First Appearance
On July 12, James Gunn confirmed that Metamorpho will be appearing in Superman: Legacy and will be played by actor Anthony Carrigan. Created in 1965 by Bob Haney and Ramona Fradon following the success of Haney creations Doom Patrol and Metal Men, Metamorpho tells the story of Rex Mason, an adventurer who gains the power of transmutation after exposure to a meteorite.
Metamorpho made his first appearance in The Brave and the Bold #57. There are 509 graded copies, 16 of which have sold since the announcement of the character’s inclusion in the DCU. The high was a 9.2 selling for $1,780 on July 12, a record in the grade.
On the low end, a number of 4.0 graded copies have sold: $179 on July 12, $250 on July 18, and a slashed $300 on July 19, each respectively setting a new record in the grade. It’s probably worth waiting until prices cool down a bit before purchasing.
With the Writers’ Guild and SAG both currently striking we could see some delays in film releases. The longer it takes between now and the release of a trailer the more likely it is that we’ll see prices drop.
Second Appearance
Metamorpho made his second appearance in the very next issue – The Brave and the Bold #58. While second appearances don’t typically go for anywhere near the value of first appearances, they are worth considering for your collection as they are often a fallback for collectors who can’t afford a first appearance and often sell for considerably more than later issues.
While no copies of the 121 graded have sold since the announcement, of the recent sales a 9.2 sold in the December 19 Heritage auction for $263 and a 6.5 sold in an April 21 eBay fixed price sale for $75. In both grades, these sales signify drops from peaks in late 2021.
First Ongoing Series
Metamorpho quickly received his own solo series, beginning with Metamorpho #1 in 1965. There are 181 graded copies in the CGC census. Two have sold since July 12, the high being an 8.0 which went for $219 in a July 14 eBay fixed price sale. That marks a high in the grade and the first sale of an 8.0 in nearly a year.
Justice League
Like nearly every other hero in the DC Universe, Metamorpho was offered membership in the Justice League. The offer came when he guest starred in Justice League of America #42. He declined full-time membership but agreed to be a standby member for emergency needs.
A 4.5 graded copy sold on July 12 for $30 for a huge uptick and a record in the grade. It’s hard to say if we’ll see rising prices for higher grades, but it’s worth keeping an eye on them.
The Outsiders
Metamorpho was a founding member of the long-standing DC team, The Outsiders. The team made its debut in The Brave and the Bold #200. There are 911 graded copies, tops for all Metamorpho keys, proving the popularity of the team.
Two 9.8 graded copies recently sold: one for $230 on July 17, followed by a $242 sale on July 21. While neither is a record, both sales are big upticks from the average price paid in May of $128.
Two other Outsiders keys two watch include Batman and the Outsiders #1 from 1983 and Outsiders #1 from 2003. Both are very inexpensive and could be worth speculating on. A 9.0 of Batman and the Outsiders #1 just sold on July 22 for $55, while Outsiders #1 can likely be found for less than $100.
The Terrifics
A more recent team with which Metamorpho is associated is the Terrifics. They made their first appearance as a team in Terrifics #1 published in 2018. Half of the original team of Metamorpho, Mister Terrific, Phantom Girl, and Plastic Man are confirmed for Superman: Legacy, so it wouldn’t be too hard for Gunn and crew to find a way to introduce the other two into the DCU.
While much has been made of Terrifics #1 and a number of raw copies have sold on eBay, there has only been one recent graded sale: a 9.2 selling for $42 on July 14. The most recent 9.8 sale was for just $20 back in April 2020. There are only 42 graded copies of this comic but expect that number to rise as speculation for the team grows.
Are you excited about Metamorpho’s inclusion in the DCU? What are your expectations for the associated comic books? Let us know your thoughts below!
