WHAT ARE THE COLDEST COMICS?
When it comes to gauging the market, there’s no better indicator than eBay. Although not alone in the online auction business, it remains the biggest and most famous auction site. When you’re the original, that tends to happen, and comic collectors have been turning to eBay for decades despite numerous complaints about the site’s fees.
Given eBay’s enduring popularity, the sales generated here basically set the market prices. That’s why the Hottest Comics uses the site’s data to keep collectors updated with the 100 best-selling single issues. Mind you, the rankings are not based on fair market value, but strictly listed by sales volume.
Where the Hottest Comics blog spotlights the five issues that gained the most ground in a 10-day period, the Coldest Comics is the polar opposite. Here you have the five issues that experienced the biggest losses but still managed to stay among eBay’s best sellers.
SOMETHING NEW
Outside of ASM #298, this week’s numbers weren’t particularly notable. The other four entries lost an average of 32.5 positions when oftentimes we see double that in the Coldest Comics. Paging through the top sellers, you will notice a high volume of comics that are “new to the list.” Contrary to the term “new,” this isn’t to say they have never been featured in the Hottest Comics. The designation simply means those issues dropped outside eBay’s top-100 best sellers even if it was for a day.
No, the Coldest Comics numbers are not necessarily head-turning this time around, and those “new” listings are the culprit. With so many comics returning to the top 100, that indicates several key issues failed to crack the Hottest Comics index altogether. That turnover rate is part of the ebb and flow of the secondary market, and things should be balanced in the coming days.
95. AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #298 (-72)
Those Venom 3 rumors couldn’t save ASM #298 from the dreaded Coldest Comics. While almost all the other Venom and symbiote keys were climbing the sales charts, this classic key was left in the cold.
Last week, it was nearly an all-Venom Hottest Comics blog. This came on the heels of the latest movie gossip that claims Topher Grace will reprise his Venom role from Spider-Man 3 and square off with Tom Hardy’s Eddie Brock in the upcoming Venom 3. It’s all fan speculation at this point as the theory itself was spawned from Sony pulling a Venom mashup video from its TikTok account. The studio has yet to comment on the rumor, so it’s just that: a rumor. Still, it was enough to send buyers into a feeding frenzy for all the symbiote keys.
While Hottest Comics stalwarts like ASM #300 and Venom: Lethal Protector #1 remain inside the top 10, ASM #298 took a hard hit in the rankings. This issue is a mainstay among Venom collectors for a brief cameo ahead of the full reveal in ASM #299. The bigger selling point for #298 is Todd McFarlane. The superstar artist and Image Comics founder rose to fame with his magnificent Spider-Man artwork during his Marvel Comics career. ASM #298 marked the first issue of his legendary run, thus making it a must-have for Toddfather collectors.
ASM #298 is no stranger to the Hottest or Coldest Comics blogs. In fact, the Usual Suspects list was created for issues just like this one. It rarely falls outside the top 100 best sellers, but it is constantly in flux. Seeing it drop by 72 positions is nothing new, and it will likely gain as many spots within a few days just to fall again.
86. X-MEN ANNUAL #14 (-40)
Gambit has returned to the Coldest Comics. It wasn’t long ago that his first appearance in X-Men Annual #14 took a tumble, but it managed to rebound. Just when it seemed the X-Men’s favorite Cajun was ready to get back into the mix, buyers turned away from XMA #14.
Of course, this has never been Gambit’s most popular issue. There’s no arguing this is the first appearance. After all, the character appears in full view in multiple panels, though CGC still labels it a cameo first. No matter where you fall on that argument, Gambit is clearly in this comic, making it his debut. However, it doesn’t compete with Uncanny X-Men #266 with Remy Lebeau on a beautiful Andy Kubert cover. While XMA #14 lost 40 spots, UXM #266 picked up five positions and landed in 10th place.
Maybe X-Men Annual #14 won’t ever get the respect it deserves, but it will climb back up the ladder. Once we get a look at Channing Tatum in his full Gambit attire for Deadpool 3, the tide will turn.
88. AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #122 (-39)
It hurts my heart to see such a classic like ASM #122 dropping so close to the dreaded 100th spot. Spider-Man has been the cornerstone of Marvel Comics for decades, and he’s still the company’s single most popular character. Throughout the years, he’s had more major moments than almost any other character, but an argument can be made that ASM #122 is his most important.
Between the death of Gwen Stacy in ASM #121 and Spider-Man’s path of vengeance in ASM #122, this two-part story forever changed Peter Parker. It added a new level of maturity to the title as Spidey was ready to murder the Green Goblin. It’s a story that continues to haunt Spider-Man to this day, and these are two comics that will never truly fall out of fashion.
80. MARVEL PREMIERE #15 (-27)
Those Heroes for Hire keys have been getting more attention lately even if Iron Fist’s debut comic had a spin out. Both Iron Fist and Luke Cage’s first appearances landed on the Hottest Comics, and that’s worth noting. A few years ago, those two comics fell flat after their Netflix shows received less than stellar reviews. By the time Marvel pulled the plug on its Defenders-verse, Marvel Premiere #15 in particular lost much of its popularity and fair market value.
With Charlie Cox having returned to the MCU as Daredevil, Defenders fans are hopeful we will see all of Marvel’s Netflix actors make appearances. There have been rumors for years that Marvel Studios is interested in pairing Danny Rand and Cage for a Heroes for Hire Disney Plus series or possibly a feature film. Despite losing 27 places this week, that kind of gossip is enough to get buyers back on the Marvel Premiere #15 bandwagon in short order.
61. FANTASTIC FOUR #52 (-24)
Once again, FF #52 has made the movers and shakers list. Just last week, it had gained enough spots to land it on the Hottest Comics blog. As quickly as buyers were swiping their credit and debit cards for Black Panther’s first appearance, they pulled back. Like Isaac Newton’s apple, what went up came down, and the final result was a 24-position loss for this holy grail key.
Being a holy grail, the prices can easily be blamed for this week’s dip. With Black Panther’s immense popularity worldwide, there is no chance FF #52 will fall for much longer no matter the price tag.
1As mentioned last week, Shuri is on the fast track for the Avengers. She will likely have a large role in The Kang Dynasty and Secret Wars, and that will put a larger spotlight on FF #52. It won’t take much time for this issue to ascend the eBay rankings.
