What post-1975 comics had the lowest print runs (for the first printing)?

[dekeuk]

 

I've been looking at that Cerebus #1 that's been posted on the boards recently. Great comic. I know that had a really low print run, and I know of others like TMNT #1 first print that had low runs.

 

But I don't know much about print runs. Maybe some expert out there knows the answer to this querstion:

 

What post-1975 comics had the lowest print runs for the first printing of an issue (not counting artificial scarcity like variant covers and retailer incentive editions like Batman #608)? Maybe a top 10 or top 20 list?

 

 

 

 

[awe4one]

Western 35 cent variants. I know you didn't want variants but these weren't typical variants as we consider them today...

 

Jim

[dekeuk]

Western 35 cent variants. I know you didn't want variants but these weren't typical variants as we consider them today...

 

Jim

 

Like this I guess?

[shadroch]

Whitman DCs have pretty low print runs.Especially the War books.I don't think anyone has an accurate number on these books.

[Currin Comics]

I believe the Marvel-Godzilla #1 was a low print run, I know the variant was, but I think the non-variant was low as well.

[joe_collector]

I believe the Marvel-Godzilla #1 was a low print run, I know the variant was, but I think the non-variant was low as well.

 

[Currin Comics]

I believe the Marvel-Godzilla #1 was a low print run, I know the variant was, but I think the non-variant was low as well.

 

 

 

Hey, no mention of "valuable" or "DC only"-sheesh, tough crowd today.

[joe_collector]

I believe the Marvel-Godzilla #1 was a low print run, I know the variant was, but I think the non-variant was low as well.

 

 

 

Hey, no mention of "valuable" or "DC only"-sheesh, tough crowd today.

 

My comment was because Godzilla 1 is one of the more hoarded books of that era, right up there with Star Wars #1, PPSSM #1, John Carter 1, Tarzan 1, etc.

 

It's about as far from rare as you can get.

[Currin Comics]

I believe the Marvel-Godzilla #1 was a low print run, I know the variant was, but I think the non-variant was low as well.

 

 

 

Hey, no mention of "valuable" or "DC only"-sheesh, tough crowd today.

 

My comment was because Godzilla 1 is one of the more hoarded books of that era, right up there with Star Wars #1, PPSSM #1, John Carter 1, Tarzan 1, etc.

 

It's about as far from rare as you can get.

 

 

Ahhh, I guess it's just the variant then-thanks for the info.

[ft88]

In terms of regular old comics without variants or indy publishers. I'd go with many of the Marvel line of books such as the Star cartoon books like Strawberry Shortcake. Also, the last few issue of GI Joe, Transformers, and last issue of Star Wars 107 tend to be tough finds. Though a search on Star Wars 107 seems to turn up plenty of copies. There were other unwanted titles that towards their end have low print runs as well as surviving copies being low grade quarter bin fodder. Conan and DC war books come to mind. The last issues of the Marvel Westerns and Sgt Fury are tough in high grade for the same reason.

 

But none of these is impossible and the rarest of all these are probably the late Transformers issues.

[the blob]

There are plenty of obscure titles from the last 10 years from small companies with tiny print-runs, probably sub-10,000 or 5,000. They're sitting in bargain bins because unlike the once obscure TNMT #1 and Cerebrus #1, nobody cares about them.

 

Diamond helps small companies publish/print their comics and all they're looking for is $2,500/mo in sales, so I guess at a wholesale price I think all they want is like a 2,000 print-run. (2,000 X $1.25 wholesale price)

 

 

[seank]

There's some Whitman Disney books that were released at the end of the 1970s in multi-packs only, no newstand release. Also, Gladstone in the early 1990s saw extremely reduced print runs before ceasing its Disney publishing operations for a while. I believe they were as low as 5000 copies for many issues at that time.

[FlyingDonut]

The DC Peter Cannon, Thunderbolt run had print runs under 10K. The last issue of Beautiful Stories for Ugly Children also had teeny tiny print runs, ~5K

[seanfingh]

I'd go with many of the Marvel line of books such as the Star cartoon books

 

I thought this, too, Ed. But if you look at Joe Koch and some of the warehousers, they always have tons of copies. Not necessarily high grade, though.

[sckao]

 

You really have to qualify that statement and say "solicited through Diamond or whatever" since some Independent writer/artists make their own comics.

 

I know a friend of mine sold some of his comics from his artist table at various regional cons here and through his website and he had a total print run of less than 30 copies. (I know because I printed them for him. )

 

 

 

 

[ft88]

I forgot about those Whitmans and late Gladstones. Those are solid rare issues of otherwise popular titles and characters.

 

And don't forget the rare DC giveaways and promotion books that Ian Levine had a hard time finding. One was of a rich kid where his parents had the book published specifically for him. Like 10 copies made or some such.

 

Ed

[kimik]

Some of the late issue Valiants (1st series) have smaller print runs and fetch a pretty penny now a little over a decade later. (thumbs u

[shadroch]

I'd go with many of the Marvel line of books such as the Star cartoon books

 

I thought this, too, Ed. But if you look at Joe Koch and some of the warehousers, they always have tons of copies. Not necessarily high grade, though.

 

 

Marvel Comics,Carol Kalish in particular,had great hopes for the Star Line and printed many extra copies of the first few issues.They GAVE them to several distributors in the hope that comic stores would impliment a seperate Kids Dept.

As far as mainstream Marvels go,I'd imagine the last few issues of most of The New Universe titles were underprinted for their day.But remember that 95% of todays books would have been canceled based on their numbers in 1987.Back then,Marvel wanted to see ongoing sales of somewhere around 40,000 to publish monthly.

[maxstuf]

Another low print comic is Mort the Dead Teenager.

# 4 is supposedly very low in numbers.

[MR.COMICBOOK]

I'd go with many of the Marvel line of books such as the Star cartoon books

 

I thought this, too, Ed. But if you look at Joe Koch and some of the warehousers, they always have tons of copies. Not necessarily high grade, though.

 

 

Marvel Comics,Carol Kalish in particular,had great hopes for the Star Line and printed many extra copies of the first few issues.They GAVE them to several distributors in the hope that comic stores would impliment a seperate Kids Dept.

As far as mainstream Marvels go,I'd imagine the last few issues of most of The New Universe titles were underprinted for their day.But remember that 95% of todays books would have been canceled based on their numbers in 1987.Back then,Marvel wanted to see ongoing sales of somewhere around 40,000 to publish monthly.

Jonah Hex and Sgt.Rock had sales in the low 90,000`s back in the early 80`s and were cancelled for low sales. Today DC would jump for joy if any of thier titles could even get half of that. sad how far sales have fallen off.