Beginning of Bull Market for Comic Books

[Columbia Comics]

This market is like nothing that has ever come before.

 

Why? Stay tuned.

 

 

[jimjum12]

There is always a market correction...

 

However I think those who predict a crash similar to what happened at the end of the market correction in the 90s' are missing a key distinction:

 

At that time, the inflation of sales was due to people being harangued into buying "shiny" things. Hologram covers, bagged, silver foil, lenticular, nonsense. You'd buy six copies of the same book and they'd all be sealed in a bag.

 

It has nothing to do with comics, it was really an off-shoot of trading cards. The outsiders who came in for a buck didn't read the books or learn about the characters or anything.

 

This time it's a lot more about the comics. It's about key books. First appearance of characters. Big storylines, etc.

 

Yes, people are still speculating, flipping, etc. But I think with the movies and all, I think that this wave is also creating a lot of new fans of the characters.

 

So will the market correct when the movies inevitably dry up for a decade and there's nothing left to speculate upon? Sure. But I think the number of people who will be willing to return to the characters at a later date, or who might stay with them even after they're not hot, will make it a softer landing.

 

Yesterday, on the radio, there was a university professor of comic book ology on (times change) who said that there are 35 Marvel and DC movies in the planning stages right now. Then, of course, they talked about Ant-Man as an obscure character making his way to the cinema. Now, I know even with all this we have something which inevitably will be brushed aside. I would imagine that three big budget money losers in a row could be all that it would take to slow or stop these movies for ten years, until Disney/Marvel produced another to see how it worked.

 

I have no idea why things are happening the way they are with comic values. I predict that the big keys will stay up there for the long term. The little keys like Iron Man 55 will fade. How's that?

 

I also see a tendency on Ebay that has to be affecting the market. Most of the listings are Buy it Nows. Most of them seem like fishing expeditions. So the buyer has lost an important outlet, the Ebay auction.

Iron Man 55 will stay a huge hit because of a different factor than Thanos.

Drax The Destroyer has become immensely popular. Iron Man 55 is also Drax first appearance.

With the speculating of movie comic books I would be more concerned about DC movie/TV hyped comic books then the Marvel ones.

 

 

.....art by Starlin too...... GOD BLESS....

 

-jimbo(a friend of jesus) (thumbs u

[The-Collector]

There is always a market correction...

 

However I think those who predict a crash similar to what happened at the end of the market correction in the 90s' are missing a key distinction:

 

At that time, the inflation of sales was due to people being harangued into buying "shiny" things. Hologram covers, bagged, silver foil, lenticular, nonsense. You'd buy six copies of the same book and they'd all be sealed in a bag.

 

It has nothing to do with comics, it was really an off-shoot of trading cards. The outsiders who came in for a buck didn't read the books or learn about the characters or anything.

 

This time it's a lot more about the comics. It's about key books. First appearance of characters. Big storylines, etc.

 

Yes, people are still speculating, flipping, etc. But I think with the movies and all, I think that this wave is also creating a lot of new fans of the characters.

 

So will the market correct when the movies inevitably dry up for a decade and there's nothing left to speculate upon? Sure. But I think the number of people who will be willing to return to the characters at a later date, or who might stay with them even after they're not hot, will make it a softer landing.

 

Yesterday, on the radio, there was a university professor of comic book ology on (times change) who said that there are 35 Marvel and DC movies in the planning stages right now. Then, of course, they talked about Ant-Man as an obscure character making his way to the cinema. Now, I know even with all this we have something which inevitably will be brushed aside. I would imagine that three big budget money losers in a row could be all that it would take to slow or stop these movies for ten years, until Disney/Marvel produced another to see how it worked.

 

I have no idea why things are happening the way they are with comic values. I predict that the big keys will stay up there for the long term. The little keys like Iron Man 55 will fade. How's that?

 

I also see a tendency on Ebay that has to be affecting the market. Most of the listings are Buy it Nows. Most of them seem like fishing expeditions. So the buyer has lost an important outlet, the Ebay auction.

Iron Man 55 will stay a huge hit because of a different factor than Thanos.

Drax The Destroyer has become immensely popular. Iron Man 55 is also Drax first appearance.

With the speculating of movie comic books I would be more concerned about DC movie/TV hyped comic books then the Marvel ones.

 

 

.....art by Starlin too...... GOD BLESS....

 

-jimbo(a friend of jesus) (thumbs u

 

Jimbo,

 

Not disagreeing with you just want to clarify, you think Starlin art is over-hyped too? Or that it will stay big like Drax?

[jimjum12]

I think he's become, like Adams and Perez, somewhat synonymous with the BA....... and high grade BA is about as close as we'll ever get to those magic days of 70's fandom..... when you didn't have to take out a loan for books and it was mainly about having fun. The GA and SA markets have almost moved from being a hobby to an endeavor ...... not that I'm ready to bail......

..... afellow had a real sharp Iron Man 55 in 9.6 listed in the sales forum at a little over 2K...... for a property that's going to be in the spotlight until the end of the decade has me thinking about one. GOD BLESS...

 

-jimbo(a friend of jesus) (thumbs u

[Bookery]

I think it is fallacious to say we are in a bull market for comics. We are in a bull market for "keys"... but not for comics overall. In a true bull market, as with stocks, the vast majority of issues will rise. If you have a broad-mix portfolio of stocks, your mutual fund will increase in a general bull market... not just the "hot" stocks.

 

If you had a broad mix of comics... say 1000 mixed issues, most likely your portfolio has dropped, even despite the keys in your collection, over the past few years. Most non-key silver and bronze are selling for well below guide right now. Check out golden-age values on GPA... drops of often 25-50% or more on basic issues... even big titles like Batman, All Star, numerous others.

 

Despite all of the movies, our new-comic sales dropped again last year (only slightly this time) as they have most of the past 15 years. Our file customers are half the number they were a decade ago.

 

Now if you "invested" only in keys the past few years, you did very well. It's like having a portfolio of only NASDAQ high-tech stocks before the bubble burst years back. However... as that example shows... timing is critical.

 

I want things to turn around for ALL comics... not just the darling-of-the-moment issues. There's no way to do this, however, if we don't understand the true dynamics going on in the marketplace... we have to look beyond the "shiny" to determine if we're looking at gold or fool's-gold.

 

[Quicksilver Signs]

There is always a market correction...

 

However I think those who predict a crash similar to what happened at the end of the market correction in the 90s' are missing a key distinction:

 

At that time, the inflation of sales was due to people being harangued into buying "shiny" things. Hologram covers, bagged, silver foil, lenticular, nonsense. You'd buy six copies of the same book and they'd all be sealed in a bag.

 

It has nothing to do with comics, it was really an off-shoot of trading cards. The outsiders who came in for a buck didn't read the books or learn about the characters or anything.

 

This time it's a lot more about the comics. It's about key books. First appearance of characters. Big storylines, etc.

 

Yes, people are still speculating, flipping, etc. But I think with the movies and all, I think that this wave is also creating a lot of new fans of the characters.

 

So will the market correct when the movies inevitably dry up for a decade and there's nothing left to speculate upon? Sure. But I think the number of people who will be willing to return to the characters at a later date, or who might stay with them even after they're not hot, will make it a softer landing.

 

Variants are the new "shiny". One million print run of Star wars 1, people spending 300 bucks to get all the variants. How many will regret that purchase and fell ripped off from the industry?

[HighStakesComics]

There is always a market correction...

 

However I think those who predict a crash similar to what happened at the end of the market correction in the 90s' are missing a key distinction:

 

At that time, the inflation of sales was due to people being harangued into buying "shiny" things. Hologram covers, bagged, silver foil, lenticular, nonsense. You'd buy six copies of the same book and they'd all be sealed in a bag.

 

It has nothing to do with comics, it was really an off-shoot of trading cards. The outsiders who came in for a buck didn't read the books or learn about the characters or anything.

 

This time it's a lot more about the comics. It's about key books. First appearance of characters. Big storylines, etc.

 

Yes, people are still speculating, flipping, etc. But I think with the movies and all, I think that this wave is also creating a lot of new fans of the characters.

 

So will the market correct when the movies inevitably dry up for a decade and there's nothing left to speculate upon? Sure. But I think the number of people who will be willing to return to the characters at a later date, or who might stay with them even after they're not hot, will make it a softer landing.

 

Yesterday, on the radio, there was a university professor of comic book ology on (times change) who said that there are 35 Marvel and DC movies in the planning stages right now. Then, of course, they talked about Ant-Man as an obscure character making his way to the cinema. Now, I know even with all this we have something which inevitably will be brushed aside. I would imagine that three big budget money losers in a row could be all that it would take to slow or stop these movies for ten years, until Disney/Marvel produced another to see how it worked.

 

I have no idea why things are happening the way they are with comic values. I predict that the big keys will stay up there for the long term. The little keys like Iron Man 55 will fade. How's that?

 

I also see a tendency on Ebay that has to be affecting the market. Most of the listings are Buy it Nows. Most of them seem like fishing expeditions. So the buyer has lost an important outlet, the Ebay auction.

