Vampires have always been cool and intriguing in entertainment. Nosferatu is the Romanian name that every American has said, but vampires in the comic book collecting realm are about to get an infusion of new blood in the form of Morbius, The Living Vampire.

It is well documented that movies drive comic book sales. On April 1, 2022 the film titled Morbius will be released in theaters. Collectors Dashboard has profiled 2022 film releases based on comic book origins. Now we are taking a deeper dive into prices and comic book origins from the original first appearance issue of Morbius.

The Amazing Spider-Man #101 by Marvel from October, 1971 is the first appearance of Morbius, the Living Vampire. His character is described as genius level intellect, a trained biologist and biochemist who previously went by the name Dr. Michael Morbius P.H.D. M.D.  At least that was his name until a failed biochemical experiment intended to cure himself of a rare blood disease instead gave him pseudo-vampiric superhuman abilities.

Morbius was initially a villain against Spider-Man in the 1971 origin issue. The character is also natural enemies with the vampire hunter Blade. We would warn that movie release dates during the pandemic of the last two years have been less than precise. That said, the April 1 target could always change.

Collectors Dashboard evaluates high-end collectibles as an alternative asset class. This means collectibles are attracting the same capital that could have been invested into stocks or bonds. Many collectibles now cost thousands of dollars (or much more). Collectors with a passion to own a collectible for years frequently have to compete directly against investors whose only desire is to make a profit in the future.

Whether you collect or invest in comic book, there are no guarantees you will ever make a profit. Investors have no guaranteed profits in stocks and bonds. That automatically means that printed sheets of paper with staples inside a plastic holder have no guarantees of prices rising. That said, comics are off to a strong 2022 and the top comic book sales in 2021 were hitting all-time highs.

Heritage Auctions (Image by Heritage Auctions) had these sales of the issue:

• The Amazing Spider-Man #101 CGC FN/VF 7.0 sold for $1,560.00 on January 9, 2022 after 25 bids.
• The Amazing Spider-Man #101 CGC FN/VF 7.0 sold for $1,560.00 on December 26, 2021 after 26 bids.
• The Amazing Spider-Man #101 CGC 9.2 sold for $2,880.00 on December 19, 2021 after 14 bids.
• The Amazing Spider-Man #101 CGC 9.8 sold for $22,200.00 on September 9, 2021 after 18 bids.

Here are recent eBay sales of the 1971 origin issue The Amazing Spider-Man #101 (October, 1971):

• Amazing Spider-Man #101, ungraded, eBay sold for $330.00 on January 11, 2022 after 21 bids.
• Amazing Spider-Man #101 CGC 7.0 UK priced eBay sold for $1,009.99 on January 9, 2022 after 43 bids.
• Amazing Spider-Man #101, ungraded, eBay sold for $710.00 on January 9, 2022 after 15 bids.
• Amazing Spider-Man #101, ungraded/used, eBay sold for $203.50 on January 8, 2022 after 24 bids.
• Amazing Spider-Man #101, CGC 9.2, eBay sold for $2,921.01 on January 8, 2022 after 26 bids.
• Amazing Spider-Man #101, ungraded, eBay sold for $660.00 on December 29, 2022 after 25 bids.

Morbius is a name all levels of collector should get used to saying. A Spider-Man spin off will always have the Spider-Man name to fall back on. The April 1st release for the film will be an important date to know. Happy vampire hunting to all comic book collectors.

What about this for thought — Will Collectors Invest Differently in 2022?

Vampires have been popular for a long time in the entertainment world. Zombies have been incredibly popular for the last 20 years. With a new vampire movie coming out, how many people have fantasies about being a zombie?