500Club

It is reasonable. It also helps to illustrate how tough this proposition is. Since the quote, newsstand sales no longer exist. So now, we have a cut point where the actual number changes. Any guess using Comichron has to take that into account. In addition, the rise in popularity of comic properties worldwide has likely affected international orders and sales. Take the orders for Aero's debut in Agents of Atlas, for example. I think the one Phillipino shop ordered very large on the book, enough to skew percentages. It really is a guessing game, and the unknown part of the print run varies from book to book, and pre and post newsstand. PS: Does anyone know if store variants are included in the Comichron numbers? Or, how about when Marvel double ships, as with the above mentioned Agents of Atlas?

Foreign distribution tops out at about 10%, newsstands probably less than that going back 10 years, but my data on that isn't as certain. I'm not sure you have ANY data. All I've seen is a vague reference to 'some larger retailers' claiming the overprint is 5%.

The record is broken because people keep playing the same song. Comichron numbers are not synonymous with accurate print run data. Stop pushing that selection on the jukebox.

It’s going to be very interesting as the years go forward to see which, if any, of the themed monthly variants or B covers get any love.

Which pairs well with Superman 2, a portrait of Luthor’s giant ego.

No, I agree with you. Ideally, you’d see a low level of self reference and connectivity, on par with Marvel in the 60s.

Whatdoyaknow? This is true: So, you have to sit around and stu until you know if you are acceptable.

C'mon guys. What % of back issue sales, or sales of "keys" as Ryan is arguing, are made by female collectors, and does anybody really believe it spiked starting in 2010-11 because of New 52 to a level that would be germane to the current conversation? Sadly, I doubt that data is out there, but, I bet if you actually looked at the hard numbers and not just anecdotes and viewpoints distorted by confirmation bias (go re-read your copy of Thinking in Bets ), that you'll find that this phenomenon does not actually exist.  Don’t over think my post. It’s just an observation we made, and it may not even extrapolate to the broader market. I didn’t see a lot of key sales. I saw a lot of favorite character, favorite cover, and recent back issue run buying. For us, it was encouraging that the market could reach new customers. Overall, in the context of this discussion, I think the only hope for more of this is advertising, visibility, and quality product.

I call BS on this. Call BS if you like, but I have been selling at shows here in Alberta since university in 1998 and I can only tell you what I have seen over the years. Having set up with kimik over that time frame, I'll second his comments. Somehow, new52 seemed to inspire a whole cohort of 20 and 30 something women to become customers at shows. I'm not sure if it was solely new52, but it happened at that time. I'd wonder if they migrated from the Anne Rice, Buffy, Hunger Games, Supernatural etc crowd.

Yeah, I agree. And, in regards to the OP, X-Men 134 isn't a 'key', per se, but as QQ continues to get used, it has the potential to become one.

not being on a cover doesn't mean squat Hulk #180 squat? JO 134 squat? JO #134 would probably be squat if Darkseid appeared on the cover of JO #135 instead of not appearing on any cover for five months. Yeah, probably. To me, the take home message is: there are no hard and fast rules.

Awesome post. Thanks to the OP.

not being on a cover doesn't mean squat Hulk #180 squat? JO 134 squat?

I agree with the concept that AA was the first of the hyper realistic Image style artists. Honestly, I remember the stir when AA first did Longshot, and I think if he could have held down a monthly assignment, he would have been huge. In fact, there was still some hype later when he did FF 347-349. For me, it's tough to say what influence he had. Even if guys like Lee, Liefeld and McFarlane don't specifically voice it, they could very well have been subconsciously influenced. Adams stuff was fantastic, as has been noted here.

The assertion that Adams influenced McFarlane is simply voiced as an opinion in the above piece. The Image hallmarks are here, and Todd McFarlane -- though working on DC's "Infinity Inc." at the time, in a notably more formalistic style than he'd use when he came to Marvel -- and Jim Lee and Rob Liefeld must have been inspired by what Adams was doing on his "Longshot" pages, particularly his character designs and his figure drawing.

That’s early McFarlane. There’s no AA influence in that.

They entered the industry simultaneously. I don’t think there’s any way McFarlane influenced Adams. I also think it was indeed Byrne and Perez who were McFarlane’s main influences in his developmental years. Later, early in their careers, would have been the earliest Adams could have influenced McFarlane.

You got it. Same went for Liefeld. I confess, I loved McFarlane's art. It was the dynamicism that made it great, though. Adams was far better with the technicals.

Al Milgrom didn’t like him, either.

This is not a problem. This is short-sightedness and frankly, the sense of entitlement on the buyer's side. The only case in which this may be appropriate is when the seller does it on a brand-spanking new book right off the presses. If this is what you are referring to, my apologies. A smart seller should be rewarded for his (or her) efforts. It’s a problem in proportion to the seller’s inability to grade. I know you get some stick for your grading, but it’s small potatoes compared to some people’s grading.

divad's grading is often off a bit, but it's not off by as much as many eBay sellers'. Also, he does post a big scan...

I find you innocent of charges...

Yup, and if the market is organically strong, one underpriced copy will be sucked up immediately, with no real effect on prevailing price.

Not consistent with 9.4...

This is either grammatically incorrect, or very disturbing.