The Collapse of the Original Comic Art Market

[mister_not_so_nice]

Maybe you were thinking of Felix

 

Nope, not me, either! I think I've only bid on a couple of PREACHER pages on eBay over the years. Most were bought privately.

 

It was most definitely Gene.

I may not be able to remember what i had for breakfast, but some things in regards to OA and PREACHER art stick with me. As with any competitive bidder at the time, I would check out their bid history, check their bidding style and if they had a "me" page check that as well. And that's why I know it was Gene, because on his 'me' page he explained where his user name, delekkerste, came from. Some foreign chocolate from his youth, if memory serves me.

[delekkerste]

It was most definitely Gene.

I may not be able to remember what i had for breakfast, but some things in regards to OA and PREACHER art stick with me. As with any competitive bidder at the time, I would check out their bid history, check their bidding style and if they had a "me" page check that as well. And that's why I know it was Gene, because on his 'me' page he explained where his user name, delekkerste, came from. Some foreign chocolate from his youth, if memory serves me.

 

De lekkerste = slogan for Dutch fast food chain

 

I've never bought nor even sought out any Preacher pages in my life. I doubt I've even placed an eBay bid on any Preacher page, ever, but, if I did, it would have been an uncompetitive "watch" bid at best on a listing I stumbled upon (and I have no recollection of ever doing such, since I have never, ever even looked for them there or anywhere else). In fact, I have never placed a competitive bid on a Preacher page in any venue, eBay or otherwise. And, if we're talking about the time when you could check user IDs and such on eBay, I doubt I could have even told you who the writer or artist on Preacher was back then. I only read the first TPB a few years ago, and, before then, I had never read an issue before in my life. And, until the TV series came out and refreshed my memory, I most definitely could NOT have even identified Cassidy or Tulip by name six months ago. In other words: I'm not your guy.

 

I'm sure you saw my profile at some point, but I guarantee you that it was not in relation to any bidding on Preacher pages. Anyone who knows me can verify - Preacher is not, was not, and has never been my bag, baby!

[mister_not_so_nice]

It was most definitely Gene.

I may not be able to remember what i had for breakfast, but some things in regards to OA and PREACHER art stick with me. As with any competitive bidder at the time, I would check out their bid history, check their bidding style and if they had a "me" page check that as well. And that's why I know it was Gene, because on his 'me' page he explained where his user name, delekkerste, came from. Some foreign chocolate from his youth, if memory serves me.

 

De lekkerste = slogan for Dutch fast food chain

 

I've never bought nor even sought out any Preacher pages in my life. I doubt I've even placed an eBay bid on any Preacher page, ever, but, if I did, it would have been an uncompetitive "watch" bid at best on a listing I stumbled upon (and I have no recollection of ever doing such, since I have never, ever even looked for them there or anywhere else). In fact, I have never placed a competitive bid on a Preacher page in any venue, eBay or otherwise. And, if we're talking about the time when you could check user IDs and such on eBay, I doubt I could have even told you who the writer or artist on Preacher was back then. I only read the first TPB a few years ago, and, before then, I had never read an issue before in my life. And, until the TV series came out and refreshed my memory, I most definitely could NOT have even identified Cassidy or Tulip by name six months ago. In other words: I'm not your guy.

 

I'm sure you saw my profile at some point, but I guarantee you that it was not in relation to any bidding on Preacher pages. Anyone who knows me can verify - Preacher is not, was not, and has never been my bag, baby!

 

I'm still not convinced

[rocket1312]

Indeed, I've made this point many, many times over the years. But it helps to know what's being reprinted and marketed to a new audience. This is where DC/Vertigo has done a great job, whereas Marvel has failed miserably.

 

It's why checking out graphic novel bestseller lists is instructive. KILLING JOKE (the hardcover edition has been at or near the top for years), DKR, WATCHMEN, V FOR VENDETTA, et al, are a consistent presence on those lists. Marvel's back catalog, OTOH, is conspicuously absent. Why didn't they repackage BORN AGAIN, for example, to capitalize on the Netflix show? Not to mention the movies. So that's why I asked Albert if he thought Starlin WARLOCK would still be a thing 20 years from now. I highly doubt there have been any new readers of it since the '80s reprints. That does not bode well for its future.

