A little over a month ago, I blogged about the first installment of James Gunn's DCU: the animated TV series Creature Commandos. In that blog, we looked at some of the key issues for several of the characters that will appear in the show including Dr. Phosphorus, Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein. One "creature" that hasn't been announced but would be an absolutely perfect fit for the show is King Shark.
Gunn has described this first phase of the DCU as "Gods & Monsters." The DCU will first focus on god-like characters (e.g., Superman), but also the monsters such as Swamp Thing and the Creature Commandos. We know that Amanda Waller will return in her Nick Fury-like role and assemble the Creature Commandos. Waller was the person who first enlisted King Shark to join the Suicide Squad in Gunn's film The Suicide Squad. Fans loved Gunn's take on the character and I don't think anyone should be surprised if he makes a surprise appearance in Creature Commandos.
A CGC 9.8 has lost 87% of its value during the past four years.
Let's take a closer look at the most common grade on the CGC Census for King Shark's first full appearance in Superboy #9: a 9.8 (King Shark has a cameo appearance in Superboy #0). Like many key issues during the past several years, this Modern Age minor key issue has taken an absolute beating since its pandemic-fueled high back in April 2021. Specifically, a 9.8 sold for a whopping $600 back in early 2021 which was basically at the height of the "comic boom" and just a few months before the release of the generally well-received The Suicide Squad in August 2021.
Since then, the value of this book has dropped like a rock. Just over three years later, a 9.8 sold for just $54 on May 26th. Aside from a $117 sale on June 26th, this book doesn't appear to be reliving those glory days any time soon.
You could argue that the pandemic-fueled sale in April of 2021 was an outlier and shouldn't be taken seriously. If so, 9.8s were selling for around $110 just prior to the pandemic. Accordingly, even if you ignore the sales of this comic during the "comic boom," it has still lost about 31% of its value since late 2019. This suggests to me that the value of 9.8s may have overcorrected.
In 2021, there were 106 9.8s on the Census; today, there are 778.
This dramatic drop in value can at least be partially explained by a dramatic increase in supply of 9.8s during that same period of time. Specifically, according to CGCData.com, in December 2019, just a few months before the pandemic, there were only 106 9.8s listed on the CGC Census. About four and a half years later, there are now 778 9.8s listed on the Census. In other words, there are now more than 7X as many 9.8s in the marketplace. With such a dramatic increase in supply, it's no surprise that demand hasn't been able to keep up.
With the values of 9.8 hovering just above the costs of shipping, pressing and grading, it might be worth considering purchasing a copy at this price point, especially if you're willing to take a calculated risk that King Shark may return in a bigger way in Gunn's DCU.
Would you invest in a 9.8 of Superboy #9 at these price points? Why or why not? Please let our community know what your opinion is in the comments section below!
