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X-MEN #1 club
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Started by etanick,

3,535 posts in this topic

kimik

kimik

Posted
Posted (edited)

It really makes me question whether to sell now or hold for more price run up? 

Check out some of the prices on the other XMen books and lots in the auction. Insane.

Edited by kimik
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piper

piper

Posted
Posted
48 minutes ago, kimik said:

It really makes me question whether to sell now or hold for more price run up? 

Check out some of the prices on the other XMen books and lots in the auction. Insane.

If you sell now, it will be tough to buy back in.

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piper

piper

Posted
Posted
4 minutes ago, kimik said:

Maybe. But, at what point does a person take the money off the table and put it to work in the equity markets instead? 

Great question. I buy boring blue chip stocks with dividends. I’ve never had any huge wins with obscure stocks or risky crypto plays because I stay away from them.

My investment portfolio has never had these kinds of returns...

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kimik

kimik

Posted
Posted
7 minutes ago, piper said:

Great question. I buy boring blue chip stocks with dividends. I’ve never had any huge wins with obscure stocks or risky crypto plays because I stay away from them.

My investment portfolio has never had these kinds of returns...

You need to set aside a % to chase chunky growth while still focusing on blue chip dividends with the bulk of it.

Sort of like comic collecting. Speculate on moderns while still buying more established keys.

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Wreck-It Ralph

Wreck-It Ralph

Posted
Posted
8 hours ago, Pantodude said:

Someone has to set the record straight, so here goes.  Only a long-ish post will do this  topic justice.  I own both IH#1 and X-Men#1, so this is just about setting the record straight.  It is not just about Hulk  the character.  The whole issue oozes with special stuff.  

As already noted, IH#1 is one of those special, early SA keys that lay the foundation for Marvel (even predates AF15).  So IH#1 has already cemented its place on the Mount Rushmore of Marvel.  Let’s get into why IH#1 is arguably the most legendary debut of all time, and perenially second only to AF#15 on Overstreet’s top 5 Silver Age books of all time.  I refer to X-Men #1 below (a great book, to be sure) because some folks have gotten a bit carried away with it (ehem Kevlar568), and balance must be restored to our little universe here.  AF#15, IH#1, and FF#1 are the top three in any order you want.  No other book belongs in that Holy Trinity, and here's why. 

As for the issue itself, like X-Men #1, IH#1 has multiple important first appearances, contrary to what was suggested above.  It includes the first appearance of two Marvel heavyweights, the Hulk and Dr. Banner.  Yes, they are indeed separate characters, and Marvel has succeeded in maintaining their individuality both in the books and the MCU.  

IH#1 is also the first appearance of Rick Jones, who later becomes the super-hero A-Bomb, and General (aka Thunderbolt) Ross, who later becomes the Red Hulk, and Betty Ross, who later becomes the Harpy and Red She-Hulk (or She-Rulk)!   So quite a few important first appearances. 

IH#1 is also the first time that a Marvel character was featured alone in his own self-titled series.  Think about that.  The very first time Marvel created a series focused on one superhero (actually 2 if you include Dr. Banner), and Marvel chose the Hulk.  Not Spidey.  Not Thor.  Not Dr. Strange.  Not Antman.  The Hulk got his own book first.  That is Mount Rushmore stuff.  It's like being the guy chosen for the NBA logo.     

As for the character, for many years now the Hulk has been a significant part of every comic book and every movie he has appeared in.  And he wasn’t just a great solo act.  He was one of the five founding members of the Avengers in the comics and a big part of the team in the MCU.  The importance of the Avengers, including the Hulk, to the MCU (as we know it) cannot be denied or overstated, while X-Men has yet to make its mark in the MCU.  Hulk has been a significant cinematic presence for two decades now, despite Disney not owning the rights to the Hulk yet.  Disney clearly likes the Hulk, and if it ever obtains the rights to Hulk and reboots the characters, that could be huge. 

Up to this point, the comics and movies have done just fine with incorporating the Hulk in storylines, so any suggestion that storytelling opportunities are limited with the Hulk is belies fact.  He has been everywhere to this point, and successfully at that.  And the Hulk remained important in the comic books after they went cosmic, so how do you think he’ll do in the MCU’s very cosmic future?  World-Breaker Hulk or Immortal Hulk anyone?  We have already seen Hulk/Banner’s popularity as a hero and anti-hero.  And if a cosmic MCU is in our future, the Hulk could be popular as a super villain, too. 

As for the cover, it asks the reader, "Is he a Man or Monster or... is he both?"  This reminds us of the uniqueness of this alter-ego character, another Marvel first.  