 

You bring up an interesting point, but while DC certainly does a much better job at keeping those dozen or so certified classics in print and at the forefront, in my opinion they do pretty terrible job of keeping a wide range of their history available. I was a Marvel kid from the beginning, but would be interested in going back and reading a lot of the DC stuff I missed. Like everyone, I own copies of DKR, Watchmen, etc., but a lot of DC's silver and bronze age material is just out there in the void somewhere.

 

Marvel on the other hand, is much more focused on collecting their entire catalog. You've got the Marvel Masterworks series, their omnibus line, and in the last couple of years the Epic collection. Not to mention the now defunct Essential line. Between those and all of the other myriad tpbs they've released over the years, a huge percentage of their history is collected in one form or another. And that's not even including their Marvel Unlimited service, which for my money is the best value in comics.

 

It's funny you that specifically mention Starlin Warlock, because I actually did read that material, as well as Captain Marvel, for the first time last year and loved it. Some of it I read on Marvel Unlimited, but a good chunk of it I read in the embarassingly titled "Avenger vs. Thanos" tpb which came out in 2013. A slightly differnt chunk of Starlin's cosmic oeuvre was also recently repackaged in a "Guardians of the Galaxy Solo Classic" omnibus. There was also the Warlock By Starlin Complete Collection in 2014 and there's a Captain Marvel by Starlin Complete Collection coming later this year. The reality is that Starlin's 70's work has been collected so often and in so many different formats that it's hard to keep track as the books often overlap, but none of them include everything.

 

As to whether or not Warlock remains popular in years to come? I have no idea. I hope it doesn't, because I'd like to own some of the art.

[Bill C]

So that's why I asked Albert if he thought Starlin WARLOCK would still be a thing 20 years from now. I highly doubt there have been any new readers of it since the '80s reprints. That does not bode well for its future.

 

The series was reprinted yet again in the summer of 1992, thats where I first read it all and fell in love. I think it may be the best the bronze age has to offer (IMO).

 

In 20 years, who knows. As for now, the stuff seems to have a rabid (and wealthy) following.

[Nexus]

Indeed, I've made this point many, many times over the years. But it helps to know what's being reprinted and marketed to a new audience. This is where DC/Vertigo has done a great job, whereas Marvel has failed miserably.

 

It's why checking out graphic novel bestseller lists is instructive. KILLING JOKE (the hardcover edition has been at or near the top for years), DKR, WATCHMEN, V FOR VENDETTA, et al, are a consistent presence on those lists. Marvel's back catalog, OTOH, is conspicuously absent. Why didn't they repackage BORN AGAIN, for example, to capitalize on the Netflix show? Not to mention the movies. So that's why I asked Albert if he thought Starlin WARLOCK would still be a thing 20 years from now. I highly doubt there have been any new readers of it since the '80s reprints. That does not bode well for its future.

 

You bring up an interesting point, but while DC certainly does a much better job at keeping those dozen or so certified classics in print and at the forefront, in my opinion they do pretty terrible job of keeping a wide range of their history available. I was a Marvel kid from the beginning, but would be interested in going back and reading a lot of the DC stuff I missed. Like everyone, I own copies of DKR, Watchmen, etc., but a lot of DC's silver and bronze age material is just out there in the void somewhere.

 

Marvel on the other hand, is much more focused on collecting their entire catalog. You've got the Marvel Masterworks series, their omnibus line, and in the last couple of years the Epic collection. Not to mention the now defunct Essential line. Between those and all of the other myriad tpbs they've released over the years, a huge percentage of their history is collected in one form or another. And that's not even including their Marvel Unlimited service, which for my money is the best value in comics.

 

It's funny you that specifically mention Starlin Warlock, because I actually did read that material, as well as Captain Marvel, for the first time last year and loved it. Some of it I read on Marvel Unlimited, but a good chunk of it I read in the embarassingly titled "Avenger vs. Thanos" tpb which came out in 2013. A slightly differnt chunk of Starlin's cosmic oeuvre was also recently repackaged in a "Guardians of the Galaxy Solo Classic" omnibus. There was also the Warlock By Starlin Complete Collection in 2014 and there's a Captain Marvel by Starlin Complete Collection coming later this year. The reality is that Starlin's 70's work has been collected so often and in so many different formats that it's hard to keep track as the books often overlap, but none of them include everything.

 

As to whether or not Warlock remains popular in years to come? I have no idea. I hope it doesn't, because I'd like to own some of the art.

