Originally published in the December issue of Robb Report Collection as “Superpowered”

If you want to spot the next hot item in the comic book–collecting world, read Variety. News of films to come—even the mere announcement that a studio has acquired the rights to a comic book—boosts prices for copies of that comic, especially the issue in which the lead character first appears. “It jumps up in value overnight in anticipation that a character appearing in a movie or TV show will blow up and be…