Research Desk / Media Impact Index / Invincible #1

CASE STUDY · INVINCIBLE ANIMATED SERIES

Invincible #1

CGC 9.8 NM/M · Universal · Image Comics, 2003

The show did not create the key.
It changed its price scale.

A lifetime actual-sales study of Invincible #1 first prints in CGC 9.8, following the market from Amazon's 2018 animated-series order through four released seasons and continuing production.

Certified Comic Shop ResearchCaptured 2026-09-16 (ET)Sources & methodology ↓

01 / THE STUDY TIMELINE

A modest announcement response.
A much larger launch-era repricing.

2017—SEP 2026

189 recorded sales from 2017 through capture. Seven dated production and release milestones across an adaptation cycle that is still active.

Individual saleMonthly medianDated milestoneBaseline: $850
Invincible #1 CGC 9.8 Universal — monthly medians and dated events$0$2,000$4,000$6,000$8,000$10,0002017201820192020202120222023202420252026Sale price ($, as displayed by GPA)2017-01-30: $6302017-02-12: $5252017-02-16: $7122017-03-10: $7002017-04-06: $1,1502017-05-01: $1,0302017-06-12: $1032017-06-20: $9902017-07-31: $7602017-08-20: $8502017-08-24: $8502017-09-17: $1,2002017-10-23: $8372017-10-30: $8002017-11-13: $8602018-01-21: $9002018-02-13: $8502018-03-06: $9002018-03-21: $9002018-03-24: $7502018-04-07: $9102018-04-11: $8002018-04-23: $1,2002018-05-25: $7502018-06-22: $9502018-07-01: $9132018-07-14: $1,0002018-07-20: $1,0002018-07-29: $8102018-08-05: $8772018-08-28: $1,0002018-10-28: $9192018-10-31: $9502018-12-06: $9992018-12-12: $9002019-01-14: $9782019-01-31: $9502019-02-02: $8852019-02-08: $9392019-03-03: $9202019-03-17: $1,0052019-03-24: $1,1952019-04-03: $1,0312019-04-09: $8852019-04-11: $1,0042019-04-28: $9062019-05-13: $9992019-06-30: $8302019-08-05: $1,0042019-09-20: $1,2782019-09-29: $8092019-10-07: $1,0412019-10-27: $8352019-11-05: $8152020-01-13: $8652020-03-12: $7302020-03-17: $6542020-03-29: $7282020-04-22: $8752020-04-22: $9172020-05-12: $8762020-05-16: $8242020-05-17: $9502020-06-16: $1,1952020-06-16: $1,0352020-06-24: $1,2002020-06-26: $8002020-06-30: $1,2882020-07-03: $1,3352020-07-22: $1,5002020-07-28: $1,6352020-07-30: $1,4002020-08-04: $1,7002020-08-29: $1,5502020-09-08: $1,4502020-09-20: $1,4002020-10-10: $1,7502020-10-11: $1,6002020-10-11: $1,5752020-10-13: $1,5442020-10-14: $1,7502020-10-27: $1,5502020-11-01: $1,5852020-12-21: $1,6242021-01-07: $2,0752021-01-22: $1,9902021-02-05: $2,2002021-02-14: $2,1692021-02-24: $2,5002021-02-26: $2,5002021-03-23: $2,3002021-03-25: $2,2752021-03-26: $2,3002021-03-27: $2,5002021-04-11: $3,6702021-04-25: $2,6002021-04-27: $2,9502021-05-02: $2,8002021-05-06: $4,0002021-05-07: $4,5002021-05-29: $4,0802021-06-16: $5,1002021-06-22: $5,2002021-06-24: $3,6552021-07-24: $4,3072021-07-28: $4,5002021-08-25: $3,6502021-08-26: $4,0802021-08-28: $4,1002021-09-06: $6,0002021-10-02: $3,1512021-10-03: $3,2002021-11-01: $4,3262021-11-09: $3,5002021-11-23: $3,5002022-02-19: $3,6502022-04-23: $3,7502022-06-06: $3,7502022-06-10: $3,4332022-06-28: $4,2492022-07-04: $3,6502022-07-09: $3,0902022-08-04: $3,3602022-08-30: $2,9582022-08-31: $3,3002022-09-19: $2,8002022-10-23: $3,0502022-10-23: $1,5252022-11-03: $2,0502022-12-19: $2,7502023-02-02: $2,9792023-02-05: $3,6002023-02-08: $3,0982023-03-21: $3,3512023-04-23: $2,9852023-05-15: $3,0002023-06-01: $2,8502023-07-16: $2,6502023-07-21: $2,9002023-07-23: $3,2502023-07-24: $3,5002023-07-31: $3,2502023-09-03: $3,2552023-09-05: $3,8402023-10-18: $2,8002023-10-19: $3,4992023-10-19: $3,4502023-10-19: $3,2952023-10-19: $3,2502023-10-19: $3,2002023-10-19: $3,1002023-10-25: $3,5492023-10-27: $3,7602023-11-27: $3,4972023-11-29: $3,5002023-12-07: $3,5002023-12-12: $3,7992023-12-13: $6,1202024-02-10: $2,5002024-03-11: $3,0502024-03-24: $3,1002024-03-25: $3,4992024-04-09: $4,2002024-05-10: $3,9502024-05-30: $3,5002024-06-14: $3,8002024-07-19: $3,8002024-07-25: $2,3782024-08-21: $3,6002024-09-02: $3,7622024-09-30: $3,6002024-09-30: $3,0502024-10-02: $2,8092024-11-17: $3,2992024-11-28: $3,4002024-12-08: $3,2002024-12-19: $2,6272025-02-02: $3,7002025-02-03: $3,3002025-02-13: $3,3002025-02-21: $3,9992025-02-27: $3,5002025-03-10: $4,5002025-03-16: $5,0002025-03-16: $4,4502025-03-28: $4,3002025-04-17: $3,5502025-04-29: $5,8502025-05-06: $4,9992025-05-29: $4,7502025-06-01: $5,8892025-06-17: $4,9002025-06-30: $4,1502025-07-29: $4,8502025-07-29: $4,7222025-08-03: $4,2002025-08-07: $4,8502025-08-08: $4,9502025-08-29: $5,0002025-08-29: $4,9952025-08-29: $4,9002025-08-30: $4,8502025-09-08: $4,9002025-09-23: $4,9522025-09-30: $5,0002025-11-01: $5,2202025-11-14: $4,1002025-11-24: $4,6752025-12-08: $5,8002025-12-12: $5,1502025-12-27: $4,9502026-01-12: $5,7502026-01-16: $5,2502026-01-20: $5,8002026-02-02: $5,1692026-02-10: $6,5002026-02-11: $6,2002026-02-28: $6,2502026-03-17: $6,5002026-03-26: $5,7002026-03-29: $6,6002026-04-10: $6,2502026-04-16: $6,4502026-04-20: $6,5002026-04-23: $6,5002026-04-26: $6,5002026-04-26: $6,5002026-05-01: $6,5002026-05-09: $7,9302026-05-13: $7,5002026-05-14: $7,2002026-05-23: $7,6002026-05-27: $7,5002026-06-19: $8,0002026-06-26: $9,5002026-07-01: $7,8002026-07-14: $8,2352026-08-05: $7,6002026-09-09: $5,0001. Series ordered2018-06-192. First teaser2020-10-083. Season 12021-03-264. Seasons 2 & 32021-04-295. Season 22023-11-036. Season 32025-02-067. Season 42026-03-18Recorded sales / month (peak: 9)2017-01-01: 1 sales2017-02-01: 2 sales2017-03-01: 1 sales2017-04-01: 1 sales2017-05-01: 1 sales2017-06-01: 2 sales2017-07-01: 1 sales2017-08-01: 2 sales2017-09-01: 1 sales2017-10-01: 2 sales2017-11-01: 1 sales2018-01-01: 1 sales2018-02-01: 1 sales2018-03-01: 3 sales2018-04-01: 3 sales2018-05-01: 1 sales2018-06-01: 1 sales2018-07-01: 4 sales2018-08-01: 2 sales2018-10-01: 2 sales2018-12-01: 2 sales2019-01-01: 2 sales2019-02-01: 2 sales2019-03-01: 3 sales2019-04-01: 4 sales2019-05-01: 1 sales2019-06-01: 1 sales2019-08-01: 1 sales2019-09-01: 2 sales2019-10-01: 2 sales2019-11-01: 1 sales2020-01-01: 1 sales2020-03-01: 3 sales2020-04-01: 2 sales2020-05-01: 3 sales2020-06-01: 5 sales2020-07-01: 4 sales2020-08-01: 2 sales2020-09-01: 2 sales2020-10-01: 6 sales2020-11-01: 1 sales2020-12-01: 1 sales2021-01-01: 2 sales2021-02-01: 4 sales2021-03-01: 4 sales2021-04-01: 3 sales2021-05-01: 4 sales2021-06-01: 3 sales2021-07-01: 2 sales2021-08-01: 3 sales2021-09-01: 1 sales2021-10-01: 2 sales2021-11-01: 3 sales2022-02-01: 1 sales2022-04-01: 1 sales2022-06-01: 3 sales2022-07-01: 2 sales2022-08-01: 3 sales2022-09-01: 1 sales2022-10-01: 2 sales2022-11-01: 1 sales2022-12-01: 1 sales2023-02-01: 3 sales2023-03-01: 1 sales2023-04-01: 1 sales2023-05-01: 1 sales2023-06-01: 1 sales2023-07-01: 5 sales2023-09-01: 2 sales2023-10-01: 9 sales2023-11-01: 2 sales2023-12-01: 3 sales2024-02-01: 1 sales2024-03-01: 3 sales2024-04-01: 1 sales2024-05-01: 2 sales2024-06-01: 1 sales2024-07-01: 2 sales2024-08-01: 1 sales2024-09-01: 3 sales2024-10-01: 1 sales2024-11-01: 2 sales2024-12-01: 2 sales2025-02-01: 5 sales2025-03-01: 4 sales2025-04-01: 2 sales2025-05-01: 2 sales2025-06-01: 3 sales2025-07-01: 2 sales2025-08-01: 7 sales2025-09-01: 3 sales2025-11-01: 3 sales2025-12-01: 3 sales2026-01-01: 3 sales2026-02-01: 4 sales2026-03-01: 3 sales2026-04-01: 6 sales2026-05-01: 6 sales2026-06-01: 2 sales2026-07-01: 2 sales2026-08-01: 1 sales2026-09-01: 1 salesSource: GPAnalysis · 239 recorded sales · monthly medians · September 2026 is partial; latest captured sale is September 9.

