Top of the Stack: Best-Selling Titles by Decade (June 3 to June 16, 2025)
In the latest fortnight (June 3 to June 16, 2025), GPAnalysis tracked $4.58 million in CGC-graded comic sales, drawn from 19,934 individual transactions. The median price nudged slightly higher to $92, marking a modest but meaningful sign of collector confidence — a market not booming, not busting, but briskly trading at its mid-tier core.
No surprise on the most traded title: Amazing Spider-Man (1963) led the way with 1,259 copies moved, totalling half a million in sales. And while Spidey still swings strong, the top-dollar headline belonged to another legend — Fantastic Four (1961) #48 CGC 9.8 (1966), which sold for $56,000, that’s a sale to be reckoned with.
Source: GPAnalysis.com recorded sales, June 3 – June 16, 2025.
Top 5 titles in sales by era
Slab signals: Trends, surprises, and stories to watch
📈 Trends
Silver Age titles led all eras in total sales, driven by strong demand for The Amazing Spider-Man and Fantastic Four.
Bronze Age books continued to gain traction, with key issues like The Incredible Hulk #181 and Giant-Size X-Men #1 leading sales.
Modern era comics maintained steady momentum, especially with high-profile issues like Ultimate Fallout #4 and Spawn #1.
😲 Unexpected movers
Titles outside the superhero mainstream led their decades, including a 1950s horror standout and a 1933 Golden Age one-shot.
Independent modern books like Mark Spears’ Monsters outperformed several mainstream releases.
✅ Expected leaders
The Amazing Spider-Man (1963) was once again the fortnight's most traded and highest-grossing title.
Fantastic Four #48 (1966) achieved the top sale at $56,000, reinforcing its long-standing key status.
Milestone issues and first appearances continued to dominate both volume and dollar value.
👀 Outliers to watch
Bronze Age performance is trending upward and could push additional titles into higher value ranges.
Independent titles from the 2020s consistently trade but remain unpredictable. Strong showings like Mark Spears’ Monsters highlight potential, but staying powerful is still uncertain.
Golden Age pulps and magazines continue to trade consistently, though at lower sales levels, indicating long-term collector interest with room to grow.
Let’s step through the decades
1930s – Famous Funnies edges out the pulps
💰 Total sales: $20,712
The pulp-to-comic transition of the '30s showed strong collector pull, with Famous Funnies: Carnival of Comics taking top honors. Titles like Shadow and Weird Tales also traded hands frequently, reminding us that the earliest days of comics still hold spellbinding sway.
Top 5 titles by sales:
Famous Funnies: Carnival of Comics (1933): $6,650
Popular Detective (1934–1953): $3,840
Weird Tales (1923–1954): $3,641
Shadow (1931–1949): $3,581
Star Ranger (1937–1938): $3,000
Most traded issue:
Famous Funnies: Carnival of Comics #nn (1933)
1940s – Batman leads a Golden surge
💰 Total sales: $137,355
Caped crusaders and classic titles drove solid sales, with Batman (1940) topping the list. Yet it wasn’t just superheroes — eclectic issues like Suzie Comics and Amazing Stories slipped into the most traded ranks.
Top 5 titles by sales:
Batman (1940): $42,927
Adventure Comics (1938–1983): $27,279
Superman (1939–1986): $26,545
Detective Comics (1937): $22,467
All-Star Comics (1940–1978): $18,137
Most traded issue:
Superman (1939-1986) #57 (1949)
1950s – The horror (and sports) of it all
💰 Total sales: $72,518
A dark horse — Black Cat Mystery Comics — stole the spotlight in a decade otherwise dominated by EC horror classics and oddities like True Life Secrets. And yes, Sports Illustrated #1 continues to surprise.
Top 5 titles by sales:
Black Cat Mystery Comics (1951–1963): $20,182
Batman (1940): $16,721
Four Color (1939–1962): $13,919
Detective Comics (1937): $11,295
Vault of Horror (1950–1955): $10,401
Most traded issue:
True Life Secrets (1951-1956) #23 (1954)
1960s – Spider-Man and cosmic legends
💰 Total sales: $742,746
The Silver Age sparkled with power. ASM led the charge, but cosmic classics like Fantastic Four #48 and #49 saw high trade and high value — with the former pulling in the top sale of the fortnight.
