Image #1's speculation is different from 90's The Reign of Superman......

[HouseofComics.Com]

To address the original post, however, the real hero in the Image universe is the writing, not a superhero

 

Nicely put.

[ThoseBackPages]

love the writing

[fastballspecial]

I for one am very tired of hearing comparisons to the 90s. This is like the 3rd thread on it.

[ThoseBackPages]

I for one am very tired of hearing comparisons to the 90s. This is like the 3rd thread on it.

 

going to be a lot of them in 2013

 

haters gonna hate

[NewWorldOrder]

This is very simple.

 

Market prices are a result of supply and demand.

 

Because Image is still printing comics, the supply of Image comics is increasing.

 

As long as demand increases at-or-above the rate of supply, the market prices will stay the same or increase.

 

If the demand falls, even if the supply is the same, the market prices fall.

 

If the demand falls AND the supply is increasing, the market prices fall FASTER.

 

Today is definitely different from the 1990s if you look at the number of people and the number of comics.

 

But if you look at the supply and demand equation...

 

Fewer people and fewer comics in the industry doesn't guarantee lower individual losses.

It only guarantees lower total losses.

 

I grew up assuming life would always make sense with that logical thinking, however since 2008 I no longer believe in that thinking.

 

Speculation, speculation, mixed with greed! Check what you pay at the pump.

[Nexus]

I guess to be more clear on my point is that there are few pop culture phenomenons per generation and the Walking Dead is currently it.

 

Completely agree.

 

I would argue that there are several Image titles, let alone titles from other publishers, that are as good, if not better, than WD. But none of them have captured the public's imagination the way WD has, so as far as future value goes, their relative quality doesn't matter.

 

One thing discussed on the OA side (which I know you are part of, Nexus) is how much nostalgia drives the value of art. I think nostalgia will be a determinant in how long the Image titles's monetary values will last, or at least how long it takes to fade.

 

To take it in the OA direction temporarily, I would say that how you described your son's interest could be a predictor for the future value of WD OA. You say he has no interest in the floppies, but will readily pick up a TPB. This seems to be common for younger readers who aren't as ingrained in the monthly comics culture as we are. If any of them have any interest in OA, specifically WD OA, in the future, it will be for images they remember from their youth. So that would NOT included floppy covers (the current king of WD OA), but more likely TPB covers and key interiors.

 

To address the original post, however, the real hero in the Image universe is the writing, not a superhero As long as they have good writers and good writer/artist combos, I'll stick with them - regardless of speculative value.

 

Me, too!

[dupont2005]

I can't imagine saga wont be... If they don't make it into something other than a comic, I'd be amazed

 

Doesn't scream movie to me, and would be too expensive as a TV series....

 

You don't think this screams movie? TV show, no way. But no movie? Not speculating, but i'd rather see a Saga movie than a ToT TV show anyday. And I'm totally deep investment-wise into ToT.

Thousands of comics scream movie. Dozens actually get made

[dupont2005]

 

Walking Dead #1 might be an exception, due to the low print run, similarly to Cerebus #1.

 

One thing WD has for it's success was the confluence of a very good book, a rise in interest of Zombies in other medium (video games, books such as Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, etc.) and the basic appeal of a dystopian society.

 

There are a lot of good Image titles out that I like to read and collect, but I really see TWD as an anomaly. A lot of collectors - new and seasoned - are chasing the next WD and I don't know if there is another success to the same degree as the WD is.

 

The Walking Dead could be the 'canary in the coal mine' for this era of Image in that if it starts to swoon from pop-culture relevance, it could take down speculative books with it.

Walking Dead is an exception because it's not a result of the Image #1 craze, it started it. Now that the craze is here none of these #1's will be worth anything in a few years.

 

Not saying they aren't great comics, I like a lot of what Image puts out. That's why I buy one copy and read it. Buying ten and storing them away doesn't sound like a good move to me. I think the "next Walking Dead #1" will come from a publisher people aren't speculating with. I say keep an eye out on Dark Horse. They publish long running creator owned stuff, good stuff, that may catch on at some point.

