Marvel Bronze Age Key Issues on the Rise
Marvel Movie Dominance Leads to Rising Bronze Age ValuesComic book history is split up into four principal periods: Golden Age, SilverAge, Bronze Age, and Modern. The Golden Age encompasses the early days from the late 30s until 1950. In the 50s and 60s, the Silver Age came and saw the birth of many of the superheroes and incarnations of superheroes we know and love today. The Silver Age saw the rise of Marvel Comics and the birth of iconic characters like Spider-Man, Hulk, The Fantastic Four, and the X-Men. TheBronze Age saw these iconic series expanded, with many beloved characters introduced. It’s hard to picture X-Men comics without Wolverine, but he made his first appearance in Incredible Hulk #181 in November 1974.
For those unfamiliar, key issues, or keys, are comic issues that feature the introduction of a popular character, concept, or story. For example, SecretWars #8 released in 1984 introduced the origin for Spider- Man’s black symbiote suit, which would later go on to bond with Eddie Brock to create the villain/anti-hero Venom.
It’s easy to see how keys involving iconic characters like Wolverine or Venom have held their value, but more and more previously overlooked issues from the Bonze Age are gaining popularity as the characters they feature become more popular. For example, Marvel Preview #7 features the first appearance of RocketRaccoon and has become increasingly popular in recent years. In the not-so-distant past, Rocket was an obscure talking raccoon that only die-hard fans knew of, much less cared about. Now, with the popularity of the Guardians of the Galaxy films and a key role in the recent Avengers films, Rocket’s popularity as a character has skyrocketed. As a result, the previously non-existent demand for his early appearances has adjusted accordingly as a market that didn’t previously exist has formed. This isn’t an isolated incident. Marvel Studios is on an unprecedented hot streak at the box office, turning B-list heroes like Iron Man into cultural icons, minor characters like Falcon into household names, and creating an emotional connection with audiences for obscure characters like Rocket and Groot that would have seemed unfathomable ten years ago.
When Avengers: End Game hits theaters later this year, it will mark 22 movies in the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe). Every single one of these movies has been a home run financially and a hit with fans and critics. Thor: The Dark World has the lowest Rotten Tomatoes Rating at 66%, and no MCU movie has ever been rated “rotten”. In short, don’t bet against Marvell. Now that Disney is getting the rights to Marvel properties previously owned by Fox, including the Fantastic Four and X-Men, the behemoth will keep on rolling. Look for more and more obscure or minor characters to see their popularity rise as the MCU juggernaut turns out more hits.
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