the authority

I remember him being all over the place in the 90s but that was 2 decades ago so maybe he just seemed big to me. As for lately, he was in Nova a few years back and Infinity Wars stuff last year. Some of the more recent stuff had great covers. I see him fitting in nicely in the current MCU...but I also said the same about Warlock and Nova. I have no idea when Warlock will become a presence.Wish I had a crystal ball 😊

Darkhawk #1. Is it a Modern ? Probably not by year but he was pretty big in the early to mid 1990s. Either way, this has been a spec book for over 25 years. It reminds me of Nova #1 in that it’s underrated and is the kind of book that seems cheap forever...until it isn’t. He is a very cool character. Technically not his 1st appearance because he appears in a preview book prior to this one. I prefer actual comics with full stories but I understand each character stands on it’s own. Sometimes a picture of a head is a big deal while other times a full page picture including a character being named is just a cameo. I can’t keep up. Lol Either way, he is eventually going to make his way into one of the MCU movies and you’ll probably hate it if you don’t own a copy. I own maybe 6 or 7 of these in conditions ranging from VF to NM+. rating raw NM = 7 out of 10 CGC 9.8 = 8 out of 10

Next up, Donny Cates..books. God Country #1 and Redneck #1. These books are on opposite ends of the price spectrum. While God Country was by no means his 1st work, it was the book that put him on the map. Its a fantastic read and has powerful artwork. The entire series featured cool covers. Cates words just flow. He and Jason Aaron have a way of telling a story that makes you forget you’re reading a comic. Redneck was an earlier work that actually came to market later than GC. In my opinion it has more potential because the buy in is extremely low and the series is an ongoing story. I own 1 NM copy of GC. It was impossible for me to resist selling a bunch of boooms that were bring Motee than 30 times what I paid for them. I’ve sold enough Redneck to be cost free on my remaining #1s. I have a lot of them. The story is fantastic and to me, more built to be a TV show than anything else area has written. I also think the A cover is the book to own. Ratings GC #1 raw NM = 6 out of 10 CGC 9.8 = 7 out of 10 Redneck #1 raw NM = 7 out of 10 CGC 9.8 = 7 out of 10

Next up, Marvel Point One featuring the 1st appearance of Sam Alexander. Now, I’m a Richard Ryder guy. Nova #1 and #4 were 2 of my favorite covers as a kid. Still, the new guy is the one that a lot of today’s newer readers will know. The Nova Corps has already had a significant, and somewhat funny, contribution in the MCU. This seems like a pretty safe bet to me. Both Novas are likely to appear in the MCU in the future. * The variants are probably the best bet on this book but I still like this a lot. * I have 1 NM copy. rating raw NM = 7 out of 10 CGC 9.8 = 7 out of 10

I’m sure 12 hour work days aren’t healthy...but back to some comics. Next up, Dark Horse Comics #8...and Comics Greatest World X #1 with a Frank Miller cover. The #8 is the 1st appearance of X. With the recent news of Dark Horse having something to do with Netflix, something or many somethings, are bound to break out at some point. Netflix seems to have a thing for gritty, even brutal, ground level characters. This probably has something to do with budgets but they are also easier to relate to that say a god or an alien. Both of these books are extremely inexpensive. I added the Miller book because he’s had a lot of success in the movie department...and it’s just a really good looking cover. I have many of both of both of these books. All very high grade. Ratings #8 raw NM = 7 out of 10 CGC 9.8 = 8 out of 10 there are only 8 9.8 on the census. Probably a combination of reasons including lack of familiarity and popularity and the fact that about 1 out of 3 submissions have graded 9.8. X #1 raw NM = 2 out of 10 CGC 9.8 = 2 out of 10...but I’m saying there’s a chance 😊

It’s the only one I find for the most part. Its my favorite. I just need to pull the trigger and buy a set

I think so. I also think #60 because there is something special about the contrast of a black and white Moon Knight cover 👍

Next up are the last 6 issues of Marc Spector Mook Knight #65 through #60. Stephen Platt was the artist. I’ve never seen an artist draw less books and have a more lasting impact than him. Streamline might be close but not that close unless I’m missing some books by Platt. So much power and movement ( or stillness ) in those covers. I sold mine thinking I’d be able to buy them cheap later. I’ve never seen the cheap. So I have 0 issues and I don’t expect these to get cheap anymore. In fact, if there is a Moon Knight movie, I expect across the board increases on his title books and his early appearances. Raring all ( only 4 pictured ) raw NM = 7 out of 10 CGC 9.8 = 7 out of 10