[RogueOneRebels]

It's a bit of both, in my opinion. Most of the titles you have listed are not just hype, but have great stories and/or art - and you missed out Manhattan Projects, which is both a quality read and a speculation hit at the moment too (first issue, anyway).

 

The thing is, for every one of those titles, Image are also pushing out some rubbish - most of which, thankfully, seems to be confined to mini-series.

 

For your other points - early indications are that Saga #1 RRP could overtake Walking Dead #1 in terms of importance and value - but that will depend on Saga maintaining its quality over the long term (I think it will). Saga will WAY outlast Thief of Thieves in any event - at least it should!

 

Two questions:

 

1) what are you playing devil's advocate in respect of?

 

2) what is a "first ballet"?

 

3) what is Sage?

 

Goes with pork.

 

Unlike Saga, which goes with tripe.

 

 

[RogueOneRebels]

A lot of collectors - new and seasoned - are chasing the next WD and I don't know if there is another success to the same degree as the WD is.

 

To me, WD is the new TMNT. Back in the '80s, everyone was chasing the next TMNT, too. The difference being that the new Image titles are generally better than those B/W clones. But do speculators really care? In the end, there was just one TMNT, and I expect we will find out there will be just one WD.

 

 

 

Makes sense to me

 

Ditto on the TWD

[SuperBird]

A lot of collectors - new and seasoned - are chasing the next WD and I don't know if there is another success to the same degree as the WD is.

 

To me, WD is the new TMNT. Back in the '80s, everyone was chasing the next TMNT, too. The difference being that the new Image titles are generally better than those B/W clones. But do speculators really care? In the end, there was just one TMNT, and I expect we will find out there will be just one WD.

 

 

 

Makes sense to me

 

Ditto on the TWD

 

There are other 80s books that have maintained collectibility, it's not like TMNT or nothing. Of the ones that were hot back then, many of the quality books still hold decent value compared to then, particularly in high grade.

 

The main difference is that the volume of readers was much larger then, so all those books have an over supply. Marvel and DC books used to get cancelled if they could not sell 30k, iirc. These days 30k is a big hit. If there is a similar decrease of that magnitude within the coming decades, all comics will be pretty worthless, not just these. If readership levels are maintained or expanded, many of these hot books could still have value 20 years from now.

[NewWorldOrder]

After reading many of the new Image hyped up #'s it is my opinion that......

 

Saga could very well be the next big deal for Image for at least the next year or so. Saga has that "It Factor" that you can't teach. The covers, story, and art have that classic feel and look do it. Not saying it will ever be as big as the Walking Dead, but with a movie rights it could get very big.

 

Revival = That will need a revival after that book is rendered irrelevant probably by this time next year. Twilight called and wants it high school corny story back.

 

Bedlam is interesting, but short lived in the long-run. Good read so far

 

Nowhere Men= Its okay nothing ground-breaking

 

Peter Panzerfaust or Peter Pan......whatever. This series could get very interesting. This could be something if they play their cards right.

 

Hey at least Image is finally since 2000 the New House of Ideas and stopped living on big names artists that just re-designed classic Marvel/DC characters. Young blood is my favorite X-men cheese.

 

Either way kudos to Image for making new and creative comic book characters relevant again and not regurgitation.

[ComicConnoisseur]

because?

 

(j/k)

 

Image has done an absolute amazing job (especially Kirkman) in introducing new iconic characters and story-lines unlike Marvel & DC.

 

However it seems every new Image title #1's especially when paired with either a decent credible writer or artist is instantly an eBay flipping splurge bid-fest. Which many of us here take on the part of hoarding these new issues which adds to facilitating the speculating of these books.

 

Walking Dead (1st ballet---no debate there)

Chew

Invincible

ToT

Saga

Peter Panzerfaust

Revival

Bedlam

Nowhere Men

anymore I am leaving out?

 

Do you guys feel many of these current and future Image titles are all hype with no long-term sustainability or is Image becoming the Marvel of the 1960's with their innovative creative thinking?

