Amazing Spider-Man #46

Marvel - March 1967

Key Issue Notes
First appearance and origin of Shocker (Herman Schultz)

I don't know if you've seen the leaked cast list from the Spider-Man: Homecoming movie, but I decided that I'm going to do a few Amazing Spider-Man key issues from the names that appear on that list. The first issue I'm going to attack is Amazing Spider-Man #46, the first appearance of Shocker.

There was some concern that the leaked list was a fake, but with recent photos from the set of the movie, the list has more credibility. Here you can see what looks like Bokeem Woodbine all decked out in his Shocker costume. It's not exactly like it is in the comics, but it's a lot closer than some others that I've seen. Anyway, we'll see the costume in all of its glory when the movie hits theaters next summer.

The Shocker is another of the long list of characters that was created by Stan Lee, along with John Romita Sr., during the Silver Age. 

Bokeem Woodbine
as Shocker

When I was a kid I thought that Electro and Shocker had very similar powers. I figured that shock had more to do with electricity than what his powers really are. Essentially, The Shocker has a pair of gauntlets that he made that gives him the ability to shake and vibrate objects, not shoot bolts of electricity like I thought all those years ago. He originally made the gauntlets to open up safes and steal his fortune.

Before he became The Shocker, Herman Schultz was a just a two bit thief that landed himself in the big house a few times. While in jail, he came up with the idea to create a machine that could open any safe with vibrations. He used his creation to break out of prison and become the super villain that we know him as now. He also has a device that he used to deflect the punches of anyone that he's fighting, like Spider-Man in this issue.

The Shocker

That's about all there is for key issue worthiness in this issue. Well, I guess there is one other small key issue note to mention. In this issue, Peter Parker moves out of the house he shares with Aunt May, and moves into an apartment with his best bud Harry Osborn. That's it, nothing too important, but definitely a big step in the life of young Pete.

Since the cast list leaked, there has been an increase in demand for this comic. There have been a lot of sales over the past two weeks or so, but prices haven't really shot up as high as some other comics I've seen after a confirmation of a character appearing in a movie. I have noticed a lot more copies coming up for auction on sites like eBay, so maybe the market is getting diluted and it's keeping values down.

Values of Amazing Spider-Man #46
on GoCollect

As far as high grade copies go for this issue, there are a few. According to the CGC census, of the 842 copies already listed, 455 are graded 8.0 VF and higher, with three topping out at a 9.8 NM/M. There are quite a few Signature Series copies as well as a handful of Restored copies too. With the census being that low, you can bet that there are going to be a lot of raw copies out there that you can probably still get a deal on and send in to get graded yourself.

If you'd rather buy already graded, then you can still get this comic for a good deal. The most recent sales for some grades are only slightly higher than they were before the cast list was leaked. There has definitely been an increase, but nothing crazy so far. The most recent sale for an 8.5 VF+ went for $350, which is only up about $100 from sales at the end of last year, and 9.2 NM- have seen a slightly larger increase in value. The last sale of $750 has increased over $250 in about that same time span. There was one lucky SOB that nabbed a sweet 9.6 NM+ for only $195 on the 3rd of this month. Don't be expecting to find deals like that for this book anytime soon.

For all of you variant hunters out there, there is a UK version of this comic too. So far, there have only been 8 copies graded by CGC. How many copies of this variant are out there is beyond me, but I'm sure it's much lower that the US version. There is also a Mexican edition available, but I have even less information on that one that I do the UK version. Either way, these are both hard finds. I could only find one of each for sale on the world wide web.

Find a copy here
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Silver Surfer #3

Marvel - Dec. 1968

Key Issue Notes
First appearance of Mephisto

The latest buzz going around at the moment has to do with the upcoming Netflix show The Defenders. There's a rumor going around that the big baddie in the show is going to be none other than Mephisto. I have no idea how credible this rumor is, but it's being said that Marvel wants to expand the supernatural element to their shows, eventually making way for Ghost Rider, Blade and Moon Knight to have series' of their own, or at least make some appearances.

