Monday, May 23, 2016

NYX #3

Marvel - Feb. 2004

Key Issue Notes
First appearance of X-23 (Laura Kinney)

Rumors have been running rampant on the blogosphere lately about who's going to star along side Hugh Jackman in his final go as Wolverine. One of the names that's been popping up a lot is that of X-23.

When I first heard about the character of X-23, she was described to me as Wolverine's daughter. That's not true, she's not his daughter at all, she's his clone. X-23's real name is Laura Kinney, and she was cloned by using Wolverine's genetic material that was salvaged from the Weapon X program.

Laura Kinney is a prostitute in New York and when we first meet her, she is in a hotel room with a John. He thanks her for a great time, throws a roll of twenties on the bed and walks out the door. As he's getting dressed, you can see scratches all over his back.

At the end of the comic, she is in a room with the same guy, presumably to do what prostitutes do. This time, the John has a different idea. This time he brought a knife with him. It doesn't work out very well for him though. In the last few panels, you see him lying on the floor, covered on blood and Laura sitting on the bed with her Wolverine like claws exposed.

NYX #3 has an estimated print run of 40,000. I wouldn't say that's a lot of copies, but I wouldn't say it's not a lot of copies either. If you're looking to buy a copy, you'll have no problem finding one.


Click to enlarge
There were no surprises when I was looking at the CGC census. At the time of this writing, there are quite a few copies graded by them already, 2,258 to be exact. And it also comes as no surprise, since this is a Modern Age comic, that almost half of them are graded 9.8 or higher. There are 4 copies graded an ultra high 9.9 as well. Don't expect to find any slabbed low grade copies. The lowest grade in the census so far is a 5.5, but it is a Signature Series copy.


Values of NYX #3 on GoCollect
Now let's get to the fun part. Let's see how much the sales have skyrocketed over the past few years. I was thinking about snagging a copy of this two years ago for about $200, but I passed it up because I didn't think there was any growth potential. Boy, was I wrong. I couldn't find any sales for the ultra high 9.9's but recent sales for 9.8 copies have recently gone for close to the $1,000 mark. It was less that two years ago that you go snag this comic for under $200. In June of 2014, a 9.8 copy sold for the bargain price of $171.50. I'm kicking myself in the ass for not jumping on that when I had the chance. Even 9.6 copies have started selling for over the $600 mark, and only two years ago, you could have gotten one for less that a hundred bucks.

If you're looking for snagging a copy for under $100 now, you're probably out of luck. Even mid grade 6.5 copies are up over that mark. You're best bet might be to find a nice raw copy, but like I've said in the past, be wary, you never know what you'll get when you're buying raw.

Is this a flash in the pan kind of comic? I have no idea. I never thought that prices for this comic would ever get as high as they are now. There is a lot of speculation out there and I'm sure that's one of the factors driving up values for this comic. Usually, after the hype dies out, then values die out too, especially in the current movie driven market we're in now.

Find a copy here
eBay - ComicLink - MyComicShop - ComicConnect

8 comments:

  1. Getting my NYX #3 & #4 back tomorrow. Anxious to see how they turned out!

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    1. Dang, they're coming back already? It doesn't seem like it's been that long. Good luck. I hope they look immaculate.

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  2. Incidentally, while X-23 is marketed as his clone, genetically she's not. This is even acknowledged in her origin book.

    Back on topic, man I wish I'd thought of looking up a copy a couple years ago, too. But I only JUST started collecting (all digital at the time), in fact largely because of her. Now I wish I had a grand to drop.

    Depending on how long Laura remains Wolverine in the books, and if the indications she's appearing in Wolverine 3 are true (AND if she's well-received and gets a significant pop culture boost from the appearance) I can see that price climbing higher.

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    1. Thanks for chiming in and clearing that up. I've only read a few comics that feature X-23, this issue being one of them. I'll have to see if I can find a copy of her origin and give it a read.

      I have to disagree with you about the values for this comic continuing to rise. With so many high grade 9.8 copies out there (currently 1,085 on the CGC census), the market will eventually become flooded with them and that's going to drive the values down. In fact, values for most grades have already started to come a down a little after it peaked in May, so I don't see these values sustaining after the hype is gone.

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  3. Sorry but this character is slowly brewing. You know she is going to appear in a number of movie. You just know it. She is too popular not too. When you see that 53 percent want her to be in the next xforce movie compared to other characters who have a percentage of 5, 7, 12 percent, you know you have a super untapped popular character rising. She is barrely at the start of her rise. The 1200 or so 9.8s out there are nothing compared to the amount of collectors. NYX will be a 4000 dollar book withing 4 years.

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    1. I like your optimism, but $4000 in the next four years is a little unrealistic. This character isn't brewing any longer. She has been slammed directly into the face of the mainstream. When Wolverine came out, she was introduced to millions of comic book fans and comic movie fans as well, you know, the people that don't collect comics but love to watch superhero movies. So, there's not a lack of fandom out there already.

      And even with all of this exposure, values for this comic haven't really risen or fallen over the past year and a half. I agree that she will be used in more movies in the future, because that's what Hollywood does. But if she is cast in the X-Force movie, she will be playing second fiddle to the two biggies in that movie, Deadpool and Cable. It wouldn't be until she got her own solo film that we may see these values go up, if that ever happens at all.

      When these movies are released it could cause there to be little bumps in value, but in all reality, this comic isn't going to be a $4000 book anytime soon, unless you've got yourself a 9.9 graded copy, KA-CHING!!

      That is just my opinion after all.

      Thanks for chiming in fellow Collector.

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  4. lol i use to won this comic back before it was below 100 ended up selling it. it wasnt graded but it was in good condition. easily between 9.4 to 9.6. im kickng myslf i didnt think this thing would have taken off like it did. none of the newer characters ever climbed this much. thought she was just going to be some supporting character. havent reead a comic with her since she came out and joined the x-men when claremont was writing the books. thought it was neat she was on the team. should have never sold.. stupid stupid stupid stupid.

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    1. As you can tell, I didn't think it would have taken off like that either, and to be honest, I wish I had the foresight to buy that copy from you back when you sold it. Oh well, we live we learn.

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