The Gambit fans were driving the secondary market this week as X-Men Annual #14 earned the distinction as this week's Hottest Comic on eBay.
"The name's Gambit. Remember it." EBay buyers took Remy's final lines from X-Men '97 to heart as they drove up the sales for the Ragin' Cajun's first appearance in three different categories. Meanwhile, New Mutants #98 kept pace with some mighty sales figures of its own.
Welcome to the Hottest Comics, the blog series that gives you the lowdown on the eBay sales data. Rather than relying on fair market values and ballooning price tags, these rankings are focused purely on the sales volume. What you will find below are the comics that had the most upward momentum anywhere from 10 days to the past six months.
10 DAYS
The burners are starting to warm as we approach Deadpool & Wolverine's theatrical release date. Deadpool's first appearance is a perennial favorite on the Hottest Comics, but this week it truly caught fire.
Not only is the newsstand making waves in the 10-day category, but it's one of the top sellers over the past 30 days as well. In fact, it jumped from 94th to 47th in that span, which is quite impressive. It's enough to keep eyes on NM #98 as we draw closer to the Deadpool & Wolverine premiere date.
Bear in mind, this is the newsstand edition. For the uninitiated, what makes these so collectible in higher grades is that they are so much harder to find. The newsstand copies were not sold specifically for collectors, unlike the direct editions, which went straight to comic shops. Whereas the direct editions are generally handled with care, it's the opposite for most newsstands, and many hands that touched these comics treated them with no more care than they would a newspaper. That makes getting your hands on a high-grade key issue like NM #98 a tall order.
30 DAYS
Here we have an old favorite that is back in the thick of the Hottest Comics. Not that Iron Man #1 ever drops outside the top 100, but this Silver Age classic has been on a red hot streak as of late. Buyers were all over the issue for the last month, causing it to gain an impressive 44 spots.
What could cause such a flux for Iron Man's first self-titled series? There's no definitive answer. One possible explanation centers on Robert Downey Jr. The A-list actor stepped away from the MCU after a famous death scene in the closing moments of Avengers: Endgame. While that would normally be enough to mean a character is permanently out of the story, the Multiverse and time travel make all things possible.
It's worth noting there are rumors that RDJ would be interested in reprising the role. It wasn't long ago that the hot gossip was that he would voice Riri Williams' AI for her Ironheart suit when her live-action show finally makes its way to Disney Plus. Nothing has been confirmed or denied on that front, so who knows what the future holds for RDJ and the Iron Man role? All that mystery could very well be fueling this latest Iron Man #1 sales spike.
60 DAYS
Gambit may have bitten the dust in X-Men '97, but he's alive and well in the hearts of comic fans. At least if a major character is going to be killed off on the hit cartoon, he went out with style. While he may have been mortally wounded by the three-headed Wild Sentinel, Gambit used his powers for a last hoorah...and some awesome last words that suited him perfectly.
That impressive death scene has been enough to get collectors on the hunt for Gambit's first appearance. Wait. Isn't his debut in Uncanny X-Men #266? That's a negative, Ghost Rider. The X-Men's resident Cajun was first spotted in X-Men Annual #14. Although CGC labels it a cameo first appearance, he's actually seen in full across a number of panels. That should make this his first full appearance, but CGC doesn't see things that way. On the plus side, it makes this a more budget-friendly buy compared to UXM #266, which adds to the appeal.
90 DAYS
What single is the true Hottest Comic on eBay? A case can be made for the newsstand edition of New Mutants #98, certainly. After all, it ranked high in two different categories in the same week. However, X-Men Annual #14 overshadowed Deadpool's first appearance with some significant strides. Not only was it the biggest mover for the past 60 days, it also ranked 17th after jumping 42 places in the 30-day slot. The real kicker is that it dominated the 90-day spot as well, garnering 50 positions on its rocket toward the top.
What's got this issue earning so many sales? There's no denying the impact of X-Men '97's popularity, but don't forget that Gambit supposedly will join the cast of Deadpool & Wolverine. Among the many rumors of X-Men castings, both realized and fantasized, being added to the movie, one of the most famous revolved around Gambit.
While he may be done for in the cartoon, he will return in live action. Reportedly, Channing Tatum will live out his X-dreams and suit up as Remy LeBeau for Deadpool & Wolverine. If you recall, the actor was all set to star in a Gambit solo film before Fox was bought by Disney. The House of Mouse quickly canceled the project, and Tatum has said it was a huge disappointment for him. Now it would seem he'll finally get his chance to do what is sure to speak with a horrible Cajun accent.
180 DAYS
Looking back on the last six months of eBay sales, Sabretooth has made the biggest strides among the Hottest Comics. After the most recent Deadpool & Wolverine trailer, we can expect to see it climb even higher in the coming weeks.
In case you missed it, the D&W footage revealed a scene unfolding in front of what appears to be Ant-Man's skull. Surrounding his head are several villains from the Fox X-Men movies, most notably Lady Deathstrike and Pyro. That leads many theorists to believe that we will see both Tyler Mane and Liev Schreiber as Sabretooth variants. Mane was the original Sabretooth, playing the character in 2000's X-Men and 2003's X2: X-Men United. Schreiber took over the role in 2009 and was the highlight of the dreadful X-Men Origins: Wolverine.
At this point, it would be a travesty not to have Sabretooth join the fray in some fashion. He's Wolverine's most famous nemesis, and with so many cameos in the movie, how could he not be part of the film? If this is Hugh Jackman's last turn as Logan, it's only fitting to see him share the screen with at least one Victor Creed variant if not both.
