In 2014, a pristine issue of the 1938 comic, with its original price of 10 cents still on the cover, sold on eBay for $3.2 million, making it the most valuable comic book of all time. The 1st appearance of Phoenix in X-Men #101 is a classic Bronze Age X-Men debut. When he used the shrinking serum, the brilliant mind carelessly left the growing serum on a counter, now light years away. Aug 17, 2021 saw a sale of a CGC 9.8 for $9,000.00 and an Aug 31, 2021 sale of $7,500.00 smack-a-roos. They are worth far more than their weight in gold. Another one sold on Dec 4, 2020 for $8,000.00 on eBay, and December 17, 2020 saw a $5,050.00 over at Comic Connect. 15. This issue has the added incentive of technically the first appearance of Venom. This is why I am putting it below Luke, Cage Hero for Hire #1 for now. While some of the House Of Ideas famous characters predate Spidey, the entire Marvel Universe might not exist had it not been for Spideys massive popularity. Its also noted to be the first comic to usher in the Silver Age. Thor made his first appearance in 1962 within the "Journey Into Mystery" series. This is the first appearance of two X-Men, Emma Frost and Kitty Pryde. By the 1960s, the actual Marvel comic publisher created its own trademarked Captain Marvel. Pinning down the true value of the comic is a bit tough. The first iteration of the Torch was actually a robot invented by Phineas T. Horton. The real draw is most likely Kitty Pryde, who's become a fan favorite over the years, especially now that she leads the Marauders. If you can find a great copy of this one, be prepared to possibly fork over 200K for the book. So why was it so expensive? Lou Ferrigno, Eric Bana, Edward Norton, and Mark Ruffalo all pale in comparison however to Hulk Hogan himself, who took his name after Marvels own Hulk. In this third issue, the Fantastic Four tackle the Miracle Man. The only other sale I could find for this comic was back in 2013, and it sold at Heritage Auctions for $13,145! In a rare departure from the vintage Marvel cards, this specific mint 9 grade Spiderman card from 2013 is one of the highest selling Marvel cards in the past few years. However, the character or spin-offs of the character did make a slight comeback with the character of Warpath. The first issue, published in 1942, is the second appearance of Wonder Woman. 1 with the same 5.5 grade sold for only $214,000 in 2011. This week we take a look at the Top 10 most valuable, highly collected and historically important Marvel Comics of the year 1969. 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. It definitely has a lot going for it, and Wolverine's gruff, violent but loyal nature has caught on with many comic fans. Fu Manchu is undeniably a racist Yellow Peril stereotype, and the comic creators may have milked it as good as the racist creator of the character, Sax Rohmer, could have. It's also the first Conan Marvel magazine, and Savage Tales is the 1st magazine that marks Marvel's 2nd attempt to enter the magazine industry. It's also one of the most expensive Disney collectibles in the world. If that doesnt sound like a valuable comic to own, then perhaps the second story will Dr. Cover by Gil Kane, John Romita and Artie Simek. The comic is certainly rare. Only one sale, yet the CGC Census has 3 recorded 9.9s in existence so far? Note that this book can sell for a good amount in almost any grade. That being said, his theatrical debut in Amazing Spider-Man received generally favorable reviews and helped bump up the Lizards debut issue to 71k, which is not a bad investment. All-Star Comics #8 - About $936,000. 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. Maybe it will continue in 2022, and maybe it won't. A $7,200 sale of a CGC 9.8 of X-Men #101 dropped back in September of this year, 2021. Amazing Spider-Man #569 marks Eddie Brock's first appearance as Anti-Venom, a brand new take on Marvel's symbiote family. An issue of X-Men #94 with a CGC grade of 9.8 sold for $58,000 in April 2021. "Hulk" No. A relic of the old Timely Comics, a young boy is adopted and raised by the Avian Bird People, who equip him with mechanical wings and as an adult sent him back to humanity to combat evil as the Red Raven. 225 marks the first appearance of Martian Manhunter, one of the most powerful beings in the DC Universe. Copies of Human Torch Comics are hard to come by, especially early issues like this one, currently valued at 92k. The Spawn 227 McFarlane sketch is well in demand and has become one of the most valued ones to date. 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. Sort of. If you are interested in investing in comic books, these . Here is no different, as Spideys second Amazing adventure has been known to go for 72K. Even during the Golden Age of comic books variants were a thing. As if the Canadian White version of Marvel Mystery Comics 128 Special wasnt special enough, then how about different issues being reprinted within the pages of the issue. Several Spawn books appear on the Top 100 Most Valuable Comic Books of the Modern Age. Here are the Thirty Most Valuable Marvel Comics Of All Time. The comic features the first appearance of the bat plane, batarang, Julie Madsen and the Monk. to own this issue, consider yourselves lucky hold onto the book and you probably will have doubled or tripled your investment soon. I am surprised and thought that the 1st appearance of Wolverine would've taken the number #1 spot. It features the third cover appearance of Superman, and a story involving an abusive prison warden that Superman has to bring to justice. Also has first appearance of Yukio. 