What are the top 5 "collectible" moderns?

[Reno McCoy]

If you were to only collect 5 titles for the next 20 years and you chose those 5 titles based on possible future investment, which titles would you choose? In other words, if you collected the next 200 issues of a specfic title, which titles would be the most "valuable"?

[ninanina]

With apologies to JC.....I'd stick with the mainstream comics like Avengers, Spider-Man, Justice League, X-Men, and Fantastic Four. But.....

 

 

....who knows what will be popular 20 years from now. Could be manga for all I know...in which case nobody will care about any of the above.

 

....expensive collectibles are usually the one's nobody collects.

[blowout]

If you were to only collect 5 titles for the next 20 years and you chose those 5 titles based on possible future investment, which titles would you choose?

 

None. I would look to books published before 1980.

 

If I was buying modern books for the next 20 years I would buy the 5 titles that I enjoyed reading the most.

[Silver Surfer]

If you were to only collect 5 titles for the next 20 years and you chose those 5 titles based on possible future investment, which titles would you choose?

 

None. I would look to books published before 1980.

 

If I was buying modern books for the next 20 years I would buy the 5 titles that I enjoyed reading the most.

 

Although it wouldn't hurt to own a nice copy of ASM#238 (Hobgoblin) or Thor #337 (Beta-Ray Bill).

[rob_react]

 

Although it wouldn't hurt to own a nice copy of ASM#238 (Hobgoblin) or Thor #337 (Beta-Ray Bill).

 

You can barely give away copies of Thor 337.

 

To the topic at hand: just like the past twenty years the next twenty years will hold a whole bunch of surprises in terms of valuable books. Those surprises will most likely not include regular editions of flagship Marvel and DC titles. Check this thread for the sort of stuff that I'm talking about as it pertains to the 90s.

[Silver Surfer]

 

Although it wouldn't hurt to own a nice copy of ASM#238 (Hobgoblin) or Thor #337 (Beta-Ray Bill).

 

You can barely give away copies of Thor 337.

 

To the topic at hand: just like the past twenty years the next twenty years will hold a whole bunch of surprises in terms of valuable books. Those surprises will most likely not include regular editions of flagship Marvel and DC titles. Check this thread for the sort of stuff that I'm talking about as it pertains to the 90s.

 

Well I guess that's just one of my personal favorites. It looks pretty grim for the next 20 years doesn't it?

[rob_react]

 

Well I guess that's just one of my personal favorites. It looks pretty grim for the next 20 years doesn't it?

 

Cool book. Great story. But, pretty much only graded copies in 9.8 sell for anything significant.

 

I'm not sure what you mean when you say "it looks pretty grim." The prospects for Thor #337 or something else?

[Silver Surfer]

 

Well I guess that's just one of my personal favorites. It looks pretty grim for the next 20 years doesn't it?

 

Cool book. Great story. But, pretty much only graded copies in 9.8 sell for anything significant.

 

I'm not sure what you mean when you say "it looks pretty grim." The prospects for Thor #337 or something else?

 

Just a general statement when I look at all the drek that has been produced the last 15 years and how people struggle to name modern day keys and only come up with X-Men 266 (Gambit apperance). It makes wonder what kids today will be excited about collecting 10-15 years from now. Continuity is out the window and more importantly quality of art and story writing needs a shot in the arm. I hope I am wrong.

[tth2]

 

Well I guess that's just one of my personal favorites. It looks pretty grim for the next 20 years doesn't it?

 

Cool book. Great story. But, pretty much only graded copies in 9.8 sell for anything significant.

 

I'm not sure what you mean when you say "it looks pretty grim." The prospects for Thor #337 or something else?

 

Just a general statement when I look at all the drek that has been produced the last 15 years and how people struggle to name modern day keys and only come up with X-Men 266 (Gambit apperance). It makes wonder what kids today will be excited about collecting 10-15 years from now. Continuity is out the window and more importantly quality of art and story writing needs a shot in the arm. I hope I am wrong.

 

I agree that a lot of the mainstream comics have been drek in the last 15 years (but I always wonder whether that's just because I'm getting older), and the lack of continuity has definitely been irritating. But as I said in a thread in one of the other forums, I think some fantastic stuff has been produced since 1989: Sandman, Hellblazer (particularly once Ennis got on it, but I liked the first 10 issues or so too), Preacher, Starman, the Grant Morrison run on Animal Man, the Shooter Valiant books, and many more.

 

I think the big difference between earlier eras is that the kids that bought these issues off the newstand immediately bagged and boarded them and have preserved them pretty well. If they return to collecting in their mid- to late-30s, a lot of them will only need to reach into their comic boxes (assuming they didn't sell everything, which they probably didn't because no one would buy them!) to pull out some very sharp copies.

[chrisco37]

Just a general statement when I look at all the drek that has been produced the last 15 years and how people struggle to name modern day keys and only come up with X-Men 266 (Gambit apperance). It makes wonder what kids today will be excited about collecting 10-15 years from now. Continuity is out the window and more importantly quality of art and story writing needs a shot in the arm. I hope I am wrong.

 

You keep generalizing about comics based on MARVEL. Lots of other really good stuff out there.

 

Gotta look at other publishers (Alan Moore won't write for Marvel, you know). And popular titles w/ lower print runs.

 

I think League of Extraordinary Gentlemen will be a title that should hold it value (will it ever reach Hulk #181 levels? Of course not. No "modern" book will).

