Let's get to it! The most recent sale I could find was on eBay and for $8,979.99 on the date of Jul 28, 2021. The record-setting sale, which went for $215,100, occurred in 2018, and it was for an incredible 9.6-graded version with off-white pages. But in 2008, a copy sold for around $450,000 in a cash/trade deal, according to Bleeding Cool. 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. This is the 2nd Ghost Rider for Marvel. (Image courtesy J.T.P. Once again, we are back with some Marvel Bronze Age Horror goodness. It also features the first appearance of the Ultra-Humanite. Ultra-Humanite was Supermans greatest antagonist until Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster created Lex Luthor in 1940. You might have to hop across the pond to find this one in your closet, but given the universal popularity of shape-changing robots, it's not unlikely that this issue might have found its way around the world. We compiled the all-time auction price records for comic books as of February 9th, 2023. That's 12 years ago. Maybe it will continue in 2022, and maybe it won't. TTS #35 would be the first appearance of the Ant-Man, but this issue of the anthology series would be the first appearance of Hank Pym, who even tossed his serums down the toilet by the end of the story, knowing that only bad things would happen. Much of the Hulks origins are told right here in this issue. Although it may not have been the best deal. The comic also boasts the 1st Wolverine cover, and the 1st classic Hulk vs. Wolverine battle in comics. Sep. 12, 2021 saw a $8,400.00 sale of a CGC 9.6 via Heritage Auctions. Yes, I did blank out the certificate number on the slab. And some of these comics are so beloved and so expensive that they can fetch hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars at auction. Amazing Spider-Man #569 marks Eddie Brock's first appearance as Anti-Venom, a brand new take on Marvel's symbiote family. I also have other informative articles to check out so please do so. The 1964 comic is also the first Silver Age appearance of Cap, who had been frozen since World War II. $22,200 was the price the most recent CGC 9.8 Amazing Spider-Man #101 copy sold for in September of 2021. 1 sold for $507,500 in 2017, and it was only graded as a 5.5. Also a very likely chance that this comic should be higher on this list. Mail-away incentives, super-limited editions, and graded copies have no place among your sweaty socks and fifth grade art projects anyhow. The secondary comic market is always moving and updating with comic sales. The comic book the movie was based on wasn't just low key racist, it was pretty racist. 1st appearance of Morbius. With a really cool sci-fi pulp cover and title, The Man In The Ant Hill, Tales To Astonish #27 had a lot of things going for it before you even turned past the cover page. Even worse-for-wear versions of the Caped Crusaders first appearance can go for big bucks. The death of Superman, the breaking of Batman, and the rise of Image Comics were all pretty important and exciting events in comics history, but despite being awesome, your '90s funnybooks are pretty much worthless today. Batman #1 - About $567,000. The Avengers Comic Book Values. This cover is a great representation of that with a certain evil flag on the cover. As Robin might have said in the original "Batman" television series, "Holy profit!". Stan Lee wanted Hulk to be a big grey monster, but an issue with the printing ink turned the Hulk varying hues of green on the inside pages. A few months prior on Mar 13, 2021, a 9.6 copy sold for $3,200.00 on eBay. This time was to go around the Comics Code and publish more mature-themed stories. Luke Skywalker nearly loses a book full of the Jedi's . Again with the mutants. Issue has 1st appearance of Sabretooth. I am definitely surprised that this is not higher on the list and more valuable. There are, however, a few exceptions wedged into your longbox of Gen 13 variant covers. There weren't a lot of hugely popular characters that made their debut in the '90s, but if there's one exceptional standout, it's Deadpool. In this third issue, the Fantastic Four tackle the Miracle Man. Also curious is the record-setting price for the sale in 2017, since a 2011 Superman No. So it's no wonder that one with a 9.4 grade sold for $138,000 in 2021, a record-setting price for this prized possession. Eventually, the green color was decided on, and eventually the 12-cent comic sold for $326,000 50 years later, in 2014. It's fitting that both the first issue of the Mightiest Heroes and the first issue of