With a 99% score from critics and an 80% audience score, the second season of Peacemaker is a bona fide hit for HBOMax. And it's also great marketing for key issues related to Peacemaker. We won't be reviewing Peacemaker's major keys (i.e., Fightin' Five #40 or Peacemaker #1) here, but instead taking a look at the first appearances of some of the more obscure characters in the show. None of the issues below are ever going to become major grails; however, they're minor keys that even I wouldn't have recognized if I were flipping through dollar bins. If you were willing to put in the time, I'm sure you can find these and get some great deals.
Strange Love Adventures #1: 1st Appearance of Eagly
Like Krypto in Gunn's Superman film, I think Eagly steals every scene he's in. Not only was he the hero of episode two of Season 2 ("A Man Is Only as Good as His Bird") when he defends Peacemaker's home from a cadre of ARGUS soldiers, but he also gets his own solo dance in the show's opening credits. Clearly, Eagly is yet another example of Gunn's love of animals similar to his decision to include Krypto in Superman.
While most of us can't even afford a low-grade copy of Krypto's first appearance in Action Comics #210, Eagly's first appearance in Strange Love Adventures #1 is very affordable. You can purchase a high-grade raw copy on eBay for around $10. In terms of graded copies, very few collectors have submitted this minor key to CGC for grading; there are only a total of 32 copies on the CGC census (with 29 9.8s). According to GoCollect, the FMV of a CGC 9.8 is $50; as an example, the 9.8 below sold for $55 back in May:
Personally, I think this $50 is not a bad deal considering that total case costs (i.e., the costs of shipping, grading costs, and taxes) could easily reach $40. Again, this is never going to become a major key issue, but I'd definitely buy several copies if I found them in a dollar bin!
Suicide Squad #2: 1st Appearance of Emilia Harcourt
Like the first appearance of Eagly, the first appearance of Emilia Harcourt in Suicide Squad #2 is likely not at the very top of any collector's wish list. Still, she has an even bigger role in the second season of Peacemaker, and as Gunn's spouse, I wouldn't be surprised if we see her character for years to come in the DCU.
High grade raw copies sell on eBay for only about $5. As for graded copies, there aren't too many graded copies on the CGC Census with only 28 universal blue labels and 21 9.8s. According to GoCollect, the FMV for a CGC 9.8 is $44, but the last publicly recorded sale was nearly two years ago in November 2023 for a mere $28:
Hawkworld #27: 1st Appearance of the White Dragon
Like the other two issues we covered above, this is another issue that many of us might flip past when digging through dollar bins. Even though I've been reading comics books since the late 1980s, I had never even heard of the White Dragon before I watched the first season of Peacemaker. After Peacemaker kills White Dragon (who is also Peacemaker's Dad) at the end of Season 1, I thought any short-lived interest in the character was over; however, as we all know from Guardians of the Galaxy 2 and Superman, Gunn can't let go of stories about fathers and sons.
You can purchase a high-grade raw copy on eBay for $7 to $10. One copy that looked pretty clean sold for only $2.75 back in August. As for graded copies, they are extremely rare; there are only 14 CGC-graded copies on the CGC Census (maybe it's not surprising that many collectors wouldn't be excited about submitting a comic about a white supremacist). There is only ONE 9.8 on the Census. The only publicly recorded sale of Hawkworld #27 occurred back in 2022. Considering the sale occurred after Robert Patrick's debut as White Dragon during the first season of Peacemaker, and towards the tail end of the "comic boom," it's surprising this 9.6 sold for so little:
