comicsnyc22

I totally can't help myself when it comes to that thread. 240 pages in, and you would've thought somebody would finally sounded the death knell.

That's my thoughts on this as well. I sold my black label #1 9.8 last year and bought a low grade Action #10 with the money, smartest comic move I ever made. Good move. Beautiful comic.

Not sure why, but again, I’ll post because it’s Sunday and the Steelers aren't playing. I’ll start with as much support as I can give. As I stated, I love TWD and think it’s coming down, but I also think it’s certifiable if you think it’s just some book that’s a fad and we’ll never think of it again 10 years from now. A: One of the most feverent and wide fan bases of any current franchise or entertainment entity around. So. How do you quantify feverence? NO IDEA. But a good place I’d start is sales… Best Sellers - The New York Times: January 2014: http://www.nytimes.com/best-sellers-books/paperback-graphic-books/list.html?category=paperback-graphic-books&pagewanted=print Hollywood reporter: 'The Walking Dead' Graphic Novels Dominate The New York Times Bestseller List: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/walking-dead-robert-kirkman-graphic-novel-bestseller-275974 Comic Book Resources: "THE WALKING DEAD" DOMINATES DIAMOND COMICS' 2012 TOP 500 LISTS: http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=43051 Bleeding Cool : Walking Dead #115 Sells 350,000 – The Best Selling Comic Of The 2013 So Far: http://www.bleedingcool.com/2013/10/10/walking-dead-115-sells-350000-the-best-selling-comic-of-the-2013-so-far/ Then the franchises (video games, experiential, comic, TV, etc), which to me illustrate that it isn’t just a bunch of fanboys and nerds in comic book shops pushing those numbers. Mass appeal can’t be measured in comics, so I think the next two are even bigger indicators: Philadelphia Mag: To Do: The Walking Dead Escape at the Wells Fargo Center: http://www.phillymag.com/be-well-philly/2013/03/26/do-walking-dead-escape-april-21st/ Spike VGA 2012 winners: Walking Dead takes Game of the Year: http://www.phillymag.com/be-well-philly/2013/03/26/do-walking-dead-escape-april-21st/ Finally, the TV show. You get it, so I’m not going to list it, but dude—the show throughout this year was bigger at times ratings-wise than the NFL. That is serious. You could argue that if TWD was on network TV, its ad revenues could demand some of the highest on TV, which in terms of real world feverence, trumps any of the I just bored you with above *Also, if TWD was on network TV, it would probably suck. Finally, anecdotally: and I’m sure you won’t like this because I can’t measure this, but whatever… I’ve been to the past seven San Diego and New York Comic Cons for work—I work in the entertainment industry (not comics). I’ve also personally been to cons all over the country and abroad. It is absolutely amazing to me how absolutely ape sh*t people go for TWD. It’s certainly been propped up because of the show, but put it this way, the amount of zombies and Rick Grimes I see stands right there with the amount of caped super heroes. B: It's arguably the most important and influential comic of the last 20 years, and if you think that's hyperbole, I don't think you're giving it the credit it deserves. Not trying to pass this off as gospel (key word arguably), but do you legitimately think there’s another comic book franchise that has seen the amount of success and domestic/global appeal in the last 20+ years? Marvel & DC have long been established. When we look at this era, what are collectors going to point out first? Like seriously, chime in? I get that it’s opinion, but throw out some names of comics you think matter more. If we were running a comic fantasy football league, and you had the No. 1 pick, what are you choosing? Preacher? Bone? Spawn? Does Spawn/Preacher book out baseball stadiums and hockey arenas where thousands of fans dress like characters from the book and chase you around? If so, sign me up. Is it opinion? Yes. That said, you’re kidding yourself if you don’t think that TWD is popular enough, and has the momentum to be the defining book of this era, whatever we call it. C: It's been around for 10 years, and regardless of where it is now, I think most would consider 1-48 to be a damn good story. Again, opinion, but two parts: How many other indie comics have hit more than 100 issues? Ten years to me is a sign of longevity, when most comics can’t even stay on a monthly schedule, let alone maintain popularity for that long. Hellboy’s been around forever and has what, like 50 issues? Not trying to pass it off as fact, but without those first few arcs and the prison finale, the show, the video games and everything else we’re debating don’t even exist, and Robert Kirkman is still trying to push Battle Pope onto us. How many people have you ever heard say “You don’t read TWD?? DUDE, you should totally skip the prison arc and start around issue 50.” D: It has one of the most notable and respected writers/creators in comics, and Kirkman pretty much churns out properties for various mediums on an annual basis. You’re just messing with me at this point. Kirkman is at a point in his career where even the stuff he haphazardly attaches his name to gets greenlit for a scripting. He’s penning two comics a month that are above 100 issues. His resume is deep. If you want to debate it, fine, but he's in a different echelon of comic creators now: Thief of Thieves: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/walking-dead-robert-kirkman-thief-of-thieves-amc-development-310260 Outcast: http://www.bleedingcool.com/2013/11/11/robert-kirkmans-outcast-to-be-a-new-tv-show-from-cinemax/ The Walking Dead: duh E: The comic was popular before the show. This will be my only smart answer. It was clearly popular enough to be greenlit (duh doy). But seriously, the book was a good seller in TBP and one of Image’s top sellers pre-2010. I get buying shows for the rights to box out competitors, but come on, man. Do you think a studio would move forward with a show unless it felt it was comfortable enough to sustain viewers? F: The buzz has created actual demand and high prices for it’s original art, which for a modern book seems to be tricky (i.e., there’s enough of a demand that forces fans at times to pay stupid prices for it [::raises hand::]. What I'm trying to say is that even beyond the TV show, it's got more going for it than the floppies/trades. Go ask Mark at Splashpage how much he was selling pages for pre 2010 compared to now. Mediocre splashes now sell for higher than covers did, even three years ago. It’s borderline delusional. There are times when I see what I can buy from other comics that I like, and I have to step away from the ledge because the market for TWD art is stupid crazy, and very volatile, but I trust it more than the floppies. I could buy a decent Neal Adams, Byrne or Jim Lee page for what some of Adlard's top stuff goes for (and that's with more than 100 pages worth of supply!). My Tony moore sketch commissions (let alone the page from N0. 1) are probably worth more than most modern artists published pages, even with the personalization. MTV even offered up Walking Dead OA as a gift during the holidays: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1718351/walking-dead-holiday-gift-guide.jhtml ANYWAY. This is stupid and I'm upset at myself for writing all of this, but I sort of had to. I feel like such a freaking loser for writing this much-- and I even think TWD ship has some leaks. That said, it's not the Titanic.

