Walter Simonson's Thor

[blowout]

Have just got through reading the Marvel Visionaries TPB of Walt Simonson's work on Thor. It's the first time I have read this stuff since I picked the issues (Thor 337-348) up off the newstand back in the 80's. It has reminded me how awesome Simonson's Thor run was.

 

What it has left me wondering rhough, is why doesn't Simonson get the kind of kudos for his work on Thor, that someone like Todd McFarlane gets for ASM?

 

Also, a quick check of Overstreet tells me that Walt's run pretty much guides for cover price. I didn't actually remember that there was a huge print run on Thor books in the 80's, so is it just that no-one wants the books?

 

What gives? This was ground breaking stuff, and I for one think that it deserves more credit.

[Zonker]

That's an interesting question. I'm a huge Walt Simonson fan. Of course, no one really knows why some things get hot and others don't, but I'm happy to speculate!

 

Part of it is the shear volume of work Simonson has done, including an earlier Thor run as penciller only, in the 260's or so, and a later run of X-Factor that just was not my cup o' tea. Collectors unfortunately just take him for granted.

 

But part of it is that #337 was one of those instant hot comics that surprisingly sold out at the comics shops and had people lurking in the newstands to buy up multiples. I remember seeing the book bagged and boarded for $10 just a couple of months after it came out. I suspect Marvel cranked up the print run, and the result is the earliest issues were hoarded/preserved and Simonson's later issues were overprinted, with the result in each case being an over-abundant supply.

 

A great bargain though!

Z.

[delekkerste]

What it has left me wondering rhough, is why doesn't Simonson get the kind of kudos for his work on Thor, that someone like Todd McFarlane gets for ASM?

 

Several reasons:

 

1. Thor! Just not a lot of Thor collectors out there compared to ASM.

 

2. Simonson had already been around for many years, so he was a "hot, new talent" like McFarlane.

 

3. While most people agree that his Thor *stories* were brilliant, I have found opinions more mixed on his artwork. Some like it, but many didn't care for his style. As I have argued, it is much more difficult for hot writers to command premium $$$ in the back issue market than hot artists (USM collectors, beware!)

 

4. The issues were hoarded like crazy. Marvel put out teaser ads with Beta Ray Bill in advance and people knew it was going to be the start of something different, if not something big. I myself bought a ton of Thor #340s after the 1st 3 issues of the run sold out (I did snag a lone copy of #339 by scouring all the 7-11 stores in the area, though).

 

I've given up hope that these will ever be worth anything, but I still collect these as they are among the best stories I read when I first started collecting.

 

Gene

[blowout]

The issues were hoarded like crazy. Marvel put out teaser ads with Beta Ray Bill in advance and people knew it was going to be the start of something different, if not something big. I myself bought a ton of Thor #340s after the 1st 3 issues of the run sold out

 

Gene, do you have any idea what the print run on these issues were?

 

 

[FlyingDonut]

I was in college - everybody I knew hoarded Thor 337 like mad.

[delekkerste]

Gene, do you have any idea what the print run on these issues were?

 

No idea, but they were hoarded & preserved like mad. There was a recent 1980s warehouse find that had a bunch of high-grade specimens...the CGC census on Thor #339 and #340 in 9.8 went from 0 to 8 and 10 copies, respectively, overnight. I was just at the NY con this weekend and Neat Stuff had a bunch of Simonson 9.8s (I bought a #350)...they recently sold 2 #339 9.8s on eBay (I bought one of them) and they had a 3rd 9.8 copy at the show.

 

Gene

[PovertyRow]

But part of it is that #337 was one of those instant hot comics that surprisingly sold out at the comics shops

 

I remember Million Year Picnic in Cambridge, MA had a sign up: only 2 copies of Thor 337 per customer. That thing was on fire all right, but cooled off almost as quickly.

[aardvark88]

1 week after Thor 337 debuted, it was selling for $3 each at the local comicon. Newsstand VF copies allocated to 1 copy per person. No NM direct sales copies were available b/c they were being horded.

[comicinvestor-migration]

Gene, do you have any idea what the print run on these issues were?

 

I believe the first year was in the 300-350K range.

 

But the print run has nothing to do with it; those issues are yet another example of a "red hot" issue that fades with time. In fact, can anyone name a comic that spiked a few months are printing, then increased or even rose in value years after?

 

Trivia note: Did you know that Thor 337 was the MOST VALUABLE Thor comic in the entire run from 1988-89?

 

*cough*Ultimate*choke*Spider-man*cough*

[blowout]

In fact, can anyone name a comic that spiked a few months are printing, then increased or even rose in value years after?

 

Can't think of any. But what I can think of are many examples of the 'back to cover price' syndrome.

 

You mentioned Ultimate Spider-Man which hasn't yet been affected, but X-Force #116 & Green Arrow #1 are just a couple of high profile recent examples.

[murph0]

In fact, can anyone name a comic that spiked a few months are printing, then increased or even rose in value years after

 

Didn't this happen in the ASM series when #252 came out? The printing #'s were up between 250-252..and later on 252 has managed to be about a 15-20 dollar comic? It's weak but it's something..

 

Brian

[comicinvestor-migration]

I don't believe ASM 252 ever spiked that high, it just went to $10-$20 and stuck there for years.

 

I'm more referring to things like Howard the Duck 1, New Mutants 87, Justic League 1, etc. that ramped up quick, but always tail off. It's a universal law of collectibles: that which is $50-$100 soon after printing will never, ever hold its value.

[Zonker]

Was anyone here collecting in 1970-71? (couple years before my time , been trying to catch up ever since ) Was wondering if books like Conan 1 & 3 and GL/GA #76 were exceptions to the CI law?

[murph0]

Oh I thought you meant a comic that spiked after printing (my understanding was the # of comics printed spiked) and then later held some form of value? Obviously we are on a different page, but that does bring up an interesting question.. has there ever been a book that has a huge print run but has maintained a pretty good value? IMO ASM 300 would be one.

 

Brian

[blowout]

has there ever been a book that has a huge print run but has maintained a pretty good value? IMO ASM 300 would be one.

 

Try the Byrne X-Men run, 108-142.

[murph0]

I thought some of those books were "hard to find"? At least I thought I recall someone complaining about finding some of the lower (108-120?) in high grade?

 

Brian

[FlyingDonut]

ANY Silver Age book. GIANT print runs (by today's standards). Daredevil 181. Any Byrne X-book.

 

Print runs were 5 or 6 times larger 20-25 years ago than they are now.

[ninanina]

I recently asked a dealer if he needed any Daredevil 181's cause they are supposed to be so hot right now, and he said no thanks, I still have 150 copies.

[comicinvestor-migration]

Try the Byrne X-Men run, 108-142.

 

Actually, I've got some old dealer catalogues from the mid-80's and most of those books were really cheap. I've bought them since they were printed and even when the X-Men were in the 200's, you could buy 122-up for 3-4 bucks a shot.

 

X-Men 121 is kind of an exception, though I still have no idea on why it held value. Alpha Flight???

[murph0]

There must be a lot of Canadian collectors out there.

 

Brian