In February of 2021, a 9.8 copy sold for $12,000 but on eBay. 73 features the origin and first appearance of Aquaman, which has become one of DC's most-loved superheroes. Pretty rare for Marvel Spotlight #5s at 9.8 grades! Just like comics wanted to capitalize on the martial arts craze of the 70s, the comic industry also tried to ride the blaxploitation films of the era as well. Two marquis issues not just in the history of the Fantastic Four, but in Marvel are both currently tied as 65K at their highest value. Remember, this is a 2014 sale. So why was it so expensive? There are six stories in this comic: the aforementioned "Ageless Orientals" tale, "Trapped in the Nazi Stronghold," "The Wax Statue That Struck Death," "Short Circuit," "The Valley of the Mist" and "The Devil and the Green Plague." Just seven years later, in 2018, a 9.8-graded copy sold for $38,400. Strange Master Of Black Magic! The first appearance of the Sorcerer Supreme, and his ancient foe, Nightmare are also within the pages of ST #110, which will certainly go up in value, which is currently at 60K if and when Nightmare is announced as the villain of the eventual Strange sequel. Avengers #1 - $274,000 The 1963 comic book, Avengers #1, features Thor, Iron Man, the Hulk, Ant-Man and the Wasp. Shang-Chi is an original character and first appears in Special Marvel Edition #15, but Fu Manchu is a character that Marvel bought the rights to and first appeared in the novel, The Mystery of Dr. Fu-Manchu. I am surprised that the first appearance of Blade has beat out the 1st appearance of the Punisher at 9.8 grades, but it appears it has. Even a mid-CGC grade 6.5 went for 26K, but with books being worth what theyll sell for, this issue has been known to sell for 482K. Even with so many superhero movies and TV shows out there, there's still probably only three characters that even people who have never picked up a comic book know exactly how they got their powers, and one of thems Spiderman. 7. Marvels take on the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde paradigm begins right here when brilliant scientist Bruce Banner is caught in a gamma ray explosion and is forever altered by becoming a giant rage monster whenever anyone pisses him off. An incredible 9.8-graded copy sold for just a tad over $141,000 in 2015. via CC BY 2.0 )You should invest in the most valuable comic books of the 1990s now. This is the issue that is the basis for so much of what the Marvel universe came to be, as far as the Avengers go as it is the first appearance of Captain America in the Silver Age. It was a near-mint 9.2-graded copy and is said to be one of the highest-graded versions known to exist. I think he was also non-powered before creator Chris Claremont decided to make him a mutant baddie and stick him in the X-Men comics. The most valuable comic book on our list, an 8.5 graded copy of Action Comics #1 sold for a huge $3.25 million in April 2021. most valuable comics from the 2000s. The copy that sold is one of three known to exist and was the highest-graded copy, with a 9.2 grade. 53 features the second appearance of the Spectre, continuing his origin story for the Golden Age superhero. As of 1/17/2022 this comic lost it's space to Star Wars #1 35 Cent Variant. There are a few Marvel Mystery comics that are worth a bit more, but the very first Amazing Spider-Man still deserves a spot on this list. The real draw is most likely Kitty Pryde, who's become a fan favorite over the years, especially now that she leads the Marauders. "Showcase" 22, which was published in 1959, features the first appearance of Hal Jordan. Plus the sales dates for the Iron Fist #14 are much older. Usually, it also has to tie in with a comic that they're tied to historically. But that cover art is awesome. Issue has 1st appearance of Sabretooth. The comic also boasts the 1st Wolverine cover, and the 1st classic Hulk vs. Wolverine battle in comics. The characters that debuted here became linchpins for the team during the '70s, '80s, '90s and even to this day. This issue has the added incentive of technically the first appearance of Venom. Namor in the comics is the King of Atlantis who has a thing for Sue Storm, and is the companys first Mutant. The most valuable comic books of the 1960s seeded the explosion of the comic book culture we enjoy today. It's probably no surprise to '90s kids that Venom is in the top three most valuable books on this list. Three other stories not including Superman are included in the 64-page book from 1939. You wouldnt know it just by looking at its cover, but "Pep Comics" No. Someone with money buying up comic investments, me thinks. Anyway, next super high-grade comic. Theyre the Fantastic Four, a Stan Lee and Jack Kirby creation that quickly became a fan favorite. This was the first, regularly published Disney comic book. Illustrated by Dale Keown (who'd go on to create the Hulk-like Pitt for Image Comics), it's not even the first printing of this comic that's worth big bucks, since the standard green cover is worth about a dollar. 