MAY1979

You gave the topic a 12 year bump I can say demand is very high for Joe #1 and key issues same with Transformers. In 10 years will they be $5k or more or a few hundred or less. Not sure there is long term viability but my year 2000 self-submitted Joe #1 in original 1st gen CGC slab that i originally picked up raw for $2 in 1998 makes me smile. I was a Joe kid, Transformers never did it for me the same way.

The first 12 months of The 'Nam book were something Special. Issue #7 I feel is one of the best comics of the decade and one of the better comic books issues ever written. Sadly it's mostly forgotten now. The real time aspect while well intended does not work that great in a 17-25 page comic book format. I really wish their idea had been to do say 4 issues per month in effect 1 book covers 1 week. One of the reason i say that is it's not easy to create characters that resonate with the majority of readers, so when Ed Marks left after the first year the book was not the same to myself and many others. Overall like many readers I dropped off the run after around the end of the 2nd year. It was no longer a book I looked forward to reading.. My copy of issue 1, that I picked up as a kid in 1986, was in an early CGC submission of mine back in 2003. Having that exact copy in 9.8w inside an original 1st gen CGC slab to me personally as comics go is "priceless".

Folks I'd like to mention that the Earth II Batman was the Golden Age Batman. Everything's been done and undone and done again near infinitum with DC. I dropped off that treadmill the week before "New 52". I'm still a late 60's through mid 80's (heavy on 78-80) collector but not a new book reader

I see the original Aparo 462 cover art is on CAF - WOW, I'm rather jelly https://www.comicartfans.com/SearchResult.asp?PM=1&txtSearch=adventure+462

No. The actual death is Adventure #462 on page 13 (11th page of story)

Floating/Disembodied heads were very popular on 1970's Comic Covers both Marvel and DC and early-mid 1960's Topps League Leader type cards. I've always found them to be a bit creepy and unsettling. Certainly no selling point for me. However, as DC mostly did in the early 1980's, if neck and or tops of torso are shown the unsettling aspect for me goes away. Example:

Great topic! Yep very difficult to believe a book this significant to Comics History + the Batman legend, and extremely condition sensitive is now overlooked in these days of all things 1st issue or 1st appearance only. Picked up my first copy as child out of a 50 cent section at one of my earliest visits to a comic book shop. It was like finding treasure albeit a sad one given the story content. Cover dated April 1979, indicia dated March-April 1979, the comic was on-sale in Dec 1978. For DC at that time Superman was the top dawg, earlier that year the GA Superman received a Wedding issue, then a big budget motion picture, but the GA Batman was killed off fighting a super-natural based villain My scans are crappy, the condition of the book is not Thanks to Vane for getting this comic my way!

Sorry this happened to you, similar happened to me twice before I completely changed my purchasing paradigm. A saying that is now uttered to the point of cliche "Buy the Comic, not the Label" is something for last 10 years I try to apply to all my purchases. Even if it means many times letting books elude me if I'm not 100% confident they are in the condition I want. I may be wrong but I believe most speculators and the "social media #1 and 1st app crowd" simply buy the label?

Ross is steady producer of expensive non-published art as with anything financial "supply and demand" will eventually reign. The question is will demand always equal or exceed the supply?

Harsh! Some folk like their heroes to look like junkies in the throes of withdrawal. While there are few 70's covers of his I like, I'm amazed at the value of the Invaders pages he penciled.

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I've been in the comic hobby a long time and too never heard of "Gus Vasquez". Deadpool featured panels are all from side or a distance. Bottom panel jumps out at viewer but the character is unknown to me. $200-$300 perhaps you get lucky with a BIN? I'd say at straight auction $125-$150 if Deadpool is ultra hot at the time. There is Deadpool art by more well known artists that highlight the character more prominently (and or in action) which generally sells for $600-$800

Regarding "Cost of Living" Plat 1 , variant collectors are a sub-set of Comic Collectors and sadly DC Collecting, especially post Silver, also seems to be a subset as well. I know many Marvel only collectors but no DC only collectors. If those 9.8 #'s increase I really do not think demand will follow in tandem. As for me i collect DC and Marvel but have no interest in variants even if a few have made their way into my collection over the years. Close friends I have that also collect have no variant interest. So IMHO Variant collecting is a sub-set and by sub-set I am not referring to a much lower collected niche status. ------------- In my opinion #8 will exceed #1 possibly by a lot going forward; 1/3 the 9.8 pop, 1/2 the 9.6 pop. More condition sensitive and by all accounts lower print run than #1. Also a more collector desirable character first appearance. For those that actually read the book (I know the social media speculator crowd ain't doin' that) it's a much more enjoyable issue as well. Again its only my opinion but I think the market is already playing it out.

