It’s stunning how quickly the winds can shift in this hobby, but that’s why you’re here, right? We analyze this week’s comic buying trends to bring you this lovely list driven by ever-shifting hard numbers caused by various forms of weekly comic news and chatter, and this week is no different! Children of the ’00s (and fans of all ages) rejoice as Harry Potter is back on the radar. Star Wars is also coming full circle. The Amalgam creation, Spider-Boy, is hanging on to the spotlight while an all-new Spider-Boy is taking over. Speaking of Spider characters, some new ones move toward the top of the list, accompanied by Rick Flagg Sr. and lesser-known Marvel characters like Dar-Benn and Ael-Dan. This list is packed with tons of goodies, so dive into this week’s Top Ten!
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#10: MYSTIC #15 | CROSSGEN | 2001 | This book made the Top 10 list this time last year due to rumors of a Harry Potter TV series potentially being developed at HBO. Then, the JK Rowling drama happened, and everyone forgot about it. That is, until just a few days ago, when it was officially announced that HBO Max, soon to be MAX, ordered a series based on all seven books that would span ten years, emphasizing faithful adaptations. Harry Potter doesn’t have a clear origin or connection to comics, but that didn’t stop fans from securing what is argued as the first appearance of the boy who lived. In this book is a panel depicting a character with a slight resemblance to Harry (shaggy hair, round glasses, and holding a star wand). Not exactly a smoking gun, but sometimes the community sees what they want to see, leading us to track it at a high sale of $160 for a CGC 9.8 copy and a raw NM FMV of $23.
#9: INFINITE CRISIS #5 – JIM LEE – REGULAR | DC | 2006 | While the George Perez variant saw a flash of heat after the recent Blue Beetle trailer, this standard cover by Jim Lee has received steady attention. Since its release, most collectors have aimed to acquire it as it features Blue Beetle’s first appearance and cover. The Perez variant does not feature BB on the cover and is often a book found with ease when searching through long boxes. That trend continues as fans resort to the aftermarket to secure a copy of this modern-day key! We tracked it at a high sale of $300 for a CGC 9.8 copy and a raw NM FMV of $49.
#8: STAR WARS: HEIR TO THE EMPIRE #1 | DARK HORSE |1995 | This book marks the debut of Vice Admiral Thrawn, the heir apparent to the Empire. Many suspected the newest film trilogy would feature the character upon announcement, but alas, that was not the case. Ole Dave Filoni appears to be rectifying that. Fans were ecstatic to spot a glimpse of Thrawn in the recent Ahsoka trailer after we got a tease during The Mandalorian Season 2. Filoni continues bringing characters and events considered non-canon into the greater Star Wars mythos, and collectors are pumped! We tracked it at a high sale of $1,058 for a CGC 9.8 copy and a raw NM FMV of $193.
#7: CAPTAIN MARVEL #18 – 2ND PRINT – JORGE MOLINA | MARVEL | 2020 | Some may have forgotten that The Marvels was even a thing until Marvel recently dropped a trailer for it. In it, we glimpsed Zawe Ashton as a then-unknown character holding an Accuser hammer, sporting that same hammer seen on this cover. Speculation immediately started swirling that she could be portraying Lauri-Ell, the half-sister of Carol Danvers. However, Marvel has confirmed this as false. Ashton will be portraying Dar-Benn. Yet, before this news circulated, plenty of buyers rushed online before this confirmation, pushing it to a high sale of $125 for a CGC 9.8 copy and a raw NM FMV of $50.
#6: CAPTAIN MARVEL #18 – EMP | MARVEL | 2020 | If the 2nd print landed on this week’s list, then the more accessible first print wasn’t far behind. In 2020, when this book was released, it landed on our Top 10 due to speculation for Laur-Ell’s first appearance. As the half-sister of Carol Danvers, speculation also spiraled that she could easily make to cinematic leap. Until she was confirmed to play Dar-Benn, many fans strongly believed that Zawe Ashton would be portraying the character. Plenty of buyers rushed online before this confirmation and helped it reach a high sale of $61 for a CGC 9.8 copy and a raw NM FMV of $13.
