Brock

I think there actually has been an interesting tidbit come up here, though no one has commented on it directly yet... On June 12, @bellrules posted a link to some material on the BIP website (see https://www.bipcomics.com/showcase/Direct/index.php). BIP describes itself as "a comic book resource and research site" though it has no additional identifying information that I can find. On this page, in discussing the fat diamond variants, the site's author suggests "While it is true Western Publishing was the largest distributor of these early diamond issues between 1977-1979 there is anecdotal evidence that indicates they were not the only distributor. Recollections of several dealers have indicate that they had received diamond issues at varying points in time prior to 1980. Regardless of these recollections, it is clear that Western Publishing was the driving force behind these early diamond cover print runs. Starting with comics cover dated June 1979, Marvel began sending diamond cover issues to subscribers and comic shops." [I have added the bolding to the text] So nothing conclusive here, but definitely one more little piece of the puzzle. In terms of the fat Diamond discussion, the balance of the BIP discussion largely reflects what we've already covered here in this thread. BIP later suggests: Various theories have been submitted over the years to explain the differences in the size of the diamonds, why some issues have months in the diamond and others do not, and why some issues have UPC barcode lines and others have blank boxes. The size of the diamond appears to be related to how the cover was initially laid out for publication. Slim diamonds started to appear on all Marvel diamond cover issues in May, 1979, after a change to the cover design. But slim diamonds did exist on some Marvel titles as early as 1977 (see Tarzan #2). Some diamond issues have a month on the cover and others do not. This also extended to the regular newsstand editions (see Star Wars newsstand issues #10 through #13). The month not appearing on the cover appears to be a "random" Marvel behavior with no other significance. The existence of UPC barcode lines was thought by some to indicate if an issue was in a Whitman 3-pack or if the issue was sold as a single issue. Recently a series of early 3-packs surfaced on eBay, all of which contained Type 1 issues (diamond with UPC barcodes) and two different Star Wars 3-packs containing a #11 with UPC barcode lines and a #11 without UPC barcode lines have been found.

I collect foreign editions of undergrounds.

It's been quite awhile, but my recollection is that it was less military action, and more about heists and thrills, which is more up my alley.

I was (am) also a Vertigo junky… Sandman and Hellblazer were the gateway books for me, but I really enjoyed Books of Magic (it was Harry Potter before there was Harry Potter), Unknown Soldier, and Losers from your list. I also remember DMZ being good, but also never finished it. I would highly recommend Y the Last Man, Sweet Tooth, Sheriff of Babylon, Scalped, and the Unwritten.

I listed three lots for auction this weekend, all starting at 99 cents: Daredevil 9, 10 and 11 (1st Echo/Maya Lopez) Eternals 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 Fantastic Four 48 See my listings here: https://www.ebay.ca/sch/brock1784/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_ipg=&_from=

I just listed a few auctions on eBay (Eternals 1-5, Daredevil 9-11 (Echo), Fantastic Four 48, etc.). I obviously don't know the results yet, but there are tons of views and watchers - and 26 bids on the FF 48 already, with 6 1/2 days to go. This isn't the insanity of 8 months ago where I was getting record prices for carp like Brute Force and Fallen Angels and Pokemon, but I'm still pretty bullish about where we're at. I'm small potatoes, so I only need to sell 60-80 books a month to do well... Because I don't have to have a lot of turnover, I guess I can be more selective in timing what I sell. And in that shallow end of the market, I still see lots of opportunities.

Since @kevhtx hasn't read it, I'll weigh in... I read the first trade of Wynd, and it was fun. The art has an intentionally "simple" feel, though with impressive moments, and the writing has a distinct YA tone. I quite enjoyed it, but I'm not sure I enjoyed it enough to pick up subsequent trades. I'm a fan of more complex storylines, and "slow burn" build ups... That's not really the space that Wynd is in. Maybe an analogy is that I like The Lord of the Rings, and this is The Hobbit. Your mileage may vary...

Perhaps - but the fact that we’ve now identified a number of these “fat diamond UPC” books makes me feel like this is unlikely…

I have some of these that I bought new from my comic shop, so they were stocked. I’ll have to pull them out and see if there’s anything different about them.

I have found that 5.5 is the most unloved grade of all, and a great way to get bargains on high-priced keys, for exactly the reasons outlined here.

The online guides mostly say $3 each for NM, and eBay is where I'm getting the sold prices. I think I will start to list these at sets of 8 to 10 issues and see how they do. There's a few that will go as singles. For example, I never knew that there was a Sonic/Image Comics crossover in Sonic Super Special #7, with appearances by Spawn, the Maxx, Savage Dragon and many more. It sometimes gets decent prices.

There's a bit of a range, but they're mostly 8.0 to 9.4. I doubt that any of them would hit a 9.8.

And from Arik to Arak...

This one's often overlooked:

This was one of my favourite issues growing up... it definitely resonated. Ironically, yesterday, my 16 year old son was asking about whether “death” issues were something the market valued. In thinking about, I suggested that maybe they used to get a premium, but they don’t seem to any more. maybe too many resurrections? Too many multiverses and alternate dimensions to just bring back a very similar character? Maybe too little concern about the structured continuity required for big events to have meaning? i’m not Sure, but I agree with you that this book deserves more attention than it gets.

I bought the best copy I ever saw, and it’s about a 9.0. the plural of anecdote is not evidence, but it’s definitely a tough book. Also, an ear worm of a theme song...

And not an outlier... one sold on July 4 for $776: https://www.ebay.ca/itm/133798290434?hash=item1f26ffe402:g:kPgAAOSw9g1g1QG2

I'm a small potatoes ebay seller, but in looking at this July vs last July, my gross sales are up 10%, but my volume is down 40%. That (very narrow) view of the market suggests to me that last year everything was selling, and the market is now selecting fewer but pricier books.

That would actually be Thunder Bay, at 5.56 per 100,000. Winnipeg gets a bad rap, and whether you like a city or not is always a matter of personal taste, but every time I'm in Winnipeg, I'm amazed by the density of comic shops, the number of big dealers, and the availability of comics in other venues (bookstores, antique shops, etc.). For some reason, it has become a genuine comic hub. Vancouver is definitely not a comic town, though it has a couple of decent shops. Contrary to some earlier suggestions, though, I do think Montreal is a bit of a hub as well... there's a lot of activity, but especially so if you add in the French-language BD community.

These discussion always have the potential to go off the rails as people jump onto their hobby horses about whether or not you can estimate the relative rarity of any particular newsstand edition 35 years after the fact. I don't have a dog in that fight. However, the central question here seems to be whether newsstands have any additional value, and to me the answer is clearly yes. When selling online, I now always identify newsstand copies. They get more views, and they tend to get better prices - which is exactly why people (like me) have started to identify them in their listings. The premium is not always consistent, but - as has been pointed out - does seem to be substantially higher on key books. I am of the vintage where we told ourselves that there was no difference in value between direct and newsstand editions, and I understand that crotchety old people (like me) don't like change, and have a tough time accepting that the market has moved in this direction. We scream "hype machine" and "huckster" and "clueless buyers" and yell at the kids to get off the lawn, but the reality is that the market is changing. Would I personally pay a premium for a newsstand? Probably not, but pretending that others don't is willful ignorance. Suggesting that the only reason that someone would pay a premium is because they're stupid, or susceptible to hype is explicitly misunderstanding the market. So-called hype and personal preferences about purchases are the only thing that drive the market. I really don't have much time for Todd McFarlane's art, and I can't fully explain why some random McFarlane issue would sell for more than an issue by someone I like (say, Barry Windsor-Smith) without resorting to "hype" and "bandwagon" and "personal preferences". However, the market gives a rat's behind about my personal beliefs, and instead reflects the collective choices of the wider audience. And that collective choice means that even if I'm not as hyped as others about McFarlane art, I have to be aware of it and present it to the market appropriately if I want the best sales result on a book he has drawn. In the same way, the collective choice of the market now seems to favouring newsstands. It doesn't help anybody to whine about that - as a seller, I can only respond to it.

So I just picked up a collection (see the thread on he "Mildew Pedigree" here in copper. There were three copies of Secret Wars #1, and all were Canadian price variants. All three were also Blue Galactus copies, with the purple(ish) $1 that @Stronguy mentioned on the cover. Since we're 4 for 4 here, maybe we can hypothesize that all Canadian price variants are also Blue Galactus variants?

They've come a fair way in the two weeks I've had them, but for the books in that first batch, it's definitely a slower process. In that first batch, about 45 of the books I selected were bagged, and they seem to be good, so we're really talking about the other 25 books - unfortunately, they're the better ones (ASM 300, Batman 189, Thor 337, X-Men 98). It was definitely a trade-off between not wanting a bunch of problematic books, and keeping a few that might be worth the effort. The second batch didn't have as many treasures (although I won't complain about FF 48 and X-Men 121 & 129), and they have heavier wear, but they have no other issues.

The saga continues... the owner of this collection showed up with another box they had found. This one was stored in better conditions, so has no odour or mildew issues. The books are mostly low to mid grade, but I saved a few treasures to add to my pile. Again, the newsstand editions are mostly Canadian price variants.

Ha! I just looked myself up in the Grand Comics Database. I've finally made it!

I'm looking for some Sonic the Hedgehog advice, and hoping there may be someone here who's an expert! I just picked up about 80 issues of Sonic the Hedgehog from the 2005 -2015 period. These are mostly from the main series (issues 140 to 230 range), and some Sonic Super Specials. I'm struggling with how to price them... Overstreet and other traditional guides have them at $3-$4 apiece. eBay sales are much higher, but all "buy it nows". It looks like if they're listed for $10, they sell for $10. If they're listed for $20, they sell for $20, and if they're listed for $35, they sell for $35. Does anyone know of a "reasonably accurate" pricing list out there somewhere? And do these sell better as sets or singles?