31 copy above a 4.0 grade, which might explain how a 5.0-graded one sold for $131,450 in 2017. Daredevil was designed by Jack Kirby, Stan Lee and Bill Everett. His first appearance in New Mutants #98 now brings in big bucks: an average of around $250. A single page from this book and our first look ever at the Joker sold for $660 on eBay in 2013. There are a few creators that can drive up the value of a comic. A 9.4 copy is currently for sale on Comic Link for $485,000. With his similar healing factor that slows down his aging, Sabretooth (Victor Creed) should be an interesting villain that can be linked to several periods of time with Logan. Take a piece of old-timey comic book history, add the debut of Marvels first-ever mutant and you get a grand investment or a prize for only a handful of collectors out there. A 6.0 rated Rocket copy sold for $3.18 million in January 2022, having never been sold before, so it looks like prices are continuing to rise for this special book. The book that sold for $116,513 was a 9.4-graded copy. Cover by Gil Kane, John Romita and Artie Simek. He humiliated the Thing and extinguished the Human Torch. A few months prior on Mar 13, 2021, a 9.6 copy sold for $3,200.00 on eBay. This issue of Incredible Hulk was popular enough to get a third printing, with a yellow cover to distinguish it from the original. This comic is pretty much all origin story, with Abin Sur of the Green Lantern Corps crashing into the middle of a desert, and while on the throes of death, finds a worthy successor to the Green Lantern in Hal Jordan. Be sure to check back as we update the list as new records are set! Highest known CGC 9.8 sale was $50,000 at Comic Link back in February of 2019. The total for 9.8s of Giant-Size X-Men #1 in the CGC Census is 218. A near-mint 9.6 copy of "Flash Comics" sold for $450,000 at auction in 2010. The first issue of "Justice League of America" features the team of world-saving do-gooders fighting against prehistoric dinosaurs, Despero, and planet-destroying missiles. I grew up with the character in the late 80s and 90s. Most examples feature "Marvel chipping," which means the edges of the comic have lost color. The location might have changed from Vietnam to the Middle East, but the origins story of Tony Stark hasn't changed much over the years. In an attempt to bring in new comic readers, Funnies, Inc. partnered up with Timely (the eventual Marvel) to put out books in movie theaters to try and drum up some sales. World War II always sells, comic books from this era always sell too. 27 features the first appearance of Henry Pym, a master scientist who has developed a serum that could shrink him all the way down to the size of an ant. I wouldn't be upset if Colter's version of Luke was carried over into the Disney/MCU stuff. Fun useless fact time - when Stan Lee and Jack Kirby created the Incredible Hulk they wanted the Green Goliath to be grey. I'm actually a bit surprised this is on here, but, then, after thinking about the connection this character has to Blade, I'm not really that surprised. It has four debuts, and not just debuts of some minor or semi-popular characters. Third full appearance of Wolverine, and his first in an X-Men title. Relaxing of the Comic Code Authority and we get back some good ole classic horror characters like Dracula in the mighty world of Marvel. For many years Action Comics #1 was consistently the most expensive comic book. The first appearance of Captain America featuring him gloriously punching Hitler on the cover sold for a whopping $343,057 in 2011. It features the third cover appearance of Superman, and a story involving an abusive prison warden that Superman has to bring to justice. $40k already and more than a 15k increase in just a few mere months of each other. HubPages is a registered trademark of The Arena Platform, Inc. Other product and company names shown may be trademarks of their respective owners. He was similar to Superman perhaps a little bit too similar. I am definitely surprised that this is not higher on the list and more valuable. Whether or not you're in the 1st cameo or 1st full appearance camp for this muttie runt, it's still clear that Wolverine remains one of the most popular and well-known superhero characters to come out of the Bronze Age. 9 The Amazing Spider-Man 1 - $110,000. For the purposes of this list, we're using values based on recent auctions and assuming that your closet isn't some Narnian portal that opens up into a 1960s comic store; we're going to assume that everything you can find in your closet could be purchased at your local comic shop, and was published during the late '80s and beyond. Holding the record for the most expensive comic book ever sold is Marvel's Amazing Fantasy #15. It sold in 2008, and it seems to be the only copy in existence in such good condition. Currently, this issue has been known to sell for as much as 51 thousand in phenomenal condition. The most recent prices are also those that I could find. Spider-Man has always been a popular superhero (arguably the most popular), and the prices as of late reflect his popularity. 