 

Two excellent points here. What will happen if the studios lay 3 stinkers in a row? So far it has not happened, but you never know what the future holds. GOTG outperformed just about everyone's expectations and that seems to have given the market legs, but to think that this will go on forever is unlikely. Until this occurs, it will be hard to say if we are in the 3rd or 4th inning of the comics explosion or the bottom of the 8th.

 

Regarding the second point, BIN listings do provide strength to the market. We are at a time where there are probably more collectors of BA/SA back issues than there is inventory to support their collections. I'm not saying these collectors buy and sell unconditionally. They pick and choose their spots. However, the overall market dynamics now favor the seller so there is no rush to burn through inventory with low reserve auctions. After several poor/mediocre movies to drive down the hype this may not always be the case.

 

All just my . Good luck out there, guys.

[loadstone]

I think it is fallacious to say we are in a bull market for comics. We are in a bull market for "keys"... but not for comics overall. In a true bull market, as with stocks, the vast majority of issues will rise. If you have a broad-mix portfolio of stocks, your mutual fund will increase in a general bull market... not just the "hot" stocks.

 

If you had a broad mix of comics... say 1000 mixed issues, most likely your portfolio has dropped, even despite the keys in your collection, over the past few years. Most non-key silver and bronze are selling for well below guide right now. Check out golden-age values on GPA... drops of often 25-50% or more on basic issues... even big titles like Batman, All Star, numerous others.

 

Despite all of the movies, our new-comic sales dropped again last year (only slightly this time) as they have most of the past 15 years. Our file customers are half the number they were a decade ago.

 

Now if you "invested" only in keys the past few years, you did very well. It's like having a portfolio of only NASDAQ high-tech stocks before the bubble burst years back. However... as that example shows... timing is critical.

 

I want things to turn around for ALL comics... not just the darling-of-the-moment issues. There's no way to do this, however, if we don't understand the true dynamics going on in the marketplace... we have to look beyond the "shiny" to determine if we're looking at gold or fool's-gold.

+1

All good things must come to an end...and that usually happens when there's unstable demand as in more speculators buying and looking to sell than collectors interested in owning. I think older rarer keys will be more insulated.

 

The thing that pisses me off about the variants is the art on the variant covers tend to be cooler than the art on the normal cover almost to the point where I only want to buy the variant cover art and not the normal issue. Someone mentioned custom con printed variant covers. I don't think we're too far off from that. If some are paying $100-300 for a 1:100 or 1:300 variant, why not start offering a custom cover subscription service where you can choose your cover artist, and choose from a list of templates or pay an extra $100 for a unique cover? It's only a matter of time.

[RockMyAmadeus]

Holy mess, it has been almost 5 full decades from the 1970's until now...

 

We're getting old, Rocky!

 

 

 

 

-slym

 

I was talking about from the mid-60's. so there's your 5 decades. Two separate thoughts.

[RockMyAmadeus]

This market is like nothing that has ever come before.

 

Why? Stay tuned.

 

 

 

 

[RockMyAmadeus]

I think it is fallacious to say we are in a bull market for comics. We are in a bull market for "keys"... but not for comics overall. In a true bull market, as with stocks, the vast majority of issues will rise. If you have a broad-mix portfolio of stocks, your mutual fund will increase in a general bull market... not just the "hot" stocks.

 

If you had a broad mix of comics... say 1000 mixed issues, most likely your portfolio has dropped, even despite the keys in your collection, over the past few years. Most non-key silver and bronze are selling for well below guide right now. Check out golden-age values on GPA... drops of often 25-50% or more on basic issues... even big titles like Batman, All Star, numerous others.

 

Despite all of the movies, our new-comic sales dropped again last year (only slightly this time) as they have most of the past 15 years. Our file customers are half the number they were a decade ago.

 

Now if you "invested" only in keys the past few years, you did very well. It's like having a portfolio of only NASDAQ high-tech stocks before the bubble burst years back. However... as that example shows... timing is critical.

 

I want things to turn around for ALL comics... not just the darling-of-the-moment issues. There's no way to do this, however, if we don't understand the true dynamics going on in the marketplace... we have to look beyond the "shiny" to determine if we're looking at gold or fool's-gold.

 

There's one of the main points I was going to make, right there!

 

Now I don't need to.

 

 

Yes, one of the reasons why this market is like nothing else before: keys (and anything that could become a key) are going crazy, while everything else is mess. Why is New Mutants #87 such a "hot" book, while New Mutants #88 can still be found in dollar bins? Why is Iron Man #55 smoking, while Captain Marvel #26 is cheap? Why is Spidey #129 still holding its own, while Spidey #135 (and, for that matter, all the rest of the Punisher apperances) languishes?

