We already knew that a Black Adam movie starring The Rock was in the works, but a tweet is bringing the upcoming project back into the foreground. SHAZAM! 28 is the first Bronze Age appearance of Black Adam, and the one that is the go-to for collectors, but I believe there is a book that has a better return on investment.
On August 7th, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson put out a tweet promoting the upcoming DC FanDome later this month. He ends the tweet by referring to himself as "The Man In Black" followed by #BlackAdam. Below this is a short video with a split second shot featuring a silhouette of The Rock in what looks to be an ancient Egyptian temple. This was a tease to get fans excited for DC FanDome, so expect more exciting details when the event airs.
SHAZAM! 8
The issue I encourage you all to be hunting for is SHAZAM! 8. This book reprints Marvel Family 1 from December 1945. Marvel family 1 is the first-ever appearance of Black Adam and is also the only time he showed up in the Golden Age. He does not officially appear again until 28 years later in SHAZAM! 8 in 1973.
There is a single Silver Age appearance in 1964. This was an unofficial cover appearance featuring Black Adam fighting the Marvel Family in the comic book fanzine issue Alter Ego 7. This may be of interest to you as well, but it is harder to find and pretty pricey already.
SHAZAM! 28 in all fairness is the real jumping-off point for canonized Black Adam at DC. It is the first time they brought back the character in a new story since purchasing Fawcett. This issue most likely has room to grow, but it is already expensive with 9.8's over $1600 and 9.6 are approaching $500.
Give me one good reason or I'll...
I am recommending SHAZAM! 8 because you can get in for cheaper and I believe it has a much higher ceiling than the FMV's indicate.
For starters, it is a DC 100 Page Super Spectacular. These are difficult to find in high grade. Because of the thickness of the book and the glued-on cover, these are susceptible to spine problems and are not easily remedied through conservation methods. You will often see parts of the spine bulging out on the side when looking at the cover head-on, or parts of the spine will be crushed or twisted in some bizarre way. Secondly there are far fewer copies graded by CGC (only 172) than SHAZAM! 28 (675). Thirdly, The Rock is the biggest action star in the world right now and Black Adam has some compelling story elements. No doubt, the DCEU has major plans for the character and this may actually provide the way to redeem SHAZAM! after the disappointing movie.
GoCollect lists 9.8's to have an FMV of only $425, with the last sale being in October 2016. This could indicate many people are wisely holding their 9.8's for the right moment. The runner-up 9.6 is listed at $230, but the most recent one of those sold over a year ago. The 9.4 is at an average of $170 with recent sales data, a fair price but it is creeping up. The 9.2 is only $100, and I would say if you find a 9.2 at that price get it quickly. Alternatively, you can pick up high-grade raw copies on eBay for well below $100. This still may be a good time to chance an auction for a nice looking copy to have graded yourself.
In Summary
Many of us cannot afford Black Adam's first (and only prior) appearance in Marvel Family 1. This book provides a great affordable chance to have that issue:
- reprinted for the first time at DC (purchased from Fawcett years earlier),
- in an HTF in high-grade square-bound format,
- predating the canonized reintroduction of SHAZAM 28 by more than 3 years.
I would love to know what you think. If you had a few hundred dollars which would you choose between a high-grade SHAZAM! 8 and a mid-grade SHAZAM! 28?
Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
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