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. Captain Marvel was originally created not by Marvel, but by the comic publisher M.F. While it actually hit stands in late 1979, 1980 appears in the indicia. On top of the important debuts, Wolverine joins the X-Men in this issue, and there's no doubt that his popularity helped to make the 2nd incarnation of the X-Men a success. We'll have to see, but I bet it will definitely be quite a bit. Thing was that Marvel did a test run to see how readers would take to a price increase. Marvel Comics #1 is debatably the most beloved comic in history, as it marks the first-ever Timely Comics/Marvel Comics issue . Anyway and seriously, look at Wolvie's mask on the cover of this issue compared to the cover of Incredible Hulk #181. How far up the rankings will this book go when Marvel/Disney finally casts Logan? Ride, captain ride upon your mystery ship / Be amazed at the friends you have here on your trip / Ride captain ride upon your mystery ship / On your way to a world that others might have missed. How do you know what's valuable? It follows the super team as they battle to defeat Thor's evil brother, Loki. Comic collectors are never sure if a throwaway character might become the next big thing, especially in the speculative era of the '90s, when new characters sprouted up in every issue and "comic investors" collected any comic they could find. Published in 1940, the Overstreet Guide called it "The definitive funny animal anthology comic after which all others were modeled.". A weapons manufacturer gets kidnapped by insurgents and while held captive, he creates a device to keep the shrapnel from hitting his heart and then a suit of armor to escape! So, these two teamed up to try and take out Johnny Storm in Strange Tales #110. So far this is the only sale of an X-Men #141 CGC 9.9 recorded. Once again, we are back with some Marvel Bronze Age Horror goodness. View Comic Book Value Guide. Like any collectible, the most valuable comic books are often the rarest. (Image courtesy J.T.P. 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. If youre one of the lucky few to have a copy or have the money to have a copy, youre currently sitting on a grand investment of 120K. 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 most valuable comic books of the 1960s seeded the explosion of the comic book culture we enjoy today. The 1964 comic is also the first Silver Age appearance of Cap, who had been frozen since World War II. But he wasnt green, at least not on the cover. Another Heritage Auctions sale and in 2021 nonetheless. It has been ten years since Iron Man stepped out of the pages of Marvel and onto the big screen, launching one of the most popular and beloved movie franchises the world has ever known. Action Comics (1938-2011) #1 CGC VF+: 8.5 WHITE pages - $2,052,000 - June 12, 2018 The holy grail of comic books is the 1938 "Action Comics" No. A 9.0 copy sold for $411,000 in 2016 at auction, and three years later a 9.4-graded copy sold for over double that price on eBay. Since his debut, the not-so-jolly green giant has been in all kinds of media, making fanboys go nuts. Their debut in 1961 helped to usher in a new age of superheroes but combine it with shows like Lost In Space, where it's not just one person on an adventure, but an entire family. You know, many of the characters that debuted in this comic will eventually be introduced in the MCU X-Men franchise! Amazing Fantasy #15 - About $1.1 Million. I grew up with the character in the late 80s and 90s. It sold in 2016, its value rising due to the resuscitation of the DC Universe in film. Damn, I'm surprised there hasn't been any recent sales of 9.8s. A 9.6-graded copy sold for $126,500 in 2002, but that record was demolished when an 8.5-graded copy that originally sold for $49,294 was resold for $200,000 through Heritage Auctions make-an-offer feature in 2012. We will analyze the rarity of each book . In almost perfect condition, this incredibly colorful comic book wowed collectors when it sold for $3.6 million in 2021. 9 The Amazing Spider-Man 1 - $110,000. 12 Rare and Valuable Comic Books Worth a Fortune . Although the most recent sale of a CGC 9.8 was back on Feb 21, 2016 and sold for a whopping $24,000.00, we should see how recent sales of CGC 9.6 grades are at. Naturally, this causes the Daily Bugle owner to castigate the webslinger in an editorial for deliberately sabotaging the shuttle. Debuting several months before the release of the movie of the same name, the Star Wars comic was hardly a huge success until George Lucas' cinematic . Unlike early DC issues, early Marvel books weren't necessarily anthologies, but chaptered features and FF # 3 was no different. Anyway, his first appearance is actually in this comic, and he was meant to be an Iron Fist foil. 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. Definitely a comic to own for any X-Men fan, and it's no surprise that this comic is quite valuable. The interior of it is previously published pages from "Detective Comics" No. You can see that clearly on the cover by John Buscema. I am definitely surprised that this is not higher on the list and more valuable. Not something creators used to drum up sales, but often times just carelessness on the part of creative teams. Instead of being the undead, Michael Morbius is the living dead and was created due to science rather than supernatural evil. A 9.4 copy is currently for sale on Comic Link for $485,000. Remember, this is a 2014 sale. Demand may rise but the value may not. While not always the biggest (pun intended) and most popular Avenger, Hank Pym is one of the smartest minds in the Marvel Universe and his Pym Particles have helped him to grow and shrink, and occasionally be a real jerk. At his start, Deadpool was nothing more than a lazy ripoff of DC's Deathstroke, with none of the history, style, or charm. 