Next up, my 2 biggest misses. Enormous #1 and Todd the Ugliest Kid on Earth #1. Okay, on one hand, I made money on Enormous and probably busted even on Todd. Still, they definitely were not big longterm winners...from a spec standpoint. I have a short box full of Enormous and my kids will probably inherit them 😝 I sold 2 NYCC Enormous books that my buddy picked up for me which paid for every Enormous book I purchased. It did NOT pay for the cover to issue #3 that I still have. I’m in on that one all by myself. I have at least 3 full sets of Todd and some extras on #1. I’d be hard pressed to sell those even if they made a comeback...which they won’t... I got to know the writers of both books and I like both of them a lot. Very nice guys who are doing things that work for them. I never begrudge a guy for trying to get himself and/or his family ahead in life. This is my hobby but their livelihoods. I know Ken have done some kind of work with the Punisher show on Netflix...which was cool. Tim moves on to Vault and the last I heard, he was doing well. Very thankful to have met them both. Now back to the spec. Enormous tanked so badly that I felt bad for even starting the thread on these boards. It made me hesitant to start any thread without a LOT of forethought. Looking back, I still love both books. The art was amazing and never laughed as hard as I did reading Todd #4. That doesn’t equate to good spec. They both had possible TV deals and both failed to happen. That’s life. So I own over 130 of these books ( full series and variants ) combined. Rating for both raw NM = 2 out of 10 CGC 9.8 = 3 out of 10 Oh yeah, someone sold Enormous #1 for $1.50 on eBay recently...I’ll pay double that all day, everyday 😝

We’ve hit on an X book or a dozen. Let’s talk about XForce #116. This features the 1st appearances of Zeitgeist, U Go Girl, Doop, and more. These heroes ? Would go on to become the X-Statix 😝 The run was goofy mixed modern sensibilities with a silver age 🤔 look. I thought I’d hate it. The art is normally my thing but somehow it all came together and made for a fun read. It has a fairly inexpensive buy in and any of these characters could be players in the future. I have multiple copies in NM. I always buy this when I see them at shops. Rating Raw NM = 7 out of 10 CGC 9.8 = 7 out of 10

Next up, Solar Man of the Atom #3 featuring the 1st appearance of Toyo Harada, Valiant’s resident super bad guy. Others may see him differently but I view him as a cross between, Tony Stark in wealth, Jean Grey mixed with Professor X’s type of abilities, with a vision of the future that is somewhere between Magneto and Thanos. Lol I'm overdoing it a little bit you get the idea. If the Valiant U comes to the big screen, he makes the most since as the antagonist of the shows. I own 1 NM copy of this book. I feel like it’s a good idea to buy more of them. raw NM = 7 out of 10 CGC 9.8 = 7 out of 10

Next we have 30 Days of Night #1. Created by Steve Niles and Ben Trmplesmith. They may have been on the map before this one but this is the first time I noticed either of them. When the video game Doom came out, it was different than most. I don’t know if it was the sounds or the now terrible graphics but it was creepy. Same thing with this story. Such a great idea and seemingly obvious idea but this was the first time I’d seen someone use Alaska as a setting for vampires. A 30 day long night. Yikes ! A movie has already been made and I never saw it. The book was good enough to freak me out 😝 I had a stack of these years ago. I now have zero. As I go through these, certain books stand out as “man, I should have saved one” type books. I bought multiples of a lot of comics to sell only to fall in love with the story. Rating raw NM = 4 out of 10 CGC 9.8 = 5 out of 10

The trademark info is nice to know. Good pickup. Cheap buy in makes it a lot less risky than most stuff. Love it.

It’s a good idea but I don’t have the time to list all of the sources I use. Gocollect, eBay, LCS, etc.. If someone wants to take the time, they’re more than welcome to input the data. Using just one source can give a skewed number. Take Rick and Morty #1 in CGC 9.6 as an example of why I use more than just eBay when I purchase a book.These are all prices realized on the same book this year.

Speaking of big TV show comics, next we have Batman Beyond #1. My kids love the TV show and so did I. This book is going to explode one day. That’s what my gut tells me. I own 1 VF copy and would like to go after NM copy. It’s a top 5 of so book in my upgrade want list. Rating raw NM = 8 out of 10 CGC 9.8 = 8 out of 10

Next up is a big book that I whiffed on when it came out. Rick and Morty #1. This is our 1st entry from Oni Press. I completely misjudged the popularity of the book. My thinking was that the Simpsons, which were pretty huge for a cartoon property, never really caught on with comic collectors. Not that they weren’t worth something but they aren’t super expensive to the best of my knowledge. I did okay with Futurama books but nothing that was amazing. Rick and Morty #1 on the other hand is comic gold. Everything associated with the property seems to do well. I own 0 copies. Probably will never own one because if I have this kind of money to spend on a book, it is likely going to be a DC or Marvel superhero book. That said, I understand that this is smoeone’s big comic. Maybe the centerpiece of a collection for the right person. rating raw NM = 7 out of 10 CGC 9.8 = 7 out of 10

I keep learning about this from you guys. I’ve heard a lot of talk about newsstands but never really paid attention until recently. They definitely seem to have a strong following based on the prices I’m seeing. I have a few things I’m curious about as far as what year was the tipping point ? The other thing I wonder is does the same thing make older direct issues. Are the old direct books more valuable due to relative rarity ?

