🏅#5 on the Hot 10
THIS WEEK’S RECORD-BREAKING SALES [Previous High In Brackets]
9.6 sold for $4,500 [$3,500 in Feb] +29%
8.5 sold for $2,225 [$2,050 in Feb] +9%
Transactions from this week that sold for higher than the previous twelve-month average:
9.8 sold for $6,500 vs the average $5,415 (+20%)
9.4 sold for $2,900 vs the average $2,322 (+25%)
LIMITED EDITION 9.6 sold for $500 vs the average $362 (+38%)
Last week’s Invincible assessment will be reused for its sixth qualifying week out of 17 on the list
While issue #1 is the most impressive to discuss when it comes to dollar amounts, it is certainly not the only valuable book in the series
The following is the average amount paid for UNGRADED copies in NM/NM- condition:
#1: $2,000
#2: $550
#3: $250
#4: $240
#5: $300
#6: $275
#7: $250
#8: $230
#9: $250
#10: $150
#11: $400
#12: $250
The combined total of these issues, ungraded and in Near Mint/Near Mint- condition, is $5,345
The complete run of 144 issues of Invincible sold in January for $10,000, with most issues described as being in Near Mint condition
When originally published, the series suffered from unreliable on-sale dates
Two months passed between the release of issue #3 and issues #4 and #5
Four months passed after issue #5 before collectors were able to secure issue #6, then another two months for issue #7
These kinds of delays, especially at the beginning of a series, have a tendency to tank orders because it is hard to build traction from monthly momentum
A total of 144 issues of Invincible were published over 181 months, an average of about 1.25 months per issue
Writer Robert Kirkman simultaneously wrote the hugely popular series The Walking Dead, which ran for 193 issues between October 2003 and July 2019
Initial orders were relatively light for a #1, even for Image Comics, with approximately 10,800 copies of issue #1 and 8,500 of issue #2
When delays began to affect the book after issue #5, sales struggled to exceed 6,500, with some issues estimated around 5,500 copies
Eventually, the title gained a groundswell of interest, and by the midpoint at issue #70, an estimated 15,000 copies were being distributed to comic shops—an encouraging sign for a non-DC/Marvel title steadily building readership
Issue #144 sold approximately 17,000 copies, a notable increase from issue #1’s initial 10,800
On the other hand, the secondary market has been a boon for sellers of the series, not only for the first twelve issues but also for many other key and non-key issues
Another notable issue #19, featuring the first appearance of Battle Beast, which sells for around $500 ungraded
Issue #51, which introduced the alternate blue suit with cover art by Jim Lee, typically fetches between $80 and $150
And don’t even get me started on the three-and-four figure sales of the second printings
Trade paperbacks and collected editions are where Image/Skybound saw significant profits, with reports in 2021, following the first season of Invincible indicating roughly half a million units sold
More recent sales reports suggest sustained market demand for all things Invincible, with Team-Up variant covers across Image titles driving approximately 500,000 individual issue sales
Invincible Compendium volumes and trades frequently appear on top 10 best-selling graphic novel lists, as reported by ICv2
There remains significant potential for Image to further capitalize on the growing success of its shared universe
Battle Beast #1 had nearly 500,000 copies ordered for its debut last year and continues to post strong sales
With the Invincible looking ahead to a fourth and fifth season, along with the possibility of a live-action film, fans and collectors have plenty to look forward to from Kirkman and his team
