As much fun as viewers had with The GOTG Holiday Special, it is the beginning of the end for the Guardians. At July’s San Diego Comic-Con, the cast and crew made it clear this would be their last ride, and several key members are leaving the Marvel fold. James Gunn is now co-chair of DC Studios; Bradley Cooper wants to focus on writing and directing; and Dave Bautista has said he’s ready to wear a shirt. Who knows what the future holds for Chris Pratt and Zoe Saldana? Judging by the trailer, it will be a tearful goodbye. That leaves us placing our bets on which characters will bite the proverbial dust.
As the mainstream audiences reach for their tissues, comic collectors are digging through their long boxes. Viewers got their first look at Adam Warlock, who was teased and seemingly forgotten way back in 2017’s GOTG Vol. 2. That should create a spike for his key issues, beginning with these.
FANTASTIC FOUR #67
This is a classic example of Stan Lee’s ability to work an audience. After months of teases, FF #67 promised to solve the mystery of the cocoon, where readers first met HIM, who would later become Adam Warlock. While this is a major moment in the Warlock spectrum and his overall first appearance, the introduction is brief, and CGC has relegated it to the dreaded “first cameo” status. The silver lining is that it makes getting a copy much easier on your budget.
In light of the trailer, the upper-mid grades have been on the move. On December 1, a 7.0 earned $379 while a 6.5 brought $250.
THOR #165
We tend to associate Adam with the Fantastic Four, which is reasonable considering his history with Marvel’s First Family. However, he didn’t make his full (and, more importantly, his first cover) appearance until Thor #165, where he had an epic throwdown with the God of Thunder. That could factor into a future Thor film which would put an even greater emphasis on this issue.
Earlier this week, a raw copy with an advertised condition of “very good” sold for just shy of $600. Meanwhile, a slabbed 7.0, which happened to be the highest grade sold in the past month, last sold for $529 on November 30 just two days after another 7.0 hit $585.
MARVEL PREMIERE #1
Before Marvel placed their bets on HIM, they tested the market with Marvel Premiere #1. Before he could be a superstar, HIM needed a name change, thus Warlock was born (Adam wasn’t added until the next issue). Using the power of the Soul Stone in his forehead, he was finally given a starring role in his own story. That makes this a great addition to your Warlock collection, and it’s proven to be the most popular of his keys as of late.
With that enthusiasm comes high prices as a 9.0 sold for over $800 on December 2, which is well over the $692 30-day average.
INFINITY WATCH, ANYONE?
With the GOTG wrapping up, my inclination is that Warlock will move on to found his own team straight from the comics, the Infinity Watch. Even if he doesn’t, there’s no way this will be the only time we see Adam on the big screen. His absence from The Infinity Saga was noticed, but he should play a larger role in The Multiverse Saga, but trade in Thanos for Kang.
Are you stoked for GotG 3? Let us know in the comments!