the Mightiest Avenger both go for the same price 275 dollars. The very first "Archie Comics" appeared 77 years ago for 10 cents, and sold in 2012 for $167,300. As the Fantastic Four battle the Mole Man, Reed Richards takes his friends on a rocket ship that will alter their lives forever! All-Star Comics #8 - About $936,000. A 9.4 copy is currently for sale on Comic Link for $485,000. Sure it's just another Cap and Bucky take on the Red Skull story and it's Captain Americas third issue. I debated pretty hard about even mentioning these, but here they are: Wolverine #1 CGC 10. Highest known CGC 9.8 sale was $50,000 at Comic Link back in February of 2019. The other is also a mad scientist, this one who travels around on a glider and looks like a goblin. The Spawn 227 McFarlane sketch is well in demand and has become one of the most valued ones to date. Wonder Woman received her first line of comic books in the summer of 1942, not long after the United States entered World War II. As you can already see, 2021 was a crazy year for record-breaking comic sales. Marvels take on the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde paradigm begins right here when brilliant scientist Bruce Banner is caught in a gamma ray explosion and is forever altered by becoming a giant rage monster whenever anyone pisses him off. He has found ways over the years of suppressing the beast, but similar to the Hulk, it's just not easy being green. The debut was a three-chapter story which featured Soviet spies and flying bugs. However, until another one of these Iron Fist #14 35 Cent Price Variant CGC 9.4s sell in the near future, it will stay here on this list. There are no first appearances or really anything of importance within the comics plot, but the books cover is so beloved and original prints are so hard to find that some people will pay a huge premium for one in great condition. He's been a Marvel cash-cow since the 70s and the most popular Marvel character of the 80s and 90s. Action Comics (1938-2011) #1 CGC VF+: 8.5 WHITE pages - $2,052,000 - June 12, 2018 But before he was part of the Justice League, battling interdimensional beings, Manhunter went undercover as a human detective, solving very earthly crimes. "Tales to Astonish" No. You wouldnt know it just by looking at its cover, but "Pep Comics" No. Sort of. And while fancy metallic, holographic, and other gimmicky covers of the '90s arguably killed comic collecting, a rare few actually went up in value. The first issue of "Justice League of America" features the team of world-saving do-gooders fighting against prehistoric dinosaurs, Despero, and planet-destroying missiles. This comic from DC features a dramatic cover design with Superman stopping a train with one hand, but the cover isnt this books only appeal. Yes, its arguably the first appearance of Ant-Man, a character that has become pretty dang popular ever since the "Ant-Man" movie grossed over $500 million at the box office in 2015. 1 with an incredible 9.8 grading sold for over $490,000 in July 2012. The copy that sold is one of three known to exist and was the highest-graded copy, with a 9.2 grade. Ashcan comics were not intended for sale. But it was still 1942, and a female superhero might not have been as appealing to young boys as Captain America or Superman. Somehow, it worked out better for him than anyone else who'd tried it at the time, and Venom's been wavering between good and evil ever since. If you have The Incredible Hulk #1 without the chipping, you have a very rare comic from 1962. But something went awry and Doc was turned into a giant Lizard. While Red Raven and the Inhumans are more than probably not going to be a part of Avengers 4, having a copy of an early part of pre-Marvel history is an interesting piece of history to have for a mere 124 thousand dollars. Tales of Suspense #39 - About $350,000. In fact, when I got my copy graded, pressing and cleaning wasn't as popular as it is right now. Of course, Tony Stark looks a bit less like he does now, and a bit more like a golem made out of steel. This issue has the added incentive of technically the first appearance of Venom. 