Dots retain recorded sale dates. Monthly medians sit at mid-month; connecting lines do not estimate daily prices. Empty periods break the line. Bars show recorded transactions per period. September 2026 is partial; latest captured sale is September 9. Scroll horizontally on smaller screens.

PRE-SERIES-ORDER BASELINE$850

Jan 2017–June 18, 2018 pooled median24 sales

SEASON 1 PREMIERE MONTH$2,300

March 2021 median4 sales

2022 FOLLOW-THROUGH$3,300

Full-year 2022 median15 sales

2026 THROUGH CAPTURE$6,500

28 sales through September 928 sales

WHAT THE SALES SHOW

The 2018 order was not
the biggest move.

The pooled pre-order baseline from January 2017 through June 18, 2018 was $850 across 24 sales. The 90-day comparison around Amazon's June 2018 series order moved from $850 (6 sales) to $950 (7), or +11.8%. That is directionally positive, but far smaller than the repricing that followed as the finished show approached.

By late 2020, monthly medians were regularly above $1,400. March 2021, the premiere month, posted a $2,300 median across 4 sales. The 90-day premiere comparison rose from $2,237.50 (8) to $3,670 (11), or +64.0%. One month after launch, Amazon renewed the show for two more seasons; its 90-day comparison was +72.3%, from $2,500 to $4,307.

The market then held a much higher range rather than returning to its pre-show level. The 2022 median was $3,300; 2023 was $3,275; and 2024 was $3,400. Season 2's November 2023 launch produced only a +6.2% 90-day comparison, suggesting later releases were occurring inside an already repriced market.

02 / CATALYST BY CATALYST

What changed around each event?

Median prices and recorded volumes in the 30 calendar days before and after each date. Event-day sales are excluded. Overlapping windows are not independent effects.

MilestoneBefore medianAfter medianPrice changeVolume change
1
$7501 sales · very small sample$9503 sales · very small sample+26.7%+200.0%
2
$1,4252 sales · very small sample$1,5857 sales+11.2%+250.0%
3
$2,4004 sales · very small sample$2,6003 sales · very small sample+8.3%-25.0%
4
$2,9503 sales · very small sample$4,0404 sales · very small sample+36.9%+33.3%
5
$3,2959 sales$3,498.502 sales · very small sample+6.2%-77.8%
6
$3,5002 sales · very small sample$3,5003 sales · very small sample0.0%+50.0%
7
$6,3752 sales · very small sample$6,3504 sales · very small sample-0.4%+100.0%

Samples below five transactions are flagged. Percentage changes are descriptive and do not establish causation. Monthly medians preserve the timing of a long adaptation cycle. Trading is sparse around the 2018 series order and several later premieres, so 30-day comparisons are retained consistently and flagged when either side has fewer than five sales; 90-day sensitivity is used in the editorial context. Five observations is an editorial warning threshold, not a significance test.

03 / THE LONG VIEW

The long view shows two distinct repricings.

2004—2026

All 329 recorded first-print CGC 9.8 sales were captured. GPA's annual average was $964 in 2019, $1,263 in 2020 and $3,409 in 2021. It stayed near $3,200–$3,400 through 2024, then rose to $4,653 in 2025 and $6,742 in partial 2026.