 

Decades of continuity make collecting any Big Two superhero fare difficult. What DC/Vertigo has done well is identifying their BEST stories and pushed them hard. No, the majority of their history is not easily accessible, but frankly, it's arguable how much of that is actually worth keeping in print.

 

Marvel's approach is much more random and scattershot. That Starlin WARLOCK was previously only available piecemeal in various collections, with nothing tying them together, is kinda typical. If they're now properly collected, then good! But what took so long?

 

(As an aside, those giant Omnibus collections are marketed to old fans, suckers who continually buy the same material, dressed up in different formats (*raises hand*). There's no new reader who's going to drop $100+ on a massive brick of a hardcover on a whim.)

 

The main point being, walk into a comic shop and ask the clerk to point you to DC's best. Piece of cake. Now ask him/her to do the same for Marvel. Won't be nearly as easy. And that's the problem.

[bluechip]

People forget these things when they say that collectors in the future won't have any interest in stuff that was printed before they were buying new comics.

 

Stuff that's reprinted in perpetuity will constantly find people to whom it is "new" (and who will later be nostalgic about it, not for when it was first made, but for when they first saw it)

 

Indeed, I've made this point many, many times over the years. But it helps to know what's being reprinted and marketed to a new audience. This is where DC/Vertigo has done a great job, whereas Marvel has failed miserably.

 

It's why checking out graphic novel bestseller lists is instructive. KILLING JOKE (the hardcover edition has been at or near the top for years), DKR, WATCHMEN, V FOR VENDETTA, et al, are a consistent presence on those lists. Marvel's back catalog, OTOH, is conspicuously absent. Why didn't they repackage BORN AGAIN, for example, to capitalize on the Netflix show? Not to mention the movies. So that's why I asked Albert if he thought Starlin WARLOCK would still be a thing 20 years from now. I highly doubt there have been any new readers of it since the '80s reprints. That does not bode well for its future.

 

And no, Gene, that does not mean future generations will necessarily care enough to fork out five and six figures for DC/Vertigo art. But while Marvel characters may still be relevant thanks to other media, the next generation won't feel any nostalgia for the comics because they were never given the chance.

 

Yeah, I know I'm not the only person who ever figured that out and it seems pretty obvious to me, yet periodically people say things like "kids don't like what their parents liked" as if all cultural phenomena were precisely equal in terms of popularity and durability. But they aren't. Which is why kids born 20 years agp listen to reissued Beatles songs and read reprints of 60s era Marvel comics.

 

There are kids who love silver age Marvel comics today whose parents were not old enough to read the silver age books. When I was a kid I bought old copies of Marvel comics printed before I could read, and when I was buying comics my mother didn't know who peter parker or Tony Stark were. Now she does, And my kids' friends know the details of silver age Marvel comic lore better than I do (along with the later stuff). All because of the durability of the characters and the marketability of the original issues in endless reprints (along with the exploitation in all other media).

 

If it was all about stuff that was brand new when we were ten years old, and only about that, there wouldn't be much of a market for bronze age, let alone silver age or golden age. And nobody would've made a Tarzan reboot because only kids born in 1900 would know or care who he is.

 

[vodou]

And, you make a fabulous point at the end of the quoted section above - given this kind of bargaining and not getting exactly what you want (and paying up for the privilege), will you at some point just move on to greener pastures after a couple of years? Many people have - we've witnessed numerous collectors cross over from comics only to leave disappointed before too long.

I'm fascinated with this, the idea of there being greener pastures than original art. I have a huge blindspot here, I absolutely love originals (of all kinds) and could never step back down off the mountain. In my world, originals are the pinnacle, there are no greener pastures, there's no going back to having "one of the nicest out of several tens of thousands of examples" of anything. Ever. Again.

 

Who are these people that leave and find satsifaction elsewhere? Are they really satisfied? Do they eventually come back to OA yet again, later, head hanging but with a renewed sense of purpose (or at least financing)?

[BCarter27]

I'm fascinated with this, the idea of there being greener pastures than original art. I have a huge blindspot here, I absolutely love originals (of all kinds) and could never step back down off the mountain. In my world, originals are the pinnacle, there are no greener pastures, there's no going back to having "one of the nicest out of several tens of thousands of examples" of anything. Ever. Again.

 

Who are these people that leave and find satsifaction elsewhere? Are they really satisfied? Do they eventually come back to OA yet again, later, head hanging but with a renewed sense of purpose (or at least financing)?

