Collector Keys Corner — Collectible Comics To Look Out For This Week

Welcome back to Collector Keys Corner! As I previously stated, there are basically two kinds of people buying comics. Those who read them, and those who collect them. There is quite a bit of overlap between the two groups, but comics consumers generally lean hard one way or the other. This column is aimed at the collectors, highlighting this week’s comics keys.

Ultimate Wolverine #8

Wolverine vs. Ultimate Angel! The Opposition infiltrates a facility holding a group of high-powered mutants! And Winter Soldier’s handler has a sinister plot to destroy the Opposition once and for all…

This issue sees the introduction of Angel in the Ultimate Universe. First appearances are desirable in the collectible sphere. Earth-6160 versions are radically altered versions of their Earth-1610 counterparts, so this counts.

The A cover on this one is solid, although I don’t love the sidehead presentation of the title and logo. That banner covers a good quarter of the cover art. A virgin version of this same cover art would be really striking, but none is offered.

Ultimate Wolverine #8 1:25 Ryan Brown Variant

Ryan Brown does a bang-up job on the 1:25 incentive cover. As I’ve stated before, incentive covers usually get marked up 2-3x the cover price because shops have to order a pre-set number of open-order covers (twenty-five in this case) to get a single incentive cover. Sometimes, they’re worth the extra cost. This is one of those times.

Veins popping and blades gleaming, this is Wolverine. Want.

The Amazing Spider-Man #9

Spider-Man’s shocking defeat! Battered and broken following his battle with Hellgate, Spider-Man needs to level up if he’s going to survive the next round. Peter Parker is a different man following Hellgate’s revelation. But Mary Jane Watson has a revelation of her own to share! And the first foes to put Spidey’s strength to the test are Shocker and his new allies, The Aftershocks!

This issue features the first team appearance of the Aftershocks, allies of the Shocker. 

I am not digging this main cover, but at all. The anatomy is weird. I get it, sort of. Spidey was apparently supposed to be slammed through the concrete, but what is that body positioning? Speaking of the concrete itself, what concrete breaks like that? How is there a chunk left between his elbow and head? Wouldn’t that piece have been obliterated on the impact?And are those brown bits peeking out of his torn suit? Am I looking at an ass cheek? I just don’t get it. 

On the plus side, there are lots of spots for clean autos if you pick this one up to get signed and slabbed. 

The Amazing Spider-Man #9 1:25 Emanuela Lupacchino Variant

Now THIS is a Spider-Man cover. Mid-swing, lit by the neon lights of Queens, pursued by Black Cat. Another incentive cover that is heads and tails more desirable than the main cover, in every way possible.

Wolverine by Chris Claremont #1

Wolverine’s archnemesis strikes in one of the rarest X-Men tales of all by legendary writer Chris Claremont! Previously only available in a limited-edition package, this story sees the savage Sabretooth catching his prey by surprise — and determined to claim the life of Mariko, the woman Logan loves! Wolverine may be the best there is, but Victor Creed is the worst! Yet even if Sabretooth can get the upper hand on his bitter rival, Logan has one thing he doesn’t: friends! Get ready for one of the bloodiest fights you’ve ever seen the X-Men in, in which Creed shares some shocking insights with Marvel’s mutants! Plus: bonus materials celebrating Chris Claremont’s fifty-plus years in comics!

I’m on the fence on this one. It’s another reprint, but it’s Chris Claremont, and this story has never been presented in this form. This is the Marvel Paragon Collection: Chris Claremont Wolverine, reprinted as open-order floppies. It really could go either way. At the very least, you’d have your own copies of what many consider the gold standard for Wolverine. 

Cheetah and Cheshire Rob the Justice League #1

Superstar creators Greg Rucka and Nicola Scott team up for the heist of a lifetime!

A daring heist aboard the most secure facility in the DCU! Cheetah and Cheshire assemble a team of misfits and oddballs to pull off the impossible — robbing the Justice League Watchtower… and getting away with it. All that stands between them and pulling off the most daring heist in history are a few tiny complications, such as the most sophisticated orbital platform ever constructed, its AI-driven security system, and one other thing… the smartest and most powerful heroes in the DCU.

The title says everything about the plot of this mini. It has Eisner Award winners Greg Rucka and Nicola Scott on the creative team, which usually bodes well. Nothing terribly groundbreaking here, except a clean cover on a number one from respected creators.

From the World of Minor Threats: Archie vs. Minor Threats #1

Not a hoax! Not a dream! The fun-loving teens of Riverdale collide with the crooked super-criminals of Twilight City in the most bombastic crossover of the year! It’s your favorite high schoolers forced to fight your favorite costumed villains in a story that will have lasting ramifications on all involved!

Archie, Betty, Veronica, Jughead and friends are on on their way to a field trip to Twilight City when the magical meddling of Sabrina the Teenage Witch lands them in the seedy underbelly of Redport, the most villainous part of town controlled by Frankie Follis AKA Playtime and her gang of Minor Threats. Archie and the others suddenly find themselves drafted into both sides of the war Playtime is waging against magic users in her turf. One thing is for sure… blood and milkshakes will be spilled!

The newness of Patton Oswalt in the comics sphere has worn off just a little bit, but he has shown his chops and deep respect for the art form. Solid creative team, celebrity writer, and the most marketable characters from the Archie Universe give this issue the rub. Probably not a million dollar acquisition, but a pretty decent pull if you can get Oswalt’s auto and get it graded and slabbed.