9 Comics Where Game-Changing Powerful Weapons First Appeared – Collectors Are Hunting These Now
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Someone once said that a weapon is merely a device that helps your enemy change their mind. The batatrang is Batman’s calling card and a deadly weapon. Can you imagine the X-Men in video games, comics, animation, or live-action, without using Cerebro in some capacity? Who is Thor without Mjolnir? The powerful weapons and technology in comic books are as signature characters as the characters themselves.
Here are nine key comics that feature the appearances of powerful weapons and technologies.
1. The Forever People #5 (1971) DC
The Fourth World was a new universe of characters and worlds that Jack Kirby created for DC Comics in the 1970s after leaving Marvel. Kirby would create Darkseid, Apokolips, Mr. Miracle, Big Barda, and dozens of new characters, powerful weapons, and technologies for DC. One of those powerful weapons was the Anti-Life Equation.
The Anti-Life Equation is a celestially transcendent mathematical equation that allows anyone who solves it to control the minds of every sentient being in the universe. It is a very abstract ideal in the comics, but dangerous enough for the heroes and villains to fight over. Darkseid wants to solve it to control everyone in the universe.
The Anti-Life Equation made its debut in this issue. A 9.8 CGC grade of this comic is worth $372.
2. The X-Men #7 (1964) Marvel
The X-Men have been well-known IPs since the 1970s, with hardcore comic fans and casual audiences since the Fox-era films. People who have never read an X-Men comic know about Wolverine’s adamantium claws and Cyclops eye blasts. Even casual fans know about one of the most powerful weapons and technologies the X-Men employ, Cerebro.
Professor X uses Cerebro, an advanced computer that amplifies his telepathic power, to locate other mutants. Cerebro can locate mutants anywhere on the planet.
A copy of this comic with a 9.2 CGC grade is worth $4.000. A 9.8 CGC grade copy of this comic is worth $13,700.
3. Captain America Comics #2 (1941) Marvel
Captain America uses his circular shield as a defensive and offensive weapon. Chris Evans and the MCU stunt teams would display this skill expertly in Captain America: The Winter Soldier and in Captain America: Civil War. However, Captain America’s shield, one of the most recognizable and powerful weapons in comics and the MCU, was not always circular.
Captain America’s first shield was somewhat triangular in shape. It made its debut in Captain America Comics #1 in 1940. Captain America did not get his iconic circular shield until issue #2, a fact which makes this issue a collector’s item.
A copy of this comic with a 4.0 CGC grade is worth almost $17,000. If you can get an ungraded and unslabbed copy, it would still be worth $4,200.
4. The Forever People #1 (1971) DC
After Kirby left Marvel to play with the creative toybox of DC Comics characters, he created the rich world of the Fourth World. The Forever People were young “New Gods” from New Genesis. They were on Earth to protect it from Darseid. Unfortunately, Kirby dates the dialogue of this comic very much by making the Forever People talk, dress, and act like hippies from the 1960s.
The Boom Tube is a device that opens portals between worlds and dimensions for instantaneous travel. It made its first appearance in this issue. The Boom Tube was famously seen in 2017’s Justice League, featuring the DC Holy Trinity, Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman.
A 9.8 CGC grade of this comic is worth $2,275.
5. Batman #31 (1939) DC
This is a very rare comic. If you could get your hands on a raw, ungraded, and unslabbed comic, it could still be worth $10,000. A copy of this comic with a 4.0 CGC grade could be worth almost $125,000. It features the first appearance of the batarang.
The batarang is a boomerang-like weapon with a bat-themed aesthetic. Batarangs are used as offensive weapons or as a Batman calling card to criminals. Batman sometimes uses them as a grappling hook to then climb something. From Adam West to Robert Pattinson, every Batman has had their own variation of the batarang, one of the most powerful weapons in Batman’s arsenal.
Batman: Detective Comics by Mariko Tamaki Omnibus is a 1,000-page hardcover that collects Tamaki’s entire run. Bruce Wayne has lost his fortune, Wayne Manor, and Alfred. He is starting over as a leaner Batman with basic weapons. Buy it now on Amazon for $60.
6. Fantastic Four #52 (1966) Marvel
Black Panther made his debut in this comic as the first major black superhero at Marvel. This comic is also notable for featuring the first appearances of Wakanda and vibranium. The technological prowess of Wakanda and the usefulness of vibranium as a weapon source make it a priceless commodity worldwide. There is no way to mention Black Panther in the modern context without mentioning Wakanda and vibranium.
A 9.8 CGC grade copy of this comic is worth over $46,000.
7. Fantastic Four #50 (1966) Marvel
The Ultimate Nullifier is the ultimate Deux Ex Machina in comic books. It was one of the most powerful weapons in the arsenal of the Fantastic Four. Reed Richards or another member would use it to stop an unstoppable threat.
After the Fantastic Four realize that Galactus is going to destroy Earth, their only hope is to use the Ultimate Nullifier. The device is only limited by the imagination of the user; it can destroy anything in the universe. The Fantastic Four use it for the first time in this issue.
A 9.8 CGC grade of the comic is worth over $13,000.
8. Magik #1 (1983) Marvel
In this miniseries, the Soulsword used by Illyana Rasputin made its debut. When she was six years old, Illyana found herself trapped in a demon’s realm. She fell into a portal for a few moments, but due to mystical time dilation, when he was pulled out, she was already an adult. The soulsword was created from parts of Illyana’s soul, and it can break any magic spell.
A near-perfect grade of this comic is worth $100. This is a great comic for a new investor to get. It may rise in value when the MCU figures out how to properly adapt the New Mutants.
9. Next Men #21 (1993) Dark Horse
This comic book features the first full appearance of Hellboy. Hellboy’s right arm is called the Right Hand of Doom and is used as a blunt weapon. The Right Hand of Doom also has mystical uses as a ceremonial key for mystical spells and doorways to other dimensions. Hellboy is destined to destroy the world, even though he is a hero, and the Right Hand of Doom has a part in that destiny.
If you can snag a 9.8 CGC grade of this comic, it now has a market value of $405.
Powerful Weapons and Technologies in Comics
These are not the only powerful weapons and technologies in comics. Think about the S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier, various kinds of kryptonite, or the Central Power Battery for the Green Lantern Corps. There are so many valuable comics featuring the first appearances of powerful weapons and technology that collectors are overlooking.
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Allen Francis is a full-time writer, prolific comic book investor and author of The Casual’s Guide: Why You Should Get Into Comic Book Investing. Allen holds a BA degree from Marymount Manhattan College and has decades of experience in comic investing and personal finance. Before becoming a writer Allen was an academic advisor, librarian, and college adjunct for many years. Allen now focuses on comic book reviews, collectible investments, and helping others collect and enjoy comics.