Comic Book Movie Hype -real demand or manipulation?

[VintageComics]

oh, then I take it all back!

 

 

Do you know anything about comics?

 

[october]

In comics? Probably not on a massive scale . On a small to medium size scale? Without a doubt. I can think of half a dozen local or regional examples off the top of my head.

 

Thank you.

 

(thumbs u

 

Ok Roy, you are so right. Nobody could ever manipulate the movie comic book market, despite successful attempts on a smaller scale and despite proven examples from markets much larger and more complex. You win, since your "gut" obviously carries more weight than facts, examples and accepted business theory. Congrats.

[G.A.tor]

what we have to keep in mind is that our hobby is, at best, a microcosm relative to the world at large...

 

I fully agree that a few (or in some instances, even 1) person can "manipulate" an entire market on a particular book... now, has to be the right person and the right book, but it can happen

[VintageComics]

In comics? Probably not on a massive scale . On a small to medium size scale? Without a doubt. I can think of half a dozen local or regional examples off the top of my head.

 

Thank you.

 

(thumbs u

 

Ok Roy, you are so right. Nobody could ever manipulate the movie comic book market, despite successful attempts on a smaller scale and despite proven examples from markets much larger and more complex. You win, since your "gut" obviously carries more weight than facts, examples and accepted business theory. Congrats.

 

I wasn't trying to be "right" Andy. Simply offering an opinion for the sake of discussion because I found it hard to believe that any one entity could control a large volume from many sources offered by placeS like eBay. I thought you were agreeing with me in that last post I quoted.

 

Personally I don't care either way.

 

 

what we have to keep in mind is that our hobby is, at best, a microcosm relative to the world at large...

 

I fully agree that a few (or in some instances, even 1) person can "manipulate" an entire market on a particular book... now, has to be the right person and the right book, but it can happen

 

Right on, and that's why I was so against calling it "manipulation" in this case.

 

As Bedrock once said, we come on here, post a cool book or cover, a few people get excited and start buying them up...but that isn't manipulation. It's simply a bunch of fan boys needing to have one....just like when Suspense #3 broke out after being featured in the Gerber photo journals. It's just "hype" IMO.

 

(thumbs u

[Foolkiller]

Let me just say this: market manipulation is and has been going on in comics and will continue to go on. Essentially, when I am going around trying to "corner the market" for Showcase 22s, I am trying to get my hands on something that I perceive there will be a demand for. Now, this isn't manipulating the market per se, but it is trying to get ahead of the curve. There will be more people trying to get a copy of Showcase 22. That's a demand issue. When you see people -- people not previously buying or focused on Showcase 22s -- trying to buy it, you are trying to buy up as many copies as you can to satisfy later demand for the book. What's driving it? Well, some of it is movie and some of it is just more people looking for the book, or pre existing collectors wanting the book more now than ever.

 

I'm not going to deny it -- I've been on Showcase 22 for some time -- and I've been searching out and buying up as many copies as I can as I believe more in this book than any other single key short term. Now that being said, I'm considering buying up a few other keys that I believe are undervalued that have almost as much potential future upside as Showcase 22. It happened with Avengers 4 etc. If it is too artificial and demand can't support an across the board raise, a situation like Avengers 1 will happen. There has to be a fundamental desire for the book among a wide group of people, it can't be totally manipulated. Collectors always want the hot book. That's the whole reason why variant covers sell and people want DC Comics Presents 87 for about two seconds.

 

Showcase 22 and Avengers 4 are slightly different in that they feature an appearance of a major, major character. That being said, they have experienced a run up partially because there is real demand. So there is certainly some price manipulation due to the fact that more people suddenly want the book -- why do they want it? Some of it is that it is put on their radar and they want to own what is cool. Or perhaps they are thinking about it for the future that there will be even greater demand.

 

Whatever the reason, despite an abundance of copies for books like Iron Man 1, Cap 100, Avengers 4 etc., there seems to be lots of collectors willing to continue to scoop them up. Showcase 22 is less plentiful in grade, and I predict that given GLs popularity, you will see this experience a similar track that Avengers 4 has followed, meaning no cooling off.

[seanfingh]

 

For people that already collect, it is about the ship leaving the harbor, possibly never to return. I felt that way with GL 76 and it had nothing to do with movie hype, just a sense that prices were on a permanent spike and I needed to get in before the price point and my desired grade got too out of whack (EPIC FAIL on my part anyway). Movie hype can fuel this same fire as the feeling becomes that if, for example, GL becomes a huge movie franchise, the spike will be such that even if Show. 22 levels off, it will never come back to the pre-movie halcion days.

 

On the issue of manipulation, it is all about how much juice you can get from the squeeze. Movie hype-induced price increases appear to be a given for big two movie franchises. With indys it only happens sometimes and appear to be when the movie gets great pre-release buzz or if the movie really pops. Thus you don't see the same hype increase for Wanted or Whiteout or 30 Days of Night. In a situation where the book is already valuable and the supply is relatively limited, the ability to manipulate and score big is out there. The question is whether it is worth it for the bread you would get. Most people that could pull it off could make more doing something more mainstream.

 

 

[Aman619]

Let me just say this: market manipulation is and has been going on in comics and will continue to go on. Essentially, when I am going around trying to "corner the market" for Showcase 22s, I am trying to get my hands on something that I perceive there will be a demand for. Now, this isn't manipulating the market per se, but it is trying to get ahead of the curve. There will be more people trying to get a copy of Showcase 22. That's a demand issue. When you see people -- people not previously buying or focused on Showcase 22s -- trying to buy it, you are trying to buy up as many copies as you can to satisfy later demand for the book. What's driving it? Well, some of it is movie and some of it is just more people looking for the book, or pre existing collectors wanting the book more now than ever.