Mephisto is yet another of a long line of creations by Stan "the man" Lee and John Buscema. They based the character on Mephistopheles, a demon character from the Faust legend.

In this issue of The Silver Surfer, Mephisto feels the power of the Sentinel of the Spaceways purity and kindness, and seeks him out to destroy him. He finds the Shalla Bal, the long lost love of Norrin Radd, and imprisons her in his dark realm. Norrin Radd is the true name of the Silver Surfer.

The Silver Surfer follows them to Mephisto's lair to rescue her. Little does he know that Mephisto used Shalla Bal to lure him there. While there, Mephisto tries to entice the Silver Surfer to become his servant by offering him unimaginable wealth and power, but, of course, that fails so Mephisto then tries to destroy him.

In the battle between the two, we get to see how powerful Mephisto really is, but he's no match against the power and goodness of The Silver Surfer, and in the end he defeats Mephisto, but not before Shalla Bal is sent back across the universe and far out of the reach of the Silver Surfer, leaving him alone and heart broken.

There is also a backup story featuring The Watcher. It's a recreation of the story "Why won't the believe me?" that was originally printed in Amazing Adult Fantasy #7.

Most of the copies that you will find online are going to be raw copies, but there are a few slabbers thrown in there too. As of right now, there have been 775 copies graded by CGC. That's a pretty good amount, but it's far from a lot. Hopefully CBCS will have a census soon so I can get a little more of an accurate number of graded copies out there, but for now, the CGC census will have to do.

There are quite a few high grade copies between 8.0 VF through 9.8 NM/M according to the census, but only three are graded at the highest 9.8 NM/M. The most abundant grade at this point is an 8.5 VF+ with 98 copies.

Values of Silver Surfer #3 on GoCollect

Sales for this issue have been inconsistent over the past two years. Some grades have seen an nice increase in value, mostly higher grades, while some other grades have seen a decrease. Obviously, if you can afford a higher grade, then that's what you should focus on. Higher grade comics will have a better chance of rising in value over their lower grade counterparts, and who doesn't want a nice looking copy in their collections.

Buying a high grade copy of The Silver Surfer #3 won't break the bank either. The latest sale of a 9.6 MN+ graded book sold for $958, just under the $1,000 mark. You should be able pick up a nice 9.0 VF/NM copy for less than $500, and probably less if you can find it for auction as opposed to a buy it now. If you have a budget of around $200, you should be looking at copies around the 7.5 VF- or 8.0 VF range.

Even though it's only a whisper of a rumor, and not even close to being confirmed in any way, this comic could see a boost in value. Every little whisper of a character appearing in a T.V. show or movie has some comic values shooting through the roof. Will it happen to this comic too? I guess we'll have to wait and see.

Find a copy here
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Amazing Spider-Man #2

Marvel - May 1963

Key Issue Notes
Third appearance of Spider-Man
First appearance of The Vulture
First appearance of The Terrible Tinkerer
First appearance of Quentin Beck (not named)

The rumored on again, off again talks between Michael Keaton and MCU are back in the news. Keaton is said to be in talks to play a villain in the new Spider Man: Homecoming movie set to be released in 2017. One of the rumor is that Keaton will be playing the part of the high flying Vulture, although nothing has been confirmed. I'm sure that speculators are going crazy.

This is one comic that doesn't need any speculation to drive up it's values. It's a very early Spider-Man appearance, third to be exact, and it has the first appearance of one of his most iconic foes. That alone drives up it's value.

The Vulture is another creation of the power duo of the Silver Age, Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. Before he was known as The Vulture, people knew him as Adrian Toomes. Toomes was somewhat of a genius and became an electrical engineer. He, along with a partner, opened up a small electronics firm. Eventually Toomes was swindled out of his share of the company and was left with nothing. He devoted his time to creating a pair of electromagnetic wings that would allow him to fly. After completing them, he discovered that exposure to the harness gave him super human strength.

