Clearly, collectors have greatly missed speculating on MCU content. While most news content drives immediate demand for aftermarket and back-issue copies, this week presented something rather unique. Tied to the recent MCU Hall H announcement of Robert Downey Jr. playing the role of Victor Von Doom, collectors bypassed the collecting norm of focusing on the first appearance and bought everything that had any connection between Victor Von Doom and Tony Stark. The words mentioned in Hall H are important to note as we jump into this list. To be clear, as everything must be intentional, the Russos didn’t say “Tony Stark as Dr. Doom,” nor did they even say the name “Dr. Doom.” They specifically said that Robert Downey Jr. would be playing the role of Victor Von Doom. However, the comic community cannot disconnect RDJ from Iron Man, leading to that wild west style speculation for at least 16 books and their various variants. And they are not selling at low prices. Numerous books are commanding huge all-time highs, with many jumping from $1 to $100+! The truth is, Feige and his team (hopefully) have a larger plan at play that’s very unclear right now and most likely won’t be until the film is close to release. One or two of these books may hit down the road, but many will not. With that said, the other entries on this list are driven by Deadpool & Wolverine’s massive box office, along with heat from SDCC mand exclusives (we tracked 525!!). Bear with us here as we take you through these trends, as they are a bit confusing. Let’s get to it!
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.
Top 10 Comic Books Rising in Value for the Week of 07/29/24
1: INFAMOUS IRON MAN #1 | MARVEL | 2016: The events that unfolded in Hall H were monumental. Robert Downey Jr. is returning to the MCU as Victor Von Doom. But, as mentioned in the intro, they didn’t specify the details around what that means in a universe with a multiverse. Much still needs clarification, but the aftermarket immediately began hunting for this issue after the announcement. And why shouldn’t it? As noted, RDJ can’t separate the Iron from the Man, so logically, they would turn to the first appearance of Victor Von Doom taking on the moniker of Iron Man, assisted by Tony Stark A.I, after Tony is left in a comatose state due to the events of 2016’s Civil War II. There’s a good reason it immediately went supernova. That premise right there could fit the initial narrative. Could, being the important part. However, if you read the early tea leaves, the details provided present a flip to this concept, where Tony Stark takes on the moniker of Victor Von Doom. Until we know what we’re dealing with, it might be wise to take a step back, enjoy the moment, and let this concept breathe a bit, as purchasing this book at the current prices might not be wise. However, we all feel it. We’re itching for Marvel to return to the pre-Endgame glory. It’s infectious seeing the hype build for that announcement and the release of Deadpool & Wolverine. We tracked it at a high sale of $249 for a CGC 9.8 copy and a current NM raw $99.
2: X-MEN #251 | MARVEL | 1989: *DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE SPOILERS AHEAD*: Marvel does pretty well at callbacks, homages, and tongue-in-cheek moments. DEADPOOL 3 was not only a love letter to Fox’s Marvel Universe but also offered a splattering of “what could have been” regarding Wolverine. With an almost poetic callback to this cover in Deadpool and Wolverine, it’s not surprising to see it on this list. This book has been a cult favorite for years simply because it rules. With a little assistance from the dominating box office, it almost tops the charts! We tracked it at a high sale of $350 for a CGC 9.8 copy and a current NM raw $20.
3: MARVEL TEAM-UP #2 | MARVEL | 2005: The Hall H firebomb is rocketing up the charts! RDJ returning to the MCU (in any capacity) is apparently what fans have been dying for, and they’re making it known on the aftermarket. However, this one is a bit of a misdirect. Social Media posts, from even Mr. Rob Liefeld himself, pointed to this issue as the first time Tony Stark appeared as Dr. Doom, helping it to get a huge boost in the aftermarket. However, to quickly address it: (1) It’s kind of the first… when you focus on the “appears to be Dr. Doom” part, (2) This is Tony Stark as an alternate Tony Stark (with a Dr. Doom-ish mask who is mistaken for Doom several times), (3) this specific issue (#2) is a quick cameo appearance (full appearance and reveal in issue #3) and (4) RDJ was not announced at Hall H as “Tony Stark as Dr. Doom”, but specifically as Victor Von Doom. Online sources, like Fandom, name this alternate version as “Iron Maniac,” despite not being named that in any of these issues. These factors helped it jump from a back-issue book to an aftermarket darling in less than a day! Keep in mind that we don’t know if RDJ will be portraying Tony Stark as Doom, a variant of Tony Stark, or something that lies in between. But more on that in a bit. Marvel has established that there are some variant trickery at play. We tracked it at a high sale of $250 for a CGC 9.8 copy, and a current NM raw price of $18.
