World Devourer

Top Ten.

👍 I think we can all agree the item is question is grossly overpriced.

Here's my post about the last sale, which I'm fairly certain was bogus. It really is only on par with the painted Siekienwicz effort.

I know what it is, but it isn't ASM #667 yet...

Good for a laugh. Rare doesn't equal licence to rort...

The most pertinent post here. At present all the hot variants etc in the highest grade have been put away like nuts for the inevitable winter. The gems are now only for those that can afford them. Those that can't have to make do with the lower grades. No amount of complaining will change this.

I will agree that his efforts on Avengers were rather poor, but I don't think there was any need to hit him over the head with it. He would already be painfully aware of the fact that he will never draw anything like Byrne's X-Men. Save it for someone who is being unkind to others.

From an investment perspective, nothing will ever trump the original run. Steer clear of anything with too many graded copies.

There was a spate of phishing a few years ago to pump up prices for GPA. The dishonest types would then relist their items at the inflated and artificial price.

I think only the Marvel Silvers and some key Bronze (a la the Trinity - ASM #129, IH #181 and GSX #1) will really stand the test of time. Expect a gradual fall off with many Bronze titles. Some, like Son of Satan in Marvel Spotlight, have yet to get any traction. There also appears to also be some resistance to highly priced variants that simply aren't in demand. Just because a variant is technically rare, doesn't mean it will skyrocket like ASM #678 or Wolverine #1. As for DC, I've just never found anything of interest. I like the historical gems like Detective Comics #180 (Joker's Millions) and #241 (Rainbow Batman), but they never appear anymore. Probably the best investment I could suggest for beginners now is a low AF#15 or IH#1. Not sexy, but a good investment over time. Flipping the other stuff is for the pros.

I think that last sentence sums up the entire thread. I was quite busy with work and didn't check GPA for six months. When I saw the prices for my Bronze Trinity in 9.8 W (ASM #129, GSX #1, IH #181), my reaction was understandably then Since Vintage comics will stay scarce, that's a nice retirement fund (among other things). The "why" is of course far harder to define than "what". I put much of it down to the MCU and new money courtesy of crypto.

Indeed. From 9.0 to 9.8, there are only 228 copies on the census. That's not even 25% of the 1,000. If people are holding onto raw copies they will have to have them graded for any resale traction.

Well, new collectors should be able to buy most issues - with a few obvious exceptions - all the way back to the 70s. The sad fact is most of the product wasn't very good.

Yes...and the same applies to comics. A la Daredevil #168, Iron Man #55. Ms. Marvel #1 etc etc

I would say at present the Top Five Modern Variants are: 5. Danger Girl #2 (Ruby Red) 4. Dark Knight III #1 (Jim Lee Sketch 5K edition) 3. Clone Wars #1 (Special Edition) (I think this one will eventually splutter and fade. 1,000 copies is a lot!) 2. Ultimate Fallout #4 (Djurdjevic Variant) 1. Amazing Spider-Man #667 (Dell Otto Variant) Just outside of course are ASM #678 (Venom Mary Jane) and Wolverine #1 (Deadpool), although the SS Black #2 (Sketch) is the one to watch. Only 25 copies and many not 9.8. Already worth $7K +.

Years ago I purchased the Marvel Holy Trinity (ASM #129, IH #181 and GSXM #1) in 9.8W. That goes towards my retirement fund. I've added a few more recent gems like ASM #678 (variant) and SS Black #2 (Sketch variant) in 9.8W as top ups. It's a long game but one that always wins.

These ones are always frustrating. It pushes the item beyond the reach of the humble collector, and those that purchased high doggedly hold on, thinking to recoup their expenditure. This, of course, rarely happens. I imagine there are a lot of frustrated types out there who were burnt on Iron Man 55, Ms. Marvel #1 etc. Common sense isn't so common, as we know. 😉

Well, I found the current price to be very tasteful...

Ugh. So many. https://dc.fandom.com/wiki/Intercompany_Crossovers Almost all atrocious and unnecessary. Even Avengers/JLA was overbloated, convoluted and fannish.

And of course...

Agreed. It's a shame it could never be a mini-series as so many elements are references to popular culture, and rely on one being "in the know" (eg. the average person would have no idea that The Four are a dark parody of the FF).

Well, I could, but I don't usually tart my collection out for all to see.

Here's a well-thought out classic. It immediately draws the viewer in, having both an interesting foreground and background. It also provokes curiousity about the circumstances.

Yes, the much-derided cover of Avengers Annual #10. Right up there with the ridiculous story. The only saving grace was the Michael Golden internal art, as Iron Man looked amazing.

Well, I purchased a SS#4 in 9.8W in 2014. I checked the current price a few months ago. After I recovered , I did feel