Posted in: Boom, Comics, Speculator Corner | Tagged: angel, boom, buffy, Comics, hellmouth

Speculator Corner: The Hellmouth #1 Cover You May Be Foiled From Getting

Last week we told you that Hellmouth, the first Buffy and Angel comic book event, was on track to be one of the hot comic book events of the year – much like Boom Studios' first Power Rangers comic book crossover Shattered Grid last year, which itself sold 800 copies in 15 minutes at one comic shop.

And there's one cover for Hellmouth #1 that you're going to have a hard time finding (but more on that in a moment).

So while we get some real Absolute Carnage vibes from the series because of the frenemies at the center of Hellmouth (Peter & Eddie and Buffy & Angel respectively) and the nostalgia for huge 90s properties, this Boom! event also having a similar effect on some of the back issues of Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Angel, both of which the company rebooted this year. And you can't say we didn't warn you.

Just look at Buffy The Vampire Slayer #1, a first printing that tripled the orders of Dark Horse's last launch with the license and still sells for $10 on the secondary market. But that second print is even hotter, selling for $14.

Angel #1 is a $13 book on eBay right now and that is a bit misleading – the series launched with issue #0, so this means the second issue of the launch is already trending upwards with speculators.

And even Angel #2 is selling for at least $10, with multiple completed sales at that price.

But if you're looking to get a jump, I'd look at the Jae Lee variant cover to Angel #5, which I'm told is being discussed in speculator circles as easily the rarest variant cover Boom Studios has printed in 2019 – short of the Joss Whedon signed copies of Buffy #1, which were limited to a mere handful in existence.

So, what does that mean for Hellmouth #1 and the cover everyone's going to be chasing?

Well, it means that these reboots of Buffy and Angel already have heat – but no one's quite sure which of the covers on Hellmouth #1 are going to be the rarest.

The Power Rangers comparison I made earlier is especially important – because much like the recent Necessary Evil event, Hellmouth also features a special foil cover.

Just look at how those Power Rangers foil covers are selling on eBay. The White Ranger on #40, Red Ranger on #41, and Pink Ranger on #42 are all going for $10 each.

A big reason for those prices is that these foil covers get more easily damaged in shipping than other comics – and even more than a standard foil "stamp" cover, because in this case, the entire cover is foil. I understand Boom is working to fix the damage rate with Diamond, but it means finding a high-grade copy of this Hellmouth #1 foil variant is going to be difficult unless you roll the dice by ordering multiple copies.

And while Hellmouth #1 is in stores October 9th, this foil variant isn't in stores till October 30th (fittingly on Mischief Night) – so many customers will have moved on to newer releases, meaning the issue will be under-ordered. Which in turn means even less undamaged copies in circulation for a cover that is only unlocked for ordering if a shop orders at least 15 copies of the other covers.

And speaking of unlockable variants, you also shouldn't sleep on the 1:25 cover by Jenny Frison – she's been one of the hottest cover artists in comics, but her recent success at Bom with Something is Killing The Children has that open to order cover (IE: there was no ratio!) selling for $17.99 just a week after its release. The limited edition set of her covers sells for $70..if you can even find it.

That, along with Angel celebrating a highly publicized 20th anniversary in October at NYCC, means even more attention on the first ever Buffy & Angel event. And an event that, if it's like Boom!'s Power Rangers event will sell out before it even hits comic shops, launches just days after NYCC.

Hellmouth #1 is on-sale Wednesday, October 9th in comic shops. Hitting FOC this weekend. Your call.

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