3/31/2022 UPDATE: A CGC 9.8 copy of this comic sold on eBay for $72,111.00 bucks on December 18, 2021 at ComicConnect. This character was created for the 1960s "Batman" television show, after producers noticed how popular Julie Newmar's Catwoman became with audiences. Sold: Jul 28, 2012 . The cover was done by Bill Everett and Alex Schomburg. A 9.4-graded copy sold for $205,501 in 2016 at Comic Link. The Avengers #1 Pacific Coast pedigree (Marvel, 1963) CGC NM+ 9.6 Off-white pages.. Auction amount: $274,850 . References: SellMyComicBooks, ScreenRant, CheatSheet, CollectivePop. Hopefully, it garnered more excitement for Asian superheroes in the comic medium. We'll have to see, but I bet it will definitely be quite a bit. "In a recent poll of child readers, 80 percent chose 'Wonder Woman' as their favorite over seven male characters," reads one letter. The 68-page comic originally released in 1941 with a 10-cent cover price. February 27, 2023 By restaurants on the water in st clair shores By restaurants on the water in st clair shores In 2021, that record was broken, when the same comic was sold again for $3.25 million. Special Marvel Edition #15 - 1st Shang-Chi and 1st comic appearance of Fu-Manchu. I have little doubt that Disney and the MCU will overlook this character, but I am a bit nervous as to who they cast and which direction they'll take. Iron Man #55 also has the debut of Drax the Destroyer, who has a personal vendetta against Thanos, The Mad Titan. Copies with as low as a 0.5 grading can fetch over $2,000 on eBay, and one recent sale on the auction site was a 7.0, which sold for $19,000 in May 2019. The Phoenix saga and even Dark Phoenix saga are classic fan-favorite stories. As an ironic representation of everything that went wrong with '90s comics, Cable's mysterious backstory, endless pouches, giant guns, and bad attitude made him a cult favorite. One of these comics sold for $291,100 in 2016. Average value for these 5 sales is $112,480, making it still the 2nd most valuable Bronze Age key issue that isnt some kind of variant. Enterprises for copyright infringement (and perhaps a bit of saltiness, since Captain Marvel went on to outsell Superman), and Captain Marvel ceased to exist by 1953. A "Superman" No. Amazing Fantasy 15 graded CGC 9.6 holds the record for the 2nd highest-selling comic book of all time (recently beaten by Superman 1 CGC 8.0 at 5.3 million dollars). This week we take a look at the Top 10 most valuable, highly collected and historically important Marvel Comics of the year 1969. However, the character or spin-offs of the character did make a slight comeback with the character of Warpath. And some of these comics are so beloved and so expensive that they can fetch hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars at auction. Marvel Mystery was another Canadian White book, a book that collected several timely issues into one action-packed anthology. After appearing in Amazing Fantastic #15, Spider-Man got his own title series written by Stan Lee, with art by Steve Ditko and Jack Kirby. The cover for "Daredevil" No. This issue of "All-American Comics" from 1940 features the first appearance of Alan Scott as the Green Lantern. Okay, over-all the Bronze Age Comics listed below aren't on the high-end scale like those above. The next story features the Fantastic Four and the first appearance of the Chameleon. Anyway and seriously, look at Wolvie's mask on the cover of this issue compared to the cover of Incredible Hulk #181. Our Comic Book Value Guide provides free information about how to value your The Avengers Comics. The first iteration of the Torch was actually a robot invented by Phineas T. Horton. Johnny Blaze is Marvel's first published Spirit of Vengeance and is one of the many horror/supernatural characters that Marvel produced during the Bronze Age horror revival when the Comics Code Authority relaxed some of their bans on the horror genre. Shang-Chi is actually half-Chinese and his mother white. Anyway, we'll see how Disney approaches this character. A Canadian White isas it sounds, a comic book printed on white pages as opposed to the yellow pages of American publishing. Even nowadays when fans see # of Page specials, they can get a little giddy with all of the extra goodies found throughout their favorite comic books. Captain America Comics 128 Page Issue (1942) $200,000 This issue was sold as a 25-cent special in January 1942 but only in Canada. However, there are only a measly 4 recorded 9.8s in the CGC census currently. It is, however, the first appearance of Ms. Marvel on a comics cover if you waited for the second printing. Many legendary comic artists and writers started their careers in this era or rose to prominence. Copies of Human Torch Comics are hard to come by, especially early issues like this one, currently valued at 92k. There are, however, a few exceptions wedged into your longbox of Gen 13 variant covers. Both characters have graced the MCU, and I think it will be hard for future MCU villains to out-do Thanos. Incredible Hulk #180. Only 3300 copies were printed, making it a relatively uncommon book, but if you grabbed one of these in 1998, you'd be $500 richer today. 