The Best Comic Book Investments for a Secure Retirement
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Comic book collectibles are a volatile investment strategy. Acquiring comics to collect for retirement planning is not something to be done on a whim. You need to know what you are doing. Comic book collectibles don’t gain or maintain their value like traditional financial investments. Collectibles aren’t tracked on financial indexes.
However, some comic books are more likely to keep their high collectible market value than others. Here are five comics to collect for retirement planning.
1. Amazing Fantasy #15 (1962) Marvel
Image courtesy FB/CBPG
Spider-Man has been a valuable IP for decades. The character has been licensed for TV shows and cartoons since the 1960s and 1970s. There have been three actors portraying Spider-Man in live-action films since 2002. 2019’s Spider-Man: No Way Home cost $200 million to make and grossed over $1.9 billion.
To talk about the Spiderverse animated films and Spider-Man variants from Sony will take forever.
Tom Holland’s Spider-Man will be an important factor in the next two Avengers films. And we will have a new Spider-Man actor in the 2030s – it’s inevitable. Of the comics to collect for retirement planning, Amazing Fantasy #15 is a relatively safe bet. Spider-Man is a global brand and is not set to lose popularity anytime soon.
A raw copy of Amazing Fantasy #15, Spider-Man’s 1962 debut, is worth $14,500. Even if you can snag one with a CGC of 4.0 it would only cost $34,700. That is a safe investment for such a reliably popular character.
2. Detective Comics #38 (1940) DC
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James Gunn’s DCU has to make up a lot of goodwill with fans since the relative failure of the DCEU. Soon, there will be a Batman film with another actor cast as Batman (Not Robert Pattison) and a new cinematic version of Robin. The film is tentatively known as The Brave and The Bold.
While fans want the film to succeed, the Batman IP will still exist even if it does not. There will always be a new Batman actor being cast. If Robin becomes a regular thing in DCU cinematic films, Robin could become as popular and culturally significant as he was during the Adam West era.
Detective Comics #38 is the first appearance of Robin. A copy of this comic with a 6.0 CGC rating is worth $18,000. DCU Studios really wants to make Robin as important as Batman is to causal fans, a process that can take years.
3. Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars #1 (1984) Marvel
Image courtesy Allen Francis (My personal copy of SW #1 signed by Jim Shooter)
1984 was over 40 years. That is a long time in comic book years and an important factor to consider for finding comics to collect for retirement planning. Age and time create rarity and value for collectibles.
Unless you live under a rock while simultaneously sticking your fingers in your ear, then you know that RDJ is returning to the MCU as Dr. Doom. The upcoming films Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars are heavily influenced by the 1984 Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars comic series, as well as the 2015 version. Avengers: Secret Wars’ story will focus on MCU characters being transported to “Battleworld,” and fighting for survival.
The original concepts for these films started in 1984’s Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars. There are rumors that the Beyonder, a God-like alien who debuted in the 1984 comic will debut in the film. It is almost a guarantee that Avengers: Secret Wars will become a cultural moment.
A 9.8. CGC copy of Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars has a market value of $225. That is a discount investment that is certain to surge in value in the coming years. The next two Avengers films will become cultural touchstones that secure this comic as a valuable retirement investment.
4. Fantastic Four #52 (1966) Marvel
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Relative to comics to collect for retirement planning, Fantastic Four #52 has steadily maintained its value. You can get a copy of this comic with a 9.2 CGC grade for $9,100. T’challa, King of Wakanda, and the Black Panther debuted in this comic.
Even after the tragic passing of actor Chadwick Boseman, who made Black Panther a household name for casual and non-comic book fans, the character is still wildly popular. A new Black Panther character will be cast later this decade or in the early 2030s. The Black Panther films grossed about $2 billion together – there is no way that Marvel won’t reintroduce this character again in the near future.
This comic is a safe collectible investment that should retain its value. Get it now.
5. Tomb of Dracula #10 (1973) Marvel
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In 2021, a raw, unslabbed, and ungraded copy of Tomb of Dracula #10 was worth over $2,500. You can now get a 9.2 CGC-graded copy of this comic for $2,300. A 9.8 CGC copy is worth $24,000. This comic features the first appearance of Blade.
Technically speaking, 1998’s Blade starring Wesley Snipes was the first proto-MCU film, even if the MCU only came into being in 2008. Blade is wildly popular in the comics, but Snipes helped make the character popular with casual fans.
Actor Mahershala Ali was cast as Blade in 2019, but filming has not started yet. The in-house drama has frustrated fans since then and it seems obvious now that Marvel will recast the role sometime in the future. Fans responded positively to Snipes’s cameo as Blade in Deadpool and Wolverine, which grossed over $1.3 billion.
Marvel will recast Blade later this decade or in the 2030s, but they will not give up on the character. Tomb of Dracula #10 will keep its investment value in your retirement.
Comics to Collect for Retirement Planning
The advice you got in this column should not be taken as gospel. A retirement fund is a post-working lifestyle fund that must be calculated to last you for the rest of your life. Consult a retirement professional about your retirement plans. Then, consult a comic book expert about the best comics to collect for retirement planning that are certain to maintain their value.
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Allen Francis is a full-time writer, prolific comic book investor and author of The Casual’s Guide: Why You Should Get Into Comic Book Investing. Allen holds a BA degree from Marymount Manhattan College. Before becoming a writer Allen was an academic advisor, librarian, and college adjunct for many years. Allen is an advocate of best personal financial practices including saving and investing in your own small business.