 

I'm not going to deny it -- I've been on Showcase 22 for some time -- and I've been searching out and buying up as many copies as I can as I believe more in this book than any other single key short term. Now that being said, I'm considering buying up a few other keys that I believe are undervalued that have almost as much potential future upside as Showcase 22. It happened with Avengers 4 etc. If it is too artificial and demand can't support an across the board raise, a situation like Avengers 1 will happen. There has to be a fundamental desire for the book among a wide group of people, it can't be totally manipulated. Collectors always want the hot book. That's the whole reason why variant covers sell and people want DC Comics Presents 87 for about two seconds.

 

Showcase 22 and Avengers 4 are slightly different in that they feature an appearance of a major, major character. That being said, they have experienced a run up partially because there is real demand. So there is certainly some price manipulation due to the fact that more people suddenly want the book -- why do they want it? Some of it is that it is put on their radar and they want to own what is cool. Or perhaps they are thinking about it for the future that there will be even greater demand.

 

Whatever the reason, despite an abundance of copies for books like Iron Man 1, Cap 100, Avengers 4 etc., there seems to be lots of collectors willing to continue to scoop them up. Showcase 22 is less plentiful in grade, and I predict that given GLs popularity, you will see this experience a similar track that Avengers 4 has followed, meaning no cooling off.

 

 

this is well stated and for my part all true.

 

but for this discussion, I ask you this: you say you were accumulating Showcase 22s fror some time ("I'm not going to deny it -- I've been on Showcase 22 for some time -- and I've been searching out and buying up as many copies as I can as I believe more in this book than any other single key short term. ")... because its an important and probably undervalued key.

 

So in your opinion did your bulk buying affect the market?

 

Because, IMO, what kicked 22 into gear was the movie. And you would have only a box full of 22s today worth about what you paid had teh book not taken off due to the movie connection.

 

As a seasoned collector, I know you would have kept them all anyway because th ebook is what it is and would rise at some point down the road (which incidentally is how I have always collected) BUT, your actions IMO have had little to do with the 22 market we are now witnessung. no? (except make your stash an important shrewd resource)

 

[Foolkiller]

Let me just say this: market manipulation is and has been going on in comics and will continue to go on. Essentially, when I am going around trying to "corner the market" for Showcase 22s, I am trying to get my hands on something that I perceive there will be a demand for. Now, this isn't manipulating the market per se, but it is trying to get ahead of the curve. There will be more people trying to get a copy of Showcase 22. That's a demand issue. When you see people -- people not previously buying or focused on Showcase 22s -- trying to buy it, you are trying to buy up as many copies as you can to satisfy later demand for the book. What's driving it? Well, some of it is movie and some of it is just more people looking for the book, or pre existing collectors wanting the book more now than ever.

 

I'm not going to deny it -- I've been on Showcase 22 for some time -- and I've been searching out and buying up as many copies as I can as I believe more in this book than any other single key short term. Now that being said, I'm considering buying up a few other keys that I believe are undervalued that have almost as much potential future upside as Showcase 22. It happened with Avengers 4 etc. If it is too artificial and demand can't support an across the board raise, a situation like Avengers 1 will happen. There has to be a fundamental desire for the book among a wide group of people, it can't be totally manipulated. Collectors always want the hot book. That's the whole reason why variant covers sell and people want DC Comics Presents 87 for about two seconds.

 

Showcase 22 and Avengers 4 are slightly different in that they feature an appearance of a major, major character. That being said, they have experienced a run up partially because there is real demand. So there is certainly some price manipulation due to the fact that more people suddenly want the book -- why do they want it? Some of it is that it is put on their radar and they want to own what is cool. Or perhaps they are thinking about it for the future that there will be even greater demand.

 

Whatever the reason, despite an abundance of copies for books like Iron Man 1, Cap 100, Avengers 4 etc., there seems to be lots of collectors willing to continue to scoop them up. Showcase 22 is less plentiful in grade, and I predict that given GLs popularity, you will see this experience a similar track that Avengers 4 has followed, meaning no cooling off.

 

 

this is well stated and for my part all true.

 

but for this discussion, I ask you this: you say you were accumulating Showcase 22s fror some time ("I'm not going to deny it -- I've been on Showcase 22 for some time -- and I've been searching out and buying up as many copies as I can as I believe more in this book than any other single key short term. ")... because its an important and probably undervalued key.

 

So in your opinion did your bulk buying affect the market?

 

Because, IMO, what kicked 22 into gear was the movie. And you would have only a box full of 22s today worth about what you paid had teh book not taken off due to the movie connection.

 

As a seasoned collector, I know you would have kept them all anyway because th ebook is what it is and would rise at some point down the road (which incidentally is how I have always collected) BUT, your actions IMO have had little to do with the 22 market we are now witnessung. no? (except make your stash an important shrewd resource)

 

I knew the movie was in the works for awhile. I started buying once I heard it was going to become a reality, which was before casting etc. I wasn't buying as aggressively, but I picked it up every time I saw the book and I thought the price was reasonable. I would agree that it had little impact on the prices we are seeing -- and what I'm saying is that the run up needs two factors -- making it scarce -- and high demand. You can create scarcity if you own all the available copies, everyone sells you their copies, you pay high for all the copies and then set the pricing. Obviously, it's hard for one person to do that, but if you get a few people doing it, you aren't trying to "manipulate" the price but you are affecting it by removing the available copies from the market.