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. In the first, Spider-Man saves J. Jonah Jamesons sons space shuttle from disaster. Marvels first family was and always has been the Fantastic Four. Incredible Hulk 181 is essentially the most valuable comic book from the 1970s as it features the first full appearance of Wolverine which comic fans can't get enough of. Luke Skywalker's Latest Failure May Have Just Doomed the Jedi Forever. "Showcase" 22, which was published in 1959, features the first appearance of Hal Jordan. The comic does first see his famous mask redesigned from his previous look in Incredible Hulk #180, #181 and #182 (this comic some are arguing is the real 2nd appearance of Wolverine and not simply a cameo). Another great Steve Ditko cover, this time depicting four full panels of action between Spidey and the Sandman, a villain who was hiding out from the police at Peters school. All of the little green mayhem started way back with their debut in FF #2, where they impersonate the Fantastic Four to frame them for crimes and try to take over the world with the real team out of the way. When a 9.9-graded copy sold for an astonishing $150,000 in 2011, it became the first comic book from the 1970s to sell for more than $100,000. storyline). Two marquis issues not just in the history of the Fantastic Four, but in Marvel are both currently tied as 65K at their highest value. The press materials also tout that the book was penned by William Moulton Marston, a psychologist who would later invent the prototype to the modern-day lie detector. I don't wanna help incriminate myself in the future. Over at CBCS, there are currently zero 9.8 copies recorded in their census. Captain America Comics 128 Page Issue (1942) $200,000 This issue was sold as a 25-cent special in January 1942 but only in Canada. When he used the shrinking serum, the brilliant mind carelessly left the growing serum on a counter, now light years away. However, who doesn't know Storm amongst Marvel Comics fans? You've made it through the whole list and knew full well that Amazing Fantasy #15 was going to be the most valuable Marvel book of all time, but just didn't know why. In 2014, a 9.0-graded copy sold for $3,207,852 on eBay, with a portion of the proceeds going to the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation. Over the years that origin story was retconned to make the Avians the original Inhumans and was a big part of the latest Infinity storyline from 2013. Curiously, Batgirl wasn't created just for the comics. The BvS or Infinity War of its time, Marvel Mystery #9 was the first crossover story between two superheroes when the worlds of Namor and the original Human Torch collided. A little over a month later on September 10th, another copy sold for $11,000 at eBay. The first iteration of the Torch was actually a robot invented by Phineas T. Horton. Captain America got his start during WWII America, and the first comics were basically beautifully drawn pieces of American propaganda (note the "Ageless Orientals Who Wouldn't Die!!!" A 9.6-graded version of the 1964 comic sold for $150,000 in 2021. The older a rare comic book is, the more valuable it becomes. Many legendary comic artists and writers started their careers in this era or rose to prominence. The cover was done by Bill Everett and Alex Schomburg. This issue of "Detective Comics" from 1940 features the first appearance of Robin, who was created to attract a younger audience. Theyre the Fantastic Four, a Stan Lee and Jack Kirby creation that quickly became a fan favorite. With DCs success of the Last Son Of Krypton and the Bat of Gotham, Timely decided that they too needed to try and get into the superhero game and created a marvel called the Human Torch. Was a quick initial shock. Cover art by Gil Kane, John Romita and Gaspar Saladino. Instead, the series focused on teenagers who happened to have powers. I bought my copy for $35 bucks back in the day, and it graded a CGC 7.0 without a press and clean. The comic that arguably started the entire Marvel Comics Universe arc that dominated the box office for years, "The Avengers" No. Anyhow, a move towards diversity was definitely in play during the Bronze Age of Comics. For instance, theres a note on the cover that says Frank R. Paul, who drew the cover, received $25 for his work (about $460 today). Action Comics #1 - About $3.2 Million. According to Bleeding Cool, the first "Superman" comic book is rare to begin with and then notoriously difficult to find in good shape. In the Fantastic Four #5, we are introduced to the grand villain, Dr. Doom, who has been a thorn in the FFs and entire MCUs side for over 50 years. 1 is gorgeous, and drawn by Everett in Kirby's action style. 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. That iconic cover with Iron Man, Thor, Hulk, Ant-Man & The Wasp squaring up with Loki has seen sales of almost $200,000 before, still bringing in tens of thousands of dollars with every purchase. 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.