Overlooked and Potentially Undervalued Long/Mid-Term 2 2

[joe_collector]

Come on Silver Surfer 50 has a bigass Chromium cover, it was hyped like mad at the time, and represents a lot of what was bad about the rampant speculation of the era.

 

Silver Surfer 34 is far more appealing, as it came out a year and a half earlier, at the start of 1990, doesn't sport a Chromium cover, and is the start of the CA Thanos saga.

[ygogolak]

Come on Silver Surfer 50 has a bigass Chromium cover, it was hyped like mad at the time, and represents a lot of what was bad about the rampant speculation of the era.

 

Silver Surfer 34 is far more appealing, as it came out a year and a half earlier, at the start of 1990, doesn't sport a Chromium cover, and is the start of the CA Thanos saga.

 

Oh no, I agree with Joe C!

It was the embossed / foil / holo phase. I have a Deathlok and Dr. Strange from that era as well that would serve better as fuel for a fire.

[Hamlet]

I'm not sure that I would expect a whole lot from the ongoing #1 or PWJ #1. I think that there are more copies of those books than there are actual Punisher fans. Frankly, I think this is a character who's popularity has peaked and is on the decline (outside of his first appearance).

 

I think that Punisher #1 belongs in the "buy at $1, sell at $3" category (for VFish copies).

 

Punisher limited series, regular #1-18 (especially #8-10), and PWJ #1, 6, 7 are all ridiculously undervalued and underappreciated.

 

There was a time when Punisher #1 mini sold for $50, and the ongoing for $30...now, you can frequently buy the ongoing #1 for $1-$2...so I do.

 

#8-10 got caught in the "we're publishing this every six weeks (one of the oddest experiments of the 80's)" vortex, and were underordered at the time. Punisher #10 is still especially hard to find, relative to #1-7.

 

You got 'em? I'll buy all VF or better copies you have for $1 each.

[Hamlet]

Nice business casual is usually plenty professional looking to my mind.

 

Haha, sounds like a guy in IT. If you're dealing with clients, it's important to look professional.

[RockMyAmadeus]

I'm not sure that I would expect a whole lot from the ongoing #1 or PWJ #1. I think that there are more copies of those books than there are actual Punisher fans. Frankly, I think this is a character who's popularity has peaked and is on the decline (outside of his first appearance).

 

I think that Punisher #1 belongs in the "buy at $1, sell at $3" category (for VFish copies).

 

Punisher limited series, regular #1-18 (especially #8-10), and PWJ #1, 6, 7 are all ridiculously undervalued and underappreciated.

 

There was a time when Punisher #1 mini sold for $50, and the ongoing for $30...now, you can frequently buy the ongoing #1 for $1-$2...so I do.

 

#8-10 got caught in the "we're publishing this every six weeks (one of the oddest experiments of the 80's)" vortex, and were underordered at the time. Punisher #10 is still especially hard to find, relative to #1-7.

 

You got 'em? I'll buy all VF or better copies you have for $1 each.

Neither Punisher #1 nor PWJ #1 were printed in huge numbers. They were 1987 and 1988 books, respectively. For perspective, Wolverine #1, published the same month as PWJ #1, had Cap City orders of 108k (and a likely overall printrun of 350-400k, with a sell-through of perhaps 250k), while Cap City orders for PWJ #1 was a mere 61k, a little more than half Wolverine #1's numbers, for a title print run of perhaps 200-250k, and sell-through of maybe 150-175k.

 

Cap City orders for regular #1 were about the same, 62k.

 

This goes a long way towards explaining why the regular #1 and PWJ #1 were $30 and $20 books, while Wolverine #1 was about $10, in the period of 1990-1993, when both characters were pretty much the king of the heap.

 

For perspective: Punisher War Zone #1, published at the absolute height of Punny-mania, had Cap City orders of 175k...almost three times that of either regular #1, or WJ #1 (and a total print run probably bordering on 600k.)

 

While I do not doubt that they exist in higher numbers than extant Punisher fans at this time, all it would take is something splashy for that to change.

 

Things to keep in mind: in early 1987, while Spidey #129 was definitely on the rise as a result of the mini a year earlier, it was still only a $10-$20 book ($14 in the 1987 OPG), and Marvel was unsure if it would be a hit as a regular series...with the result that it was published every 6 weeks, an unsual publication schedule, for over a year (until #10.)

 

It was enough of a success to launch PWJ, but this was still 1988; the era of huge printruns was still 2-3 years in the future.

 

Personally, I think the first 20 of the regular series, especially the Portacio books, are just stunners, especially #9 and #10.

 

That said....if anyone has multiple copies of regular #1, 9, 10, or PWJ #1 and 6, I'll happily buy them from you, all of them, as much as $1 each. Is it a case of "these were too expensive to buy when I started, so I look at them with rose-colored glasses now?" Perhaps. But the offer still stands. If I can get a long box of Punisher #10s, I'll do it.

 

[divad]

Here's another one to consider. It's a two-part introduction story - why would you buy Bats 386 and not also pick-up Bats 387?

 

[conditionfreak]

Up to a whole dollar each?

 

I'll hold on to my stash. Thanks for the offer though.

[rjrjr]

That said....if anyone has multiple copies of regular #1, 9, 10, or PWJ #1 and 6, I'll happily buy them from you, all of them, as much as $1 each. Is it a case of "these were too expensive to buy when I started, so I look at them with rose-colored glasses now?" Perhaps. But the offer still stands. If I can get a long box of Punisher #10s, I'll do it.

