Lego

Right, I said that these books aren't showing long-term value, then you showed a book that in your words sold "a few days later" for multiples of cover. What's the problem here? You provided almost nothing of substance. What more do you want?

No, it's not "long-term value"... So, thanks for helping my point, I guess?

I mean, I'd ask you to provide any kind of supporting evidence... but why would you start now?

How do those links support the position that there are covers creating sustainable value or demand? A cool cover just doesn't drive value these days. Most of the books in the threads you referenced are limited edition prints... manufactured collectibles. They're the Bradford Exchange of comic books.

I've not noticed cover art generating any sustainable value/demand... Can you name a couple books for me that are demonstrating cover art as a value driver? And Neal Adams Batman books have seen a bump in recent years, but his other (often more impressive, IMO) work? Not so much.

Pardon my ignorance, but why are these books going to heat up? At this point in the hobby, it seems as though people are collecting first appearances. Other attributes that once were important to a book's value (remember when Neal Adams covers were demanding a premium?) are greatly diminished... so what's special about these books, other than the fact that they are really nice covers?

Totally agree. So, I guess I'd ask the following: Is Gwenpool making the best of a bad situation, or is a character like that making it worse? It's interesting that the character design (as reflected in her representation in the cosplay community) seems to be outpacing the popularity of the in-continuity character at this point. I wonder how often that happens?

The desktop version isn't reliable either.

"Well-established history"... we ARE talking about a Marvel comic book, right?

Will Gwenpool Ever Catch On? I guess maybe the title of the thread should be: "Has Gwenpool Caught On?" Is she a thing, or nah?

The Simpsons was a pretty damned hot book off-and-on. Probably will be again, someday. Futurama started off slower but is showing signs of heating up. I'd wager the same will be true with Bob's Burgers... These comics are a fun way to display some element of art/fandom without having some trashy DVD case on your shelf, so if you've got a popular series, it'll probably translate to a well-selling collectible comic book. The more interesting pivot here might be to find examples of comic book adaptations of popular series that aren't collectible and then try to determine why.

I'm pretty excited about this. I hope it's Justice League International-esque.

So stupid. The book is still widely available ON THE SHELVES. This is

CGC's Custom Labels Has this been discussed to death? I have to say, I don't like it. It's definitely pushing the boundary of "manufactured collectible" and that's just not a path I'd like to see comics go down.

I hadn't ever really considered buying a sig series book until this past week when a LOSH #300* came up with signatures from Neal Adams and Keith Giffen. It sold for dirt cheap (under $30) and I probably should have pulled the trigger, but I didn't. I just don't get that excited about sigs. Maybe if it was a Giffen/Maguire signed JLI #1... *(This was the second comic I ever owned/read so it has some sentimental value for me.)

Wow... That's eye-popping! What's really weird about that is there were 53 bids. Were there really two (or more) people willing to spend that kind of coin on that particular book, or was this a shilly affair?

New Warriors are listed in a similar way... Thor 411 - 1st appearance (cameo on last page) Thor 412 - 1st appearance (full) Any other examples of this?

Cheese and crackers... That's a hefty price for a total non-key.

Today is definitely lacking sizzle... Prices appear to be trending toward/above GPA, though. (Or they are on the books I'm watching, at any rate.)

Yes!! That's sounds right... So, Hook was the one who absconded with it? Whatever happened to him? Did he have a Green River meltdown?

Hmm... The mystery embiggens. (Though I'm pretty sure this isn't the original artifact. That's a new(er) label and the original book would have had an original label, given when the whole thing started.)