Best $1000 Comics To Buy Right Now
Before we begin, I need to lay down the ground rules. If you are an emotional mess and cannot stand anyone else’s opinion, please go elsewhere right now. You are not welcome here. At all. This here is MY blog, you don’t like it, fine, you’re entitled, but what you’re not entitled to is bringing in any negativity. An opinion is an opinion. A thought is a thought. Speculation is speculation. All of this, since 2005, all comes from a fun place and for the love of comic collecting. There are simply too many negative people in this world and we need to just stop. Breathe and enjoy things.
Furthermore, some of these comics are at, below, or maybe higher than $1000. The pricing is based on the last sold eBay prices on a particular grade. Whether it’s an 8.0 or a 9.8. The best $1000 book to buy will be within that range.
With the Modern Comic book market completely out of control, one should truly focus on the books of yesteryear. InvestComics has said this since our inception back in 2005. Not the Modern comic marketplace part, because that didn’t really exist until a few years ago when most everyone became an expert speculator but buying in on the nuggets waiting to explode. We created this market, we’re proud to say it because it’s true. Everything from Iron Man #55, a buy at $100, Werewolf By Night #32 at $100 to Guardians of the Galaxy, Marvel Cosmic Universe, Walking Dead, Miles Morales, to as recent as Strange Academy. We have a pulse on it. All of those InvestComics Hot Picks were born out of speculation expertise, inspiration from Wizard magazine, and not a movie announcement. But, with that said, the movies, television, and animation announcements are what are driving most of the market, if not all, these days. We’re privy to that. Some of the comics, most, mentioned here are comics on the cusp of breaking out because of an impending announcement that will come, we think, or maybe never come. That’s the investment market. Guessing ahead, being right, being wrong. Things go up, they come down. And vice-versa. If you pluck down $600+ on a pretty variant cover and the price tanks in a month or two, well that’s not using a common-sense investment approach. We’ve said for over 17 years now, the guts of the comic will always win over a cover. Yes, there are exceptions to this rule. We all know the Jock Batman cover, etc, but for the most part, 95% of the time, the inside of the comic will win, not that dope variant cover.
So, we are going to try, on a regular basis, to present the more upscale books to look for within a specific price range. This article will be brief but will present some of the $1000 (or a little less) comics a collector can grab to make a nice return on. At least, that’s what we speculate. MANY, if not ALL of these comics have been featured on InvestComics throughout the years and have already paid out major dividends, but here they are now on a different pay scale with more upside. The majority (if not all) will be geared towards the cinematic side of collecting. Each comic spoken about will derive from the most popular space in the speculation market today, movies.
Special thanks to Rafael for this idea to put forth. And a special long overdue shout-out to @joeygent_sr on Instagram. This man sent us one of the first notes received in January 2022 thanking us for the continued content we provide. We thank YOU sir for the kind words and look forward to putting that smile on your face every week. We thank each and every one of our fans for sticking with us for all of these years, it’s why we do what we do. You guys/gals.
Best $1000 Comics
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Amazing Spider-Man #194 (1979) – This comic first arrived on the scene back in 1979. With legendary creators Marv Wolfman and Keith Pollard onboard. The first appearance of Black Cat. Again, let us reiterate, we recommended most of these comics you’ll see here many years ago, but are now on a different asking price scale. Many fans have already bought this particular comic when we suggested at a few hundred or as low as $150. Now a CGC 9.4 recently sold for under $950. So, why is this comic breaking into this list? There are a few reasons. First and foremost, it is no secret that the Disney franchise has turned its attention to the strong female character within the Marvel universe. Disney has still not answered the Catwoman or Batwoman bell from DC. Their flagship character has already gotten two of their stronger female characters on screen quite a few times for the Bat, but have yet to appear for the spider? It’s going to happen. We think anyway. Yes, it could be that Jackpot character and not the Blackcat, but that would be a misstep and Disney isn’t in the business of missteps. If they are to get Peter Parker entangled in more of a lover’s quarrel, yes Mary Jane and Peter will find each other again, but the divider could be, the Black Cat and not Gwen this time. Maybe it’ll be both? Maybe it’ll just be the Black Cat making her appearance without presenting relationship issues, but Disney wants more female fannies in the seats watching this stuff, so we’ll go with the trio problemo for Peter. It makes for lots of romance issues, comedy, and most of all, the female presence Disney so much pines for. Yes, the first Black Cat is definitely a buy for us. Always has been and is now more than ever.
