The Venom keys are red hot, and he’s bringing his symbiote brethren along for the ride. The sinister symbiotes dominated the 10-day sales charts as fans guess what’s coming in the next movie. To think, it’s all due to Sony removing a video from TikTok.
Here’s the lowdown: A few days ago, Sony’s TikTok channel featured a montage of Tom Hardy and Topher Grace in their respective Venom roles. As quickly as the video was uploaded, it was quietly removed, and the action didn’t go unnoticed. Sony has yet to say why it pulled the clip mashup, but that’s only fueled the fire for fan speculation.
Ever since Spider-Man: No Way Home, franchise crossovers are all the rage among superhero flicks. Similar to Marvel conditioning audiences to wait for a post-credits scene in every movie (even those not based on comics), viewers have come to expect characters from movies past to appear alongside their modern counterparts. With both the Venom-verse and Spider-Man 3 directly connected via No Way Home, it stands to reason that Sony will bring Hardy and Grace’s Eddie Brocks face to face. That’s led to theories that the studio took down the video to protect Grace’s not-so-secret-anymore return to the Spider-Verse.
That’s the idea, and we’ll have to patiently wait for more clues before it’s a foregone conclusion. At any rate, it’s an interesting theory that would sell movie tickets. It also would give Grace a chance to redeem himself from a dreadful movie and prove he’s not the lesser of two Venoms.
On the collecting and investing front, the news has rejuvenated the Venom secondary market, helping those symbiote keys land three out of five spots on this week’s movers and shakers list.
What’s the blog all about? The Hottest Comics ranks the top 100 best-selling issues on eBay. Combining both raw and graded comics, the index is strictly about the number of copies sold, not fair market values. That explains why the top of the charts tends to feature some easy-to-find key issues.
If you are a regular reader, you’ll notice some Usual Suspects have entered the fray. In recent weeks, these have been left off the movers and shakers lists simply because there’s not much left to say about them. With all the Venom 3 scuttlebutt, it’s given us reason to take a closer look at these particular issues.
21. AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #300 NEWSSTAND EDITION (+66)
All three symbiote keys on today’s list are recurring guests on the Hottest/Coldest blogs. It’s fitting that the ASM #300 newsstand copy led the way, given that it’s one of the blog’s most frequent additions.
Whereas the direct edition for this famed issue is much more consistent among buying trends, the newsstand bounces all across the board at any given moment. Naturally, this one is harder to find in a high grade compared to the direct.
For those unfamiliar, direct edition means that it’s published and shipped specifically for comic book shops. Since your local comic store is marketing almost exclusively to collectors, there’s a certain amount of care expected from all hands that touch those copies. On the contrary, newsstands were distributed to stores and, well, newsstands and treated with no more concern than any other book or magazine. The truth is that anyone buying their comics from, say, a grocery store isn’t inspecting the cover for color breaks in the first place.
The end result is an edition that becomes rare to find at least in a near-mint grade, and that goes double for key appearances. As you may have guessed, that also equals higher prices.
With all the Venom 3 commotion, it leads buyers on a scavenger hunt for high grades of ASM #300, particularly the newsstand because of that rarity. However, those inflated values and a more limited availability will dissuade buyers in a heartbeat, which explains why the newsstand so easily rises and falls in the Hottest Comics rankings.
31. AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #365 (+62)
Venom may be the talk of the market at the moment, but Miguel O’Hara was not to be overshadowed.
ASM #365 has been an increasingly popular key issue since Spider-Man 2099 made his silver screen debut in the Into the Spider-Verse mid-credits scene. After that, the gossip came in waves as comic readers waited for his next onscreen appearance. Then came Across the Spider-Verse, and Oscar Isaac’s Miguel stole the show as the unlikely antagonist for Miles Morales and Gwen Stacy. Where his story is headed in Beyond the Spider-Verse continues to fuel values for his first appearance.
Spider-Man 2099 #1 continues to rank higher in the overall sales charts, but ASM #365 remains the coveted find since it’s when readers got their first look at Miguel. In some respects, it’s an advertisement. After all, the backup story was a preview of the first few pages from Spider-Man 2099 #1. Since it featured Miguel in full with at least part of the story, collectors recognize that preview as his comic debut. But let’s be honest — the goal was to entice readers to buy Spider-Man 2099 #1, which basically qualifies it as a sort of advertisement.
36. AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #361 NEWSSTAND EDITION (+59)
Speaking of newsstands, the murderous red symbiote was feeding off the enthusiasm for all things Venom. Although the direct edition ranked higher, landing in the 24th spot, the newsstand variant was on the move in a significant way. Just 10 days prior, it had fallen to the 95th position, putting it in danger of falling from the Hottest Comics altogether. On the heels of the latest movie gossip, the key issue made a respectable comeback and cracked the sales charts’ top half.
Seeing the Carnage keys climbing the index can be credited to the Venom 3 gossip as well. Will we see Cletus Kasady return after having his head eaten in Venom 2? That’s the question. The plot convenience of the Multiverse means that, just like in the comics, a character is never truly dead. After all, Grace’s Venom was killed in Spider-Man 3, and most fans are expecting him to be resurrected.
Based on that logic, why couldn’t we see Woody Harrelson make one last go as Carnage? Similar to Topher Grace, Harrelson’s talents were wasted on a terrible movie, and fans would love to see him get a cinematic mulligan.
33. AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #363 (+56)
Here’s another Usual Suspect that simply could not be ignored this week, but at least there’s something newsworthy for the conversation. ASM #363 is most famous for Carnage’s third overall appearance (minus the teases ahead of ASM #361, that is), and it’s a perennial favorite among 1990s Spider-Man collectors. Honestly, the entire Carnage set is worth the price of admission for Mark Bagley’s beautiful and underrated artwork.
By itself, there’s not much to entice buyers, but it’s a must-have for completionists. After Spider-Man forms a shaky alliance with Venom, the two join forces to bring down Carnage. Of course, this is far from the end, and it lays the groundwork for the uber-popular crossover, Maximum Carnage.
40. FANTASTIC FOUR #52 (+56)
Of course, I’m serious. And don’t call me Shuri.
Black Panther broke up this week’s ASM party. With so many Spider-Man comics dominating the sales charts, it was nice to see a beloved Fantastic Four key get some of that eBay love.
This is another issue that is so frequently bought and sold on auction sites that it is virtually a Usual Suspect in its own right. After Black Panther’s overwhelming popularity in the MCU, it’s only become a bigger seller and certifiable holy grail.
Sure, there won’t be another T’Challa in the Marvel Multiverse, but Shuri proved worthy of carrying the franchise in Wakanda Forever. Most likely, we will see her on Disney Plus when Ironheart premieres, and there’s surely going to be another entry in the BP movie saga. For that matter, we all know she’ll be an Avenger sooner rather than later, and I imagine she’ll be a significant player in The Kang Dynasty and Secret Wars.
Put it all together, and it’s understandable why FF #52 with Black Panther’s first appearance is still a hot item.
