If you could buy any 5 books, and sell in exactly 10 years. Which 5 and why?

[MR.COMICBOOK]

Give me a couple days, I gotta do research and figure out which books Hollywood plans on turning into movies.

[fantastic_four]

Give me a couple days, I gotta do research and figure out which books Hollywood plans on turning into movies.

 

That's probably the best formula offered in the thread, but even the movies don't cause the kinds of huge bumps Bronty is suggesting are never again to be found in comics. All of the stuff I've bought the last ten years have had multiple movies made from them, and none of them have gone up significantly, i.e. more than you'd make from the historical average of a money market account or mutual fund.

 

I think there are still some rather sizable jumps remaining on a lot of books though. I doubt many of us thought the big Silver Marvel keys would have tripled or quadrupled in price in just the last five years, but they have. I still think Amazing Fantasy 15 has a few more rapid doubling or triplings ahead of it, although it may take more than the thread's 10-year timeframe for them to occur. The character is just so incredibly popular, probably the most popular American comic hero ever.

[nickwire]

i think every post ive read by hedge guy is about investment in or value of books, do you even read comics??

[fantastic_four]

i think every post ive read by hedge guy is about investment in or value of books, do you even read comics??

 

Your question lacks some of the potential rude, presumptious condescension it could easily have achieved. Could you try rephrasing to pack a bit more individual_without_enough_empathyry in?

[Ogami]

The character is just so incredibly popular, probably the most popular American comic hero ever.

 

Man, as much as I love Spidey, I don't know that even I'd go that far. Seems to me that Batman still holds the top spot in the public conciousness with Spidey trailing him slightly.

[Hedge Collector]

i think every post ive read by hedge guy is about investment in or value of books, do you even read comics??

 

I've been collecting for about 23 years now. The only hiatus I took was in college.

 

The investment aspect of books has always intrigued me the most, but it is not why I collect.

 

Do you prefer that I discuss super powers or post scantilly clad comicon girlie pics to illustrate my comic collecting prowess?

[Hedge Collector]

i think every post ive read by hedge guy is about investment in or value of books, do you even read comics??

 

Your question lacks some of the potential rude, presumptious condescension it could easily have achieved. Could you try rephrasing to pack a bit more individual_without_enough_empathyry in?

 

Thank you, FF, defender of the universe!

[supapimp]

i think every post ive read by hedge guy is about investment in or value of books, do you even read comics??

 

no. i don't read moderns or new comics, but i do reread the older comics for childhood memories.

[Cimm]

Buy the art, not the character... as time goes by, the characters will fade, but great art is always great art...

 

Frazetta, Matt Baker, Wrightson, Neal Adams, Kaluta, Jeff Jones, BWS, Lily Renee, Jack Kamen, Graham Ingels... iconic covers, famous firsts and great art is where it is gonna be at in 10 years (and where it is at right now, for that matter)... run of the mill superhero mid-run issues, not so much... mark my words.

 

For the last few years, I have seen powerhouse movement on superhero titles, all in the HG range... but I have also seen a steady, discernible growth in books that are only significant for the art/cover (and that is growth in all grades!)... and steady growth is more of a sure thing than unsustainable multi-thousand dollar jumps for single highest graded issue.

 

Having said that, you can't go wrong with the icons of our hobby, i.e. Detective 27, Captain America Comics 1, All-Select 1, Action 1, Amazing Fantasy 15, etc. But, if you can afford to swim in those waters, why are you worried about what I think?

 

EDIT: Oops... forgot to give you 5 issues of note...

 

1. Thun'da, King of the Congo #1 (only book ever done cover to cover by Frazetta)

 

2. Beware #10 (very hard to find, especially in decent shape, and has a Frazetta/Check horror cover)

 

3. Phantom Lady #23

 

4. Fiction House (pick your favourite series, cover, theme)... mine is Planet Comics, #33, and sci-fi

 

5. Fox... their Jungle titles are stunning, especially the baker and Kamen ones. Pick your own favourite... mine is Zoot Comics #9.

[fantastic_four]

Frazetta, Matt Baker, Wrightson, Neal Adams, Kaluta, Jeff Jones, BWS, Lily Renee, Jack Kamen, Graham Ingels... iconic covers, famous firsts and great art is where it is gonna be at in 10 years (and where it is at right now, for that matter)... run of the mill superhero mid-run issues, not so much... mark my words.

 

Start adding more graemlins to that assertion every time you make it...because I'm not sure what else would cause it to actually come true.

[Cimm]

Frazetta, Matt Baker, Wrightson, Neal Adams, Kaluta, Jeff Jones, BWS, Lily Renee, Jack Kamen, Graham Ingels... iconic covers, famous firsts and great art is where it is gonna be at in 10 years (and where it is at right now, for that matter)... run of the mill superhero mid-run issues, not so much... mark my words.

 

Start adding more graemlins to that assertion every time you make it...because I'm not sure what else would cause it to actually come true.

 

Maybe the trend in normal priced back issues over the last few years? Superheroes have made the headlines because of the crazy prices being paid for the very best of the best... the books I am talking about have merely had steady, sustainable growth, without many spikes, and no drops that I have seen.

 

Please don't confuse my words, and think that I have no respect for superhero books, or the people that collect them... it is just that I don't see the market for them, other than the famous firsts, being sustainable into the future, as the people with nostalgia for the characters, events or runs get out of the hobby, or die off.

[fantastic_four]

Maybe the trend in normal priced back issues over the last few years? Superheroes have made the headlines because of the crazy prices being paid for the very best of the best... the books I am talking about have merely had steady, sustainable growth, without many spikes, and no drops that I have seen.

