Key Collector Comics

The Down Report

THE DOWN REPORT 1 Featuring Bronze Age Key Issues. An analysis of well-known Key Issue Comic Books that are selling today for less than the past year's average sale.  

Clicking on the eBay link and making a purchase may result in this site earning a commission from the eBay Partner Network.

Giant-Size X-Men #1

Marvel ⋅ 1975

View Details  ⋅  View Variants (5)
Giant-Size X-Men #1
 
Low
$700
Mid
$2.2k
High
$7k

Key Facts

1st appearance of the new X-Men: Storm (1st), Nightcrawler (1st), Colossus (1st), Thunderbird (1st), Wolverine (3rd)

Many resources label this the 2nd full appearance of Wolverine and The Incredible Hulk #182 a second cameo

1st appearance of Illyana Rasputin as a child, later becomes Magik

Introduction of Krakoa, the Living Island

First use of the sound effect 'snikt' associated with Wolverine's claws

Down Report

If you listen to amateur analysis of the market on YouTube or other forms of social media, Giant-Size X-Men is often an example of a Key Issue whose value has plummeted

These claims often focus on two sales in 9.8 - a $72,000 sale from June 2021 and a $60,000 sale from April 2021

Yet these anomalies were quickly corrected as the book consistently sold in the mid-$40k range between July 2021 through June 2022

The current 90-day average is $35,000 which is now performing better than 2023's $29,325

Giant-Size X-Men has been a huge winning investment for anyone who bought in 2020 or earlier as the value is now consistently 2x - 5x higher than 5-10 years ago

Recent sales in lower grades are areas of opportunity for buyers

The following examines recent sales vs twelve-month average:

9.6: $8,400 vs the $9,250 average (-10%)

9.4: $5,040 vs the $6,075 average (-17%)

9.2: $4,250 vs the $5,000 average (-15%)

9.0: $3,600 vs the $4,373 average (-17%)

Keep in mind, these sales below the average are opportunities for today's buyer and not an attack on a faltering hobby

In most cases, Key Issues sell for 2x - 3x today compared to 2018 and earlier

Prior to 2021, one might be able to secure a copy as high as 6.0 for under $1,000 but today, it'd be difficult to get a 3.5 for less than four figures

Shazam #28

DC ⋅ 1977

View Details
Shazam #28
 
Low
$30
Mid
$100
High
$325

Key Facts

2nd appearance of Black Adam in an original story

There was a fanzine published prior to this issue called Alter Ego where Black Adam appears on the cover but the interior is a text article recapping the Marvel Family and Black Adam written by prominent Marvel architect Roy Thomas before his tenure at Marvel began

Down Report

In November 2024, a 9.8 sale of $432 was the lowest amount paid since 2013

A 7.0 sold for $38 with 19 bids last month which would indicate there is not much competition for this issue

Copies in 8.0 and below have sold on average for under $100 in the past 12 months

There is an inventory of nearly 200 copies of this issue on eBay priced as low as $35 for an ungraded copy

A 9.2 is listed for $195 / The average 9.2 sold for $295 in 2023

Numerous copies are listed with Best Offer accepted

There is still life left in this book as James Gunn's DCU could easily reintroduce Black Adam

Captain Britain #1

Marvel ⋅ 1976

View Details
Captain Britain #1
 
Price Trend
Low
$20
Mid
$80
High
$200

Key Facts

1st appearance of Captain Britain

1st cameo appearance of Roma

Debut of the Sword of Might

Captain Britain mask included inside of this issue as a bonus item

Down Report

9.8s have sold for under $1,000 seven times this year

The last time a 9.8 sold for under $1,000 was 2014

This month, a 9.6 sold for $356, the lowest amount paid in this grade ever

Recent sales in grades 9.4 and below have sold for approximately 20% below the 12-month average

Recent purchases in grades not discussed here have performed over the average

Examples of a good purchase amount for this book are as follows:

Under $1,000 for 9.8

Under $500 for 9.6

Under $300 for 9.0

In terms of graded copies, this is a low inventory book: 242 copies exist in 9.8 while 9.6 and 9.4 both register 175 copies

In total, there are 1,146 graded copies of Captain Britain #1

Conan the Barbarian registers 6,600+ graded copies to the Census

Nova #1 registers 9,197 graded copies to the Census

This is a good investment issue because an Excalibur team is a likely addition to the MCU with Brian Braddock leading