Top 5 titles by sales:
Amazing Spider-Man (1963): $236,517
Fantastic Four (1961): $198,593
X-Men (1963–1981): $143,208
Incredible Hulk (1962–1999): $88,368
Avengers (1963): $76,060
Most traded issue:
Fantastic Four (1961) #49 (1966)
1970s – Gamma rays and galactic wars
💰 Total sales: $356,309
Hulk #181 once again flexed its financial muscle, but Star Wars #1 stayed dominant on the trading floor. Bronze Age collecting remains a two-front battle: nostalgia and long-term belief.
Top 5 titles by sales:
Incredible Hulk (1962–1999): $119,749
Amazing Spider-Man (1963): $107,523
Giant-Size X-Men (1975): $52,670
X-Men (1963–1981): $42,447
Star Wars (1977–1986): $34,920
Most traded issue:
Star Wars (1977-1986) #1 (1977)
1980s – Venom, claws, and wars
💰 Total sales: $194,746
The black suit saga and Wolverine’s solo debut kept the decade in demand. Meanwhile, Secret Wars #8 topped the trade counts, continuing its reign as a gateway key for new slabbers.
Top 5 titles by sales:
Amazing Spider-Man (1963): $92,143
Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars (1984-1985): $27,393
Uncanny X-Men (1981): $27,356
TMNT (1984–1993): $24,155
Wolverine Limited Series (1982): $23,699
Most traded issue:
Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars (1984-1985) #8 (1984)
1990s – Mutants and McFarlane
💰 Total sales: $126,876
The speculation era still moves, with New Mutants #98 and Spawn #1 punching above their weight. Spider-Man #1 remains an entry-level classic with surprising staying power.
Top 5 titles by sales:
New Mutants (1983–1991): $39,071
Spawn (1992): $24,666
Amazing Spider-Man (1963): $22,932
Spider-Man (1990–1998): $21,535
Uncanny X-Men (1981): $18,672
Most traded issue:
Spider-Man (1990-1998) #1 (1990)
2000s – Invincible punches high
💰 Total sales: $88,155
Invincible led both volume and value, propelled by media buzz and collector loyalty. NYX #3 and Walking Dead still thrive off modern myth status.
Top 5 titles by sales:
Invincible (2003): $41,979
Spawn (1992): $15,760
NYX (2003): $11,892
Walking Dead (2003): $10,835
Batman (1940): $7,689
Most traded issue:
NYX (2003) #3 (2004)
2010s – Miles still miles ahead
💰 Total sales: $61,582
Ultimate Fallout #4 dominates yet again, with Edge of Spider-Verse and Invincible in close orbit. The 2010s now feel like prime back issue territory — still recent, but inching toward classic.
Top 5 titles by sales:
Ultimate Fallout (2011): $17,874
Invincible (2003): $14,216
Spawn (1992): $12,126
Edge of Spider-Verse (2014): $9,145
Walking Dead (2003): $7,221
Most traded issue:
Ultimate Fallout (2011) #4 (2011)
2020s – Modern weird wins again
💰 Total sales: $58,684
From Waifu Chronicles to Power Hour, this era continues to zig where others zag. ASM (2022) leads again, but Mark Spears Monsters proved its indie heat wasn’t a fluke.
Top 5 titles by sales:
Amazing Spider-Man (2022): $14,990
Mark Spears Monsters (2024): $13,039
Absolute Batman (2024): $10,612
TMNT: The Last Ronin (2020): $10,601
Wolverine (2020): $9,442
Most traded issue:
Batman (2016) #158 (2025)
🧠 Final thoughts
This fortnight confirms it: Amazing Spider-Man remains the spine of the CGC-graded market. But beyond the marquee names, the diversity continues to dazzle — pulps, pre-codes, mutant firsts, indie oddballs, and black suit legacies all traded hands.
Whether you dropped $56K on a Silver Surfer saga or $92 on a modern sleeper, the hobby thrives on one thing: stories that matter to someone.
Catch you next fortnight. Same slab time, same slab channel.
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