JTLarsen

Replace it with Wonder Woman 72.

By what metric? Probably more popular, generally, but in TPB/HC sales? Critical acclaim? Artistic merit? Swamp Thing had TWO epic, seminal runs that helped redefine the art form.

They were. Far smaller population.

It’s almost as if they hadn’t heard of it or had reason to think it was special until a writer they enjoy flagged it and that piqued their interest in reading and owning it.

It may be that people are buying it because they want to own it. There’s this hobby called “comic COLLECTING.”

"Exploded" is a metaphor. "Go up in value" is not. So, I'm comfortable with the relative accuracies there. "Doubled" or "tripled," if true, would obviously be a lot more accurate than either. Ninety-nine percent of the world has never heard of Fantastic Four #48. I, for one, would not have to think that the vast, vast majority of purchases are speculation driven, given the meager polling that's been done on this issue. Does it make sense to point out reasons to suspect speculative motives? Sure. We just don't have the facts to draw conclusions.

Not knowing things is okay. For instance, if you were okay not knowing what I would know if I were around for the 1990s, you might not have told me what I would know if I were around for the 1990s. Which I was. I'm also not sure why you would assert what I would know...and then claim that it all comes down to opinion. It doesn't. There are facts at work here, we just don't know all of them. Which is why it's okay not to know things.

Which is why no one's saying it. And the same things that can fuel speculation can also fuel collectors...who want to get books for their PCs before the speculators run up the prices. I don't know how anyone would calculate what the ratio might be, but just the fact that there's a reason for a book to go up in value doesn't tell us whether that reason is motivating speculators more than collectors.

A rapid increase in prices alone doesn't tell us it's speculation. It could just be collectors who've always wanted it deciding they need to act now to get it in their PCs. Or new collectors awakening to its importance. A price run-up doesn't tell us the motives of the buyers.

Warren Ellis, please.

As evidenced by the behavior of your friend in the anecdote you yourself describe, rising prices are actually MORE incentive for owners to part with them. That's, like, how it works.

How about the first appearance of a key character?

Definitely not bronze.

This was a seminal re-imagining of one of the best known characters in popular fiction. By a pioneer of the form. Not a lot of mystery here.

“Current popularity” has weak correlation with potential.

I applaud and agree with not patronizing Walmart. It seems to me (a) DC should’ve given LCSes a shot at these but especially (b) the reprints should have much more variety; the classic 100-pagers had golden age reprints, I hated them but it taught me the variety that existed...it’s INSANE that these books don’t reprint anything from the animated/adventures series of Batman and Superman.

Hawkman 4, Brave and Bold 60, and Doom Patrol 99 should see big bumps. HOS 92, too, though that’s really bronze. Strange Tales 135 eternally undervalued.

He's one of those characters where they defer to the creator. In this case, Garth Ennis, who said what he wanted to with the series and then wrapped it up. Not for nothing, but it was amazing.

But, but...I wanna read it!

These are going to go ballistic when (a) movie (b) integrated into continuity, or (c) both.

100%

I was thinking he was a flash in the pan. Then when I went to look for some of his past work and it turned out I had already picked up some of them because they were just good covers.

Quick check of Wikipedia refers to its unique style and its Eisner nomination. Ground breaking and acclaimed. I’m sure you can find other examples if you’re still curious.

Um, Elektra Assassin was ground breaking and acclaimed. Before that Sienkiewicz was something of an Adams clone. Elektra Assassin is a milestone.

Agreed on both fronts, making it still a great deal now. Lots of bargains to be had with UK mags, old Marvelman comics, etc.