 

I mean no disrespect for the artists or comics you mention either, I just know very little about them. (thumbs u

 

Do you have any examples of how the growth level of those books has exceeded the growth of non-key superhero titles? I don't follow the market on the books you're referring to. My general skepticism of their future viability is simply because I don't know how 90% of collectors born after 1970 are going to be led back to the artists you reference, but it's easy to see how superhero films and videogames can lead collectors back to related titles. For example, the recent Christopher Nolan Batman films have led me to consider collecting Batman and Detective, but I dunno what's going to lead me back to Frazetta, except perhaps you posting examples of his biggest wow-factor art and catching me in the right mood...nothing else has inspired my interest in the older artists to date. And I might recognize some covers I like that I've seen posted in these forums (and nowhere else), yet have no idea who the names of the artists are who drew them.

[the420kid]

Interesting someone mentioned a movie star buying up all the top census books (anyone know who it is?)

 

But it does lead me to believe the its same person who is paying insane prices at PC. The uber-killer books on the site always seem to be 'sold' before they are even posted and go for WAYYYY more then they should.

 

One person responsible for driving up prices? im thinking oil speculators, real estate flippers, etc... where did they all end up :-\

 

 

[supapimp]

Interesting someone mentioned a movie star buying up all the top census books (anyone know who it is?)

 

 

 

the kid from growing pains last couple of seasons.

[the420kid]

gotcha. im such an 80s goon

 

 

shouldnt he be busy chasing super models?

[Cimm]

Maybe the trend in normal priced back issues over the last few years? Superheroes have made the headlines because of the crazy prices being paid for the very best of the best... the books I am talking about have merely had steady, sustainable growth, without many spikes, and no drops that I have seen.

 

Please don't confuse my words, and think that I have no respect for superhero books, or the people that collect them... it is just that I don't see the market for them, other than the famous firsts, being sustainable into the future, as the people with nostalgia for the characters, events or runs get out of the hobby, or die off.

 

I mean no disrespect for the artists or comics you mention either, I just know very little about them. (thumbs u

 

Do you have any examples of how the growth level of those books has exceeded the growth of non-key superhero titles? I don't follow the market on the books you're referring to. My general skepticism of their future viability is simply because I don't know how 90% of collectors born after 1970 are going to be led back to the artists you reference, but it's easy to see how superhero films and videogames can lead collectors back to related titles. For example, the recent Christopher Nolan Batman films have led me to consider collecting Batman and Detective, but I dunno what's going to lead me back to Frazetta, except perhaps you posting examples of his biggest wow-factor art and catching me in the right mood...nothing else has inspired my interest in the older artists to date. And I might recognize some covers I like that I've seen posted in these forums (and nowhere else), yet have no idea who the names of the artists are who drew them.

 

Right back at ya I don't follow the superhero market overmuch... I think what is happening here is an example of the myopic nature of comic collecting... I follow what I collect, you follow what you collect, and we deride each others interests out of ignorance. Which, funnily enough, gives me hope for the hobby as a whole.

 

I see steady interest and rising prices for what I collect, you see renewed interest from the media influence on superhero collecting. My only remaining caveat is, does this renewed interest in superheroes really fuel back issue sales? Or does it just bring in people to cons and LCSs for a short time, until they are "ripped off" by not seeing any rise in the value of the books they bought last year, and give up on the hobby all together? Do the franchise marketing ploys of movies and videogames make for long-term interest, serious collectors, and a sustainable growth for the hobby? Or, will it be like the pulp market, where the "hero pulps" are getting cheaper (relatively), and the spicy, horror, and "great art covers" are rising to the top?

[fantastic_four]

the kid from growing pains last couple of seasons.

 

I presume you mean Leonardo DiCaprio. That's been my wild guess as well since I've heard for a while he collects comics. I haven't heard that he collects high grade Silver Marvel though...you got some specific reason to think he now does?

[chrisco37]

gotcha. im such an 80s goon

 

 

shouldnt he be busy chasing super models?

 

That's what I said.

 

But, I guess when you've already owned the Action #1 of supermodels, and just dumped the AF#15 the logical progression is...HG comic books.

[fantastic_four]

I see steady interest and rising prices for what I collect, you see renewed interest from the media influence on superhero collecting. My only remaining caveat is, does this renewed interest in superheroes really fuel back issue sales? Or does it just bring in people to cons and LCSs for a short time, until they are "ripped off" by not seeing any rise in the value of the books they bought last year, and give up on the hobby all together?

 

The movies most likely inspire a tiny percentage of viewers to take up comics anew, perhaps 0.1%. More often what they do is cause people to get back into the comics they collected when they were kids. This is EXACTLY what happened with me. I collected Marvels in the mid-80s, stopped in the 90s, and in 2000 when the first X-Men film came out, it caused me to dust off my longboxes and re-ignited my interest in them.

 

However...there was no Frazetta when I was a kid. There is no Frazetta in most comic shops now except on the bookshelves most often hidden inside of books and anthologies. I couldn't recognize his art then, nor can I now. Nothing in the media is leading me to him. I don't see how people under 45 or so will ever get introduced to the old artists you reference.

[Cimm]

I was born in 1970, and Frazetta was everywhere growing up. On book covers, making movies (Fire & Ice, Wizards), in fine art galleries, album covers, movie posters, comic books...

 

Now? Well, there is a new line of comics coming out based on his paintings, there are constantly new fine art books dedicated to him, his influence is seen in, and referenced by, many artists working today, and he is more widely known outside of our hobby than in it. I know more than a few people who collect Frazetta, and because of their interest in him, and where he came from, now collect other comics, but only those comics that have artistic merit (which is a matter of individual taste). Frazetta is truly a master who transcended the medium. He might have started out as a comic artist, but he became famous as a commercial artist. He hasn't done comics, or comic art, in decades.