In this week’s Comic Sunday Speculation (4th in the series), I am going to talk about Batman Beyond. Specifically, the discussion will be on Inque, one of the Batman Beyond’s most well liked villain.

This week, we got another movie rumor about Batman Beyond. This is not the first time nor will it be the last. However, an IP like Batman Beyond is a matter of when, not if. In fact, the longer the rumor drags on, the more time you have to accumulate the right books.

Every experienced comic speculator or investor will know Inque’s first appearance in Batman Beyond Vol 1, #6. Her first appearance is similar to Batman Beyond’s first appearance is in Batman Beyond Vol 1, #1.

However, there is another Batman Beyond first appearance that is seeing some heat, which is Superman/Batman Annual #4. This book is considered Batman Beyond first appearance into DC continuity.

So the speculation this week is this: what is the Superman/Batman Annual #4 equivalent for Inque?

The answer, surprisingly, is not so straight forward. This is because it is still unclear why Superman/Batman Annual #4 is considered Batman Beyond’s first appearance into DC continuity.

• The whole story takes places in DCAU (DC animated universe). There are no characters from Prime Earth or any crossover of any sorts.
• The only reason I can think of is that the story is published in a book that is part of DC continuity.

As a result of the ambiguity of the above, we cannot use the same criteria for Inque.

After much thought, the clearest way is to first determine the time period when Batman Beyond is considered to be part of DC continuity. It is logical to infer that any Inque appearances after that date can be considered Inque’s first appearance into DC continuity.

Superman/Batman Annual #4 is published on August 2010. There are two series published after this date that we can consider. The first is Hush Beyond (Batman Beyond vol 3) or Batman Beyond Vol 4.

The Hush Beyond series is the first to be published but Inque only has a mention in Batman Beyond Vol 3, #1. I would consider that a very weak appearance.

In Batman Beyond Vol 4, Inque appeared in the #8 issue of that series, which is published on October 2011.

 

The actual story of this issue actually took place in DCAU so it is not really part of DC Continuity.

However, In this issue, Batman Beyond is already consider to be part of DC continuity. Hence, it is not logical to assume that one character who is part of DC continuity is fighting another character who is not.

It is either Batman Beyond and Inque are both part of DC continuity at this point in time or they are not.

Leaving this confusion aside, this book has 3 other good things going for it.

1. Low print run: Like all Batman Beyond issues, this one is just above 20k, which can be considered low in the modern era.

2. Strong cover: We have Inque appearing on the cover and being the main focus. I think that will attract collectors’ interest.

3. Origin: The final, and the most important, strength of this issue is that it also contains Inque’s origin. I think that in itself has value, if the collecting community does not agree that this is Inque first appearance in DC continuity.

Alternatives

Since this is a comic book speculation post, I also consider other alternatives to the above book as Inque first appearance in DC Continuity.

This other alternative is Batman Beyond Vol 5 series, which is the current ongoing series. If we consider this series to be part of DC continuity, Inque first appear here in issue #2.

 

Like Batman Beyond Vol 4, #8, this issue has a strong Inque cover as well. However, it has a higher print run and also take place quite a few years after Superman/Batman Annual #4. That long time gap might deter collectors from seeing this as Inque’s first appearance in DC continuity.

What is the return potential?

All these is not saying these issues are more important than Batman Beyond Vol 1, #6. That book will always be the most important Inque book. However, it is not a cheap book to speculate. In the event that the speculation does not pan out, more of your money will be stuck.

However, if Inque takes off and her first appearance becomes a $200 book, then Inque’s first appearance in DC Continuity might see strong interest, like how Superman/Batman Annual #4 is doing right now.

The only difference you are only spending a couple of bucks to enjoy the same kind of percentage returns.

• Batman Beyond Vol 1 #6: From $50 to $200 is 400% returns
• Batman Beyond Vol 4 #8: From $3 to $30* is 1000% returns

*Note: I derived $30 from the ratio of Superman/Batman Annual #4 to Batman Beyond Vol 1 #1, which is $50:$350 or 1:7

Conclusion

Part of being a good speculator is applying patterns to similar books. The pattern is to look for when hot characters from DCAU make their first appearance in DC continuity. It has happened to Harley Quinn, to Batman Beyond and in this case, I am applying to Inque as well.

Of course, Inque might not take off and all this is for nothing. That is why we called it speculation lol.