5. #30: Invincible Iron Man 512 Stroman Venom Variant (2012). Also, the highest known grade of this comic, a CGC 9.9, sold in February of 2021, for a whopping $106,350 at ComicLink. The previous sale of a ToD #10 CGC 9.8 was also at Heritage Auctions and sold for $28,800 in June of 2021. If you stuck around long enough to pick up this later release, ungraded copies sell for an average of $125 today. Jeez, 2021 was a good year for these high-grade Bronze Age keys. Even with a flooded market of over 800 thousand copies, obviously, a lot of those have been lost to the sands of time. Pair that with covers that look like obnoxious kids on their way to a rave and issues that often shipped many months apart, and you have a series destined for failure. 9.8s currently stand in the CGC Census at 207 Universal copies with ten Signature Series and 1 Restored copy. At 326K, it certainly places the book in rarified air as prices go. Wonder Woman received her first line of comic books in the summer of 1942, not long after the United States entered World War II. Hence, why this issue, issue # 2 is actually the first appearance of the giant green monster. Definitely not surprised to see the 1st appearance and origin of Luke Cage on here, and when the MCU brings the character into the fold, I'm sure this Bronze Age key comic may move up in the rankings. The 1st appearance and 1st cover appearance of Morbius is definitely a classic Marvel Bronze Age comic. While this comic may have seemed like a step up since the main protagonist is Chinese and a hero of the book, it was more like a back-handed compliment. Pretty rare for Marvel Spotlight #5s at 9.8 grades! This is one of the most rare Golden Age comic books, so much so that even incomplete copies have sold for as much as $5,400. Yes, comic investing is still a thing despite all the backlash. This comic from 1940 features the first appearance of the Spectre as well as the Presence, DCs representation of the Abrahamic god. It does mark Marvel's revival into the horror genre with a nice twist on the classic vampire horror character. Highly anticipated character to hit the MCU on the mutant side of things is no doubt Wolverine. Sep. 12, 2021 saw a $8,400.00 sale of a CGC 9.6 via Heritage Auctions. DC sued M.F. Bruces father tries to intervene, and the criminal shoots them dead. Today, it's worth about $1,000. Three debuts are of extremely popular X-Men characters and the three being Storm, Colossus and Nightcrawler. In this comic, Barbara Gordon gets the crime-fighting itch after a trip to a costume party, where she then helps Batman and Robin fight the Killer Moth. Also, the CBCS census has zero entries for 9.8s of this comic. So DC sent out a press packet of hand-typed letters detailing the awesomeness of Americas first superheroine. Highest known CGC 9.8 sale was $50,000 at Comic Link back in February of 2019. 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 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. Thankfully, it did happen that way, otherwise, we would have just had a litany of Spidey and X-Men movies and instead of characters like Black Panther and the Guardians of the Galaxy getting their own movies, Iron Man and Cap wouldve been the second-tier characters getting their own movies. Sure it's just another Cap and Bucky take on the Red Skull story and it's Captain Americas third issue. It also is not all-inclusive and only includes the most valuable comics from the 90s (we tried not to include anything worth less than $15). Phoenix has become an extremely iconic X-Men character in Marvel Comics without a doubt. The first issue of Motion Pictures Funny Weekly didn't see a lot of issues hit the shelves in the theater, but the book was still notable for being the debut of Namor, The Sub-Mariner, who was eventually ret-conned into being Marvels first mutant. Also curious is the record-setting price for the sale in 2017, since a 2011 Superman No. A Canadian White isas it sounds, a comic book printed on white pages as opposed to the yellow pages of American publishing. Fun useless fact time - when Stan Lee and Jack Kirby created the Incredible Hulk they wanted the Green Goliath to be grey. Action Comics #1 - About $3.2 Million. The cover of Avengers# 4 is quite possibly the most famous cover in Marvel after Amazing Fantasy # 15, but also the basis for the grand sweeping hero shot that has become a staple. 3s value comes singularly from its Alex Schomburg cover, which depicts a tied-up damsel in distress surrounded by sinister robed figures bearing swastikas. You could conceivably find and ungraded good condition copy for several hundred dollars and then send it off to CGC to make bank on your purchase. Then, in 2019, a 9.4-graded version sold for a very patriotic $915,000. Plenty of people reading this article might not have a single clue as to who or what the Red Raven is. I debated pretty hard about even mentioning these, but here they are: Wolverine #1 CGC 10. Over at CBCS, there are currently zero 9.8 copies recorded in their census. 9 is prized by collectors and comic lovers alike because of the gorgeous front cover and the epic battle between the Human Torch and Namor the Sub-Mariner on the inside pages. The last recorded sale of a 9.8 on GoCollect is back in 2016 and for only $1,800.00 bucks. The September sales were at Heritage Auctions and the June sale was from eBay. Special Marvel Edition #15 - 1st Shang-Chi and 1st comic appearance of Fu-Manchu.