Aquaman first appearance key issues
With an Aquaman movie on the horizontal, I have begin hoarding some of the undervalued Aquaman issues. Given the readership of this blog, I now need to buy those first before putting them here. Somehow, if I do the reverse, all the stuff I want tend to be bought up 🙁
Aquaman is a tricky character to invest in. His first appearance is out of reach for most, including me. There is also no silver age appearance as Aquaman has appear consistently from Gold to Silver age, unlike other character who disappeared during the late Gold stage and reappear in the Silver age. Currently, the most accepted silver age Aquaman issue is Showcase #30 but if you still don’t have it by now, it might already be too late. Same for Aquaman #1.
So what is left? Read on to find out.
Aquaman #11: First appearance of Mera
Mera is the equivalent of Medusa for the DC, whom I already stated is undervalued. They are both queens and both are overlooked by investors in favor of their male counterparts. However, if you look at any comic movies, there will always be a female lead and who else to play this role for Aquaman than Mera? Moreover, Aquaman #11 is a pre 1965 comic, which my analysis has shown to experience bigger gains when there is a firm movie announcement. There is also the wonderful first appearance cover.
Overall, this is a solid investment that is sorely undervalued. You can still find a low grade for less than $30. Maybe not so after this article :p
Aquaman #29: First appearance of Ocean Master
Arguably the second most popular Aquaman villain after Black Mantra. Have you seen what Black Mantra’s first app goes for these days? Comparing that with Aquaman #29 and you will see why I think this issue is undervalued. There might be a gap between these 2 characters popularity but I don’t think the gap is as wide as their current prices suggest. The first Aquaman movie might not have Ocean Master but I am confident he will show up soon or later. You can buy this at $30 for a VG- copy.
Aquaman Vol 7 #7 Variant: First appearance of The Others
This is a bit more speculative than the others (pun intended). Lately, I have noticed a trend of DC TV/Movie using characters from the New 52, which makes sense since you want the audience to be able to buy the comics after the movie. Here are 3 examples:
- Komodo in Arrow TV Season 3: His first appearance is in Green Arrow Vol 5 #17
- Black Wally West in Flash Season 1 (rumor): First appearance in Flash 4, #30
- Using Cyborg rather than Manhunter in Justice League, which is identical to the current New 52 team.
Hence, if we extrapolate this trend, this is a possibility of Aquaman movie using The Others. If you think this is possible, get the 1:25 variant, which has only around 2k print copies. The regular cover has around 63k.
Other minor mentions
Beside the above, there are a couple of other books worth mentioning although they might not see big price increases even if the characters do make an appearance in the movie.
Brightest Day #4: First appearance of Black Aqualad – The movie might use a Black Aqualad in the name of diversity. Look at Human Torch (slaps forehead)
Aquaman #33: First appearance of Aquagirl – Tula is the second Aquagirl and I choose her rather than the first because she is part of the current New 52 Aquaman comics. Remember what I said earlier about using New 52 for DC movie/tv? I apply the same logic here.
Aquaman #22: First appearance of Hila (Siren) – Evil twin sister of Mera. Sounds like an interesting plot device.