Straight from the Speed Force, The Flash has quickly become the hottest name in all of comic collecting. Need a starting point for those potential movie tie-in keys? You’ve come to the right place.

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That Super Bowl trailer was impressive, wasn’t it? We’ve all been burned by DC (and Marvel, if we’re playing fair) movies so often that it's hard to let ourselves get excited. Still, the drama of The Flash’s story, the great visuals, the introduction of a new Supergirl, and the confirmation from James Gunn himself that this movie resets the entire DCU is enough to warrant a second chance. 

Oh, and there are those two popular Batman actors, Michael Keaton and Ben Affleck, but I doubt anyone even noticed them in the trailer, right?

It all adds up to a hot market for anything Flash. Of course, whenever we deal with a classic DC character, hunting down keys is tricky business. The trouble is their early appearances are oftentimes from the Golden Age, and that automatically makes them expensive. In Barry Allen’s case, his debut marked the beginning of the Silver Age, which only ramps up prices even further. What’s a collector to do? In the case of The Flash, there are some viable options.

FLASHPOINT #1

Ever since Super Bowl Sunday, a fire has been lit under this issue. There was so much intrigue from the first rumors of The Flash, and the footage has completely won over even the staunchest of DCU critics. With the Snyderverse timeline being completely reset here ahead of DCU Chapter One, it’s sent buyers on the hunt for Flashpoint #1. 

With so many high-grade copies available already, there’s no reason to believe this comic will reach the truly ridiculous price level. As of the time of writing, it had brought as much as $36 for a raw copy, which seems a bit expensive for a comic so easy to find. Still, if the rumors of a Thomas Wayne Batman arriving in the DCU Multiverse ever pans out, this issue will get massive gains overnight. At the moment, if you are in the market for a 9.8, that price has jumped to a $300 average over the past 30 days.

THE FLASH #123

There are a few reasons you should want this Silver Age key. Traditionally, collectors aim for Flash #123 because it featured the first meeting between Barry and the Golden Age Flash, Jay Garrick. It also established the existence of Earth-2, which happens to be the universe where The Batman takes place. An even better reason to own a copy is that this issue established the concept of the Multiverse. It was only mentioned here, but that still planted the seed that would become such an integral part of both the MCU and DCU film franchises. 

Outside The CW, the DCU has yet to tackle the concept of the Multiverse on the big screen. Ezra Miller’s Flash made a cameo on the small screen when he met Grant Gustin’s Flash, thus tying the franchises together. With The Flash diving headfirst into the Multiverse, this will no doubt be a key factor in everything going forward. 

This is the most expensive key on today’s list, and you better be ready to fork over four and five figures for higher grades. For those of us on tighter purse strings, you can still get up to a 2.5 for less than $600. 

CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS #8

All signs point to The Flash being somewhat based around the Flashpoint concept. While we are likely to see some elements of that event in the movie, I’m not completely sure we won’t see the death of Barry Allen. In fact, I’d say it’s likely. In that event, guess where collectors and speculators are going to turn? That’s right — Crisis on Infinite Earths #8. 

Maybe death means very little in the world of superheroes, but this one still resonates with readers. Between Barry and Supergirl’s deaths, these are two iconic covers from the early 1980s, both of which were drawn by the incomparable George Perez. Sure, neither character stayed dead, but these are still major moments in DC Comics history. Naturally, buyers will track down this comic if Miller’s Flash bites the dust in The Flash.

Being a classic issue, the prices for a high-grade 9.8 aren’t exactly cheap, but they won’t break your budget, either. For the past 30 days, it’s averaged $135, which is not a bad price.

JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #72

If you notice in the trailer, there’s a moment with two Flashes racing back to back. One is Barry Allen from the Snyderverse timeline while the other is sporting a unique costume.

At first glance, you might think this is a variation of Reverse Flash, but he’s actually wearing black with yellow trim. This could be a play on the Dreamverse Flash introduced in 1993’s JLA #72. As the name suggests, it’s all a dream, but it showcased the heroes taking extreme measures against the supervillains, which may have inspired Injustice. 

The trailer didn’t give us much to go by on this Flash variant, so who knows what is to come? Still, it may not be a bad issue to own, especially since it’s probably hiding in your local comic shop’s dollar bin.

FLASHPOINT BEYOND

We obviously aren’t getting a spot-on Flashpoint adaptation, but the trailer gives enough clues to suggest that it will pull from that modern classic story. As exciting as it was to see both Keaton and Affleck’s Batmen, there still remains one important question: Who is the film’s villain? That’s a rabbit hole we’ll dive down another day.

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