Welcome back to Hammer Drops, where today we’re looking the relationship between “Other Media Hype” and “Comic Issue Value” from the inside of the curve! Particularly, we’re turning our eyes to the early issues of the original Young Avengers series and how the news of Kate Bishop’s imminent Marvel Cinematic Universe debut have altered their value.
The Lot
We’re actually looking at six different lots from October into December. The common denominator in all of them is Young Avengers #1, the 1st appearance of Kate Bishop, and many of them contain #4, wherein she joined the team under the unofficial moniker “Hawkingbird”.
They are as follows:
- October 10, 2020, Lot 42 for $80
- October 10, 2020, Lot 361 for $130
- October 28, 2020, lot 82 for $75
- November 11, 2020, Lot 173 for $140
- November 18, 2020, Lot 125 for $180
- December 5, 2020, Lot 300 for $220
- December 12, 2020, Lot 266 for $230
- December 16, 2020, lot 2 for $170
Kate Bishop was announced for the Hawkeye series when it was announced on November 12, 2019. Set photos confirmed actress/musician Hailee Steinfeld for the role on December 2nd, 2020. Note that is where the most dramatic price jump happens.
The Teachable Moment: The Comic Book Stock Market
So what does that graph tell us? Well, first we have to acknowledge that none of those lots were just Kate Bishop keys – they were all Young Avengers groups with key issues also tied to other characters. In fancy science talk, there are other variables in play.
However, you will note a pretty clear uptick right after the debut of the set photos. Which, unfortunately, also coincides with this particular collection running out of Young Avengers key issues for the moment and the lack of new data. If old patterns hold, we expect that the going rate for these issues to remain in that $140-180 range with new peaks being hit at various milestones during the production of the Hawkeye series – next when a trailer is released, again when it debuts, and probably at least one more time when she makes the leap from the small screen to the big. Those will be the time to sell your copy, if you have one, for the greatest ROI. They are probably not the best time to buying if you’re looking at this as an investment – if you’re collecting it for the joy of doing so, you’re always golden.
There’s always a chance that Hawkeye becomes the first Marvel Studios (note: a separate team from Marvel Television, who made Inhumans and The Defenders) production to be reviled, and the wider public will stop caring about Kate Bishop almost as soon as they’ve met her, but that would represent a major happening. More likely, Young Avengers #1 and #4 will retain some serious value over what they had two years ago.
This field is rife with uncertainty and pitfalls, and it can be a job in itself to stay on top of things – had we known that Hailee Steinfeld was to debut in costume as Kate Bishop when she did, we probably would have parted out those lots a little differently. Because that’s our job, and if you don’t want it to be your job, give us a call to talk about selling your collection through us. If you don’t mind doing the work, keep reading Hammer Drops to reap the benefits of a few lifetimes’ worth of tips and tricks.
