Maybe Zack Snyder’s vision for the DCEU received mixed reactions in its day, but there’s no denying his eye for talent. Between Man of Steel, Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice, and Justice League, even the most staunch Snyder critics generally agree that he picked the right actors. Sure, the 2017 JL was a box office nuclear bomb, but the cast was not to blame (we’ll put that squarely on Joss Whedon and the WB executives).
As James Gunn’s vision of an all-new Superman for the silver screen approaches, DCEU fans lament the loss of Henry Cavill as the Man of Steel. Alas, there’s rumors that Warner Bros. Discovery could be sold to Universal Pictures in the next two years. It makes fans wonder if the possible new bosses will bring back the ‘17 cast for one more run, even if only for a single movie. That could very well impact the comic book market.
As far-fetched as it may sound, the tantalizing prospect of a rekindled Snyder-verse could drive buyers to track down a few Justice League movie variants. It may even push sale prices into the stratosphere for the signed copies.
That being said, what’s a cast-signed JLA movie comic worth? Here’s what the data says.
JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #15 CONVENTION EDITION
With the Snyder-verse once again being a topic of conversation, there could be a new reason to own some of the more coveted issues, like the JLA #15 printed exclusively for New York Comic Con. There hasn’t been a blue label 9.8 sold online since one traded hands for $115 in August 2022.
The real money is in the autographs, where there have been 71 CGC Signature Series sold online. This past April, a graded and witnessed 9.6 signed by Ray Fisher, Henry Cavill, Gal Gadot, Ezra Miller, Jason Momoa, and Ciaran Hinds fetched $2,000.
JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #10 SDCC FOIL EDITION
Next on the list is the JLA #10 foil edition published for San Diego Comic-Con. Again, it’s all about those signatures.
You can own a universal grade 9.8 for around $60, but if you happen to have the cast’s autographs, including Ben Affleck this time, the price increases dramatically. Last year, a CGC SS scored $2,250.
JUSTICE LEAGUE #21 ALAMO CITY COMIC CON PHOTO EDITION
Next in line is the JL #21 photo variant sold at the Alamo City Comic Con. In 2019, a universal grade 9.8 brought a measly $21.
That’s pennies on the dollar compared to the CGC SS copy that sold on March 6. Signed by JL stars Cavill, Gadot, Miller, Momoa, and Hinds, this 9.8 earned an impressive $5,589.
JUSTICE LEAGUE #1 AMC EDITION
Here we have the one entry on today’s list that isn’t a photo variant. Instead, the stellar cover art depicting the cinematic JL was drawn for AMC’s promotional comic. The sales for this particular edition have been few and far between. The last time a graded copy sold, a 9.8 brought just $35 in 2018. While CGC has signed copies in its database, there are no sales to report.
THE PRICE OF ADMISSION
Huge price tags are always the eye-catchers of the market, and indeed those JL cast signings are bringing top dollar at the moment. To truly see the value in those enormous sales, we have to consider the overhead cost for the signatures. A-list celebrities tend to charge hundreds for an autograph.
If memory serves, Affleck’s asking price was about $200 pre-pandemic, and it’s hard to imagine the other actors getting more than him. We can assume that having all seven actors’ signatures on a comic would be no more than a $1,400 investment, probably less. By that logic, sellers are definitely profiting from the hassle of getting all those autographs.