#5: SECRET ORIGINS #14 – DIRECT EDITION | DC |1987 | Several weeks ago, Frank Grillo admitted he wasn’t the happiest with his role at Marvel and subsequently mentioned he would be taking his talents to DC. Well, we finally got confirmation he would be portraying Rick Flag Sr. in the upcoming animated Creature Commandos! Hence, this book saw quite a run, but no one is positive about how prominent the role will be. There is certainly a score to settle between Rick Flag Sr. and Peacemaker, with Peacemaker actor John Cena posting a photo of himself animated in costume to social media. Speculation immediately flared we would see a matchup of the 2, which led us to track it at a high sale of $108 for a CGC 9.8 copy and a raw FN FMV of $7.
#4: SILVER SURFER #53 | MARVEL | 1991 | Post THE MARVELS trailer, Marvel Studios confirmed that Zawe Ashton will be playing the role of Dar-Benn, whose first appearance is in this issue. Dar-Benn is a joint ruler with Ael-Dan of the Kree empire. They are both relatively unknown characters but were known in the comics by their creation of an android Silver Surfer to gain control of the Kree. With Secret Invasion also releasing a trailer, there is potential for a story/character crossover. We tracked it at a high sale of $93 for a CGC 9.6 copy and a raw FN FMV of $6.
#3: SPIDER-BOY #1 | MARVEL | 1996 | Spider-Boy’s attention last week has bled over to this week. As we noted last week, this wasn’t quite the right Spider-Boy the majority were after. But the sudden Spider-Boy fervor gave significant attention to this amalgamation of Superboy and Ben Reilly Spider-Man. Whether many of the purchasers meant to secure this book is up for debate, but it’s awesome to see some love of this mostly forgotten mashup universe! We tracked it at a high sale of $25 for a raw copy and an FN FMV of $8.
#2: MARVELS VOICES SPIDER-VERSE #1 – JOHN GIANG | MARVEL | 2023 | Last week, it was Spider-Boy, and this week, it’s Recluse and Spider-Friend. With both new additions to the ever-growing Spider-verse, many collectors were adamant about securing a copy. It is debatable whether it was due to the bonanza Spider-Boy created (and continues) or whether they are genuinely interested in seeing where these characters will go. Regardless, collectors moved to secure this excellent Giang cover which features the debut of Recluse, a fan-created character, in the background. We tracked it at a high sale of $35 for a raw copy with an NM FMV of $24.
#1: SPIDER-MAN #7 – HUMBERTO RAMOS – TOP SECRET SPOILER | MARVEL | 2023 | The nuclear heat that Spider-Boy started is slowing down a bit, but not enough to fall from our top spot! This book features his first appearance and cover appearance, and the community was provided with plenty of heads up. Dan Slott teased the importance of the character, while Ramos commented he couldn’t believe Marvel would let him put the character on the cover. It was a ‘secret’ and all, but the moment it was released, that secret was out of the bag! Immediately FOMO was high, propelling this book to our top spot by the widest margin ever seen. It remains to be seen if that success can be maintained, as Spider-Boy has been noted by Dan Slott as an essential part of the Spider-verse future (or what’s ultimately left of it). We tracked it at a high sale of $199 for a CGC 9.8 (pre-sale) copy and a raw NM FMV of $43.
And that’s your TOP 10 COMICS OF THE WEEK for 4/17/23! Want to know what your comic books are worth? COVRPRICE.COM offers the ULTIMATE price guide with LIVE ungraded (raw) and graded sales for today’s market trends. Manage your collection and track your portfolio’s overall value with our robust tracking systems. With a free 10-day trial and several affordable price tiers, discover the value of your comics and sign up today! CHECK OUT THE TOP 10 ON OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL. PLEASE LIKE & SUBSCRIBE!
