The Great Comic Book Market Extinction

[TupennyConan]

I attempted the search function but couldn’t find what I was looking for. I recall delekkerste’s Comics General statement made some time ago in a common pressing thread that he mentally values his collection at zero (I'm paraphrasing).

 

Today you find that Overstreet has wiped all values to zero & announced the conclusion of its publication; GPA has shutdown its site, leaving up a single page declaring all values have fallen to zero; the big auction houses give notice of end of operations & hang up “gone fishin” signs; eBay removes Comics from its collectibles category & refuses to allow their trade any longer; Marvel, DC, Image, & all indie publishers of current comics whether on or offline, print or digital terminate business; Hollywood declines production of anymore comics based properties; the Sunday newspaper funnies disappear; CGC & the Boards vanish.

 

What would you do with your collection? Would you continue to collect? Would you continue to read comics? Would you finally read your first comic book?

 

[DeliBebek]

I collected and read for so long in complete ignorance of those things, why change? Yes, I'd still collect and read. I do the same with other things of zero value.

[mikenyc]

I would use it as kindle to start fires and keep my family warm. We're talking about the zombie apocalypse, right?

[Junkdrawer]

I will start eating brains

[Jeffro.]

, if they were worthless, you could get them for pretty much nothing right? However, who would be selling something that they knew they could only get pennies for? What would stop people from just chucking their stock in the garbage?

[Jeffro.]

I will start eating brains

 

Start?

[DailySuperpower]

, if they were worthless, you could get them for pretty much nothing right? However, who would be selling something that they knew they could only get pennies for? What would stop people from just chucking their stock in the garbage?

 

Craigslist.

[Jeffro.]

, if they were worthless, you could get them for pretty much nothing right? However, who would be selling something that they knew they could only get pennies for? What would stop people from just chucking their stock in the garbage?

 

Craigslist.

 

What incentive is there for listing on Craigslist if they aren't worth anything?

[InvstmntComcSuply]

, if they were worthless, you could get them for pretty much nothing right? However, who would be selling something that they knew they could only get pennies for? What would stop people from just chucking their stock in the garbage?

 

Craigslist.

 

What incentive is there for listing on Craigslist if they aren't worth anything?

 

You are being facetious, right?

[Jeffro.]

, if they were worthless, you could get them for pretty much nothing right? However, who would be selling something that they knew they could only get pennies for? What would stop people from just chucking their stock in the garbage?

 

Craigslist.

 

What incentive is there for listing on Craigslist if they aren't worth anything?

 

You are being facetious, right?

 

There's a difference between what people think is worth a lot of money and what actually is worth something. Sadly, Craigslist seems to be populated by the former to a greater extent.

 

 

[Hibou]

I would keep my collection and continue to collect what I currently like...

 

Of course that would still be hard to do because I'm sure some others would feel the same way as I.

 

Great.

 

Now we've just restored 'value'... :doh:

[Jeffro.]

Without sufficient demand, is there even any value?

[JiveTurkeyMoFo]

& the Boards vanish.

 

This might be the greatest loss....I can stand it if my comics were relegated to kindling, but to not have a place to share a mutual interest with a bunch of middle-aged nerds with questionable hygiene practices? That, my friends, might break me. Comics General, I probably wouldn't miss much though...

 

BTW Bill, did it seem like the world you are proposing was coming to fruition at the Tampa Show yesterday? Sure seemed like a lively crowd for a November show. Didn't stay around long enough to gauge whether enough money was trading hands, but I did witness a few good size deals being done.

[skypinkblu]

I'd take all the tiny pieces of covers that I saved over the years (in envelopes on the back of the backing boards), buy some archive approved TAPE and tape the pieces back on...

 

Or maybe I'd glue them.

 

Then I'd get some staples and put on a few covers...

 

Maybe a few paint markers...

 

and glitter, maybe a little glitter.

 

No irons though...that would be more work than arts and crafts.

[goldust40]

Without sufficient demand, is there even any value?

 

The value would be in the time and money spent on acquiring and accumulating your collection. I imagine that very few here would suddenly just throw the books away, or even dispose of any of them.

 

And of course there's the sentimental attachment. All those years spent on a suddenly defunct hobby that involved friendship and bonding with others who were similarly afflicted? A hobby that virtually evolved into a lifestyle (all right, maybe that is a bit much)? It can't just be dismissed or thrown out with the bathwater.