 

 

What I look for is can these titles be played as action figures or videogames? Can they be watched as films for the whole family to enjoy?

I look for mainstream appeal.

The Marvel of the 1960s was family friendly,while most on your Image list are not.

This is bad in two ways for universal appeal.

Since most on your list are of an adult nature that means if made into movies they will be rated R which means mediocre results for the most part at the box office, and I really don`t see many children asking their parents if they can buy them the latest Bedlam and Chew action figures over the latest Hulk and Spider-Man action figures at Toys R Us.

Although these Image comics will never be big-time like the the Marvel of the 1960s I do see them becoming the Vertigo of the 1990s. Good solid comics like Vertigo comics Sandman,Starman,Shade,Y The Last Man and Hellblazer.

So in conclusion these Image titles will eventually end up as Vertigo status.

Great reads, but for the most part you will be better off buying their trades than stocking up on their $100 plus slabs.

[ComicConnoisseur]

When I was a kid, I was all about the comics, but to your point I was dissuaded by bad art and bad writing, not by the print runs. Even when as a college student I changed my focus from illustrating comics to illustrating for magazines. Fast forward 20 years and the school I went to that didn't offer a single comic class now has the biggest comic library of any university in the US and offers classes specifically for comics. So it's clearly thriving at the moment.

 

Here's what I wonder... Newsweek was the first big mag to stop production... Others are following as people move to digital media. The kids that collected comics then have the say so in what movies are being made now - they're also the ones buying the comics. I rarely see kids at my LCS. Once we start fading, our kids who were influenced by the movies may not have the desire to collect paper comics... does that die with other printed magazines?

 

Also, without raising prices and with increases in production costs, does a book fall back on paying lesser artists and writers? The funny thing is the creator/owner model books still have lower costs vs the megastore behemoths and while the art is usually pretty good in the latter, the writing is very hit or miss. I just don't know... I will say though, if the death of Spiderman by a thousand variants didn't pop the bubble, the awesome writing and artwork at books like Image and Valiant wont die (for now anyway).

 

Valiant has mass appeal.These would be the ones to look at long-term.

The Valiant characters have much more mainstream appeal then the Image Comics.

They would make for much better movies,videogames and action figures. Valiant is a goldmine just waiting to be discovered by the mainstream.

 

[ComicConnoisseur]

How much longer do you guys realistically see WD going?

People will eventually get bored. I hope that`s not a shocker, but it happened to Heroes,24 and Lost as well. Compare the first half of Heroes,24 and the Lost tv series to their final few seasons. People always get bored and look for something new. Eventually there will be a zombie backlash. We started to see some of bloom coming of the Walking Dead rose with Image #100 with all the variants. More than a few long-time loyal Walking Dead readers kinda got pissed off about that.

[Mr.Diggler]

We started to see some of bloom coming of the Walking Dead rose with Image #100 with all the variants. More than a few long-time loyal Walking Dead readers kinda got pissed off about that.

They didn't have to buy them. This variant cover crap would stop if the sheep stopped getting moist over them.

[ComicConnoisseur]

I can't imagine saga wont be... If they don't make it into something other than a comic, I'd be amazed - even I'd they don't, it's the most original book out there. If it falls flat, I'd be so shocked (that said, I love me some key silvers)

 

Sorry, but what's so original about Saga? It uses virtually every character type, plot and cliché found in science fiction/fantasy books from the last 70 years.

 

Having owned a bookstore for 16 yrs now, no writer reinvents the wheel. No story is original. But it is the way they tell it. Vaughan does that in his dialogue. Obviously the book is not for you. Does not mean it isn't for others though. Obviously having been voted the single best book of 2012, it does strike a chord with readers though.

 

Having read thousands of science fiction books, pulps, magazines and comics over the last 40+ years I can say that there is nothing original in Saga. If you and others like it great but let's not pretend it's some great comic book work of art, regardless of who voted it the best book of last year.

I like BKV's work - but not this.

+1

(thumbs u

We have to think though if most new comic book readers have only been exposed to the New DC 52, and prior Liefeld Image Comics,then Saga must seem like Alan Moore to them!