 

Miracleman should see revived interest if Gaiman and Marvel come to an agreement and Gaiman is allowed to finish his run (9 more issues, I think?). At the very least, they need to finish off the "Silver Age" arc.

 

Y: The Last Man seems to be holding value pretty well. I think a TV series (which wouldn't be too difficult to pull off) would increase interest even more.

 

Sandman is one of the best titles of all time. #1 & #8 should always sell pretty well. And can be considered modern "keys".

 

Hellblazer books should do fairly well down the road despite the Keanu Reeves film. He's probably the best "new" character to come around in the last 20+ years.

 

At least, that's my opinion.

[Reno McCoy]

I guess my question stems from the desire to have a long run of comics that has a chance to increase in value (I know they all have a chance, technically). Too often I'll start buying a comic only to have it canceled. Or I'll be buying one Spider-Man title for years with no increase in value, but I look at the other Spider-Man titles and see a spike here and there.

 

I read for enjoyment, but I keep my comics in good condition for possible future investment.

[Kevin Boyd]

Just a general statement when I look at all the drek that has been produced the last 15 years and how people struggle to name modern day keys and only come up with X-Men 266 (Gambit apperance). It makes wonder what kids today will be excited about collecting 10-15 years from now. Continuity is out the window and more importantly quality of art and story writing needs a shot in the arm. I hope I am wrong.

 

You've seem to have fallen under the influence of JC.

 

There have been quite a few modern Marvel keys, they are released all of the time. First issues, new costumes, major events (deaths, births, marriages), debuts of popular creative teams, etc. all qualify as "keys". Just because they aren't seeing the heat the UXM 266 is at the moment doesn't mean that they aren't a key, unless you define a "key" as only a book that goes up in value or is considered a hot back issue by collectors...

 

For example, here are a selected few post-1990 "keys" from Amazing Spider-Man and Daredevil:

 

Amazing Spider-Man #361 (1st Carnage)

Amazing Spider-Man #365 (30th Anniversary issue)

Amazing Spider-Man #400 (Death of Aunt May)

Amazing Spider-Man #441 (last issue)

Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 2 #1 (1st issue)

Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 2 #30 (1st Straczynski Spider-Man, 1st Ezekiel).

Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 2 #36 (9/11 issue)

Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 2 #50 (Peter and Mary Jane end their separation)

Amazing Spider-Man #500 (500th issue, Uncle Ben appearance)

Amazing Spider-Man #509 (intro Gabriel and Sarah, Peter & Gwen's children?)

 

Daredevil #300 (Fall of the Kingpin)

Daredevil #319 (Return of Elektra, 1st not by Miller)

Daredevil #321 (new costume, Venom app.)

Daredevil #348 (1st Cary Nord)

Daredevil #354 (Daredevil and Spider-Man confess to knowing each other's IDs)

Daredevil #380 (last issue)

Daredevil Vol. 2 #1 (1st Smith & Quesada Daredevil)

Daredevil Vol. 2 #5 (death of Karen Page)

Daredevil Vol. 2 #26 (1st Maleev and Bendis)

Daredevil Vol. 2 #34 (Daredevil's identity revealed)

Daredevil Vol. 2 #50 (Daredevil becomes the new Kingpin)

 

There are other story points which can also be considered key within each of these runs that I've skipped over. With Spidey there's the return of the clone, Green Goblin battles, the introduction of the 3rd Spider-Woman, etc. With DD there's the return to the red outfit, the introduction of Echo, any Bullseye fights, etc. Just because they aren't boiling up the back issue sales charts doesn't mean that they aren't key story points.

 

And some of the examples I've given you certainly aren't scarce, but some are quite difficult to locate. The last issues of ASM and DD before the reboots are harder to track down as the print runs were much lower than their volume two counterparts.

[Kermit the frog]

I think League of Extraordinary Gentlemen will be a title that should hold it value (will it ever reach Hulk #181 levels? Of course not. No "modern" book will).

 

ultimate spidey white variant?!

[localshop]

Hellblazer books should do fairly well down the road despite the Keanu Reeves film. He's probably the best "new" character to come around in the last 20+ years.

 

It's difficult to pin down what will be key issues though in this series, other than writer changes, for example, first Ennis. Issue 27 is probably the only other that garners any real interest, due to 'low' distribution (and of course, was Gaiman and McKean). The real 'keys' associated with this character are in the Swamp Thing series, particularly 37 to 40 (first four appearances?).

 

Also, I heard that the readership levels were low on this title, despite uniformly great writing on it.

[Jgel]

I would say Batman and Amazing Spider-man

[Silver Surfer]

Chrisco your right I am generalizing about comics (maybe too much) through the eyes of Marvel because that's what I know. However, Marvel is the biggest and if I think their quality have fallen off (and it has) then it will have a serious impact on the hobby over the long-term. I guess being spoiled as a kid by the almost endless well of creativity achieved in the SA and BA era's its hard to get excited about a lot of the retread stuff these days. If there ever was a need for a new Marvel age with fresh and exciting stuff to begin, now is the time.

[rob_react]

Your single minded fixation on Marvel Comics is a wonder of the modern world.

[Silver Surfer]

Hey I will be buying those DC's that have been recommend to me so don't write me off yet. Old habits.

[rob_react]

It was more to the fact that you took what Chrisco said and immediately funneled it into a discussion of the current state of Marvel. He might as well have been talking about space aliens...

[Silver Surfer]