Market development

[jens25e]

Since I am fairly new to the business I was thinking if there are some rules of thumb for market development.

A store owner in Germany told me that some years ago he sold a Harbinger #1 for 100 DM (that was about 50 US $). Today this book is not worth much anymore.

Does that have to do with the bankruptcy of Valiant? So can I assume, that once a company does not produce comics anymore there won´t be no more interest in their older titles anymore?

 

Let´s say DD Vol.2 becomes as weak as Spawn did after a while, will that push down the prices for the first issues 1-8 or will those just stop to rise (or will they keep on rising nonetheless?)?

If the Amazing Spiderman Series would be cancelled (ok it most likely won´t), would that affect the value of the early ASM´s?

 

Did you experience titles becoming unwanted and having a big revival after some months/years/decades?

 

How do you predict Wolverine Origin prices to develop? Those have been traded a lot for quite some time, will that saturate the market or will those titles be traded infinitely?

 

A lot of questions, I know. Maybe some of you can answer a few... or just give there prognosis, because I guess nobody will really KNOW in advance how the market will develop...

 

[Darthdiesel]

Just read your monthly Wizard and it will give you the most accurate picture of what really goes on in the comic market...

[aardvark88]

Around 1992, the mkt was hyped up to an incredible level due to the early glossy Wizard pr guides & Comics Value Monthly promoting the heck out of the can't miss INVESTMENT potential for low print run early Valiants.

Usually as soon as a title gets cancelled or company goes bankrupt, their recent back issues go into the under $1 bin.

[valiantman]

Try finding Harbinger #1 in a $1 bin.

 

Is it worth $100 today? Nope. But $20 is normal...and rising.

 

"Pre-Unity" Valiant comics from 1991-92 have some of the best stories

among all comics printed in the last 20 years.

 

Slowly, the demand is rising again...not from Wizard hype or speculation...

But from collectors who want to own and personally read those books.

 

That won't ever happen for the early years of Image.

 

This "fan site" is proof that there was more to early Valiant books than hype:

ValiantComics.com

 

Who's putting this much time and effort into the other "bargain bin" books?

[dam60]

I like this guy already!

Valiants are the best!!!! X-O Manowar is my favorite, but you can't overlook such great stuff as Magnus, Rai, Solar, Bloodshot, Turok . . . I can just keep going

 

DAM

 

[dam60]

Jens, I would say that you have to consider the continuation of a title to get more readers and collectors of a character / title. Valiants have some degree of cult status, but for the most part prices will go down firstly, once a title starts to suck (ie Spawn) and secondly once a title gets cancelled (ie Youngblood).

 

i think retro revivals did happen in the past, as Dungeon can tell you look at Joes! but I question the future revival of any title. I don't think that there are enough young collectors who when they hit peak earning years will care enough to go and buy every issue of Captain America v4 that they could never afford before.

 

It seems to me that books published these days and published with absolutely no regard for the back issue market and things are just done nice and pretty for the TPBs. Look at almost any ongoing series or mini-series for that matter. The publishers are just waiting to print the TPBs. Personally, both my roommate and I collected comics hard core in the speculator days. I am big into the back issue mkt now, but he goes for the trades. Personal preference to be sure, but I feel like I am in the minority in wanting the issues rather than the TPB.

 

Origin - I bought 3 complete sets: got the best #1 slabbed (came back only a 9.6!), kept the other nice set. Just sold a set a month ago on ebay for $40 and am hoping for another $40 for my next set which I want to sell around the time of the movie. I would say that for long term Wolverine stories, check out the LS by Miller and Claremont. I also thought that the actually story of Origin completely sucked.

 

My two cents,

 

DAM