Silver age Marvel comics are great investments right now...for the most part. In the case of FF #45, these prices are bottoming out.
I've said it before, and I'll say it again: bad movies kill the value of key comics. As collectors and investors, we get excited when a movie is announced, and we quickly throw money at those first appearances hoping to flip it for a profit. The prices can shoot up practically overnight and climb for months. But when the movie turns out to be a dud, those prices can plummet just as fast.
In the case of Fantastic Four #45, it wasn't a movie that destroyed the fair market value; it was an ill-conceived television show.
This time last year, the hype surrounding the Inhumans television debut was at its height. Although we had been promised a featured film (supposedly Vin Diesel had been interested in playing Black Bolt), Disney/Marvel Studios ended up going with an ABC television show instead, and we were okay with that. After all, Marvel had given us the near-perfect first two seasons of Daredevil. While there would obviously be more censorship on a network show, we nonetheless had high hopes. Boy, did Marvel let us down on this one. It was especially painful for those investors who paid the peak prices for FF #45.
It was in 2015 when we were first teased with news that the Inhumans would be coming to life, and the market for their first appearance sent shock waves through the market. That year, 19 graded 7.5s were sold on eBay, selling for as much as $1,238 and no less than $700. In fact, there were four times that a 7.5 FF #45 went for $1,000 or more. If you were one of the people who paid four figures, then I hope you got out before things went sour. Leading up to the Inhumans premiere date, that 7.5 was still selling regularly for $900 and up. Then the show debuted, and the disappointment was palatable. By the end of last September, prices stopped pushing $1K and dropped to the $500-$600 range, which has given it an average of $565 in the last 12 months.
The 7.5 is a great representative of the falling prices of all grades of FF #45 because the past 12 months have not been kind to that Inhumans first appearance. Since last September, only one grade has seen a boost in value compared to the 2017 average; the humble 2.5, which averaged $129 in 2017, has sold once in the last 12 months, and that one went for $165. To keep you from getting excited, though, let me remind you that a 2.5 sold for $229 three years ago. If you consider that fact, then the $165 doesn't look so good after all.
The Inhumans' venture to the Marvel Cinematic Universe is a cautionary tale for investors with a very clear lesson to be learned: even Marvel is capable of a flop now and again. By all means, when you hear a rumor of a new character being brought into the MCU, buy those keys and stay ahead of the curve. However, don't assume that just because that movie or television show has the Marvel logo means it will endear itself in the hearts of fans for decades. I don't think we've seen the Inhumans' last foray into the MCU, but we won't see the live-action versions anytime soon, which translates into continuing low sales for FF #45.
