What are the Hottest Comics? These are the 100 best-selling single issues across the original massive auction site, eBay. Using data that is continuously updated, the numbers shift by the day. Here, we take a look at the past 10 days to see which issues had the best week. However, this is based strictly on sales volume rather than fair market values.
Don’t let the name Hottest Comics fool you, at least not for this blog. This is the dubious Coldest Comics where it’s all about the issues that lost the most ground.
92. SHAZAM! #1 (-74)
When it comes to the hot movie keys, there is a clear cycle at work. The hype for the film gets buyers to fire up their eBay accounts and hunt down those key issues. Besides the early rumors, the first trailers cause the larger spikes, especially if it’s the first time a character has been spotted in live action. Once the movie hits, the opening weekend will light the beacons for those keys.
It never fails that once the initial excitement has died down, the prices begin to deflate. That goes double for a bad movie. Even when a film is well received, this is the case, but when a movie is a total bomb, it rocks those values. Such is the case here. Left in the limbo between the former DCEU and James Gunn’s official DCU, Fury of the Gods was panned by both critics and fans. It’s on pace to be one of DC’s biggest flops, and that has sent Shazam! #1 spiraling down the Hottest Comics rankings.
This isn’t Captain Marvel’s first appearance, but it has been the go-to collectible for those without five and six figures to spend on his Golden Age debut. With Shazam seemingly in the mix for Gunn’s DCU plans, this issue will eventually pick up in the sales department.
89. SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN #1 (-56)
How the mighty hath fallen. Only a week ago, Spectacular Spider-Man #1 was one of the biggest movers and shakers as it climbed the Hottest Comics ranks. Yet here we are, watching it take a plunge by nearly 60 positions.
What had it moving forward was the speculation that Spider-Man’s next live-action movie will have the adjective “spectacular.” While that isn’t much to go on and doesn’t exactly have major profits written on it, the gossip has been enough to push Spectacular Spider-Man #1 up the charts.
At the same time, having no news on the subject causes it to slip through the cracks at any given moment. After all, there are plenty of other keys that are in the headlines with all the latest movie and television news. That leaves Spectacular #1 on the outside looking in. Still, it could easily bounce back and be on next week’s movers and shakers list.
69. UNCANNY X-MEN #221 (-52)
Here’s an issue that has such potential, but buyers aren’t feeling the love until something official comes down the pike.
In Uncanny X-Men #221, we have the first appearance of Mister Sinister. Over the decades, he has risen through the ranks to become one of the X-fans’ favorite antagonists. Sometimes he’s a true villain, and other times he’s more a-moral than anything else. More recently, he’s been the star of Sins of Sinister, where he’s taken his villainous game up to Avengers level. Personally, I liked him better as exclusively an X-Men character, but Marvel’s got to keep the spotlight on its cinematic cash cow, even in the comics.
With Sinister branching out in the comics, could that signal a larger role coming, one that could usher him into the mainstream consciousness? There’s been a longstanding rumor that he will be the X-Men’s villain when they come to the MCU. That bit of gossip has been enough to keep UXM #221 in the best-sellers list, but it can’t settle on one general position. Due to the lack of news on the Sinister front, the key bounces all over the Hottest Comics, and it is close to joining the Usual Suspects for its frequent appearances on both lists.
74. AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #361 NEWSSTAND (-48)
Coming in fourth in this week’s dubious distinctions is an old fan favorite: ASM #361. Of course, this is no ordinary copy. Rather, this is the coveted newsstand edition that commands higher prices than its direct-edition sibling. After all, it’s much harder to find a high-grade newsstand given that these were treated roughly compared to the loving hands of direct editions which were sold to comic book shops.
Does this mean no one wants those Carnage keys anymore? That definitely is not the case. In fact, the direct edition of ASM #361 rests comfortably in the 26th overall position. While we won’t see him again in the Sony-verse, there’s still a chance that some Multiversal version of him will step into the MCU. Considering Marvel Studios’ penchant for incorporating alternate characters from across movie franchises, there’s no rule that says Woody Harrelson can’t appear in a future Spider-Man film. Granted, those are long odds of that happening, but nothing is outside the realm of possibility when it comes to the MCU.
Another place we could see Carnage reborn is in the animated world. Although the chatter has grown quiet, don’t forget that Spider-Man: Freshman year is in development. It reportedly will be tied to the larger MCU, but the show appears to be set in a separate corner of the Multiverse. That could lead to an all-new Carnage gracing the small screens for Disney Plus. The larger picture in that event is that it could pave the way for him to terrorize Tom Holland’s Peter Parker in a future Spider-Man live-action flick.
With possibilities abounding and prices on the low end of the spectrum, it makes for an opportune time to get your hands on a newsstand ASM #361. This would be a long-term investment plan, but it’s a gamble that could pay dividends a few years down the road for the above-mentioned reasons.
68. INFINITY GAUNTLET #1 (-41)
He may be inevitable, but Thanos was picking up the pieces of his former glory in this week’s index. Much of the commotion for this comic is the cover art, which has gone down in history as the most popular of the Mad Titan’s covers. It’s also famous for the first appearance of the Infinity Gauntlet.
Weapons and other plot-friendly items don’t tend to command massive price tags. They aren’t characters, so there’s not much to their stories. When they make their first appearances in live action, that typically pushes their sales upward, but it’s been a few years since The Infinity Saga wrapped its story. It wasn’t long ago that Marvel Comics introduced a black Infinity Gauntlet, though the heat for that issue has died down. It leads to a slow market for Infinity Gauntlet #1. However, there could be signs of life on Disney Plus.
The last time we saw the gauntlet in the MCU was in the season finale of What If…?. Although Ultron had taken the stones from Thanos in one reality, we were treated to a glimpse of a zombified Mad Titan wielding the magic space rocks. That should be a plot point for either What If…? or the animated Marvel Zombies show on the horizon. With that could come a boost in popularity for Infinity Gauntlet #1.