 

What about Hulk #272? And, for that matter, does anyone know off the top of their heads what Rocket Racoon's NEXT comic book appearance is? How about the second appearance of Harley Quinn?

 

No, this market is radically different from all that came before, and I don't know if that's a good thing or not. It USED to be "I have Spidey #129...what OTHER Punisher appearances do you have??"

 

Now, it's "I'll just take Spidey #129, thanks. No interest in anything else."

[vaillant]

There is always a market correction...

 

However I think those who predict a crash similar to what happened at the end of the market correction in the 90s' are missing a key distinction:

 

At that time, the inflation of sales was due to people being harangued into buying "shiny" things. Hologram covers, bagged, silver foil, lenticular, nonsense. You'd buy six copies of the same book and they'd all be sealed in a bag.

 

It has nothing to do with comics, it was really an off-shoot of trading cards. The outsiders who came in for a buck didn't read the books or learn about the characters or anything.

 

This time it's a lot more about the comics. It's about key books. First appearance of characters. Big storylines, etc.

 

Yes, people are still speculating, flipping, etc. But I think with the movies and all, I think that this wave is also creating a lot of new fans of the characters.

 

So will the market correct when the movies inevitably dry up for a decade and there's nothing left to speculate upon? Sure. But I think the number of people who will be willing to return to the characters at a later date, or who might stay with them even after they're not hot, will make it a softer landing.

 

Nice post. :thumbsup:

 

Indeed. I am seeing this as well. Slowly but surely readers recognize where the good storylines are. Sometimes the stories include keys, something not, but the important is the interest in the story of the characters, which in the end lies aside from what they do with the occasional entertainment of these movies, which can be seen by casual moviegoers as well that will never buy a comic book.

[drbanner]

I think it is fallacious to say we are in a bull market for comics. We are in a bull market for "keys"... but not for comics overall. In a true bull market, as with stocks, the vast majority of issues will rise. If you have a broad-mix portfolio of stocks, your mutual fund will increase in a general bull market... not just the "hot" stocks.

 

If you had a broad mix of comics... say 1000 mixed issues, most likely your portfolio has dropped, even despite the keys in your collection, over the past few years. Most non-key silver and bronze are selling for well below guide right now. Check out golden-age values on GPA... drops of often 25-50% or more on basic issues... even big titles like Batman, All Star, numerous others.

 

Despite all of the movies, our new-comic sales dropped again last year (only slightly this time) as they have most of the past 15 years. Our file customers are half the number they were a decade ago.

 

Now if you "invested" only in keys the past few years, you did very well. It's like having a portfolio of only NASDAQ high-tech stocks before the bubble burst years back. However... as that example shows... timing is critical.

 

I want things to turn around for ALL comics... not just the darling-of-the-moment issues. There's no way to do this, however, if we don't understand the true dynamics going on in the marketplace... we have to look beyond the "shiny" to determine if we're looking at gold or fool's-gold.

 

There's one of the main points I was going to make, right there!

 

Now I don't need to.

 

 

Yes, one of the reasons why this market is like nothing else before: keys (and anything that could become a key) are going crazy, while everything else is mess. Why is New Mutants #87 such a "hot" book, while New Mutants #88 can still be found in dollar bins? Why is Iron Man #55 smoking, while Captain Marvel #26 is cheap? Why is Spidey #129 still holding its own, while Spidey #135 (and, for that matter, all the rest of the Punisher apperances) languishes?

 

What about Hulk #272? And, for that matter, does anyone know off the top of their heads what Rocket Racoon's NEXT comic book appearance is? How about the second appearance of Harley Quinn?

 

No, this market is radically different from all that came before, and I don't know if that's a good thing or not. It USED to be "I have Spidey #129...what OTHER Punisher appearances do you have??"

 

Now, it's "I'll just take Spidey #129, thanks. No interest in anything else."

Exactly...the hobby has gotten too expensive for newcomers to collect as completionists, and everyone is focused on keys. Look at all the sig lines floating around...how many have runs of 1-10 of Spidey or FF or Avengers or DD, etc.,? How many have AF 15, AS 1, DD 1, FF 1, and Hulk 1, etc.?

 

CGC has brought about a 10+ year bull market for vintage keys/semi-keys that seems to be going strong, but I suspect the bull market is about over for 9.4/9.6/9.8 non-descript, non-key books that were $10/20/30 books in the pre-CGC days but quickly became $100/200/300 books once slabbed.

 

Andy (October) made a great point previously something along the lines of one way to determine if a book has staying power is if it has strong demand/price in lower and mid-grades. Seems to still be appropriate.

