X-Men #130 continues to surge through the sales charts, shoving the competition out of its path to the top. With that push comes the inevitable consequences. Something has to fall so that others may rise. When a hot comic like X-Men #130 gains nearly 30 spots in 10 days to secure the third overall position, it causes plenty of ripples that run all the way to the bottom. How much has that impacted our movers and shakers? Let’s take a closer look.
Don’t forget the reason for the season here at the Hottest/Coldest blogs. Digging through the market overview section here on GoCollect, we are examining the comics that either gained or lost the most spots compared to 10 days prior. These are the movers and shakers of the secondary market.
Remember, these are not based on fair market values. In fact, the rankings have nothing to do with prices at all. No, the Hottest Comics are all about the sales volume taken straight from eBay. The data is updated daily, so the numbers you see here may not reflect the current rankings. In other words, this is a snapshot of the buying trends as of the time of writing.
With that out of the way, it’s time to get to the data.
83. ALL-NEW WOLVERINE #1 (-46)
It was only last week that Laura Kinney’s first solo series as Marvel’s official Wolverine was taking off. The 2015 issue was spotlighted on the Trending Comics blog, and it appeared ready for liftoff. Then came the harsh reality of the secondary market, and All-New Wolverine #1 fell flat this time around.
The most likely culprit in all this is the lack of news on the X-23/Laura front. With all the buzz surrounding Deadpool 3 and its numerous rumored cameos, there’s plenty of reason to believe that Daphne Keen, fresh off her star-making performance in HBO’s His Dark Materials, will join the cast. After all, she played a young Laura in Logan, which just so happens to be the last time we saw Hugh Jackman as Wolverine. For her part, Keen has said in interviews that she’d be open to reprising the role. However, the gossip sites are reporting that she won’t be part of Deadpool 3, and that puts a damper on things, hence the drop in sales.
All that being said, there’s no reason to pull the plug on your X-23 collections. Maybe there aren’t any solid rumors that Laura will be part of the MCU, but that will change. As we know, buying habits are driven by trends, and everything else takes a backseat to what’s stealing the headlines. Right now, you don’t get any more trendy than Taylor Swift, and that gives the rub to X-Men #130. However, those Laura Kinney keys eventually will be red hot, and Dazzler will cool off considerably. That’s the nature of the market. So hold tight no matter what characters you see in Deadpool 3.
67. AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #4 (-44)
If there’s anything connecting this week’s Coldest Comics, it’s that they were all once among the hottest of the hot. Silk’s first appearance was on fire when the early rumors circulated that she would be coming to live action. Overnight, the FMVs skyrocketed as collectors and investors clamored for Cindy Moon’s debut as Silk.
News gets old quickly in the fast-paced comic market. When all was quiet on the Sony front, buyers stepped way from ASM #4 in favor of the more trendy picks. Then came word that Silk would be starring in her own live-action show, and the market responded in force. Like so many Sony productions, the announcement was followed by several months of nothing. The news front was so barren that fans wondered if the project had been canceled. Practically out of nowhere, Sony made it official that Silk was in development, and buyers were back on the wagon.
Considering Sony’s track record for live-action, it’s hard to get terribly excited about any of their non-animated projects. Certainly, a bad movie or show will negatively impact sales and FMVs. For proof, look no further than Thor: Love and Thunder and Morbius. On that note, ASM #4 will rebound, but in the long run, be careful with how much you invest.
87. SPIDER-WOMAN #1 (-40)
Speaking of those Sony projects, we come to Spider-Woman #1. While not Jessica Drew’s first appearance, this issue is a milestone in her history as it marked the character’s debut self-titled series. The surge in popularity was enough to warrant a Spider-Woman cartoon show, which helped establish Jessica in the mainstream consciousness.
These days, Spider-Woman has returned to that commercial appeal. After Issa Rae’s voice role as Jessica in Across the Spider-Verse, not to mention Gwen Stacy also using the Spider-Woman moniker in the film, she is once again a household name. With the animated spinoff, Spider-Woman, on Sony’s agenda, the sky is the limit here. It will undoubtedly propel all those early key issues to new heights as we get closer to the movie’s premiere.
If there’s so much going for Spider-Woman, why has this issue fallen so far? As mentioned earlier, something has to move out of the way to make room for the current headline makers. This week, that just so happened to include Spider-Woman #1. Sure, it is all the way in 87th position, but this is only temporary.
93. THE BATMAN ADVENTURES #12 (-40)
It was not a good week for comic collectors’ favorite female characters. Dazzler may have been shining bright toward the top of eBay, but Laura Kinney, Silk, and Spider-Woman were left in the shade. That distinction even extended to one of the most popular women in all of comics, Harley Quinn, as her first appearance nosedived 40 spots and barely clung to the top 100.
Just because her debut comic struggled this week doesn’t mean she’s lost any of her momentum. From cartoons to live-action movies, she remains a household name. With Halloween on the horizon, you’re bound to see Harley cosplays everywhere you go. Her hit animated series has a new season incoming, and we’re bound to see Margot Robbie conjure her Jersey accent for more movies. It’s enough to keep Harley in the spotlight for years to come, probably decades. This is merely a bump in the road.
68. NEW MUTANTS #87 (-32)
Breaking up the all-female party, we have an issue that would normally get the Usual Suspects label, New Mutants #87.
Although grossly overshadowed by Deadpool’s first appearance in New Mutants #98, this was once the premiere NM issue to own. Arguably Rob Liefeld’s second-greatest creation, NM #87 featured Cable’s debut in all his pockets and pouches glory.
After Josh Brolin wowed audiences with his performance as the time-hopping mutant in Deadpool 2, it seemed a given that Cable would return for future films. Like Laura Kinney, all the rumored cameos for Deadpool 3 made it easy to assume that Cable would be one of the first characters added to the cast list. So far, there’s been no mention of Brolin taking up the role for the MCU.
Since Brolin famously breathed life into Thanos, it could be that Marvel Studios doesn’t want the same actor playing two different Marvel characters. That would be understandable, but the studio has said nothing on the subject. Who knows if we’ll ever see Cable in live action again? That alone hurts the sales and lowers the FMVs for NM #87. He should appear in the animated X-Men ‘97, and that could give values a quick boost. Still, it doesn’t compare with that live-action bump.
