Fan excitement for classic titles is elevated with the debut of X-Men ’97 (and Mr. Sinister) on the horizon and Godzilla reigning supreme at the box office. Jason Mamoa is bidding farewell to Aquaman and potentially stepping into the role of fan-favorite Lobo. A pair of comic heroines snag some of the spotlight as Wolverine and the Predator duke it out to the excitement of the aftermarket. Still, Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees dominated the aftermarket with no end in sight. It’s a whole new year, but we can’t forget to look and see what books shook the market during the last week of 2023!
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Want to know what comic books are trending each week and why? COVRPRICE.COM uses live sales analytics to identify and compile the most robust market price guide, highlighting the weekly top trending comics. No opinions. Just data. Each week, they present a newly updated list of the TOP 10 COMICS trending in the aftermarket. These trends are due to rumors, fan-favorite covers, story-driven content, and content-related news.
#10: X-MEN #221 | MARVEL | 1987 : The fanbase was ready to receive X-Men ’97 in its rumored release window of January 2024. Right before Christmas, Marvel appears to have pushed the release back to March to coincide with an X-Men ’97 comic release. Still, excitement is palpable for the series and its villain, Mr. Sinister. Fans have been picking up his first appearance in this book for months now and will seemingly continue until the release date. We tracked it at a high sale of $312 for a CGC 9.8 copy and a raw VF FMV of $43.
#9: GODZILLA #1 – REGULAR | MARVEL | 1977: Godzilla Minus One got another shot in the arm when Toho announced that the film would return to theatres for a new theatrical run in black and white. It fits the aesthetic and will bring in a whole new group of fans who want to see the film in that style. Combine that with the hype building for the new Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire film and the aftermarket sales for this book for the past few months explain itself. It’s been doing well, as it introduced Godzilla to American audiences, and the rest is history. We tracked it at a high sale of $525 for a CGC 9.8 and a current raw VF FMV of $69.
#8: THE OMEGA MEN #3 | DC | 1983: Aquaman 2 is here and doing well enough in theatres. Fans are eager to see Jason Mamoa play Aquaman for the last time. He’s been the character for years. But, some are more excited about what is potentially coming down the pipeline. The rumor is that Mamoa will play a different character in James Gunn’s all-new DCU as Lobo. Mamoa as Lobo is dang near synonymous at this point. Naturally, fans are still on the lookout for Lobo’s first appearance in this book. We tracked it at a high sale of $380 for a CGC 9.8 and a current raw NM FMV of $67.
#7: BATMAN #609 | DC | 2002: Renewed speculation Hush will be the main villain in Batman 2 has surged again, causing aftermarket sales to rise. It all started with the tie-in website for the Batman movie rataalada.com when HUSH! was briefly flashed across the screen when a fan solved a puzzle. Jeff Sneider was on a podcast called The Hot Mic, giving cryptic answers when quizzed about the subject. Recently, an insider has reported that Hush is the main villain for the sequel. Despite all this book’s attention, concrete evidence that Hush will appear has yet to manifest. Matt Reeves is notoriously tight-lipped about his films. That hasn’t stopped the aftermarket from booming, however. We tracked it at a high sale of $200 for a CGC 9.8 and a raw NM FMV of $47.
#6: SUPERMAN #9 – NATHAN SZERDY (1:25) | DC | 2023: Rarely does Silver Banshee receive the fanbase’s attention, but she’s all the rage this week. Nathan Szerdy pulled out all the stops for this 1:25 variant, and the community continued taking notice. This book introduces a whole new subset of collectors to the character for the first time! We tracked it at a high sale of $74 for a raw copy and a current raw NM FMV of $67.
#5: PREDATOR VS WOLVERINE #4 – JOSHUA CASSARA (1:25) | MARVEL | 2023: This series has been doing surprisingly well, with more collectors hopping on board every month. It does even better when they get hit with a variant like this. Joshua Cassara hit fans right in the feels with this 1:25 variant featuring the Predator facing off with a wall of severed Wolverine heads from different eras. It’s striking and brings up the question of Wolverine being unseated as the man who is the best there is at what they do, I.E., death. We tracked it at a high sale of $40 for a raw copy and a current raw NM FMV of $38.
#4: GREEN ARROW #7 – JAY ANACLETO (1:25) | DC | 2023: This list typically has at least one cover featuring a fan-favorite heroine, but this week it has two! Black Canary has been grabbing more of a share of the spotlight recently, and this 1:25 variant from Jay Anacleto capitalizes on that. Fans usually notice if a creator spotlights a beauty like Black Canary or Catwoman. We tracked it at a high sale of $55 for a raw copy and a current raw NM FMV of $43.
#3: BENEATH THE TREES WHERE NOBODY SEES #1 – PATRICK HORVATH – 2ND PRINT | IDW | 2023: Issue #1 had quite the meteoric rise, with numerous retailers left in the dust as they opted not to secure copies. Word might not have reached some when the ordering window opened for this book, leading to a scarcer market. It’s lagged behind the first print, but it’s slowly catching up and seeing more copies trade hands. Some fans still hope to secure a first print, but this is a solid consolation prize. We tracked it at a high sale of $20 for a raw copy and a current raw NM FMV of $40.
#2: BENEATH THE TREES WHERE NOBODY SEES #1 – RILEY ROSSMO – COVER B – STORYBOOK | IDW | OCT 18, 2023: Once collectors ran out of copies of Cover A to secure at a price they could stomach, they started taking a closer look at this harder to find and MUCH more affordable B-cover, which was trending slower than the standard cover, typically selling for $15/$20. With cover A and the Foil on fire, cover B is finally gaining traction with nice price jumps. We tracked it at a high sale of $140 for a CGC 9.8 and a current raw NM FMV of $44.
#1: BENEATH THE TREES WHERE NOBODY SEES #1 – PATRICK HORVATH – COVER A | IDW | 2023: Things typically come full circle in the comic world. This series epitomizes that saying, as anthropomorphic characters used to be all the rage. This book may be bringing that trope back with an engaging story and art that has fans talking. Word of mouth and positive reviews have fueled its growing popularity instead of rumors of being optioned hanging over it. The community is all in on this book, solely for what it is. We tracked it at a high sale of $200 for a CGC 9.8 and a current raw NM FMV of $77.
And that’s your TOP 10 COMICS OF THE WEEK for 1/1/24! 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!
