The X-Men have lost their footing on eBay as the God of the Symbiotes continues his reign atop the Hottest Comics.
Only a week removed from Red Hulk and Knull's secondary market dominance, it was a sad state of affairs for the X-Men, Silver Surfer, and Spider-Man 2099. That is the yo-yo effect of the collecting and investing world. Fear not if you see your most prized possessions taking a dip into the colder eBay waters; there are natural ebbs and flows in the stock market we call collecting, and every key has a chance to rebound eventually. And, hey, if you stick with buying issues you love, it's never really a bad investment.
Something to keep in mind: the Hottest Comics rankings have little to do with fair market value. Sure, prices go up when an issue is suddenly popular. After all, such is the supply-and-demand effect. However, this particular index is based strictly on sales volume. That is where the less expensive investments can flourish simply for budgetary reasons. Still, when there's big news making the rounds, even the pricey Holy Grails of the collecting world can see a market boom.
With that being said, it's time for our closer look at what issues have been struggling for the past 10, 30, 60, 90, and 180 days on the biggest auction site on the internet, eBay.
10 DAYS
The X-Men keys will continue to bounce up and down the rankings for the foreseeable future. While we know X-Men '97 is getting a second season, there's no word on when the next episode will hit Disney Plus. That leaves several popular comics in limbo as fans eagerly await the trailer for season two.
When the first season came to an end, it appeared that "Days of Future Past" would be getting an updated adaptation. The original X-Men: The Animated Series used the story to bring Bishop into its universe, and X-Men '97 left audiences with the distinct feeling that he was returning to his old timeline, at least as far as X-Men: TAS was concerned. With those DOFP vibes pulsating from Disney Plus, it was no surprise that X-Men #141 and its iconic cover art took center stage. Now that the news has worn off and collectors have moved to fresh investment opportunities, this comic has taken a back seat.
Once we see where things are headed with the next season of X-Men '97, it will give us a more clear picture of the potential for X-Men #141. Depending on the direction, it could either rebound in a huge way or stay toward the bottom of the heap. No matter the direction, it is bound to remain inside the top-100 Hottest Comics. DOFP is much too popular a storyline to stay buried for long.
30 DAYS
The box office giveth, and the box office taketh away. Modern collecting and investing is all about what happens on the big and small screens, and the market follows those big premieres. More often than not, it's the silver screen that has the larger impact, and Deadpool & Wolverine influenced key issue sales like nothing we've seen in years. Whether it was Hugh Jackman's return as Logan, Deadpool's MCU debut, or Marvel's first R-rated film, fans were buzzing well ahead of D&W's theatrical debut. That enthusiasm sent many keys to the top of the sales mountain, including the pair's first meeting in Wolverine #88.
Alas, all good things must end. As we see with virtually every superhero movie, the market swells leading into the premiere. If the flick is well received, those sales will hold steady for a few weeks. Such was the case for D&W. Although it is still raking up box office glory worldwide, the novelty has worn off. Like the X-Men '97 keys, buyers have turned their attention toward bigger prizes, and that has left Wolverine #88 feeling the market's cold shoulder. Over the last 30 days, it's taken a mighty fall of 50 positions, dropping from 24th all the way to 74th compared to 10 days ago.
Rumor has it Disney wants more Deadpool and Wolverine team-ups on the big screen. Of course, that should be no surprise. Practically every Marvel movie gets a sequel, and that goes double for an entry that dominated the summer box office. Inevitably, we will see the pair reunited, and that will have buyers once again hot for Wolverine #88.
60 DAYS
The past week and a half has been rough for X-Men collectors. Here we are at the 60-day Hottest Comics, and Iron Fist #14 has taken the biggest slide. Again, we can blame the X-Men '97 lull for this occurrence. Don't worry, Sabretooth collectors. He is bound to get some screen time in season two, and that will spell profits for his first appearance. However, there could be something bigger in store for Victor Creed.
Back when Chris Claremont was penning Iron Fist comics, he introduced what would become an iconic X-Men villain. In the early days, Sabretooth had no connection to his classic nemesis, Wolverine. Instead, he was more of a serial killer who ran afoul of Iron Fist and Luke Cage. A few years later, Claremont took Victor from Power Man and Iron Fist to the pages of Uncanny X-Men. Aligned with Mister Sinister, Sabretooth joined the Marauders, leading to a two-comic showdown with Wolverine. It set the stage for a rivalry that persists to this day.
Sure, Tyler Mane's Sabretooth was beheaded in Deadpool & Wolverine, but there's still room for the character to return to the MCU. After all, this is the age of the Multiverse. We have yet to meet the MCU's version of Sabretooth. With his ties to Iron Fist and Luke Cage, if that long-awaited Heroes for Hire show ever comes to life, that could be the landing spot. Who knows? It could eventually lead to another faceoff with Wolverine.
90 DAYS
Making our way through the categories, the last three months have not been kind to Silver Surfer #1. Earlier this year when Marvel Studios made the big Fantastic Four announcements, SS #1 had a rocket duct taped to its back. Rumors immediately began to swirl that the Surfer would appear in the upcoming movie, and they were right. Only, it wouldn't be Norrin Radd. Instead, we will see Surfer's love interest, Shalla-Bal. She just so happened to make her debut in the Surfer's first self-titled comic, SS #1.
When it comes to the FF making their MCU entrance, there has been much frustration from the fanbase. After years of talk that John Krasinski would play Reed Richards in the FF reboot, he appeared in Multiverse of Madness just to be murdered within moments. No doubt, it was a joke on the fans. Still, there was hope that Krasinski would return for the official FF movie, but that role was handed to actor de jour, Pedro Pascal.
Then came the hot potato known as the director's chair. Finally, Marvel settled on a director and the cast has been revealed. Still, the enthusiasm has died down, and we're seeing those effects in the marketplace. Once the first trailer hits YouTube, SS #1 and more FF keys will rebound from their current dip.
180 DAYS
Sony, why do you torture your fans?
Despite churning out some of the worst live-action superhero movies since the advent of the MCU, the studio hit a homerun with its animated Into the Spider-Verse. It sent Miles Morales and Spider-Gwen's key issues soaring into the collecting stratosphere. Then came Across the Spider-Verse, which managed to do the unthinkable and blew away its predecessor. In the eyes of many fans, it was the best Spider-Man movie ever made. The cliffhanger ending had audiences ready for the trilogy's end, Beyond the Spider-Verse.
And that has led to...nothing.
First, Sony pushed back the original release date. Then, the studio took it off the calendar all together, but there was hope it would reach theaters in the not-too-distant future. More recently, Sony slapped it with the "indefinitely delayed" label, and that is sad news for Spider-Verse fans. That in itself is a major reason for ASM #365's drop in the rankings. After all, Miguel O'Hara/Spider-Man 2099, was the breakout star of Across the Spider-Verse. His keys were standing tall while the internet waited for news of when we might see Beyond. All these delays have drained the excitement for Spider-Man 2099, and buyers have been turning away from ASM #365 among other Spider-Verse keys for six months now.
Unfortunately, there won't be any real turnaround for quite some time. Until Sony gives fans an official release date and possibly a trailer for Beyond, there's not much incentive to grab those Spider-Verse keys. On the other hand, this could be a prime opportunity to buy while the popularity is down.