Braddock's sister Betsy aka Psylocke is sure to be in an X-Men project

Special Marvel Edition #15

Marvel ⋅ 1973

View Details  ⋅  View Variants (1)
Special Marvel Edition #15
 
Low
$120
Mid
$400
High
$1.2k

Key Facts

1st appearance of Shang-Chi, the Master of Kung-Fu

1st appearance of Sir Dennis Nayland-Smith

1st appearance of Fu Manchu, father of Shang-Chi, later renamed Han, then Zheng Zu

1st team appearance of Si-Fan, a secret society with allegiances to Fu Manchu

1st appearance of Shang-Chi's unnamed mother, an American - later retconned in Shang-Chi #4 (2021)

Down Report

There were three sales in 9.8 this November: $2,430 / $2,400 / $1,799

All sales in 9.8 underperformed against the $3,277 twelve-month average

Only one copy in 9.6 sold over the past three months

The 9.6 sold for $822 which was down -23% compared to the $1,072 average

Copies sold in most grades over the past 90 days are down approximately 12% - 15% compared to the previous 12 months

While graded copies are down across the board, ungraded copies in good condition are maintaining a more consistent value

If you are looking to buy, a good deal for a 9.6 would be $1,000 or below

A buyer recently scored a great deal for a 6.5 at $118 which was 20% below the $150 average

Inventory is plentiful but there are not many buyers pursuing this Key Issue

It may be a good time to be aggressive with Buy It Now listings

A Shang-Chi sequel is supposedly in the works but there have been few details related to the project's progress

Conan the Barbarian #1

Marvel ⋅ 1970

View Details  ⋅  View Variants (3)
Conan the Barbarian #1
 
Low
$100
Mid
$300
High
$1k

Key Facts

1st appearance of Conan the Barbarian

1st cameo appearance of King Kull

Down Report

The 9.8 grade is strong with sales consistently at $8,000

In other grades, the 90-day average versus the 12-month average are down

9.6: $2,461 current average vs $2,787 twelve-month average (-13%)

9.2: $842 current average vs $921 twelve-month average (-9%)

8.0: $452 current average vs $542 twelve-month average (-20%)

5.5: $223 current average vs $284 twelve-month average (-21%)

Ungraded copies in very high grades are stable in the $800 - $1,000 which will not likely see much fluctuation considering 9.8s sell for $7k - $8k

A Conan the Barbarian reboot is not a question of "if" but a question of "when" which might be answered as the Red Sonja movie premiere approaches

Conan the Barbarian #23

Marvel ⋅ 1973

View Details
Conan the Barbarian #23
 
Low
$30
Mid
$90
High
$345

Key Facts

1st appearance of Red Sonja

âš  Misconception: cited by many resources as a cameo appearance of Red Sonja but she appears in over 20 panels, fights and is introduced by name

[August 2022 - filming is scheduled to begin with Matilda Lutz cast in the main role]

Down Report

This issue is in that period of stagnation which occurs between a movie being announced and the length of time it takes for that film to be marketed for release

The following examines recent sales vs twelve-month average:

9.8: $1,800 sale vs $2,031 average (-11%)

9.6: $492 sale vs $694 average (-30%)

9.4: $300 sale vs $338 average (-11%)

9.2: $180 sale vs $262 average (-31%)

Sales in lower grades are down approximately -10%

Keep in mind we are analyzing recent sales against the twelve month average

This list does not use data from the secondary market boom during the pandemic lockdown

For example, during that time the average 9.8 sale for this issue was $4,830 which is $3,000 higher than today's most recent $1,800 sale

Yet if we compare this Key Issue today to 2018 and earlier, there is no question the value has doubled in some grades and tripled in others versus five years ago

Where the prices stand today, this issue is poised as an investment with potential if the marketing for the film is well-received and the movie itself is entertaining

Iron Fist #14

Marvel ⋅ 1977

View Details  ⋅  View Variants (1)
Iron Fist #14
 
Low
$55
Mid
$150
High
$550

Key Facts

1st full appearance and cover of Sabretooth, a mutant who becomes the primary nemesis of Wolverine

Down Report

Sabretooth's first appearance experienced a surge last year after it became known that the version from the 2000 film would appear in Deadpool and Wolverine but since then, the book has fallen off the collector's radar

