Now it is ten years since the first Iron Man movie hit the theaters in 2008. Since then the MCU has fully developed with great writing, directing, and casting this franchise has definitely changed comic books more than any other catalyst. The value these movies have brought to comic books is truly extraordinary. It has allowed even minor characters key books to increase substantially in value. When Iron Man hit the big screen in 2008 and everyone was blown away. The value of most Bronze Age and even Silver Age comics had not even been fully realized. This was a great time to buy comics. Shortly afterward, I bought a Fantastic Four #52 the first appearance of Black Panther for my kid for $30. This book was sent to CGC and hit a grade of (6.5) fine plus, not bad I was happy. Then we flash forward ten years and that same investment has a current value of $950 FMV. Yes, the Marvel Comic movies have been good to the entire comic book industry, speculators especially.
Considering the value that a movie catalyst brings, be aware of the changes to the MCU after Avengers 4. Disney has purchased assets, one of the biggest changes in 2018 was Disney buying Twenty-First Century Fox and with it the rights to the X-Men, Fantastic Four, and Deadpool franchises. We need to be aware of and mindful of this change when speculating on comic books. Already there have been several blogs stating that FF books are going up in value. This trend will likely continue in 2019 as Kevin Feige makes his plans known and starts casting for upcoming movies in 2020 and beyond. Can a Fantastic Four book send our profit margins expanding like Galactus?
The comic book Fantastic Four #49 is the first cover appearance and overall second appearance of Silver Surfer and Galactus. I always loved this cover as a key over the higher priced FF #48. Sure this might only be the second appearance but it is the first cover appearance and a very early sought after Fantastic Four title. The best part of this book is that it is still at a reasonable price and allows many people to profit from the inevitable uptick of movie hype that has already hit in 2018 and will continue to build speed in 2019. The comic book Fantastic Four #49 was created by Stan Lee (script) and Jack Kirby (pencils). This book is a three-part comic book story of the FF encountering Galactus and the Silver Surfer.
FF Returns
Earlier this year FF #49 sold in grade (9.8) for $150,000! If this a little out of your price range, don't be alarmed you are not alone. We don't need to invest our 401K in utter madness to get in on a great return. For instance, the grade of (3.0) has shown a positive return of +228.6% over the last 18 years at 10,000 max sales calculated (GoCollect). What is this investment going to set you back? The last copy sold on eBay during turkey time November 5th for $373.59 grade (3.0). So for $300 bucks, you can own a piece of the first cover appearance of Silver Surfer, and furthermore a piece of Kirby art history, sign me up!
"It's Clobberin' Time!"
The Fantastic Four has really languished at Fox. Most of the movies though popular just don't have the Marvel MCU pizzazz. Now obviously, with Disney's purchase, there have already been discussions in press interviews with Kevin Feige on producing Fantastic Four and the X-men. Thank god, because I really believe they need a new re-imagining of both franchises. Especially, Brian Singer's X-Men his movies have become a little formulaic and predictable. Could you imagine the Russo's given carte blanche to design the X-Men or FF into the existing MCU? That will be one heck of a movie or movies to see. Now is the time to get into the speculative arena, my pick for the Silver Age in the New Year: Fantastic Four #49 or in the immortal words of The Thing, "It's clobberin' time!"