The next brilliant madman to make his first appearance in the pages of Amazing Spider-Man #2 is The Terrible Tinkerer. His given name is Phineas Mason, and he'ss kinda like a MacGuyver of the super-villain world. He can create weapons and machinery from the most basic of materials. He often sell his wares to other villains and crime bosses, but on an occasion or two, he'll take on a job of his own.

Although he's not mentioned by name in this comic, Quentin Beck supposedly makes his first appearance in this book. Quentin Beck will become better known as the special effects and illusion master, Mysterio. He didn't originally start out appearing in this issue, but he was retconned to be part of The Terrible Tinkerers gang in an issue that was written sometime after his original first appearance in Amazing Spider-Man #13.

C

Finding a graded copy for sale shouldn't be too hard to do. At the time of this writing, there are 1,454 copies registered in the CGC census. Finding a high grade copy will prove to be a little bit harder. There is one copy graded at a very high Universal 9.8, and three for Universal 9.6 NM+ copies. I have no idea whether any of these copies have gone up for sale or not, since I can't find any sales data for them. They will probably cost you an arm and a leg though. As for sales data I could find, the latest CGC graded 9.0 VF/NM copy sold last Nov. for $5,000, which was significantly less that the previous sale before that, which was $6,400.

Values of Amazing Spider-Man #2
on GoCollect

If those numbers are out of your price range, like they are for me, then have no fear. There are a fairly abundant amount of lower grade copies to choose from. If you're looking for something in the under $1,000 range, you'll probably have to start looking at 5.0 VF/F copies. The last sale for a copy at that grade went for $940 in April. Anything less than $500 and you're looking at a very low grade 1.8 G- to a 2.0 G.

Whatever grade you decide to get, or that your budget will allow, this is a good investment comic to get, regardless of any kind of movie announcement hype or big screen appearance. This is a very early Spider-Man appearance and the first appearances of one very popular Spidey villain, and one not as popular. If you have this one on your want list like I do, then I wish you luck on your hunt.

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Tales of Suspense #39

Marvel - March 1963

Key Issue Notes
First appearance of Iron Man (Tony Stark)

When it comes to holy grail, super duper, mega key issues, Tales of Suspense #39 falls perfectly into this category. ToS #39 has the first appearance of Iron Man. He was created by the legendary duo of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. He has been a popular character for a long time, but has become even more popular after the movie starring Robert Downey Jr. was released in 2008. The movie pushed Iron Man into the mainstream and made many more people aware of the character, and his first appearance has seen a huge boost in demand because of it.

As pretty much everyone knows by now, Tony Stark is the Invincible Iron Man, and this issue has his origin. To summarize what happens in this issue, Tony Stark goes to Vietnam to test a new weapon he's been working on. The test goes well but Mr. Stark ends up getting captured by Wong-Chu and his Red Gorillas after setting off a booby trap that caused a big explosion. Shrapnel from the explosion got lodged dangerously close to his heart giving him only a short time to live. 

Wong-Chu, knowing that Stark is not long for this world, demands that he build a weapon for him. He lies and tells Tony that if he builds this weapon, that he will perform a surgery to save his life. They both know that's a lie but Tony agrees to make the weapon anyway, but he doesn't build any weapons like he promised. With the help from Professor Ho Yinsen, also a prisoner of Wong-Chu, they built the Iron Man armor. Not only is the armor super powered, it's also what is keeping Tony Stark alive. Now to spoil the ending, Iron Man winds up defeating Wong-Chu and has the Red Gorillas fleeing into the jungle. 