IH#1 is also Marvel’s most iconic cover, which has been copied many times.  X-Men#1's cover is admittedly just blah, even according to die-hard X-Men fans.  Other issues in this title pay homage to it, like IH#200, IH#324, IH#393, and IH#474, but also other Marvel titles, like Savage She-Hulk #1, The Immortal She-Hulk #1, Doctor Strange #169, Marvel Zombies #1, Maestro #1, Death of Wolverine #1, the list goes on and on.  And let’s not overlook issues from lesser-known publishers, like Do You Pooh Spawn #296 Mattina variant (Counterpoint Entertainment) and Stabbity Bunny Issue #7b (Scout Comics)!   Even rival publisher DC has an homage cover to IH#1, like Swamp Thing Winter Special #1!  I am not aware of any books paying homage to X-Men #1's cover, not a single one.  That speaks volumes (pun intended).     

An extra special bonus is that the Green Goliath is actually grey in the inaugural issue, including the cover.  Because he wasn’t drawn green until IH#2, this too makes IH#1 a very important book, including the cover. 

Last, but certainly not least, there is the ridiculous relative scarcity of IH#1 among early SA Marvel mega-keys.  Tales to Astonish #27 is the rarest in universal grade, followed by IH1, JIM83, ST110, FF1, TOS39, AF15, ASM1, Avengers1, and X-Men1 last, in that order.  ALL of these books are undervalued, especially in light of the valuations of more recent and common books.  But even among the early SA mega-keys, IH#1 is relatively scarce and undervalued. 

To put it in perspective, there are only 1,266 universal IH#1s, compared to 3,656 universal X-Men#1.  Yes, you read that correctly….one IH#1 for every three X-Men#1 overall, but in fact IH#1 is rarer than that in mid- to higher grades due to its notoriously dark cover.  There are only SEVEN books graded above 9.0.  Only 31 graded above 8.0, compared to 119 for X-Men #1, or one IH#1 for roughly every four X-Men#1 in higher grades.  Here’s the CGC census for them:

1815423002_IH1vsX-Men1.thumb.png.33ec034a20130490a1d8038aaf1c81b9.png

So let's not forget the many reasons why Overstreet year after year has IH#1 in the top spots for the Silver Age.  IH#1 should remain there.  And no, the Hulk did not force me to do this post.      

What do you mean by Universal Grade?

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Wreck-It Ralph

Wreck-It Ralph

Posted
Posted
5 hours ago, kimik said:

Maybe. But, at what point does a person take the money off the table and put it to work in the equity markets instead? 

I don’t think people are just buying comics purely for investment although that is a contributing factor. Many of the things that bring us happiness have been taken away from us like holidays, restaurants, cinema and meeting up with friends so some people, myself included are looking for ways to replace those happy feelings which I get from buying Comics and Action Figures, I wouldn’t get that from buying equities! I am unsure if the rise in prices is linked to Bitcoin as some people hypothesise probably got more to do with the Pandemic as most of us have had their life’s turned upside down and are looking for some form of escapism which is what comics are all about. 

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comicdonna

comicdonna

Posted
Posted
Just now, Wreck-It Ralph said:
2 minutes ago, comicdonna said:

Not Restored.  

So Universal Grade and Raw mean the same thing?

No.  A raw copy can be restored.  

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GAMBIT

GAMBIT

Posted
Posted
4 minutes ago, Wreck-It Ralph said:

I don’t think people are just buying comics purely for investment although that is a contributing factor. Many of the things that bring us happiness have been taken away from us like holidays, restaurants, cinema and meeting up with friends so some people, myself included are looking for ways to replace those happy feelings which I get from buying Comics and Action Figures, I wouldn’t get that from buying equities! I am unsure if the rise in prices is linked to Bitcoin as some people hypothesise probably got more to do with the Pandemic as most of us have had their life’s turned upside down and are looking for some form of escapism which is what comics are all about. 

I kind of agree.. its definitely more than just investment value that are  driving the prices up this much... But those that are holding out expecting a "bubble to burst" before acquiring . Not only have been saying that for 15/20 years, but will never be able to get this book (in particular) , as it'll NEVER go back to the prices it once was, yet "burst" ... just my 2c 

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drbanner

drbanner

Posted
Posted (edited)

It's rather amazing that after 20 years CGC has still only graded one copy of Hulk #1 9.4. Spoon you Brulato!! :pullhair:

It has the best origin cover of all the Marvel Silver Age keys IMHO, just a Jack Kirby masterpiece. :luhv:

Edited by drbanner
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Hollywood1892

Hollywood1892

Posted
Posted (edited)
22 minutes ago, drbanner said:

It's rather amazing that after 20 years CGC has still only graded one copy of Hulk #1 9.4. Spoon you Brulato!! :pullhair:

It has the best origin cover of all the Marvel Silver Age keys IMHO, just a Jack Kirby masterpiece. :luhv:

Oh yeah definitely a wicked cover, but AF 15 is sweet too, and X-Men fighting Magneto on X-Men 1, I'd say the worst grail/key cover is TOS 39

Edited by Hollywood1892
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