 

I'm not stepping off art any time soon either, but I can see myself doing what I've done in the past... following the bang for the buck. Illustration art, fantasy art, vintage comic art, modern comic art, 20th Century American, Western, 19th Century European, concept art, animation, storyboards... there are many places to go. But I think I am an exception.

 

I've seen a few people just divest their slabs and quit the hobby entirely. I've tried nudging them into nostalgia OA, but either the game was too deep or the prices too high. I am going to try again with the Artist's Alley route.

[Bronty]

We see some people enter and leave but it's basically the same old story, no?

 

They sell all their slabs , blow their wad in five minutes, and then get disappointed when things start to look expensive or when GPA isn't there to tell them what to do.

 

I maintain that one of the toughest things about crossing over is that you go from buying a little something all the time in comics (quick hits of satisfaction) to spending 5x as much , 5x less often. That change in purchasing pace (and more to the point - delayed gratification) is something that some are totally unprepared for and may not always enjoy or be able to handle.

 

[rocket1312]

Decades of continuity make collecting any Big Two superhero fare difficult. What DC/Vertigo has done well is identifying their BEST stories and pushed them hard. No, the majority of their history is not easily accessible, but frankly, it's arguable how much of that is actually worth keeping in print.

 

Marvel's approach is much more random and scattershot. That Starlin WARLOCK was previously only available piecemeal in various collections, with nothing tying them together, is kinda typical. If they're now properly collected, then good! But what took so long?

 

(As an aside, those giant Omnibus collections are marketed to old fans, suckers who continually buy the same material, dressed up in different formats (*raises hand*). There's no new reader who's going to drop $100+ on a massive brick of a hardcover on a whim.)

 

The main point being, walk into a comic shop and ask the clerk to point you to DC's best. Piece of cake. Now ask him/her to do the same for Marvel. Won't be nearly as easy. And that's the problem.

 

You're not wrong, but there are pros and cons with both approaches. DC has these handful of evergreen classics that have and probably will continue to stand the test of time. But what happens when you're finished reading them and decide you're interested in something not written by Alan Moore? I suppose DC is hoping that you just start reading the current books, which might prove disappointing for some newer readers given that they have little connection to those classics.

 

Marvel, on the other hand, hasn't necessarily done a great job curating the cream of the crop, but for all intents and purposes EVERYTHING is available in one form or another. So if you're someone like me who is inclined to seek out older material, it can lead to all sorts of new discoveries. In fact, I may soon be in the market for some Master of Kung Fu art now that I'm finally getting the chance read that series thanks to the recent ($125!) omnibus.

 

Is it possible these varying approaches to collecting legacy material are reflected in the OA market for each company? DC art from those dozen or so top books fetch huge, record breaking sums. However, when compared to the average Marvel page from the silver/bronze age, it seems that the rest of DC's art lags (in some cases) way behind. The Marvel middle-class seems to be much stronger.

 

 

I'm fascinated with this, the idea of there being greener pastures than original art. I have a huge blindspot here, I absolutely love originals (of all kinds) and could never step back down off the mountain. In my world, originals are the pinnacle, there are no greener pastures, there's no going back to having "one of the nicest out of several tens of thousands of examples" of anything. Ever. Again.

 

Who are these people that leave and find satsifaction elsewhere? Are they really satisfied? Do they eventually come back to OA yet again, later, head hanging but with a renewed sense of purpose (or at least financing)?

 

You're right that there is nothing else like collecting OA (at least when it comes to comics/art related pursuits). It is the pinnacle and can't be matched. I was never even particularly interested in collecting comics. I was a strictly a reader. OA lit a fire under me like nothing else has. That said, if I were to cash in my chips and take my money elsewhere, it would probably just go into unrelated hobbies/interests. Most likely I wouldn't replace it with some other form of collecting. I'd just walk away with the understanding that my financial situation doesn't allow me to play in the game.

[AKA Rick]

 

I maintain that one of the toughest things about crossing over is...

