Who's got the beef? The Hottest Comics has the beef with some true behemoths of the comic book world tracking across the eBay best sellers for the past three months.
What are the Hottest Comics? Taking the data straight from the OG auction site, eBay, the GoCollect marketplace gives collectors the best-selling, single issues across the past 10, 30, 60, 90, 180, and 365 days. These have nothing to do with fair market values. Instead, the magnifying glass is pinpointed directly over the sales volume.
Below you will find the best sellers from the last 10 days to the past three months. No surprise, it all boils down to those movie announcements.
10 DAYS
19. HULK #1 (+68)
What were Christmas comic collectors shopping for throughout the holiday season? For 10 days, buyers were throwing their hard-earned cash at 2008's Hulk #1 with Red Hulk's beautiful mugshot plastered on the cover. Sure, this isn't the Red Goliath's actual first appearance since he didn't debut in-story until the following issue. However, the collecting community has spoken, and they have put their dollars toward that lovely cover art on Hulk #1.
Regardless of which issue you place higher on the key issue totem pole, eBay users have been all over Hulk #1 since the first Captain America: Brave New World trailer dropped online. The latest footage has created even more buzz for Harrison Ford's turn as Thunderbolt Ross/Red Hulk, and that's ushered it to the forefront for another week. This trend should continue all the way up to the movie's Valentine's Day premiere, and then we'll see if collectors see Red Hulk having long-term MCU potential.
As hot as Red Hulk is at the moment, there is a degree of risk with his keys.
With an A-lister like Ford in the role, it's easy to assume he'll stay around for the foreseeable future. Then again, we are firmly entrenched in the MCU's Disney era, and questionable decisions have been made regarding character usage. After all, Marvel Studios brought in Christian Bale and completely wasted him in a movie most fans would like to forget. For that matter, the studio has dropped the ball on the Hulk himself. Whether or not Red Hulk will survive the final act of Brave New World, if he's poorly used, this will impact sales and FMVs, so keep that in mind when paying top values.
30 DAYS
33. SPIDER-WOMAN #1 (+63)
Whether it's Jessica Drew's first appearance in Marvel Spotlight #32 or her first self-titled comic in Spider-Woman #1, collectors and investors have made her key issues a buying priority. For years now, one or both of these issues routinely makes gains on the Hottest Comics index, sometimes in multiple categories. However, that eBay persistence is a bit of a mystery in itself.
The original Spider-Woman, Jessica Drew, has been a hot commodity since Sony announced that an animated Spider-Woman movie would be spinning straight from its successful Spider-Verse franchise. The news came while Across the Spider-Verse was wowing audiences in 2023. Sony was quiet on which Spider-Woman we might see, but the title was confirmed as Spider-Woman, so buyers naturally targeted Jessica Drew's early appearances. As we approach the two-year mark since that big reveal, there's been some turbulence in the Spider-Verse flight path.
Sony recently canceled its live-action Spider-Verse following the release of Kraven the Hunter, the studio's last in a long line of flops. That leaves some doubt regarding the future of Sony's comic book endeavors, including the animated realm. Of course, the two animated Spider-Verse flicks have eclipsed its live-action counterparts in virtually every way imaginable. Still, coupled with the third Spider-Verse film, Beyond the Spider-Verse, still not having a release date, it does raise some doubt as to whether or not we will actually see Spider-Woman.
Despite lingering questions and no recent news on Spider-Woman, it hasn't slowed collectors from gobbling up those key issues. Still, the cautious approach may be the best idea here...at least until Sony confirms whether or not Spider-Woman is still on the agenda.
60 DAYS
54. IRON FIST #14 (+34)
Sabretooth is back on the Hottest Comics. Up to this point, it's been a staple of the Coldest Comics, dropping down the rankings ever since Tyler Mane was decapitated in Deadpool & Wolverine. With no talk of the character returning to the MCU Multiverse in the near future, buyers were quick to find other prospects, leaving Iron Fist #14 in the rearview mirror.
The past 10 days, collectors and investors apparently had second thoughts about the classic villain. Since Hugh Jackman's Wolverine will be returning for future MCU projects (am I the only one who can't help but hear Deadpool's voice whispering, "Til you're 90?"), that does leave an opening for some opponents. At the top of that list would be Sabretooth, Wolverine's iconic arch-nemesis. Sure, we saw Mane's Victor Creed, but that doesn't rule out Liev Schreiber reprising his role from X-Men Origins: Wolverine.
The other factor here is X-Men '97. As we wait for a season two trailer, it leaves fans guessing which villains we will see in the hit show. Sabretooth was teased in season one, so it's logical to assume he will arrive in the future installment. If the next round is as popular as the first, that will elevate Victor to new heights with a modern audience, thus pushing his early appearances up the Hottest Comics.
90 DAYS
37. BATMAN: VENGEANCE OF BANE SPECIAL #1 (+60)
Bane has exerted his will on the eBay top sellers. For the past three months, everyone's favorite 'roid-raging villain has watched his first appearance put on the rocket skates and zoom ahead of the competition. But what's got buyers so interested in Vengeance of Bane #1?
Although not Bane's most famous cover art, at least not compared with the iconic visual of Bane breaking Batman's back on Batman #497, this issue marked his first appearance and first cover. That makes it the instant favorite among Bane collectors, but the DCU has given it extra momentum.
While very little it known at this point, DC Studios head James Gunn confirmed months ago that Deathstroke would be getting his own movie. What's more is that Bane will play a significant role in the film. There's speculation about whether he'll be the antagonist or possibly team with Deathstroke, and that intrigue has added more emphasis to owning Vengeance of Bane #1.
This is an issue that will only get more popular as Gunn gives details on the Deathstroke/Bane movie, so expect to see it staying inside the Hottest Comics for months to come.
180 DAYS
32. DEADPOOL #1 (+42)
The fact that Deadpool #1 is still making notable gains in the Hottest Comics is a statement to the immense popularity of Deadpool & Wolverine. Just when the market was cooling after the film's theatrical run came to an end, the streaming debut has triggered another eBay sales surge. Here we stand with Deadpool's first solo title taking the crown as the biggest mover across the past six months.
There's only so high this particular issue can go. Afterall, it is by far the second choice in the Deadpool collecting game, trailing in a distant second place to New Mutants #98. On the bright side, there are so many copies of Deadpool #1 on the market, and the prices are exponentially lower than that all-important first appearance. With so many MCU fans now embracing the Merc with a Mouth, buyers won't be slowing their purchases for his keys in the near future, so enjoy the ride, sellers.
When it comes to the collecting market, nothing has the instant impact as the MCU. We know both Deadpool and Wolverine will return for more adventures, and now it's a waiting game to see where they will resurface. As the news front grows quiet, look for the Deadpool keys to take a breather from time to time, but they will come roaring back to life once Wade Wilson's next on-screen appearance hits the rumor mill.
