10 Comics to Buy Now: Hot Books

Author note: I use "books" and "comics" synonymously. 

For those who don't know, "hot books" are simply comics that are trending right now or expected to in the near future. The immense popularity of comic book films has raised the demand of the comics they are based on. For this reason collectors try to snatch up key issues involving characters getting their own films or appearing in new TV shows. Books can surge in popularity for a number of other reasons, could have a controversial cover, popular artist, or major events happening in the story as well. 

Today let's take a look at 10 hot books. 

1. The New Mutants #98 - First Deadpool 

Deadpool is an insanely popular character and this is the Deadpool title to own.  This book has been popular for a while but the price tag for it keeps going up and up.  The merc with a mouth gets his own film this February so you can expect demand for New Mutants #98 to reach new highs soon.  Don’t expect to be able to find a decent copy below $200 unless somebody just doesn’t know what they have.

2. X-Factor # 6 - First Apocalypse

Next Summer X-Men Age of Apocalypse will be in theaters, that makes now the time to buy X-Factor #6. The time to get this book on the cheap has passed but you can get it “cheaper” now then you can next May. A nice non-graded copy will probably run you in excess of $60 bones. High grade CGC copies can fetch near $300.       

3. Fantastic Four #52 - First Black Panther

If you saw Avengers Age of Ultron you may remember Wakanda being mentioned, Wakanda being home to the Black Panther. If you are a fan, you probably recognized Ulysses Klaw (Andy Serkis ) as the Black Panther villain , Klaw. He doesn't quite look like Klaw yet but...SPOILER ALERT...Ultron removing his hand got him on the right track. Anyways the films have already set up Black Panther for an appearance in Captain America 3 and in 2018 he is set to have his own film. This book is already pricey because it's a classic but expect it to rise further. I sold a really beat up copy last year for around $80. I may have my nice copy graded...

4. Batman #386 - First Black Mask

This is a book that looks to gain popularity due to the Fox television show Gotham. It is more common than a lot of the other books on the list so whether or not you can expect the value to stay high only time will tell - I'd sell it while it's hot. I think this is a book that you might be able to find out in the wild for a good price because sellers that don't specialize in comics would probably not know the significance of the book. I know I will be looking for this book when I hit the local flea markets. 

5. Edge of Spider-Verse #2 - First Spider-Gwen

This is the most recent book on my list, it just came out this last November, but all things Spider-Gwen have been hot commodities. This is the most valuable Spider-Gwen book, as it's the first appearance, but Spider-Gwen #1 and all of the variant covers have been really popular. I don't know if I buy that Spider-Gwen is here to stay but it's certainly been the flavor of the month...for a few months now. I'm not going to invest in this book, but if you bought it off the shelf for $4 back in November, good job. If I am putting big money into a Gwen related comic it's going to be ASM 121. If you are investing in this book make sure you buy the first print because they did at least 4 printings. To be honest, I can't believe this book is so popular, high grade CGC have sold for upwards of $150. 

6. The New Teen Titans #2 - First Deathstroke

New Teen Titans used to be dollar bin fodder, most still are, but issue 2 is not one of them. The upcoming Suicide Squad movie starring Will Smith as Deathstroke looks to make Deathstroke a household name and you can expect New Teen Titans #2 to heat up. The Suicide Squad film will also bump the already high stock of Harley Quinn books so snatch up those too. 

7. The Infinity Gauntlet #1

Buy the whole Infinity Gauntlet series if you can but obviously #1 is going to be the highest seller. Marvel has been preparing to portray the Infinity Gauntlet series in film for a long time. We saw Thanos appear in the Avengers stinger and again in Guardians of the Galaxy. We have seen the infinity stones and in the mid credits scene of Age of Ultron we even saw the gauntlet. The Infinity Gauntlet was always a popular storyline but the books used to be pretty cheap, now the set will run you in excess of $50. Also look for Iron Man #55, the first appearances of Drax and Thanos.

8. Marvel Super-Heroes #13 - First Carol Danvers

Marvel is really trying to change the role of women in comics. One of the first changes the made to implement this new strategy was by changing Ms. Marvel to Captain Marvel and giving her a new, less provocative, costume. There really aren't a whole ton of really popular female super heroes in the Marvel Universe, Carol Danvers may be the biggest. On top of the changes in the books Marvel has announced they are making a Captain Marvel movie so expect Carol's stock to just go up. 

9. Fantastic Four #45 - First Inhumans

The Inhumans are not the most popular group of Marvel characters but that isn't preventing them from getting their own full length film. This book has probably been undervalued for awhile but the Inhumans have played a greater role within more recent Marvel storylines and with them getting their own film, don't expect it to stay that way. I almost sold my copy last year and I am so glad I didn't because it has already jumped a lot! High grades are fetching north of $1000, mid grades $400 - $600, even very low grades are getting at least $100. 

10. Amazing Spider-Man #194 - First Black Cat

I can't pinpoint a single specific reason for this books surge in popularity but Black Cat has always been a popular character. This book has come a long way in recent years. I purchased my copy for $10 a few years ago from a local shop. It was a comic shop, so I mean, they knew what it was. It just didn't use to be this valuable, today I could fetch $60 -$80 for the book. I know I passed on buying multiple copies of this book back in the day, kicking myself now. 

Hope you enjoyed the list and happy hunting!