 

I agree, as a former comic book only collector who once dabbled as an OTO in OA as a kid buying a Mike Grell Warlord page for a few bucks as a novelty in the mid 80's but not knowing what to do with it (to this day I dont' know what happened to that piece), before the OA market emerged and exploded to where it's at today, I moved to OA mainly for the prestige of owning a "one of a kind" - - but the problem with getting fanatical about the hobby is that unlike with comics, if you come across an issue of a comic, and be it a good price or a high grade, but it's just not the right time for you to buy it, you can easily pass on the comic book knowing you might find the book in higher grade or cheaper later on. Whereas with OA, being one of a kind and knowing there's a lot of "black hole collectors" out there, if you pass on an opportunity, forget about the price, just the opportunity, you may never be able to get access to that piece again. So, when bidding on an auction, shopping a website or buying in person, when a piece becomes available, the impulses kick in and I think as OA collectors, we tend to buy more aggressively and less patiently. The price tags are higher in OA compared to many of the comic book counterparts, but the ceiling for a financial windfall seems greater with OA than comics when you do get that lightning in a bottle piece. Had I in the 80's gotten inspired by that Grell piece and continued on my quest to buy OA from comics I enjoyed, I'd be sitting on a lot of Byrne Uncanny X-Men pages that's gone up 100x in value. Hindsight is 20/20 'tho and truth be told, even if I did buy them back then, odds are between than and now I would have probably colored them in, cut them up, or sold them before the prices reached the tens of thousands they are now.

 

[theflashunc]

 

Marvel's approach is much more random and scattershot. That Starlin WARLOCK was previously only available piecemeal in various collections, with nothing tying them together, is kinda typical. If they're now properly collected, then good! But what took so long?

 

 

A multi-billion movie franchise where the ultimate villain is a Starlin creation.

 

I'd agree with others that Marvel has done a better job of keeping large chunks of their back catalog out there across a variety of platforms than you're giving it credit for, and has certainly stepped their game up around anything even remotely tied to the films.

 

I've got all the Starlin Warlock/Inifinity Gauntlet/War stuff, Simonson's full Thor run and the Cap omnibus collecting all of the Brubaker/Epting run. All out within the last few years. DC has kept their high profile stuff in print, but as someone mentioned that "middle class" is nonexistent. Want that Mark Waid Flash collection from DC? Good luck. And that would be the kind of thing a kid of the 90s like me would acquire, read and spread the gospel on in a heartbeat.

 

You're right DC owns that sort of Absolute edition, prestige format kinda book -- mostly from Alan Moore -- but for pure trades of old stuff? Marvel's pretty on point these days.

 

 

 

 

[delekkerste]

I maintain that one of the toughest things about crossing over is that you go from buying a little something all the time in comics (quick hits of satisfaction) to spending 5x as much , 5x less often. That change in purchasing pace (and more to the point - delayed gratification) is something that some are totally unprepared for and may not always enjoy or be able to handle.

 

That's undoubtedly a big part of it.

 

 

I'm fascinated with this, the idea of there being greener pastures than original art. I have a huge blindspot here, I absolutely love originals (of all kinds) and could never step back down off the mountain. In my world, originals are the pinnacle, there are no greener pastures, there's no going back to having "one of the nicest out of several tens of thousands of examples" of anything. Ever. Again.

 

Who are these people that leave and find satsifaction elsewhere? Are they really satisfied? Do they eventually come back to OA yet again, later, head hanging but with a renewed sense of purpose (or at least financing)?

 

I think there are many reasons that people try and then leave the OA hobby:

 

1. Less frequent gratification (Bronty's observation above)

2. Your money doesn't go nearly as far, and it's harder to buy the better/near-best/best examples in OA without a large budget

3. In all likelihood, the stuff you would really want most is either locked up, M.I.A. and/or priced out of reach

4. Not nearly as easy to buy (no GPAnalysis, CGC Census, etc.)

5. Not nearly as easy to flip (which is a consideration for many)

6. Not as tied into the OA collector community; have to start over building networks and making friends

7. As cool as the art is, maybe it doesn't strike the same nostalgic chord as buying the books you bought/coveted as a kid

 

Also, as Rocket said, "greener pastures" doesn't have to mean going back to comic books. It can mean engaging in other collector pursuits, driving cars/motorcycles, buying hookers and blow or any number of different options where your enjoyment-for-dollar-spent may stretch farther than it does in art.

[vodou]

Want that Mark Waid Flash collection from DC? Good luck. And that would be the kind of thing a kid of the 90s like me would acquire, read and spread the gospel on in a heartbeat.

Aw man I haven't thought about that run in twenty years. Wow an omnibus would be so cool!