4: WHAT IF? IRON MAN: DEMON IN AN ARMOR #1 | MARVEL | 2010: Marvel is stellar at homages, and this book is exhibit one billion. This book homages one of the most iconic Iron Man covers of all time from the Demon in a Bottle storyline. It also features the timeline where Dr. Doom switches minds with Tony Stark. Oh, the buggery that could ensue! Still, this book marks yet another direction in which Marvel could take the recent Hall H announcement. This issue is the frontrunner for the logical interpretation of what was provided. Out of all the books trending, this is the only one where Victor Von Doom can take on the visage of Iron Man/ Tony Stark. With a stellar cover and immense heat, unfortunately, the train has already left the station of this one (unless you can find a copy in the wild). If you want a more detailed take on this theory, the Youtube channel “Everything Always,’ breaks it down nicely. Keep in mind we have TWO YEARS for plenty of additional interpretations and theories. So buckle in! We tracked it at a high sale of $324 for a CGC 9.8 copy and a current NM raw $162.
5: THE NEW MUTANTS VOL.1 #98 – ROB LIEFELD – REGULAR | MARVEL | 1991: Finally, it’s here! Deadpool & Wolverine has dropped, and the market is booming for Deadpool’s first appearance. Come on, though; it has been booming for months already! We don’t know if he’ll return in future MCU projects, but that isn’t stopping collectors. Those who love the character contributed to the massive Box Office income stream over the weekend. Soon, the hype should subside slightly and offer some better value for those looking to acquire this Deadpool key. We tracked it at a high sale of $1,195 for a CGC 9.8 copy and a current NM raw $404.
6: ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #4 – J. SCOTT CAMPBELL – 2024 SDCC – COVER D – FAMILY APARTMENT ASM #601 REIMAGINED – VIRGIN (LIMITED 1800) | MARVEL | 2024: Homage, homage, homage! They’re everywhere this week, but that’s because they’re wicked. J. Scott Campbell homaged his iconic ASM #601 cover for Ultimate Spider-Man #4 a few months ago, but it was a trade dress. He hit attendees of SDCC with a highly exclusive virgin variant, and it sold BY THURSDAY! J. Scott Campbell has a massive audience willing to drop big bucks to secure variants like this. We tracked it at a high sale of $400 for a CGC 9.8 copy and a current NM raw $119.
7: WOLVERINE #88 – DIRECT EDITION – DELUXE – $1.95 PRICE | MARVEL | 1994: Another Deadpool book that’s been hot for months! Mostly because Marvel let it be known Deadpool and Wolverine would duke it out at some point in the film. It was all over the advertising, which caused a ton of fans to discover this book. It’s the first direct meeting and battle between the two, which, as you know if you’ve seen the film or not, is a big deal. The fight shown on this cover is literally played out on screen. Having two of the most iconic heroes(?) of all time on the big screen is gonna make the market shake! We tracked it at a high sale of $450 for a CGC 9.8 copy and a current NM raw $69.
8: ABSOLUTE BATMAN ASHCAN – NICK DRAGOTTA – 2024 SDCC – FOIL (LIMITED 500) | DC | 2024: This book is an SDCC, and now aftermarket, darling due to its reveal – that being the new Batman suit for this absolutely hyped new run. Featuring a look at our hero as a more gritty, underdog tale (AKA Batman), which is something fans are looking forward to. Nick Dragotta has a manga-esque style that also has fans interested. We tracked it at a high sale of $220 for an NM copy and a current NM raw of $123.
9: DEADPOOL #31 | MARVEL | 2014: This book features the first appearance of Ellie Comacho, the daughter of Wade Wilson, AKA Deadpool. This book is trending due to actual comic book news out of SDCC. Per Marvel, “Deadpool’s daughter, Ellie, takes over as Deadpool following Wade’s death this October in ‘Deadpool’ #7.” While she has a quick single panel cameo appearance in Deadpool #19, this issue a much more substantial, hence the higher trend. We tracked it at a high sale of $145 for a CGC 9.8 copy and a current NM raw $24.
10: EXILES VOL.1 #23 | MARVEL | 2003: My lord, all these Iron Man/Doom covers hitting the list are incredible! Hall H might become a landmark in the future, thanks to that announcement, but the fanbase may never be the same. Here is yet another book that could play out in the future for Marvel. The key point is, we just don’t know! That’s what’s so exciting, as this book shares a similarity with about 16 other books featuring Tony Stark/Doom/Iron Man in some capacity. That includes this book, when Tony Stark becomes the de facto King of the Earth, ruling as Iron Man while “rocking the drip” he stole from a vanquished Dr. Doom (so, still technically not Tony Stark as Dr. Doom). What a timeline, and one that could potentially look awesome on the big screen. This issue does allude to other theories where an alternate Tony Stark was able to see his vision of a “suit around the world” and was policed by Ultron bots, which came to fruition. There’s also potential where he assumed the identity of Doom when hoping around dimensions. Still, like most of these… not all of them will keep their trend. There can only be one (or maybe two). So, hop off those Buy it Now buttons and get out there and hunt if you’re looking for a copy. We tracked it at a high sale of $50 for an NM copy and a current NM raw of $7.