Why is Spidey #30 selling for so much lately?

[fantastic_four]

Spidey #30 is one of the most common early Spideys and not all that desirable since "the Cat" never appeared again to the best of my knowledge. It isn't as common as 33 or 45, but it's not too far behind them. Yet somehow, 9.2 and 9.4 copies have been showing up with regular frequency this year and going for really nice prices, with 9.2s going for around $400-$500 and 9.4s going for around $1000. Example: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2203561763&category=32739

 

Why is this issue so hot this year? Even during Spidey movie hype last year it wasn't going for this much. "nativenewyorker", the forum member who sold the copy at the link above, listed this copy late last year like 2 or 3 times with no success, but mid-to-late this year, the issue has been hot.

[ubiquiti]

beacuase I was looking for a hg copy.

It will cool off once i forget I want one.

[clobberintime]

Just another sign of the currently overheated ebay market I think. One of the worst early Spidey covers.

[osborn_fr]

One of the worst early Spidey covers.

 

True. And i will add: one of the worst Marvel cover.

 

 

[drbanner]

Whoa...and just think what this would've gone for if it weren't for "The Crash"!!

 

Looks like increased stock portfolios have consumer confidence headed up, and while the wheat has been separated from the chaffe as far as the bountiful bronze/modern market is concerned, nice, early silver-age books and mainstream golden age seem to be doing well lately.

[Aman619]

no way!! Its a radical cover...one of the most different covers Ive ever seen. When it came out I stared at it amazed that the lead character, was so tiny, almost lost in the dark greys of the buildings. Have you seen one since that so strikingly (if minimally) designed? It flies against th etraditional superhero punc/pose/action scenes on 99.9% of all other comics.

 

Another unique Steve Ditko masterpiece.

[fantastic_four]

I like it too because it's different, you don't usually see the perspective on a comic cover zoomed out that far, it captures Spidey's action and its context within the cityscape in a compellingly unique way.

[Aman619]

bingo, FF!

Course, maybe the issue didnt sell well and thats why its remained so unique after all this time!? I can see Stan come screaming into the office "NO MORE TINY HEROES!!"

[murph0]

A few comments, first.. I'm pretty sure Nativenewyorker was trying to sell it for 1,500 dollars originally. Also, it's been regularly selling outside of eBay for between 1,000-1,500 dollars so that attributes to a higher value placed on the book. And finally, people need the book to complete ASM runs.

While this book has gone up in value, it appears 29 is going down. I think one just went unsold with a starting bid of 975 dollars. Very much off from the 1,000 dollar threshold the book was selling at prior to that listing.

 

Brian

[clobberintime]

I think it's boring and dark - it in no way wants to make me buy the book or see what's inside. I think most mags strive for that in their covers whether they are comics or regular publications. If it was so great, why was in never emulated? Ditko was great on Spidey and Doc strange but there were definitely some goofs. Could you imagine some of the other great cover artists doing anything like that? Schomburg, Kirby, Kane, Buscema? Yep - I like the character so much, I want to be able to barely recognize him without a magnifying glass.

[Aman619]

thats why its so different and I like it so much.

it breaks the rules.

[COI]

thats why its so different and I like it so much.

it breaks the rules.

 

So you must like #22 as well, which I think is much more interesting than #30.

[fantastic_four]

It's much shorter to list the Spidey covers I don't like that the ones I do! The ones I like least from 1 to 100 are 2, 26, 35, 37, 63, and 73. Ones I like most are (in order) 69, 75, 59, 39, 52, 50, 90, 15, 62, and 40.

[COI]

It's much shorter to list the Spidey covers I don't like that the ones I do! The ones I like least from 1 to 100 are 2, 26, 35, 37, 63, and 73. Ones I like most are (in order) 69, 75, 59, 39, 52, 50, 90, 15, 62, and 40.

 

My favorites list is very similar to yours, except I would replace #15 with #18 as my all-time favorite Ditko cover. I would also replace 90, 62 and 40 with 86, 51 and 71. I also like the classic pose on #68.

 

Everyone seems to hate #73, but it dosen't bother me much. For me, the worst are #20(The way Scorpion has Spidey lifted over his head is akward), #25(the cover I hate the MOST out of the whole run), #30, #38 and #99.

[Aman619]

yes, I do. But 30 sticks out in my memory...I had to go to ebay to look at 22 to remember which cover it was. As for my favoriyes from 1 thru 100, Id have to look at them all to make a list, but I dont think Id pick more than couple from 40 up. Going to Romita fron Ditko was a seismic shift many of us learned to live with, but never got fully used to. Spidey art was clean and professional, but never exciting til Gil Kane bcame along.

[goldust40]

I find the Ditko covers from 30 - 38 (with the exception of 31 and 35) drab and workmanlike, as if he was running out of steam. 30 is just plain odd as it has no defining image - no wonder people forget how it looks.

[Aman619]

nobody said they forgot how 30 looks... I said I forgot how 22 looked.

[Bronty]

You can't include 33 in that!! Come to think of it, I like 34 quite a bit too..

[Aman619]

the only truly bad Ditko cover was 38 which was after he quit and was put together from stats of the interior. (if im remembering correctly.)

[blowout]

the only truly bad Ditko cover was 38 which was after he quit and was put together from stats of the interior. (if im remembering correctly.)

 

Go back and check the cover for ASM #10, for me that is Ditko's worst. But overall he produced some great covers (personal favorites: 12, 23, 25, 28 & 29). I also like the cover for #30 for the same reasons as aman, a great example of Ditko doing something differently to everyone else.