Sub-Mariner #1 (1968) – InvestComics touched on this comic many years ago regarding the possible breakout of a character stuck in its own way. Comic fans haven’t really given Prince Namor the love since the 80’s when John Byrne was steering the ship. That’s the last time Prince Namor really was hitting on all cylinders for Marvel. Artist Jae Lee brought in some hot art stuff in the 90’s for the character, but zero substance. Remember what we said about pretty covers? Yes, apply that here. Great Lee covers, but the story was lacking and thus the character faltered because of it. But it was John Byrne who made the Sub-Mariner character relevant again. Think Simonson Thor, Miller Batman, McFarlane Spider-Man, Adams Green Lantern, etc. That’s what Byrne was to Sub-Mariner. A gamechanger creator, the absolute right fit, esthetically and literary. Before him, the character was in the doldrums of obscurity. Like the aforementioned creators with their character “fits”.
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The breakout we touched on was related to a possible Marvel film when Disney bought out Marvel. We thought at the time how the Disney company loved the “water adventures” in their films. Whether it was animation or live-action. We imagined that Namor would be right in their wheelhouse. It never came to fruition, but never say never. We think it’s closer now than it’s ever been. The first mention of Namor came in Avengers Endgame a few years ago. Disney is poised to have a mega-hit superhero water movie. They’ve visited the cosmos (as we predicted 10 years before it was ever announced. We gave our speculators everything from Thanos, GOTG, to Warlock) and now it’s coming time to go into the depths of the sea. In a recent sale, a CGC 8.0, Sub-Mariner #1 (1968), sold for $990. A savvy collector can probably find a raw copy, a possible 8.5 for less. Along with this gem are two others in the $1000 range within the Namor realm. Sub-Mariner #5 (1968). The first appearance of Tiger Shark. A CGC 9.0 recently sold for $600. Sub-Mariner #19. The first appearance of Sting-Ray. A CGC 9.4 recently sold for less than $795 – Best offer accepted. Both of these villains are extremely corny but so is anything pertaining to the second Suicide Squad film, and money was made there. So, there is room for a cash-out here with Tiger Shark and Sting-Ray. Maybe Disney will go a bit towards the comedic route to make one or both of these villains work? DC/WB proved a water hero can work. The CGI is there and it’s feasible to make Aquaman not a joke. Disney will get on this when the time is right, but collectors can get in on the ground floor now and invest.
X-Men #10 (1965) – This 1965 nugget is well known for its first appearance of Ka-Zar. Written by Stan Lee and drawn by Jack Kirby. Ever heard of those two? Once again we’re going to talk Disney. And once again, it’s no secret the X-Men are coming back into the mix (new studio). They’ve escaped the bore-fest at Fox studios and will now get the Disney treatment. So what does Ka-Zar have to do with this? Well, once the X-Men arrive to the Marvel Universe, they bring with them a huge array of possible storylines to follow them. One thing we are thinking they’ll visit is the Savage Land. A hidden prehistoric area in Antarctica. And who lives there? Well, glad you asked. A bunch of prehistoric animals, Devil Dinosaur, Moon-Boy, Shanna The She-Devil, and yes, Ka-Zar. So, now we have prehistoric animals for a Disney film, check, Dinosaurs for Disney, check, a strong female lead character for Disney, check, a child character for Disney, check, and a Tarzan character for Disney, check. There is everything set in place for a spectacular jungle-like epic film here. Think a Wakanda world, but not. The Savage Land is an entire Universe waiting at the doorstep at Disney. The potential here is off the charts. All of this AND an early appearance of the X-Men.