9.8 sales are down 12% from the $3,500 average

Two recent sales in August, October and November failed to surpass $3k which hasn't happened with any consistency since 2020

9.2: $557 current average vs the $683 twelve-month average (-12%)

November, 6.5 sold twice, just above $200 vs the $286 average

A 4.0 sold this month for $109 against the $190 twelve-month average in an auction that ended after 12 bids - this low price is an anomaly, likely due to poor eye appeal for this particular book as a 3.5 sold for $175

This book will always maintain demand as collectors gravitate toward Key Issues that introduce a popular character in the story as well as on the cover

Marvel Premiere #47

Marvel ⋅ 1979

View Details  ⋅  View Variants (2)
Marvel Premiere #47
 
Low
$15
Mid
$50
High
$150

Key Facts

1st appearance and cover of Scott Lang as Ant-Man, in costume

1st appearance of Cassie Lang, daughter of Scott Lang, later becomes Stature and then Stinger

[January 2023 - Cassie Lang expected to appear in a Young Avengers project]

1st appearance of Darren Cross, later becomes Yellowjacket

Down Report

This issue is one of few that is returning to the same value it had ten years ago

This year, sales in 9.8 of $516 / $509 / $510 were the lowest since 2020

The following examines recent sales vs twelve-month average:

9.6: $154 sale vs $239 average (-35%)

9.4: $125 sale vs the $166 average (-25%)

9.2: $106 sale vs the $142 average (-25%)

9.0: $105 sale vs the $131 average (-20%)

Chances are good that the current values are not going to get much lower

Failure for Quantumania to recreate the magic of earlier Ant-Man movies has demonstrated what the MCU can do for a relatively small Key Issue's value during the height of its popularity and success versus the bottom

Uncanny X-Men #129

Marvel ⋅ 1980

View Details  ⋅  View Variants (7)
Uncanny X-Men #129
 
Price Trend
Low
$25
Mid
$80
High
$280

Key Facts

The Dark Phoenix Saga Part 1

1st appearance of Kitty Pryde

1st appearance of Emma Frost, the White Queen

1st cameo team appearance of The Hellfire Club, in shadows

Down Report

Analyzing this issue was a big surprise in its underperformance due to the introduction of Kitty Price and Emma Frost and starting one of Marvel's most iconic story arcs

The following examines recent sales vs twelve-month average:

9.8: $1,601 sale vs the $1,844 average (-15%)

9.6: $376 sale vs the $586 average (-35%)

9.4: $240 sale vs the $327 average (-36%)

9.2: $214 sale vs $259 average (-21%)

9.0: $170 sale vs the $201 average (-30%)

This trend of double digit decreases cascades down to the lower grades as well

There is potential in this Key Issue if Marvel Studios can replicate with the X-Men the success that they had with the Avengers

Nova #1

Marvel ⋅ 1976

View Details  ⋅  View Variants (1)
Nova #1
 
Low
$12
Mid
$45
High
$130

Key Facts

1st appearance and origin of Nova, Richard Rider

1st appearance of Rhomann Dey, Corpsman of the Nova Corps

1st appearance of Robbie Rider, brother of Nova

[March 2022 - Deadline reports a Nova project is in development]

Down Report

9.8: $630 (90-day average) vs $867 (12-month average) = -27%

November, a 9.8 sold on MyComicShop.com for $493 with 17 bids, the lowest paid since 2018

9.8 sales are comparable to the value of 10 years ago

Current sales are down in most grades by 10% -15% compared to the first half of 2024

9.0 and below often sell for under $100

7.0 and below often sell for under $50

A recent ungraded copy in Near Mint- sold for $100

Ungraded Near Mint- copies could resell after grading for 4x - 6x that amount

Pay close attention to buying ungraded copies with spine ticks that are common with black covers

Head of Marvel streaming stated in September that he is hopeful the in-development Nova TV series will make it all the way to the screen

Adjust Your Filters To See More Comics!

By default Key Collector searches for Standard Cover Key Issues.

Adjust the "Variants" search filter above for additional content:

  • Variant Covers ([[totalVariants]])

At Key Collector, our primary focus is on unearthing those rare Standard Cover Key Issues for you. However, the world of comic collectibles is vast and varied. We want to make sure you have the tools to explore it all!