but for the past two years, it has truly entered into a different solar system. Very few comics have accelerated in the market the way that issue has, and it’s only going to get worse (or better if you have one).
Oftentimes, collectors would opt for the second full appearance when the first is unattainable, but that’s not the case when the second appearance happens to be Giant-Size X-Men #1, possibly the single-most-coveted X-Men issue of all time.
With Wolverine’s first two full appearances setting new records near weekly, collectors are shifting their attention to The Incredible Hulk #180.
Purists will argue that Hulk #180 should be as valuable - if not more valuable - than Hulk #181, but the truth is that will never happen. Collectors set the market for keys, and Wolverine’s first full appearance has always been the more collectible of the two by far. That being said, Hulk #180 is still a major key issue, and the price tag is reflecting that. As I have written time and again, the true value of a comic can be seen in its low grades, and this issue at a 0.5 is averaging over $100.
Kevin Feige recently announced that he hopes Marvel Studios can open up the Fox-properties’ sandbox within the next six months, and that has put a premium on X-Men keys, especially those involving Wolverine, which means Hulk #180 and #181 will be booming for months to come. Even before Feige made his comment, collectors were scouring eBay for those Hulk #180s. In the past 90 days, 10 of the 12 grades sold have jumped compared to the 12-month averages. At this point, anything above a 3.0 has a fair market value over $200. It was only in 2017 that $200 could have bought anything up to a 5.0. That same 5.0? It sold for $450 in December, and it will cross into the $500 in 2019.
Although Wolverine's first cameo and full appearances may be skyrocketing, his second cameo has been falling. There have been 11 different grades of The Incredible Hulk #182 sold in the past 90 days, and seven of them have lost value. Only the near-mint grades have increased, while the lower grades - everything from an 8.5 down to a 5.5 - have dropped. Many of those grades are close or below the 2017 FMVs. In fact, the 5.5 recently sold for $49 when it averaged $70 in 2017.
While the Hulk #182 market has been backsliding, that’s good news if you are wanting a piece of Wolverine history without taking out a loan. Even though it may be down at the moment, it’s hard to go wrong with any of the early Wolverine appearances. As Marvel Studios begins developing movies around the X-Men, these are only going to increase in value, and Hulk #182 will be profitable again.