[vodou]

Also, as Rocket said, "greener pastures" doesn't have to mean going back to comic books. It can mean engaging in other collector pursuits, driving cars/motorcycles, buying hookers and blow or any number of different options where your enjoyment-for-dollar-spent may stretch farther than it does in art.

Ah. I don't live in mom's basement, do get laid regularly, etc. so...there are no greener pastures than original art (for me )

 

But I appreciate the perspectives from all of you.

[suspense39]

I'm so used to seeing prices for contemporary and post war art, comic art looks cheap!

 

Outside of silver and bronze age nostalgia pieces, there are many historic artists that can be acquired for very little money relative to their influence within the genre (I mean the whole of 20th/21st century graphic storytelling). It's surprising, really.

I can potentially see a correction on certain artists (Miller as an example, seems to be finding one) but overall there are so many entry points and ways of collecting, I don't really see a crash, it's still a very young hobby which appears to me to be growing, who wouldn't expect ups, downs, and corrections while it finds it's footing.

[batman_fan]

I maintain that one of the toughest things about crossing over is that you go from buying a little something all the time in comics (quick hits of satisfaction) to spending 5x as much , 5x less often. That change in purchasing pace (and more to the point - delayed gratification) is something that some are totally unprepared for and may not always enjoy or be able to handle.

 

That's undoubtedly a big part of it.

 

 

I'm fascinated with this, the idea of there being greener pastures than original art. I have a huge blindspot here, I absolutely love originals (of all kinds) and could never step back down off the mountain. In my world, originals are the pinnacle, there are no greener pastures, there's no going back to having "one of the nicest out of several tens of thousands of examples" of anything. Ever. Again.

 

Who are these people that leave and find satsifaction elsewhere? Are they really satisfied? Do they eventually come back to OA yet again, later, head hanging but with a renewed sense of purpose (or at least financing)?

 

I think there are many reasons that people try and then leave the OA hobby:

 

1. Less frequent gratification (Bronty's observation above)

2. Your money doesn't go nearly as far, and it's harder to buy the better/near-best/best examples in OA without a large budget

3. In all likelihood, the stuff you would really want most is either locked up, M.I.A. and/or priced out of reach

4. Not nearly as easy to buy (no GPAnalysis, CGC Census, etc.)

5. Not nearly as easy to flip (which is a consideration for many)

6. Not as tied into the OA collector community; have to start over building networks and making friends

7. As cool as the art is, maybe it doesn't strike the same nostalgic chord as buying the books you bought/coveted as a kid

 

Also, as Rocket said, "greener pastures" doesn't have to mean going back to comic books. It can mean engaging in other collector pursuits, driving cars/motorcycles, buying hookers and blow or any number of different options where your enjoyment-for-dollar-spent may stretch farther than it does in art.

 

Hey Gene, going forward can you add "owning a distillery" as an option for greener pastures. I know I have spent enough on my side hobby to have purchased several A grade pieces of original art.

[Dick O.]

.....DC has these handful of evergreen classics that have and probably will continue to stand the test of time.....Marvel, on the other hand, hasn't necessarily done a great job curating the cream of the crop, but for all intents and purposes EVERYTHING is available in one form or another.

 

Is it possible these varying approaches to collecting legacy material are reflected in the OA market for each company? DC art from those dozen or so top books fetch huge, record breaking sums. However, when compared to the average Marvel page from the silver/bronze age, it seems that the rest of DC's art lags (in some cases) way behind. The Marvel middle-class seems to be much stronger.

 

Interesting hypothesis

[Dick O.]

I'm so used to seeing prices for contemporary and post war art, comic art looks cheap!

 

Outside of silver and bronze age nostalgia pieces, there are many historic artists that can be acquired for very little money relative to their influence within the genre (I mean the whole of 20th/21st century graphic storytelling). It's surprising, really.

 

I can potentially see a correction on certain artists (Miller as an example, seems to be finding one) but overall there are so many entry points and ways of collecting, I don't really see a crash, it's still a very young hobby which appears to me to be growing, who wouldn't expect ups, downs, and corrections while it finds it's footing.

 

Agreed on all points!

 

The OA hobby is definitely still accessible to newbies, whether they be "recent-run" or "nostalgia" collectors. If their nostalgic sweet spot is from the '90s onwards, there's a ton of sub-$300 pages from popular runs available.

 

Top of my head, the only truly pricey superhero runs from the late-'80s on are McSpidey and Lee X-Men/Hush.