That's what I feared I began seeing over time. I know some will say the book's risen steadily, but especially this year, there was an influx of copies graded-- most of which high grade-- that to me drove demand down enough that it made me flinch. So i got out while i could, i have a high grade comic that i paid a little for, and I'm happy where I'm at. Prices will absolutely drop long term, but the people thinking this is a $500 book in 20 years are dreaming. There will always be ENOUGH demand. It's too good of a story.

Tl;dr: The fact that it’s made it this far shows it’s for real, but just based on its momentum and the odds, there’s only one place to go when you’re riding this high… I have no idea why i'm posting here since I find this thread ridiculous, but anyway, I'll have at it. Before I jump in, i'll say that I'm a huge WD fan, but i'm also not delusional. The book has lost a good amount of momentum, and I'm not just talking price on the #1. I’ve gotten out of all WD comics that I owned, and other than a #1 and a few #92’s (still think Jesus is a major character ala Michonne) I’ve moved my entire collection into the series OA. So- has the book peaked? Probably! But nonetheless, the comic has: A: One of the most feverent and wide fan bases of any current franchise or entertainment entity around. B: It's arguably the most important and influential comic of the last 20 years, and if you think that's hyperbole, I don't think you're giving it the credit it deserves. C: It's been around for 10 years, and regardless of where it is now, I think most would consider 1-48 to be a damn good story. D: It has one of the most notable and respected writers/creators in comics, and Kirkman pretty much churns out properties for various mediums on an annual basis. E: The comic was popular before the show. F: The buzz has created actual demand and high prices for it’s original art, which for a modern book seems to be tricky (i.e., there’s enough of a demand that forces fans at times to pay stupid prices for it [::raises hand::]. What I'm trying to say is that even beyond the TV show, it's got more going for it than the floppies/trades. G: To top it off, it's got a major TV franchise that's only growing whether you like the show or not. Now, I can't imagine that those highlights would make it disappear anytime soon. That said, there are some BIG flags that would freak me the hell out if I were Kirkman: A: Issues 49-99; 103-111. You cannot tell me that there was not a drastic drop off in story line. It was hard to hang on during these arcs. Very hard. Also, the idea that you can essentially follow TWD formula is alarming: find a place to settle + encounter a bad guy/guys + fight + lose everything and get back on the road again. Yes, that’s the formula for a lot of stories, but for TWD, that’s all we've ever had. B: The show to me has already shot/aired what I believe is the best draw from the book. I fear that it’s all downhill for here and have no idea what they can do based on what’s in the comic. I hope and believe they will come through. This segues into... C: I don’t necessarily know if the show is converting viewers into readers. It got me, but I'm not sure if there are enough people like me. D: Robert Kirkman is very ambitious (thank goodness!), and while the book is always on time, his other commitments can’t help but interfere with potentially making TWD as compelling as possible. E: The show is targeting 18-34, and while we’re great with discretionary income, our attention spans are awful. Even incredible shows and franchises come and go and fall by the way side. I don't think TWD will be any different.