 

I for one would keep everything, partly for reading and occasional perusal of a remnant of a dated, passé pastime, but mostly as a physical reminder of what an egregious, monumental folly it was to have apportioned so much of my life to worthless, (but not valueless) paper ephemera.

 

It'd certainly make you question your relationship with all your books. Do we ascribe value to them because of demand, rarity, monetary value, or what other collectors think of them? If their worth suddenly evaporated one day, would the books lose their intrinsic value?

 

I'd still like them. I got into this hobby originally because I enjoyed reading comics. They'd still be great.

[Hibou]

I'd take all the tiny pieces of covers that I saved over the years (in envelopes on the back of the backing boards), buy some archive approved TAPE and tape the pieces back on...

 

Or maybe I'd glue them.

 

Then I'd get some staples and put on a few covers...

 

Maybe a few paint markers...

 

and glitter, maybe a little glitter.

 

 

No irons though...that would be more work than arts and crafts.

 

 

I think you may be on to something Sharon!

[oakman29]

I would keep my collection and continue to collect what I currently like...

 

Of course that would still be hard to do because I'm sure some others would feel the same way as I.

 

Great.

 

Now we've just restored 'value'... :doh:

Nice rebound.

[Hibou]

Without sufficient demand, is there even any value?

 

Of course there is.

 

You just need two people...

 

Mr. Lincoln: "I have this Hulk 181 but I want to keep it even though it's worthless. I like the story."

Mr. Booth: "Oh, I always wanted that one... can I have it?"

 

Mr. Lincoln: "I'm just going to hang on to it. I'm sure you'll come across one."

 

Mr. Booth: "Yeah, but it's too hard to find any comics anymore."

 

Lincoln: "I don't know... you know, our currency is worthless now too."

 

Booth: "Yeah, right?! Damn Feds... How about a pound of sugar or a few ounces of my premium pipe tobacco?"

 

Lincoln: "I'm good on the sugar. ... Black Cavendish?"

 

Booth: "Yup"

 

Lincoln: "Okay, deal... oh, by the way it's missing the MVS."

 

Booth: "No big deal. Thanks and I'll shoot you a call a little later..."

 

Lincoln:

 

 

 

Some years after this trade is made, a young entrepreneur decides to print up a 'trade sheet' for comics.

 

Action Comics 1 : 4 Horses (or equivalent)

Action Comics 2 : 1 Horse (or equivalent)

 

New Mutants 98: 2 HB Pencils (or equivalent)

 

 

 

 

 

[comicwiz]

There's so many ways to approach this hypothetical scenario.

 

I do want to mention that the one thing I have noticed during the time I've been a member here, is that the boards have matured in so far as recognizing that this is something that will very likely take place.

 

It seemed that in the past, whenever threads like this were started, it was ranked as an "unspeakable" topic that almost always ended in a flaming session involving JC, and Gene, who would somehow manage to chime-in with a less antagonistic reasoning to settle things down.

 

I don't doubt that comics will inevitably lose their hard value across all categories.

 

Nevertheless, their sentimental value can avoid being debased if a large enough base of collectors could overcome and look past the trauma associated to the sweat and financial equity they poured into collecting.

 

The emotional, nostalgic and curating elements will eventually translate just as strongly as any hard value, when such an event gives rebirth to a more active trade/bartering of comics.

[TupennyConan]

BTW Bill, did it seem like the world you are proposing was coming to fruition at the Tampa Show yesterday? Sure seemed like a lively crowd for a November show. Didn't stay around long enough to gauge whether enough money was trading hands, but I did witness a few good size deals being done.

 

We will have to wait on KoR's reports on the attendance numbers but I suspect they were strong.

 

I was there from 8 to I think 2. The doors opened at 10. From 10 to 2 the room seemed filled. I don't think the crowd was a huge as last time but still very strong.

 

I sold a book to you & bought some books for quite a bit of money. I was working on a large trade with a dealer but ran out of gas -- got really tired. I was out with the promoters pretty late & then up pretty early. I'll be able to follow-up on my trade later this week so I'm good there.

 

I can't tell you how the dealers did but I saw activity at all the booths.

 

Word is that STERANKO & MIke Grell will be the big names at the next show -- which is going to 2-days.