Green Lantern #59 (1968) & Green Lantern #87 (1972) – Ryan Reynolds tried, he really did. If you utter these words to any comic fan or even a high society movie-goer, they’ll immediately know you’re speaking about the dismal Green Lantern film. It was a box-office flop. When will (AT&T) ever revisit the Green Lantern Corps? Maybe they will eventually, maybe they won’t, but what we do know is there IS a lull happening and you should jump on some first appearances. Guy Gardner first appeared in the 1968 book drawn by legend Gil Kane and written by John Broome. A CGC 8.0 sold recently for $1000. A bargain for a very well-liked Lantern character.
Jumping to our next book we want to point out that while this article was being put through its dress-up phase, the comic industry lost a giant; Neal Adams. We actually held a 4 part interview with Mr. Adams back in 2012 and want to share some of it below. It’s definitely not the best video quality, but InvestComics was changing the landscape. We created the entire genre. It was Wizard magazine, then us. Mr. Rick Osmon was the host for all four parts with the most in-depth interview you will find on the internet with the legend Neal Adams.
So, with that said, we already had Green Lantern #87 (1972) on the docket. We’ve always loved this book. Marvel was the first to introduce an African American superhero, Black Panther in 1966. DC Comics introduced their first African American superhero in 1971, John Stewart, a.k.a., Green Lantern. Neal Adams and Dennis O’Neil were the driving force (creators) in bringing this character to life.
Diversity is definitely playing a huge role in filmmaking these days. If a new Green Lantern is ever revisited or even introduced in the DC Universe as a role player, John Stewart could be their man. OR maybe it’s not John and it’s Guy Gardner? Yes, Hal Jordan is the main Lantern, we get it, but maybe a be change will happen and the filmmakers want to go with one of these guys instead? Anything is possible, but for a $1000, a sweet pick up indeed.
Click on all RED-HIGHLIGHTED text OR comic images to buy or bid on your comic of interest.
Click on all RED-HIGHLIGHTED text OR comic images to buy or bid on your comic of interest.
Here is an honorable mention 9.8 graded pick……..
Thor #337 (1983) – A comic from 1983? Yes. We’ve covered this comic countless times over our 17 years in existence. Back when it was a $10 comic. It recently last sold for a Best Offer Accepted under $1000. A CGC 9.8. With the new Thor film right around the corner and most speculators predicting incorrectly that Beta Ray Bill would show up in the previous Thor films, will this one be it? Let’s say it’s not, which we firmly believe will not happen. There are two things to consider with the Thor franchise. One, how much longer will Chris Hemsworth keep signing up for this character? Eventually, these actors want to move on a explore other roles. Or they are written out, thus giving them no choice. Second, will the A-list actress, Natalie Portman sign on for more Jane Thor parts, or is this a one and done? Both of these factors have to be thought about here in order for this comic to make any sense. So, let us assume Hemsworth and Portman are out after Love and Thunder. What now? Valkyrie? Nope. Cannot hold her own film, won’t happen. The next obvious way to go here has to be the biggest thing to ever occur in a Thor comic in history, Beta Ray Bill. Comic creator Walt Simonson changed the Thor character and its universe forever with Thor #337. There is not a Thor comic that comes closer. Not one. We’re talking from Thor #126 (1st solo Thor in title). Thor #126 is Thor #1. A significant book yes, but Thor #337 is the ultimate in the entire Thor run. We think Beta Ray Bill is up next and will be on the new Avengers team when all is said and done. Bringing Beta Ray Bill on board opens up an entire untouched new Thor Universe. Thor #337 still has upside, even though we were telling y’all to buy this comic when it was $10. Now we’re saying that at less than $1000, it’s a buy.
Thanks for checking out this article. We’ll see you soon, as time permits. Maybe we’ll hit you with another $1000 post? Or maybe we’ll climb up a bit to the $5000 books. Until then, below are the rest of the videos with Neal Adams from 2012. A true icon that will be missed.
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