The Amazing Spider-Man is the premiere superhero of Marvel. He has appeared as a kid, a jocular superhero, and even a very competent scientist. In the reality of the Marvel Universe, Spider-Man is one of the most combat efficient and experienced heroes. He does not have Hulk-like strength or energy blasts like Captain Marvel, he is not even invulnerable to attacks like the Juggernaut. But what Peter Parker a.k.a. Spider-Man does have are powers that when combined together make him one of the most formidable adversaries in the Marvel Universe. He can lift 10 tons (but can exceed this in crisis situations), is faster than almost any superbeing alive except for Quicksilver, with the superhuman agility and reflexes to match. Furthermore, his spidey-sense gives him a drop on any opponent, as he knows what they are going to do before they do it (Yes, I know Venom-istas, his spidey-sense doesn't work on symbiotes). But one of the most powerful aspects of Spider-Man is usually overlooked: his incredible healing rate.
He is not as tough as Wolverine, but he can heal broken bones in a matter of hours. He has been shot with bullets and slept it off over an eight-hour period. Spidey has suffered third-degree burns over his body and two days later healed with a small amount of medical attention. He is even resistant to certain forms of radiation and has been hit by some of the physically strongest beings in Marvel (Lizard, Sandman, Wrecker, Hulk and even the Herald of Galactus, Firelord). Often from Parker's perspective, he is wounded or badly hurt, and exclaims when hit how powerful his opponent is. But think of this he has been hit by the Hulk and keeps coming. If we add in his intellect he is hands down the most powerful superhero in Marvel toe to toe. What you usually don't see is the combat fluidity of Spider-Man. When he really flexes his powers he can defeat an entire team of superheroes, well, like the X-Men.
Marvel Super-Heroes Secret Wars #3
In fact, that happened in the comic book Marvel Super-Heroes Secret Wars #3. This script was written by Jim Shooter with Mike Zeck ably penciling the issue. Jim Shooter does Spider-Man justice and honorably so. The Amazing Spider-Man simply takes out the entire X-Men team and departs for his base camp. Wolverine attacks him twice and gets a pimp slap for his trouble. Rogue tries to catch him and he webs her down. Colossus is slow and gets webbing sprayed into his eyes like pepper spray. Spidey was so darned fast he was dodging Storm's lightning blasts and was able to knock out Xavier (gently) before Xavier's could mind zap him. Then he sucker punched Nightcrawler into oblivion. To quote Nightcrawler, "His strength--! His speed--! Unbelievable! He is Awesome!" The answer of who would win in a battle with the X-Men is clear the Amazing Spider-Man. Yes, all you Wolvie fanatics sharpening your claws and frothing in your berserker rage while reading this; he easily defeats Wolverine as it should be. After all, this is the headliner for all of Marvel. Can this book be a good source for a solid long-term investment or even short-term speculation?
This comic as an investment is finally starting to show a profit. The comic book Marvel Super-Heroes Secret Wars #3 was created in 1984 making it Modern Age or Copper Age depending which era you acknowledge. The top grade (9.8) has an FMV of $55 but it has actually sold recently in December for $89.99 on eBay. That is a great sign for this Mod-Copper book. It is still so cheap and will probably take another full year to top $100. Maybe less if the current trend of return holds, mint grade (9.8) has a positive return of +40.2% over the long-term. Unfortunately, mint condition over the last year has fallen to positive +12.3% ROI. If you start at the $89.99 speculative purchase price you are looking at one year to break the $100 price target barrier; if the current return trend holds. This is not a bad return given the low entry-level price, especially if you already own this puppy like half of America.
