We’re back with more Undervalued and Overlooked Comics. This is where we identify comics that are either currently lower in value than they could be, aren’t as well known in the collector market, or both. So, let’s get started with some first appearances from multiple publishers in the Silver Age.
First Silver Age Hawkman & Hawkgirl
For a while, DC comics appeared to be buttressing Silver Age comic prices. While Marvel was falling, DC books were holding their own. Well, not anymore. Many DC comics have been plummeting in value. Look no further than The Brave and the Bold #34, the first appearance of Hawkman and Hawkgirl in the Silver Age. There are 958 graded copies in the CGC census. While not an enormous number, it’s still a far cry from being an overlooked comic. But the downward trend in values points to this comic perhaps beginning to reach undervalued status.
As you can see from this graphic pulled from our Silver Age Collectible Price Index it hasn’t been a kind year for The Brave and the Bold #34. April in particular saw a significant drop in value. Prices have fallen less steeply since, but it’s still been a steady decline. The overall drop is at roughly 11% since last September when this book was near its top value. This is playing out across nearly all grades, with prices dropping and volume of sales dropping as well. In the past 90 days, we’ve only seen sales in six grades, a distinct difference from a year ago. While a correction was likely in order for the Hawks’ first appearance, this comic is beginning to reach undervalued territory and should be on a Silver Age collectors’ radar.
First Baron Strucker
He’s hardly a household name, but Baron Wolfgang von Strucker has been appearing in Marvel Comics for decades, primarily as a foil for Nick Fury, stretching from his days leading the Howling Commandos to his time in S.H.I.E.L.D. Strucker even appeared in the MCU – briefly at the end of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, but more fully in the opening scene of Avengers: Age of Ultron. However, for collectors, Strucker has been somewhat ignored despite his importance in Marvel history.
There are only 289 graded copies of his first appearance in Sgt. Fury and His Howling Commandos #5 in the CGC census, a paltry number compared to many other Silver Age Marvel comics. Moreover, they rarely sell; the past year has seen only six sales of graded copies. The top was an 8.0 selling for $255 in an eBay fixed price sale. That’s down 44% from its peak in June 2022. This issue is just one example of a series that, outside of the first issue, is generally overlooked and undervalued by collectors. It’s a key issue that’s very affordable and worth considering for your collection.
First Pepe Le Pew
While their cultural importance has waned a bit in the 21st century, the characters who originally appeared in the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons produced by Warner Bros. continue to be well known and beloved. One of these, Pepe Le Pew, the amorous skunk, first appeared in comics in Looney Tunes #240. There are a meager 17 graded copies of this book in the CGC census and only one – a 9.8 going for $276 in a November 2023 Heritage auction – has sold in the past year. That price was down considerably from its peak set in April 2023 when it sold for $750. While Pepe’s shenanigans may seem a little passe nowadays, surely the skunk deserves a better fate than his current undervalued and overlooked status.
