It was a week of Punisher, Hellverine, and He-Man as their titles trended on eBay.
While those issues made waves, there was no denying the impact of the Venom: The Last Dance trailer. The upcoming threequel had buyers chasing down Lethal Protector in droves. Let's take a closer look in this week's Trending Comics.
The Punisher's first ongoing title hit an eBay hot streak. With a character as popular as Punisher, it's not unusual to see his key issues ranking among the Hottest Comics. The difference here is that Punisher #1 had fallen outside the top 100, but here it is, bounding back into the fray with intensity. What's sparked the sales surge? The best guess is that it's tied to the upcoming Daredevil show, Born Again. Jon Bernthal has been confirmed to return to the Frank Castle role for the series, and that could be sending buyers to eBay for Punisher's key issues.
Although ASM #316 hit the skids in the Coldest Comics, there were a few Venom keys getting the rub from the new trailer for Venom: The Last Dance. Lethal Protector #1 cracked the top-10 Hottest Comics, and Venom #3 returned to the best-sellers' list after a brief absence. This issue marked the first full appearance of Knull, God of the Symbiotes. With Last Dance's plot centering on a symbiote invasion of Earth, it leaves viewers wondering if Knull will be part of the story. That would explain why Venom #3 was suddenly a hot commodity.
When a character is as popular as Wolverine, the editorial staff tends to put him everywhere. After more than 50 years, the writing staff has to get a bit creative to give readers something new and different. In this case, he joined forces with Ghost Rider and was possessed by a demon, giving fans their first look at Hellverine. In February, Marvel Comics announced that the Ghost Rider/Wolverine mashup would return to the comics, and the first solo Hellverine comic hit store shelves on May 29. That resulted in a quick spike in sales for Wolverine #36.
He-Man had a definite presence in the Hottest Comics this week. Along with DC Comics Presents #47, Masters of the Universe #1 managed to climb into the top-100 best sellers. However, there's no beating Presents #47 when it comes to He-Man keys. This is the first comic appearance of the Masters of the Universe characters as the titular hero squared off with DC's superstar, Superman. There's been talk on and off about a new live-action MOTU movie for years, and that is likely to pan out at some point in the not-too-distant future. Now is a good time to stockpile those He-Man keys for that inevitability.
Another Venom key narrowly managed to infiltrate the Hottest Comics. Rounding out the list, Lethal Protector #4 was getting attention over the past 10 days. Since the Venom movie series premiered, this has been on many watch lists, specifically for the first appearances of symbiotes Scream, Phage, Agony, and Lasher. With so many new characters being added to The Last Dance, many investors are banking on the aforementioned symbiotes getting a piece of the action.