cue the peaches and herb Truly excellent man! A price of your soul made it way back home

JR could bring it. RIP

I have self-submitted UN-pressed CGC 9.8's of 1 and 8 which I purchased raw, of course, from my local shop during my youth back in 1989. Sorry don't have pics. Over the years I recall reading that after issue 6 DC increased the press runs after seeing the earlier sales numbers. Then vastly increased again after 9. It was mentioned that the lowest print runs were issues 2,3,4,5 with 4 being the lowest. #3 remains my favorite issue of the run. Anyone have #'s for the print runs ? Interesting that for issues #4 and #8 both the individual 9.6 and 9.4 populations exceed the 9.8's. Given the era in which these were produced that says to me they are somewhat condition sensitive. I think #4 should be added to this thread title that way THE 3 Keys to the run are covered.

LMK when it extends to Heathcliff

Did not know that. That does splain things. Thanks 4 schoolin' me. Guess I'm clueless about the clueless.

I've sent a bunch of Canadian Newsstands the past 3 years and even though I filled our submissions 100% correct, they still came back without the proper designations on the label I also have talked with several other collectors and have seen posts in the Canadian Newsstand topic who have said same thing - appears getting the correct label notation is a roll of the dice. IMHO don't be a trustin' the CGC census on Canadian Newsstands Here are the 3 for which I have scans, all were submitted Nov 2019 - what kills me is not only were my submission forms 100% correct but on the Supergirl it clearly says Canadian right on the book itself! P.S. While I'm not a Canadian Newsstand Collector at a Fall 2019 con I came across a very friendly dealer (name eludes me at moment - sorry man) who had near a kiloton of them raw. So I picked up a bunch I thought were really nice on a lark then started to sub them to CGC. P.S. While I'm not a Canadian Newsstand Collector at a Fall 2019 con I came across a very friendly deale (name eludes me at moment - sorry man) who had a near kiloton of them raw. So I picked up a bunch I thought were really nice on a lark then started to sent sub them to CGC.

Time will tell. It will be interesting if breaks that way, given the social media 1st app and 1st issue speculators buy the label not the book crowd still won't care BTW collectors of the newsstand might want to keep it quiet if they believe it's picking up steam in an effort to keep prices down while they buy stuff up.

Great innovative and unique Hannigan cover design. Love that "forced" angled perspective. Probably my favorite cover in the run.

Many eBay sellers and seemingly most auction houses rarely if ever make any mention of Newsstand thus sampling likley too tiny to be a valid mechanism for historical sales. It's strictly eye of beholder type stuff. I know of other collectors like myself who prefer a book the way they remember having it back in the day. I'm willing to pay a small amount extra (roughly 10% max and only if Marvel - DC's pretty much look the same) if I had the newsstand back in the day but that's as far as it goes. Conversely if I had a direct sale when I was young I want a direct sale now.

I wonder if pressing works the same on thick stock covers? Is it even safe on them?

and the only Comic Book cover I can draw pencil and ink just as well as the original artist Solar 10, like most Valiant, there were a metric ton (edit: as was pointed out pre-Unity #1 , thus merely 1/2 a metric ton) printed but look how few in percentage there are in CGC 9.8. Very, very difficult to score in 9.8 the only reason there are the 150 or so on the census is due to the overall quantity produced.. Even the tiniest of defects is glaring on the cover. I got mine in my youth, I was an instant big Solar fan after scoring many Gold Keys in 4 for $1 bins circa 1990. Sent my #10 in to CGC years back as I knew I had a shot at 9.8 but had been wrong about these type things before. It did grade at 9.8, glad I waited back in the day for the 2nd printing to read the book. Solar 10 remains my favorite Valiant book, with Shadowman #1 second, Solar 1 third, then Magnus 1 and 12 forth and fifth,. Harbinger never really did it for me same goes for X-O. The Boniface Shadowman being my favorite original Valiant character creation.