100 Hot Comics #74:
Tales to Astonish 44, 1st Wasp
DOWN 8 PLACES FROM LAST YEAR

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Why Tales to Astonish 44 is a Hot Comic

2020 MARKET UPDATE: SOMETHING'S GOING TO HAVE TO GIVE

It's definitely not the time to invest money in Tales to Astonish 44.

If you have cash in a copy, then it's time to get it out. Do not get into this book now.

2019 MARKET UPDATE: PROFIT TAKING SWATS THE WASP

The Wasp movie has been and gone, and despite the shocking post-credits scene, which tied into the end of Avengers: Infinity War, not much was said about the movie.

I thought it was merely so-so. I didn't find it as funny as the first Ant-Man movie, and unless they roll the Wasp into the MCU's Avengers team (she was a founder member in Avengers #1), I don't see much upside in this book.

I managed to tip a grade which is so scarce that there have been no sales recorded in the past two years!

But other grades of Tales to Astonish 44 are reporting very mixed prices. Mid-grades are doing OK, lower grades are falling as interest turns elsewhere.

The sale of CGC 8.5 for $8,000 is a huge increase year-on-year (probably a lunatic who pulled the trigger on a buy-it-now item) and supports my chosen grade range.

But the 7.5 price of $2,200 was disappointing, and is probably a better reflection of the market for this Silver Age key issue comic.

This book is typically seen in VG-FN.

Recent sales:

• CGC 8.5 $8,000 (!)
  
• CGC 7.5 $2,200
  
• CGC 7.0 $1,500
  
• CGC 6.5 $1,194
  
• CGC 6.0 $1,231
  
• CGC 5.0 $642
• CGC 4.0 $504
• CGC 2.5 $288

2018 MARKET UPDATE: 

Ant-Man and the Wasp is due out soon, just one of the upcoming Marvel movies having an impact on comic book prices.

Wasp is a hot character in both senses of the word. Her inclusion should make this movie the latest in the humorous Marvel movies, and add a love interest which was missing from the first storyline.

There have been no super-high grade copies sold in the past year, but steady increases in most grades. Here are recent sales.

• CGC 8.5 $4,700
  
• CGC 7.5 $2,750
  
• CGC 7.0 $1,675
  
• CGC 6.5 $1,200
  
• CGC 6.0 $800
  
• CGC 5.0 $670
• CGC 4.0 $390
• CGC 2.5 $230

2017 MARKET UPDATE:

The big news is a new record high-grade sale of this book in February 2017. No matter what happens lower down the grade scale, it's always exciting when a book sets a new highest ever sale.

Wasp was a founder member of the Avengers original team. She is far more important than her current status in the Marvel Universe dictates. Sales of Tales to Astonish #44 have started to reflect this, at last.

• CGC 9.6: $26,290
  
• CGC 8.0 $3,100
  
• CGC 7.5 $2,300
  
• CGC 7.0 $1,700
  
• CGC 6.5 $1,200
  
• CGC 6.0 $800
  
• CGC 5.0 $750
• CGC 2.5 $330

It's no surprise that the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies have shaken up the values of some long-undervalued Silver Age key issue comics. This is one of them.

Anybody who watched the Ant-Man movie all the way to the credits will have seen the reason for this book's super-hot status. The Wasp was introduced as a future character in the series in an extra post-credits sequence. This is her first appearance.

A tough book above FN grades, so be patient and pick a good-looking VF- to VF copy.

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