BY MATT TUCK
Next month, speculators and investors will be on the lookout for a new villain in the Hulk pantheon, but will she live up to the hype?
Beginning with Incredible Hulk #9, the Green Goliath will meet his latest foe, Frozen Charlotte, which sounds more like a Starbucks frappe than a monster. Bad name aside, who is she?
In a recent interview with Spec Tales, writer Philip Kennedy Johnson offered this tease. “I will say, by nature, I’m finding myself pulled more in the direction of the new stuff, constantly. Like, I just wanna do new monsters. The one for issues #9 and #10 — I’m so excited about those. I mean, I can’t say I’m more excited than I am for the Ghost Rider-War Devil thing because that one’s very personal to me, but…it’s called Frozen Charlotte.”
On the Marvel Comics official site, Frozen Charlotte is linked to a string of serial murders in 1850s New Orleans, so Hulk will get a time-traveling adventure, courtesy of the Ghost Detective.
When it comes to modern comic sales, nothing sparks interest quite like a new character. There’s always the potential for the fresh face to turn into the next hot sensation, and no one wants to be left out of the loop. As collectors, we know that missing the initial wave will leave us scrambling on eBay, which comes with the inevitable price hike.
The best advice is to not get caught up in the excitement. Being Marvel, there’s likely to be ample variant covers, and Incredible Hulk #9 is bound to sell out based on the speculation alone. However, there’s no guarantee Frozen Charlotte will be a memorable villain, so try to stick to cover price if at all possible.
