If you are an Aliens collector, you should be watching the market as the franchise's key issues have been on the rise in recent weeks.
ALIEN QUEEN = DISNEY PRINCESS?
Why are they seeing a boost? That is because Marvel Comics announced it would be taking over publishing duties for both Aliens and Predator. Both of the Fox franchises had been with Dark Horse Comics since the late 1980s, so it is bittersweet to see the line come to an end after more than three decades. Of course, it is not like we didn't see this coming. When Disney purchased Fox, the character rights for Aliens and Predator were both included in that deal.
THE CONAN EFFECT
As I wrote in my Predator #1 blog post, both the Aliens and Predator key issues will get the Conan treatment from collectors. What do I mean by that? When Marvel bought the publishing rights for Conan the Barbarian, those early Conan appearances from the 1970s suddenly became hot commodities. The same is proving true for the Fox properties.
That being said, here are three Alien keys that you should watch for the inevitable fair market value inflation.
Alien Keys
DARK HORSE PRESENTS #24
Those old Dark Horse Presents from the late '80s and early '90s are a treasure trove of nostalgia. Today, I get to mention two of them, starting with the first comic book appearance of the Xenomorphs with the queen splashed on the cover.
This issue will undoubtedly get a boost from Marvel's re-imagining of the Aliens comic franchise. After the 9.8 peaked with a $150 sale last year, 2020 is proving to be a different story. So far, it has already set a new record high when a 9.8 sold for $350 on July 10. That gives it a 90-day average of $188, which is the highest its fair market value has been in years.
ALIENS #1
This cover is everything Aliens rolled into one piece of comic art, and I love it.
After premiering in Dark Horse Presents, the Space Marines and Xenomorphs took their fight into their own self-titled Aliens series in 1988, a year before Predator #1 saw the light of day.
The higher grades of Aliens #1 have been scalding hot in recent months. Although the 9.8 has only sold twice this year, they reached $640 and $750. The trend continues with all the near-mint grades as everything from a 9.0 and above is on the rise. Case in point, the 9.6 is back to being a $182 comic after averaging $132 in 2019.
DARK HORSE PRESENTS #36
Ever since the 1990's Predator 2, it is hard to discuss the Aliens franchise without mentioning the Predator. While the movie sequel's Easter egg planted the idea, Dark Horse gave it life.
Although Dark Horse Presents is the first official Alien/Predator crossover, the original AVP comic was written by X-Men god Chris Claremont. I have no doubt that Marvel will continue the AVP trend when the company begins publishing both franchises' comics.
As it stands, the higher grades for DHP #36 are doing well. The 9.8 has a 90-day FMV of $187, which is nearly $30 above last year's average. The last sale for a 9.8 netted $250 on June 6, which is approaching the $264 record high from 2019. There is also a variant cover floating around the internet that recently sold for a respectable $80 in June.
GoCollect is the #1 comic book price guide for tracking sales data of all graded comic books in real-time. Get fair market values at your fingertips by updating your profile here.