I'm not even an invincible fan and to me, Ottley's one of the best.

Man thats great!!!! Speaking of-- that's incredible.

Not mine, but holy cow this is incredible. http://www.comicartfans.com/GalleryPiece.asp?Piece=1084829&GSub=152532

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Careful, last time I mentioned sellers hurting the market I got lambasted. That's the market when everyone and their mother speculates on a book that's a winner. I was one of, if not the first to throw some CGC'd copies on ebay and they sold for $75-80 for about a week. That ended very quickly. How did 1100 of these get graded already? That's just including first prints!

I know. It doesn't bother me that bad. Just miss Saga when it's on break (everyone does) Indeed. We have each other for therapy.

If that mean's we'll be getting good writing and art, plus the same creative team? By all means, let them have their break.

Nice!

Another thing I love about prelims is if they have an interesting story- specifically, if they illustrate something that was removed or added in the final version It's fun to be able to see the editorial process when it comes to things like that. I have a prelim I'm not able to show that includes elements that were edited out of the final version of the printed comic. I have another prelim that has a slight change to it, but the reason why the chance occurred was a last minute editorial knitpick that drove the artist/writer bonkers. In those instances, I still think prelims should not be anywhere close to the original published price.

that is a great page! Don't you have like half of this issue?

Pardon the interruption, knuckleheads... I'm not in a rush to sell this, but if you're interested in funding me and my wife's ski passes in Innsbruck during our upcoming trip, send me a PM. I just bought this at the last CLink auction because it was a great zombie page and a good price. Has all you'd want in a page: Rick, zombies, Michonne & her sword, Carl pre-mutilation, urine, Adlard sig, Napoleon Dynamite (?), etc. Walking Dead #83 page 10

Beautiful piece!

Heck of a pick up...

Before i head out! Looks like someone was doing some big time trading. When I saw it, my jaw DROPPED! Anything you'd care to share, James? CONGRATS!!!

That's odd. This is a similar book that has CGC grading/encasing. Why wouldn't it maintain this if it happened the first time around, and was authorized? It's even in the census. Just seems bizarre to me and sort of disorganized.

Finally got a NYCC Signature series shipment on Tuesday. It was submitted the first possible day. Their ship times are all over the place, but it's the holidays.

Still one of the best framed piece i've seen on the boards.

really? i said my piece on the page when it was on ebay - 8k for that page is insanity - its got zero going for it other than the first appearance. its got little-to-nothing to do with the theme of twd. no zombies, no action, and its not even an interesting scene..its literally rick, laying down in a bed. the coolest part of it is how tony draws the hair on his legs. 8k for hairy-legged rick in a bed? The fact that it's a page from issue #1? That brings a whole new level of interest/value to the page. I think case in point was the issue 19 OA with Michonne. The page 3 art was 1000x better, but went less than page #1. Art/quality vs. significance?

Total no-brainer. I'd take the OA any day. Grading is such a crapshoot. I've seen two 9.9's that look like 9.8's, and even without that, the difference is minimal. I've never been a grade chaser and I definitely wouldn't be one over the chance to own some OA from #1.

It's a beautiful page, and probably the earliest that'll ever be on sale unless page one surfaces. Not much to it, but it's the start of the WD continuity as we know it.