 

 

Well, if you are going to put yourself out there and offer a whole dollar each...

[Bosco685]

Here's another one to consider. It's a two-part introduction story - why would you buy Bats 386 and not also pick-up Bats 387?

 

 

I've thought that myself as I have squirreled these away. Same with Amazing Spider-Man 195 with the origin of Black Cat.

[divad]

Same with Amazing Spider-Man 195 with the origin of Black Cat.

 

Yep, another good call. (thumbs u

[RockMyAmadeus]

That said....if anyone has multiple copies of regular #1, 9, 10, or PWJ #1 and 6, I'll happily buy them from you, all of them, as much as $1 each. Is it a case of "these were too expensive to buy when I started, so I look at them with rose-colored glasses now?" Perhaps. But the offer still stands. If I can get a long box of Punisher #10s, I'll do it.

 

 

Well, if you are going to put yourself out there and offer a whole dollar each...

 

I wasn't the one who first valued them at $1....and the offer is for all of them.

 

How many buyers do you know who will do that...?

 

[spreads]

That said....if anyone has multiple copies of regular #1, 9, 10, or PWJ #1 and 6, I'll happily buy them from you, all of them, as much as $1 each. Is it a case of "these were too expensive to buy when I started, so I look at them with rose-colored glasses now?" Perhaps. But the offer still stands. If I can get a long box of Punisher #10s, I'll do it.

 

 

Well, if you are going to put yourself out there and offer a whole dollar each...

 

I wasn't the one who first valued them at $1....and the offer is for all of them.

 

How many buyers do you know who will do that...?

 

 

If I'm going to buy 'cheap' comics online, I always try to get as many as possible to reduce my /book cost. Being located in Canada, I get royally with shipping (both as a buyer and seller).

 

p.s. what's the difference between Capital City orders, print runs, and sell-throughs?

[spreads]

Some of the original Valiants, specifically X-O Manowar and Harbinger are around the lowest price levels in 9.8 they've ever been. I don't buy slabs, but when X-O #1 was available in the $55 area in 9.8, it's pretty damn cheap.

[RockMyAmadeus]

That said....if anyone has multiple copies of regular #1, 9, 10, or PWJ #1 and 6, I'll happily buy them from you, all of them, as much as $1 each. Is it a case of "these were too expensive to buy when I started, so I look at them with rose-colored glasses now?" Perhaps. But the offer still stands. If I can get a long box of Punisher #10s, I'll do it.

 

 

Well, if you are going to put yourself out there and offer a whole dollar each...

 

I wasn't the one who first valued them at $1....and the offer is for all of them.

 

How many buyers do you know who will do that...?

 

 

If I'm going to buy 'cheap' comics online, I always try to get as many as possible to reduce my /book cost. Being located in Canada, I get royally with shipping (both as a buyer and seller).

 

p.s. what's the difference between Capital City orders, print runs, and sell-throughs?

 

Cap City was about 25-40% of the Direct market at the time. Print runs were the entire amount of copies, DM and newsstand, printed. Sell-through is total print run, minus returns from newsstands. Very, very few newsstand books completely sold out before the 1990's; in fact, if there are any, it would be very surprising. Maybe Spidey #252, but that's an outside chance.

[RockMyAmadeus]

Batman #387 is not Black Mask's second appearance.

[RockMyAmadeus]

Up to a whole dollar each?

 

I'll hold on to my stash. Thanks for the offer though.

 

I'm not interested in buying your "stash", nor was I making you an offer for any of them.

 

The offer was for people who have no interest in having a "stash", and think they have little to no upside potential.

[Hamlet]

Bid $1

Ask $3

 

 

Well, if you are going to put yourself out there and offer a whole dollar each...

 

I wasn't the one who first valued them at $1....and the offer is for all of them.

 

How many buyers do you know who will do that...?

 

[conditionfreak]

That said....if anyone has multiple copies of regular #1, 9, 10, or PWJ #1 and 6, I'll happily buy them from you, all of them, as much as $1 each. Is it a case of "these were too expensive to buy when I started, so I look at them with rose-colored glasses now?" Perhaps. But the offer still stands. If I can get a long box of Punisher #10s, I'll do it.

 

 

Well, if you are going to put yourself out there and offer a whole dollar each...

 

I wasn't the one who first valued them at $1....and the offer is for all of them.

 

How many buyers do you know who will do that...?

 

 

My mistake. I thought a standing offer of $1 for "all of them", meant you were willing to buy "all of them from anyone". I stand corrected.

[divad]

Batman #387 is not Black Mask's second appearance.

 

Please, do tell then. The suspense is killing me.

[Bosco685]

Batman #387 is not Black Mask's second appearance.

 

Please, do tell then. The suspense is killing me.

 

It's the crossover story strategy between Batman and Detective Comics to keep both titles rolling. So with Batman 386 (Aug-85), the next story would be Detective Comics #553 (Aug-85). Then it continues on to Batman 387 (Sep-85).

 

I went through this when I was collecting Killer Croc's early appearances. He cameos in Detective Comics 523 (Feb-83), continues on with a full appearance in Batman 357 (Mar-83), Then continues bouncing between issues from Detective Comics 525 (Apr-83) to Batman 358 (Apr-83), etc.

 

Sorry to give such a straightforward answer.