Dazzler wasn't dazzling eBay this week as buyers gave Marvel's disco queen the cold shoulder.
The comic collecting market is fickle at best. No matter how popular an issue might be, it will eventually take a backseat to the more trendy keys, and that is precisely what we are seeing this week. In fact, all five comics featured in today's blog were once among the hottest sellers in all of eBay.
Using eBay's sales data as a litmus test, the Hottest Comics give serious collectors a chance to check the secondary market's pulse. Based strictly on sales volume, these are the 100 best-selling comics on the world's best known auction site. However, this week's list is all about those comics that took a dive into the frigid end of the pool.
With that in mind, let's break down the numbers and try to figure out the how's and why's of eBay's Coldest Comics.
10 DAYS
Dazzler was far from dazzling in the past 10 days. At least X-Men #130 wasn't alone. While the X-keys continued to proliferate the Hottest Comics rankings, there were a number of issues that were taking a downward turn. What could be the culprit? After all, the hype from X-Men '97 and Deadpool & Wolverine has kept the X-Men blazing a trail across eBay for months. Why would the train be slowing now?
Most likely, it's tied to X-Men '97. Although the first season was a major hit with both comic and mainstream fans, the longer we go with no word on when the next episodes will air, the more X-Men keys we'll see fall through the rankings. That's only natural, and virtually every key goes through these ebbs and flows. Once news breaks of when season two will air and what characters will be thrust into the spotlight, we'll see a turnaround for many issues.
In the case of X-Men #130, Deadpool & Wolverine will be the make-or-break moment. There's been tremendous hype surrounding Taylor Swift possibly making a cameo as Dazzler in that movie, and it's carried her first appearance to the top of the sales index. However, Swifties will be most disappointed if their queen isn't in the flick, and that will cause X-Men #130 to take a significant sales dip. One way or the other D&W will be the turning point for this issue.
30 DAYS
Another classic X-key was getting the Dazzler treatment this month. As much promise as "Days of Future Past" has in the upcoming season of X-Men '97, collectors weren't having any of it. Only 30 days ago, it was ranked inside the top half of the Hottest Comics, but it's nearly fallen out of the 100 best-sellers altogether.
Again, much of this comes from the end of X-Men '97's initial season. With so many new projects always on the horizon, it creates a short attention span in the collecting community. Without new episodes to keep fans interested, buyers have shifted their attention elsewhere. There's no doubt that X-Men '97 is looking to dive back into the world of DOFP, continuing where the original X-Men: The Animated Series left off. That will help the market turn back towards X-Men #141 when that happens.
The other positive here is the classic cover art. Collectors love that iconic imagery, and X-Men #141 has one of the most well-known X-Men covers ever printed. It's often imitated, and that won't stop anytime in the near future. One way or another, X-Men #141 will remain a hot comic, so there's no reason to consider dumping this key.
60 DAYS
Seeing ASM #316 falling behind in the sales department isn't a good sign for the latest Venom movie.
The first trailer for Venom: The Last Dance recently dropped online, and fans have questions. While it appears to pick up with Eddie Brock's Spider-Man: No Way Home cameo, viewers recognized a number of possible continuity errors. For one, the piece of symbiote left behind in the MCU is captured in the Sony-verse, which leaves fans wondering if The Last Dance creative team left the theatre early and skipped that part of NWH. Then there's the recasting of Chiwetel Ejiofor. He played Baron Mordo in the Doctor Strange movies, so he is firmly planted in the MCU. Seeing him as a military man in The Last Dance establishes this is no longer connected to the MCU, basically neglecting Eddie being in NWH in the first place.
Of course, this is Sony, and their live-action Spider-Verse flicks have been less than stellar. It's a sad state of affairs when a studio's reputation is so poor that fans expect continuity and proper storytelling to be tossed out the window. Put it together with Sony's string of terrible movies, and most in the comic community aren't setting the bar too high for The Last Dance. That could very well be why ASM #316 tanked for the past 60 days.
What's so special about this comic? It's not Venom's first cover appearance, but it's his first full cover. If you recall, he was a floating, disembodied head on the front of ASM #315. Then Todd McFarlane exercised his magic and created an iconic Venom/Spider-Man cover, and it's become one of the bigger keys in the character's repertoire. However, the lack of enthusiasm for The Last Dance may be causing buyers to spend their money elsewhere.
90 DAYS
Last summer, this was the hottest comic on the secondary market with the first appearance of Spider-Boy lighting up eBay and the local comic shops. Week after week, it ranked first among all the issues bought and sold on eBay, an impressive feat in itself. That caused the FOMO effect (fear of missing out, for the uninitiated) to kick into high gear, and both collectors and investors were pouring their money into Spider-Man #7.
Specifically, they were aiming for the Ramos top-secret spoiler variant. Even though Spider-Boy debuted in the standard edition, he was featured on the cover art of the spoiler variant, hence its name. Anytime a variant gets on a hot streak, that will cause it to trend to the top of the sales charts, which is exactly what happened here. Besides being a first appearance, Spider-Boy has quickly become a fan favorite, and the ever-expanding live-action Spider-Verse is a perfect place for him to make his big screen debut.
Like all things in the world of comics, Spider-Boy and his popular first soon became old news. He's still very much part of the current comics, but the hysteria has died down. There's surely more to come for Spider-Man's new sidekick, but the waiting is indeed the hardest part (thanks, Tom Petty). In the meantime, this makes for a prime opportunity to grab those keys while the attention is elsewhere.
180 DAYS
Another member of the Spider-Verse took a tumble in the rankings this time around. Once again, Spider-Gwen's first appearance was on the way down, giving it the biggest slide in the Hottest Comics for the last six months. Loss in positions or not, this is still a great modern key to own.
Whenever Edge of Spider-Verse #2 slips in the eBay rankings, it's easy to think Spider-Gwen/Ghost-Spider/Spider-Woman has lost her popularity. That is simply not true. Especially after Across the Spider-Verse, she's built a large mainstream following. Although there's been nothing new reported about Beyond the Spider-Verse and when it will be released, that movie is all but guaranteed to leave a crater in the box office numbers. Gwen is poised to have another standout role, and that will only increase her fan appeal. Don't forget there's an animated Spider-Woman spin-off film in the works, and we will likely see Gwen star in that movie.
Sooner or later, we will see her in live action. There's no talk of her getting a standalone movie franchise, but that doesn't mean it's not a possibility. Miles will be getting his own live-action feature film, and odds are we will see Gwen there. If it's a big enough hit, it could warrant Sony to give Spider-Gwen her own movie. Imagine how high Edge of Spider-Verse #2 will soar when that news hits the internet.
