Amazing Spider-Man #18

Marvel - Nov. 1964

Key Issue Notes
First appearance of Ned Leeds

Up next on the leaked cast list from the Spider-Man: Homecoming movie, is the first appearance of Ned Leeds in The Amazing Spider-Man #18. 

Ned plays a pretty important role in the world of Spider-Man, as he would eventually become one of the characters to suit up as the super villain Hobgoblin. That doesn't come until much later, so I'll get more into that in my next post.

For now, we'll stick to who Ned Leeds is as he pertains to this issue and his other early appearances. In these early issues, he started out as a rival love interest of Betty Brant, who is also the love interest of Peter Parker.

In this issue, Peter is caring for is very ill Aunt May. He is being called a coward by everyone, especially J. Jonah Jameson, because he is avoiding confrontations with all of the villains in the city because he doesn't want to leave his ailing aunt all alone if something were to happen to him. During this time, Peter is also avoiding Betty and she becomes upset with him. Then she meets Ned and the awkwardness begins.

Betty Brant and Ned Leeds

Ned Leeds is a journalist at the Daily Bugle, the same newspaper that Betty works at. After the breakup between Betty and Peter, Ned comes into the picture and takes Peters place as Betty's boyfriend. As time went on, he eventually proposes to her and they get married.

CGC notes this as the first appearance of Ned Leeds, however it should probably only be considered a first brief or first cameo appearance, since he only shows up in two panels of this issue. We'll have to see whether this changes in the future. He isn't even named until the next issue in ASM #19, when he is finally introduced to Peter.

This issue also has the third appearance of Sandman. I have yet to write about him, but I will get around to it eventually. All I ask is for a little patience. So many key issues and so little time.

And speaking of CGC, lets take a look at some census numbers. To date, there are 1,163 copies listed on the census. Most of these copies are solid mid to high grade 6.5F+ to 8.0VF. There are quite a few high grade copies as well. There are 175 copies between 9.0 VF/NM to the highest grade 9.8 NM/M, which is only three copies.

Values for Amazing Spider-Man #18
on GoCollect

There hasn't been anything drastic in way of sales skyrocketing recently. I couldn't find any information for 9.8 NM/M copies, but there are a few sales for 9.6 NM+. The latest CGC sale on eBay, which was in July of 2015, ended up selling for $4,529.43. That is only up from $4,200 in 2013, which is still a good chunk of change. There was also a sale on ComicLink that recently sold for slightly more than that at $4,636. Now, that is a lot of money for a high grade copy, but if you're looking for something that is a little more affordable (depending on what your definition of affordable is) you only have to go down a few grades to a 7.0 F/VF copy. You can probably still snag a copy at this grade for under $300, or if you're really lucky, under $200 like some lucky guy did on Aug 10 of this year. If your idea of affordable is a little higher or lower than that, then you can either go a few grades up or down, depending on what you can afford.

There is a nice 9.0 VF/NM copy available here for less that recent copies have been selling for. If you're interested in a high grade copy, you might want to think about this one, while it lasts anyway.

Marvel could have some interesting things in store for their cinematic universe by adding this character into the movies. Are they setting up something big like having our favorite webslinger go up against Hobgoblin in the future? Or is he just going to throw a wrench into Peter Parker's love life like he does in this issue? Only time will tell.

Find a copy here
eBay - ComicLink - MyComicShop - ComicConnect

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
eBay - ComicLink - MyComicShop - ComicConnect