Top - US version
Bottom - UK version

Let us now take a look to the almighty CGC census. There are surprisingly a good amount of copies graded already. So far there have been 1,657 copies. Most of these copies are of lower to mid grade, but there are a few high grade copies too. There are 4 copies graded at a 9.6, which to date is the highest grade there is for this issue. There is also a UK "pence" version of this comic. These pence copies don't sell for the same amount as the U.S. versions do. They have a much smaller print run, but are also usually much cheaper. There is a small niche of people out there that collect these foreign copies, but most people, myself included, prefer the U.S. copies. The difference on the covers is small, but obvious as shown in the picture to the left. I only mention that so that you'll be aware of it and not purchase a UK copy by mistake.

Values of Tales of Suspense #39
on GoCollect

Back in 2012, one of the high grade 9.6 NM+ copies sold for a massive $375,000 on ComicLink. Another copy sold for a much lower $262,900 at Heritage Auctions later that same year. I have no idea why there's such a big price difference. However, in early 2015, another copy sold for $300,000. With such high sales for high grade copies, you can expect low grade copies to be a bit on the pricey side too. Looking at the data on goCollect, the last sale for a graded 8.5 copy ended up selling for $22,855.57 back in Feb. of this year. That's a huge jump from the $13,500 that sold only two years prior in May of 2014. Even looking at VG 4.0 copies, sales have jumped almost two grand from $2,175 to about $4,000 over the last four years. Even the ultra low grade 0.5 copies are selling for over a $1000.

There are a lot of graded copies floating around in the market right now and it isn't hard to find one for sale, but if you decide to add this comic to your collection, expect to shell out some serious dough for it. If you don't mind foreign copies, maybe you can find a good deal on the UK version, although they are much harder to come by. Or maybe you can take a chance on a raw copy and hope that it hasn't had any restoration done to it. I leave the decision to you and wish you luck on your quest.

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Amazing Fantasy #15

Marvel - Aug, 1962

Key Issue Notes
First appearance and origin of Spider-Man (Peter Parker)
First appearance of Uncle Ben and Aunt May
First appearance of Flash Thompson
First appearance of Liz Allen
First appearance of The Burglar

When it comes to holy grail comic books, Amazing Fantasy #15 is definitely one to put on the list. The long list of first appearances in this issue sets up the world of Peter Parker. Spider-Man was created by the legendary Stan Lee and sports a cover by, the also legendary, Jack Kirby. This iconic cover is often copied, also known as a "cover swipe" in industry terms, by other artists including Todd McFarlane. I've included a few of the cover swipes at the bottom of the page if you're still a little confused about them.

By now, everyone knows the origin of how Peter Parker came to be the Amazing Spider-Man. Thanks to the movie franchises starring Toby Maguire and Andrew Garfield, people that don't know much, or anything, about this comic, know about Spidey's origin. So I'm not going to get too in depth about the bite from a radioactive spider that gave Peter his super powers.


Let's talk a little about the other first appearances in this beast of a comic. We'll start with Uncle Ben and Aunt May. Benjamin and May Reilly Parker took in Peter and raised him after his parents were killed. Who his parents are or how they were killed is never mentioned in this issue.  Sadly, Peter Parker loses his uncle toward the end of this issue. He is shot and killed by the Burglar.

The Burglar is not a big part of the Marvel Universe, but he is a big part of Peter Parker's life. As I already mentioned, he is the one that shot and killed Uncle Ben. Earlier in the issue, Peter, dressed as Spider-Man, lets the Burglar get away as a security guard was chasing him. At this point in his life, Peter was only looking out for one person, himself. He blames himself for the death of his uncle and it's because of his death that he becomes the crime fighting, criminal fearing, friendly neighborhood Spider-Man that we all know today.

Peter was the "bookworm" in high school, and like all bookworms, he had a bully. This bully's name is Flash Thompson. He would tease, taunt, and physically abuse Peter at school on a daily basis. And finally, Liz Allen was Flash Thompson's girlfriend, who Peter had a bit of a crush on for a while, but of course, she would make fun of him too.

