As with any list, this is little more than one slightly well informed person's opinions. Are there 10 books that would be better to buy based on future values & current prices? Sure. But since none of us have a crystal ball, here are 10 that we think still have plenty of "room to grow." And while they're all currently already identified as "key issues" their respective character introductions haven't made their way into the movies or TV on a grand scale yet, so there's still time to grab them before they spike.
There's a bit of a sliding scale that we're using when estimating the potential of a book to grow, so just keep in mind that while some of the current asking prices may be way different on these books, we deem them all to have a lot of upside, so they're on the list.
And finally, this isn't a sales-pitch for the "Top 10 issues we want to sell you." We honestly don't even deal a ton in CGC books, and those are the #'s we'll be using for this article, so rest assured this is just an honest assessment of what could be.
Enjoy!
10.) Omega Men # 3
Importance: 1st Appearance Of Lobo
Available From: You can grab a graded 9.6 for as low as $80. If and when this character is scripted into a movie, it will be hard to find a raw copy that low.
9.) Avengers # 195 & 196
Importance: 1st Appearance Of The Taskmaster
Available From: The asking prices on this book are a bit steeper, but you can still grab a graded 9.8 for less than $200. There's already been some strong buzz about this character appearing in the MCU, so now may be the time to get invested before an actor is cast.
8.) Uncanny X-Men # 244
Importance: 1st Appearance Of Jubilee
Available From: 9.8's available for as low as $100. Due to make her debut in X-Men Apocalypse, time will tell how well the character is received. At a relatively low pricepoint, this may be a good book to place a bet on.
7.) Uncanny X-Men # 221
Importance: 1st Appearance Of Mr. Sinister
Available From: 9.8's around $150. As far as X-Men villains go, Mr. Sinister is one of the few that hasn't made an on screen appearance. With X-Factor # 6's going for triple to quadruple the current Mr. Sinister 9.8 cost, this book has some room to grow.
6.) New Teen Titans # 44
Importance: 1st Appearance Of Nightwing
Available From: 9.6 as low as $130. This is a HUGE character. If a Teen Titans movie ever happens, this is a huge book to own. On top of that, Batman keys are always rock solid as they seldom go down in value.
5.) Amazing Spider-Man # 101
Importance: 1st Appearance Of Morbius
Available From: 8.0 as low as $180. Keep in mind, this is a silver age book that has been a long standing key issue, so you're not going to get ahold of one for quite as cheap in the high grades. But think about it. Marvel hasn't even touched it's monsters lineup to date. I know some of the rights are murky, but in a world that loves Frankenstein, Dracula, Werewolfs, Zombies and Vampires, Morbius stands alone as the most long standing Marvel monster character. Certainly room for growth is he's ever developed.
4.) Sub-Mariner # 1
Importance: 1st Solo Silver Age Sub-Mariner Issue
Available From: Graded 7.5 currently for sale for $175. As with the ASM # 101, we're not going to be able to grab a super high grade copy for a low amount, but Sub-Mariner is one of the longest running Marvel characters to date that hasn't received a sniff of a movie or cameo in anything. I know that's mostly because the movie rights are tied up worse than your old cell phone chargers that you shove into the same desk drawer, but IF the rights are ever freed up, we're talking about a huge key from an original 3 Golden Age Marvel hero (Cap, Subby, Torch). You could certainly throw Subby's 1st appearance in Tales To Astonish, the one shot team up issue with Iron Man, or his 1st Silver Age appearance in Fantastic Four # 4 into the mix of under rated key issues. But we had to pick one. And with double appeal as a Marvel silver age # 1 issue, it's hard to pass it up while it's still this cheap.
3.) Amazing Spider-Man # 238
Importance: 1st Appearance Of The Hob-Goblin
Available From: 9.6 for $225 currently for sale. Marvel & Sony have gone back to the drawing board with Spider-Man. Green Goblin... done that, then did it again, then once more for good measure. In the new Spider-Man movie universe, I could absolutely see Ned Leeds playing a big supporting character role in the next film. With the possible reveal of the Hob-Goblin in a post credits scene or sequel. As one of the few spidey villains yet to be touched cinematically, this book has a ton of room to BOOM.
2.) Fantastic Four # 67
Importance: 1st Appearance Of Him / Warlock
Available From: 8.5 as low as $360. Again, I know $360 for an 8.5 isn't exactly "cheap". But this book has so much room for growth. Think of it this way, would you rather buy a book for $350 that has a $1000 upside? Or buy a book for $120 that you'll hope to get $450 for in a couple of years. Both are great, and while the % on one is actually better, the volume on the other is nothing to turn down. With this character's coccoon already being "easter egged in" to the GOTG post credit's scene, a movie debut isn't too far off.
1.) Werewolf By Night # 32
Importance: 1st Appearance Of Moon Knight
Available From: 6.5's around $330-$350. I know, anyone that thinks this book isn't already a huge key has their head in the sand. But could you imagine how high the ceiling on this book would be if Moon Knight got his own solo film. As one of the few characters in the Marvel Universe that's still a candidate for such a thing, this book stands above the rest as the big ticket item on our list. We look at it like this, this book already has an insane asking price, with no movie, tv, etc. buzz. If that changes and there is a "coming to the screen" bump, watch out Hulk # 181, because there's a new Bronze Age heavy weight.
And there you have it. It's your $, spend it in good health.
Until next time,
-Jeff///ACC