Invincible #1 CGC 9.8 Universal — lifetime annual averagesDetailed study window$0$2,000$4,000$6,000$8,0002004200820122016202020242026Sale price ($, as displayed by GPA)Source: GPA annual summaries · 2026 partial · Averages, not individual sales

Annual averages reproduce GPA’s rounded summaries and differ from the medians above. The capture year is partial.

Later seasons reinforced attention,
but they were not clean starting guns.

Season 3 premiered February 6, 2025. Its 30-day comparison is flat at $3,500 on both sides, but with only two pre-event and three post-event sales. The 90-day comparison rises from $3,299.50 (6) to $4,375 (10), or +32.6%.

Season 4 premiered March 18, 2026. The 30-day comparison is essentially flat ($6,375 to $6,350) on only two versus four sales; the 90-day view rises +12.1%, from $5,800 (9) to $6,500 (14). Prices subsequently reached a $9,500 individual sale on June 26 before the latest captured $5,000 sale on September 9.

Amazon says Season 3 became Prime Video's most-watched animation season at the time, and later described Season 4 as the show's most-watched season to date. Skybound announced a sixth-season renewal in June 2026, with Season 5 planned for 2027. Those milestones show continuing franchise activity; they do not by themselves prove why individual comic transactions moved.

RESEARCH NOTES

Traceable data.
Defined comparisons.

Recorded transactions, documented exclusions, and sourced events.

Capture audit

GPAnalysis ↗ · 329 captured rows · 329 eligible rows · 239 plotted rows. Capture scope: lifetime. All 22 displayed annual summaries reconcile to their individual rows. GPA displayed no 2007 annual summary. 2026 is partial through September 9.

Method selection

Monthly medians preserve the timing of a long adaptation cycle. Trading is sparse around the 2018 series order and several later premieres, so 30-day comparisons are retained consistently and flagged when either side has fewer than five sales; 90-day sensitivity is used in the editorial context. Five observations is an editorial warning threshold, not a significance test.

Identity & coverage

Source: GPAnalysis ↗. The supplied capture is explicitly identified as Invincible #1, CGC 9.8 Universal, First Printing. All 329 dated rows reconcile to GPA's 22 displayed annual summaries from 2004 through September 9, 2026; GPA displayed no 2007 annual summary. The capture is therefore lifetime coverage of the displayed category, not proof of every transaction in the broader market.

Calculations & sparse windows

The baseline pools January 1, 2017 through June 18, 2018, immediately before the confirmed Amazon series order. Monthly medians use individual recorded sales. Event windows use days −30 through −1 and +1 through +30, excluding event day; because several sides contain fewer than five observations, the narrative also reports 90-day sensitivity. Pooled medians are calculated from transactions, never from averages of monthly medians. The annual overview reproduces GPA's rounded annual averages. 2026 is partial.

Prices are nominal GPA-displayed dollars and are not inflation-adjusted. Transaction counts are not unique-copy counts or total-market volume. Pandemic-era collecting conditions, supply of graded copies, wider comic-market moves, franchise publishing, and overlapping promotion can all affect observed prices. Timing does not establish causation.

Historical event sources

  1. TheWrap: Amazon orders animated Invincible series2018-06-19 · Straight-to-series order for eight hour-long animated episodes. This is a confirmed production order, not the earlier feature-film development.
  2. The Futon Critic: Prime Video releases first animated teaser2020-10-08 · Contemporaneous listing for Prime Video's first-look teaser at New York Comic Con.
  3. The Futon Critic: Season 1 premieres on Prime Video2021-03-26 · First three episodes premiered March 26, followed by weekly episodes through April 30.
  4. Image Comics: Amazon renews Invincible for seasons 2 and 32021-04-29 · Renewal announced one day before the season-one finale, extending the production cycle by two seasons.
  5. The Futon Critic: Season 2 begins release2023-11-03 · First half of the eight-episode second season began November 3; the second half followed in March 2024.
  6. Amazon: Season 3 premieres2025-02-06 · Prime Video's third season premiered February 6, 2025. Amazon later described it as Prime Video's most-watched animation season and biggest returning season among its adult-animation originals.
  7. Amazon: Season 4 premieres2026-03-18 · Amazon's March 2026 slate lists March 18 for season four. Later Amazon reporting says season four became the show's most-watched season to date.

Prices are nominal GPA-displayed dollars, not inflation-adjusted. Fees, currency normalization, and individual listings have not been independently audited. Counts are recorded transactions, not unique physical copies or total-market volume. Timing alone does not establish cause; no broad-market control is applied. Certified Comic Shop Research · 2026-09-16.