Let's get to some graded copies of Amazing Fantasy #15. Looking at the CGC census, there are quite a few copies of it that have been graded, 2,480 to be exact. There are two Universal and three Restored highest graded 9.6 copies, however, most of the copies in the census are mid to low grade. Of the 2,840 copies, 2,102 are in 6.0 condition or lower and many are restored copies.

Values of Amazing Fantasy #15
on GoCollect

Because so many of the copies in the market are a lower grade, that means the very few high grade copies are selling for lots and lots of money. At ComicConnect in 2011, a highest grade 9.6 copy sold for an astounding 1.1 million dollars, making it one of the most valuable comic books in the world. Even the lower grades of Amazing Fantasy #15 are pretty up there in price. Looking at the sales data from GoCollect, a 1.8 Good- copy sold for $7,800 in Feb. and a 1.5 Fair/Good CBCS graded copy sold for $5,500 on April 12, both of this year on eBay. That is mind boggling, but, it is the first appearance of one of Marvels most popular superheroes and this is a very sought out comic book that's on a lot of people's want list. I know it's on mine.

Find a copy here
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Amazing Fantasy #15 and Cover Swipes

Strange Tales #126

Marvel - Nov. 1964

Key Issue Notes:
1st appearance of Dormammu
1st appearance of Clea
1st appearance of the Dark Dimension


Doctor Strange is finally making his way into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The movie has been in production for a while and has a release date of Nov. 4th. Also, Kevin Feige (President of Marvel Studios) has confirmed for us that the Dark Dimension will be featured in the movie and Strange Tales #126 has the 1st appearance of the Dark Dimension. How much of the it will be seen in the movie is yet to be known so I guess we'll all have to wait for it to come out. 

However, when mentioning the Dark Dimension, we must also mention Dormammu, since he is it's ruler and Strange Tales #126 also has the first appearance of him. He may or may not appear in this film but I can almost guarantee that if the Doctor Strange movie is a success, he will appear in one in the near future.

But wait, there's more. We also have the first appearance of Clea. Clea is the  love interest of Doctor Strange. It would only make sense to add her to the cast as she is a big part in the life of Doctor Strange.

Values for Strange Tales #126
on GoCollect

At the time of this writing, there have been a total of 346 copies graded by CGC with 2 being a highest grade of 9.8 NM/M. Both are Universal grade. Surprisingly, demand for this book hasn't really taken off since the news came out. As you can see by the chart from gocollect.com, a lot of grades have seen a fall in price for graded copies. That could mean that either people are not fully aware of the key issue status, which seems unlikely, or it could be that they are just overlooking it for something else. Either way, that could be good news for you if your looking to get a deal on this comic.

Find a copy here
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Thor #132 - CGC 9.6

Marvel - Sept. 1966

Key Issue Note
1st appearance of Ego The Living Planet

I was looking at getting this comic for quite some time mainly because it was a very affordable Silver Age key issue at a very high grade and I wanted a high grade Silver Age comic in my collection. I finally pulled the trigger on it when I heard a rumor that Ego might be one of the characters in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. 

I've had my eye on this Thor comic for a couple of years now, but always put off buying it to get others comics that were higher up on my want list. Comics that might be out of my price range if I didn't buy them soon. The price of good ol' Thor #132 wasn't going anywhere. That was until, one day, I was scrolling through my Facebook feed, and saw that Cosmicbooknews.com that Ego might be showing up on the big screen. There was also the rumor that Al Pacino was going to be the voice of The Living Planet. I figured that if I didn't snag this comic now, that it would soon shoot through the roof in terms of price. Especially in the current market. Any hint of a character making an appearance in a movie or T.V. show sends demand through the roof.

Another reason I got Thor #132 is because of the growth potential of it. I managed to get this copy for $280 which is a little higher than they were selling for but I still feel like I got a good deal on it.

In my opinion, this is a very undervalued key issue.  Even if the rumors turn out to be false, I think that a 9.6 NM+ copy will slowly be on the rise. 

Updated 1/03/2018

Find a copy here

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