15. Highly anticipated character to hit the MCU on the mutant side of things is no doubt Wolverine. Over the years that origin story was retconned to make the Avians the original Inhumans and was a big part of the latest Infinity storyline from 2013. A 4.0-graded copy sold for $30,000 on eBay in March 2019. A 9.6-graded copy sold for $375,000 in 2012, although a 7.0 version can go for around $17,500. If there are more recent sales for any of the particular comics at 9.8, please comment and let me know. Another Heritage Auctions sale and in 2021 nonetheless. It definitely has a lot going for it, and Wolverine's gruff, violent but loyal nature has caught on with many comic fans. The cover image of Spidey and the Fantastic Four left an indelible mark on the fans and Stan Lee and Steve Ditkos run on the book was epic, setting the stage for how Peter Parker balances life as a superhero and as a teenager. Another investment type of comic book, FF #4 can only skyrocket in price once the character is finally introduced to a nationwide film going audience and is currently a little under the average years salary of 44K at its highest to bring home. A 9.6-graded version of the 1964 comic sold for $150,000 in 2021. He has been responsible for perhaps Spideys greatest tragedy, the death of teenage love, Gwen Stacy. Curiously, Batgirl wasn't created just for the comics. What a cover. Did you know this comic came out before this classic and iconic sci-fi movie even hit theaters? With the MCU gearing up to introduce their mighty mutants in their cinematic realm, it will be interesting to see how much Incredible Hulk #180 heats up compared to Incredible Hulk #181. and too many to list. Since the book was only distributed in New York City, researchers have found only five known copies to exist, which puts it in the kind of rarity that might even be fewer copies than Action Comics # 1. This second issue at its most expensive is still just a years salary at 47K, which is kind of a steal for any collector. Also, Drax the Destroyer has been a prominent character in the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise. I hope this was an informative and fun article for you to read, especially if you're a comic fan. This is the 2nd Ghost Rider for Marvel. Two marquis issues not just in the history of the Fantastic Four, but in Marvel are both currently tied as 65K at their highest value. Cover by Dave Cockrum, Al Milgrom and Danny Crespi. But it's also a very rare find being from 1941. Recently, in the comic books, there was a massive Skrull invasion where it was revealed plenty of powerful people had been replaced by the shape-shifting Skrulls. Hailing from Gary, Indiana, Pete Petruski created a paste gun and instead of using it for good as a research scientist turned to a life of crime. Stan Lee wanted Hulk to be a big grey monster, but an issue with the printing ink turned the Hulk varying hues of green on the inside pages. It has the first appearance and origin of Man-Thing. Can that be right? Once again, feel free to comment, and I hope you share this article to those who will benefit. Notable Sales $3.4 million (CGC 6.0, private sale, 2022) $3.25 million (CGC 8.5, ComicConnect, 2021) $2.1 million (CGC 9.0, ComicConnect, 2011) $1.5 million (CGC 8.5, ComicConnect, 2010) CAPTAIN AMERICA COMICS #1 Captain Marvel #17 isn't the first appearance of the new Ms. Marvel, Kamala Khan; Marvel confirmed that she actually appears in a panel in issue 14. He, originally the character was male, made his first appearance in 1940 within the pages of "Whiz Comics" No. All of the little green mayhem started way back with their debut in FF #2, where they impersonate the Fantastic Four to frame them for crimes and try to take over the world with the real team out of the way. Almost forgot Savage Tales #1 and it should probably be on here. It can be difficult to figure out which of your 1990s comic books are worth money, but here is a simple list of over 100 valuable comics from that period. Tales of Suspense #39 - About $350,000. The first issue of "Marvel Comics" features the first appearance of Sub-Mariner, the Human Torch and Angel. Kirby created or co-created Captain America, Black Panther, X-Men, Iron Man, Ant-Man, Nick Fury, Eternals, Fantastic Four, Inhumans, Darkseid, Thor, Loki, Baron Zemo. The older a rare comic book is, the more valuable it becomes. Of course, Tony Stark looks a bit less like he does now, and a bit more like a golem made out of steel. Thanks for reading and happy hunting! Superman #1 - About $507,000 . How far up the rankings will this book go when Marvel/Disney finally casts Logan? "Batman was pulp, born and bred. It follows the super team as they battle to defeat Thor's evil brother, Loki. This comic is definitely loaded with a lot of key comic goodness. It was called the Justice Society of America, and its members included memorable heroes like Green Lantern, Hawkman, Flash, Atom, Sandman and Spectre, along with not-so-memorable heroes Doctor Fate and Hour-Man. Because the sale of the next lower grade beat the most recent sale of a CGC 9.6 Marvel Premiere #15, I put it higher on the list than that comic. Sort of. Also a very likely chance that this comic should be higher on this list. 1 with an incredible 9.8 grading sold for over $490,000 in July 2012. storyline). The comic features the first appearance of the bat plane, batarang, Julie Madsen and the Monk. The only other sale I could find for this comic was back in 2013, and it sold at Heritage Auctions for $13,145! I bought my copy for $35 bucks back in the day, and it graded a CGC 7.0 without a press and clean. Marvel U.K.'s Transformers #113 is the first mainstream comic appearance of Death's Head, an unusual cult favorite robot that has canonically crossed borders with Marvel, Transformers, and even Doctor Who. Much of the Hulks origins are told right here in this issue. In reality, that isn't a super amount of copies at that grade, even with the extra 7 Blue Label 9.8s that CBCS has graded. The very first "Archie Comics" appeared 77 years ago for 10 cents, and sold in 2012 for $167,300.