I wouldn’t. I’d just buy another book but I’ve never owned that Hot Wheels Spawnmobile either 😊

I have a regular and Skottie Young variant of GotG #5. Really loved her in that series. I’m going to need your help on the other one. I read the series but can’t recall that specific book. If you have the time, let us know what you think of them and how you’d rate them. 👍

Next up Spawn #9, the 1st appearance of Angela. What a cool character. Really, they’re both great characters. In the early 90s, I couldn’t wait to see what was going to happen next in this series. The writing was hit and miss but the villains were great. Violator, Overtkill, Angela, Chapel, and even the hero seemed like a villain...sometimes. I loved McFarlane’s art. I know he isn’t everyone’s favorite. Still like Neal Adams , Frank Miller, and Art Adams, he really drew both sleek and powerful looking characters. Capullo was great too. Back to Angela. Had she stayed a Spawn character, her appeal would be more limited. Instead, she moved to Marvel and the sky is the limit. It doesn’t hurt that she now seems to be working in the right side of things. Heaven seemed more like hell in Spawn in actions and deeds. I have several NM copies of this book. I’d love to have a CGC 9.8 but I don’t have any of them. rating raw NM = 7 out of 10 CGC 9.8 = 7 out of 10

I agree with everything you said. Daredevil has been amazing many, many times. He has a who’s who of great writers. 👍

Thanks 🙏 I promise to be back with more later on. My wife has me painting a deck today so I’m thinking of changing my name from the Authority to the lobsterman 😆

Last group before a break. I’m a pretty big fan of Kevin Smith. Clerks was superb. His standup comedy is hilarious because he is one witty guy. He also feels like one of us. He is a comic book guy and was before it was popular to be one. I like his comics too and feel like a couple might be undervalued. The first is Daredevil #1 by him, Joe Quesada, and Jimmy Palmiotti. Three movers and shakers in the comic industry over the last two plus decades. This wa s a great read. Loved it. Still brings decent money but not what I’d expect. Green Arrow #1 is another one of his books that I enjoyed. I personally hadn’t cared about Oliver Queen for a long time outside of the JLA stuff. I was a Green Lantern /Green Arrow fan around the time Mike Grell was doing covers. Green Arrow had some nice covers too. Loved the Quiver storyline. You can buy Green Arrow #1 for around $3 to $5. These are the kinds of books that you expect to always be cheap...until they aren’t anymore and you end up paying a premium because now someone else figured out it was great too. Such if the life of a comic guy or gal. I’ve learned many lessons. This is one of them. Daredevil is more popular but the Green Arrow is way too cheap so opportunities in both of them. I own at least 2 NM copies of each. rating Daredevil #1 and GA #1 raw NM = 7 out of 10 CGC 9.8 = 7 out of 10

You may be asking yourself, how have we come this far into the thread without mentioning Adam Hughes and Catwoman in the same sentence ? Wonder no more, the next 4 are 3 blue chip covers and one that should be in my opinion. Issue #51 is THE Hughes Catwoman that will always the most love. Issues #70 and #74 are on equal footing in a tie for 2nd place while #46 has the most possible room for growth. Issue #46 reminds me of Sophie Turner who plays Sansa Stark in Game of Thrones. She wasn’t popular yet when this book came out. I own them all in NM- to NM. ratings #51 raw NM = 8 out of 10 CGC 9.8 = 8 out of 10 the rest raw NM = 6 out of 10 CGC 9.8 = 7 out of 10

I’m going to be discussing some Michael Turner DC books later. I’d suggest buying any of them. He is extremely stylistic. He may not be everyone’s favorite but he has a pretty huge following. So this is Witchblade #1. Not the 1st appearance of Witchblade but the biggest book I can think of in what I think of as Image’s 2nd wave. This was a wall book for the 1st year or two after it came out. Definitely makes me think of visiting my buddies at the comic shop. I own 0 copies of this book but I’m going to get it again in the near future. Rating raw NM = 5 out of 10 CGC 9.8 = 5 out of 10