With so many different comics published by Marvel every month, it can be really tough to keep up with stories, let alone speculate on them.  Fortunately, GoCollect is here to help!!  Read on to find out what is going on in the Marvel Universe and how you can make some money off of it!

Sentinel Of Liberty Is Doing Something Really Special

If you have not been reading Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty, you are truly missing out.  Kelly and Lanzing's work on the character feels very evocative of Ed Brubaker's acclaimed run of Captain America stories.  Even more interesting, however, is the work that they are doing with codes.  A major element of Sentinel of Liberty is ciphers and cryptography.  In the story, this is due to a long-simmering conspiracy around Captain America and his shield.  In real life, it is taking an already interesting story and dialing up the intrigue to the max.

Kelly and Lanzing took the time to learn about cryptography and have riddled their stories with different clues and ciphers that offer hints and clues about the direction of the story.  When several fans figured out the ciphers much more quickly than the two writers expected, they doubled down and made them more difficult with more sophisticated cryptographic techniques!  This is one of the most fascinating fan-creator relationships I have ever seen and speaks volumes about the authors' dedication to their craft and telling a compelling story.  It is rarely a bad idea to invest in good storytelling and, while it is certainly still early, this could very well be the start of the next great Captain America story.

Speculation Advice: Captain America books have never really been huge sellers, so the print run on this series is not particularly large.  Keep an eye out for high ratio variants or new characters.  If the series becomes widely acclaimed, those rarer or more sought-after books could see an appreciable rise in value.
Also, these ciphers contain hints for where the story is going to go.  Crack them and you will have a huge advantage over the community at large

Ghost Ronin Is Awesome!!

Before I dive into this section of the write-up, I feel I should mention that I find Japanese culture and history incredibly fascinating and often gravitate towards stories that invoke it.  So, with that in mind, I just have to say that Ghost Ronin, who made his debut in issue 58 of the latest Avengers series, is AWESOME!!  Oh my god, he is so cool.  The whole traveling ronin aesthetic is always captivating by itself, let alone when you add on demon chains and hellfire.

Putting him in the Edo period, when Japan was undergoing several massive societal transitions, was a masterstroke by writer Jason Aaron and lays the foundation for tons of interesting follow-up stories.  American culture in general and comic books specifically have long presented fertile soil in which Japanese and Japanese-inspired works could thrive, especially in the last few years.  I cannot for a single second pretend to know what the future has in store for Ghost Ronin.  All I know is that I want more and am willing to bet that at least few other people do too.

Speculation Advice: Buy and read the character's first appearance so you can experience his awesomeness firsthand.

Wakanda Is Taking Center Stage

If you read a lot of Marvel comics (or follow comic book news), you may have noticed that Wakanda is becoming far more present than it used to be.  Here are just some of the key pieces of information to consider:

  • There has been a Black Panther ongoing series in publication every year since 2016.  The last time that Black Panther had an ongoing series for 6 straight years: never.
  • T'Challa has been the leader of the Avengers since 2018
  • Marvel has been publishing the all-ages Black Panther Legends title to try and expand the Black Panther's audience
  • Black Panther and Wakanda were both major players in the Al Ewing-written Empyre and Last Annihilation books
  • T'Challa was the savior in both Avengers: Mech Strike and Tec-On Avengers
  • T'Challa has made frequent appearances in several X-books during the Krakoan era, most notably Marauders and X-Men: Red (Also written by Ewing)
  • The entire first storyline of Captain America: Symbol of Truth revolves around Wakanda
  • A Wakanda mini-series is coming out later this year and will be a spotlight for several different Wakandans

There are a lot of other examples I could point to, but I think you get the picture that the Black Panther has become much more prominent in recent years.  There are several explanations for this, including the popularity of the eponymous film, the tremendous and untapped potential of the character and his corner of the world, and an increased focus on diversity, just to name a few.  Regardless of the reason, the Black Panther and Wakanda are more visible now than ever before and thus represent an interesting financial opportunity.

Speculation Advice: Look for the first appearances of supporting Wakandan characters, especially during the Priest and Hudlin runs on the character.

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*Any perceived investment advice is that of the freelance blogger and does not represent advice on behalf of GoCollect.