[Broke as a Joke]

This point has probably already been made, but with the main focus of the publishers being movies now, the fans that are created from these films don't want to go beyond having the first appearance of so and so hot character. The old, continuity driven universe most of us grew up with is essentially dead. Marvel hung on for along time, but now the goal is to make it as accessible to the movie going audience as possible. Reboot after reboot has made anything but key first appearances almost pointless to go after. There is no history anymore.

[COI]

Did the May 2012 Thanos reveal and subsequent mega pop in Iron Man 55 prices signal the beginning of the current bull market for key back issue comics?

 

I think that's a good starting point. I had a 9.6 white on my wall that nobody even bothered to look at during C2E2, let alone buy at $700. Two months later it sold almost instantly at $2000 after the movie scene. I had never experienced a price spike that big in so short of a time. I remember thinking that the market had gone completely crazy.

 

Batman market went crazy in 1989. I don't know if you were old enough to remember it hut I was 19 and Batmania was literally everywhere.

 

Spiderman/Green Goblin market went crazy in 2001/2/3 (can't remember exactly)

 

Venom market went crazy with his app in ASM movie

 

It's grown into a very cyclical thing.

 

I was too young for Batman. You are right about the Spidey stuff, but those seemed to be isolated incidents. A few books would go through the roof, then gradually drop. This has been two and a half years of almost any key first appearance going absolutely crazy. Dozens and dozens and dozens of issues have gained 50%, 100%, 200%, 1000% in the span of weeks, sometimes for very little reason. Hype has spread well beyond the core of issues directly touched by movies.

 

Aren't we the same age?

 

Batmania was a big part of my what got me into comics as a kid.

[Hamlet]

I wouldn't say that the market for most non-keys is any worse than it was five years ago though. It's not like anyone was getting guide for them then either.

 

I'm thinking mostly of Marvel SA books, since those are the ones I'm usually trying to find at conventions. I would say that compared to five years ago, I am having to pay a little more at conventions or on Ebay for most books like Thor 150 or FF 61. They aren't going gangbusters, but they aren't any worse than they were.

 

I do think that the level of speculation is higher than it has been in a long time, and that is always going to focus on the "hot" books. That doesn't mean that the non-keys aren't still getting bought though.

 

It just means that they don't command silly premiums like the new key of the week does.

 

I mean, how much should a VG copy of ASM 135 really go for? Probably not big money, or we'd all be retiring on the proceeds from a few longboxes.

 

 

Yes, one of the reasons why this market is like nothing else before: keys (and anything that could become a key) are going crazy, while everything else is mess. Why is New Mutants #87 such a "hot" book, while New Mutants #88 can still be found in dollar bins? Why is Iron Man #55 smoking, while Captain Marvel #26 is cheap? Why is Spidey #129 still holding its own, while Spidey #135 (and, for that matter, all the rest of the Punisher apperances) languishes?

 

What about Hulk #272? And, for that matter, does anyone know off the top of their heads what Rocket Racoon's NEXT comic book appearance is? How about the second appearance of Harley Quinn?

 

No, this market is radically different from all that came before, and I don't know if that's a good thing or not. It USED to be "I have Spidey #129...what OTHER Punisher appearances do you have??"

 

Now, it's "I'll just take Spidey #129, thanks. No interest in anything else."

[vaillant]

This point has probably already been made, but with the main focus of the publishers being movies now, the fans that are created from these films don't want to go beyond having the first appearance of so and so hot character. The old, continuity driven universe most of us grew up with is essentially dead. Marvel hung on for along time, but now the goal is to make it as accessible to the movie going audience as possible. Reboot after reboot has made anything but key first appearances almost pointless to go after. There is no history anymore.

 

The fact that the Marvel age is dead is not strictly related to the fact they started to do these movies. The seeds were planted a lot of time ago – I have been "studying" this for about twenty years.

The movies just happened at a time when they already no longer cared for their legacy, and thus – ultimately – for the integrity of the characters and of the initial conception.

 

But there is a positive side to this, as I implied in my previous post: younger readers which can recognize good stories, or are more critical by character, are bound to be attracted and to deepen their knowledge, understanding what has happened and ultimately appreciating the source material, i.e. the comics and specifically the stories within which the characters grew.

There is at least an actual example here on the boards, and it’s board member mmanick: he’s in his mid-twenties, started by reading the Punisher and enjoying the movies and then ended up collecting (and reading) the classics of the characters he liked most. And he just delved into the Golden Age.

[vaillant]

Yes, one of the reasons why this market is like nothing else before: keys (and anything that could become a key) are going crazy, while everything else is mess. Why is New Mutants #87 such a "hot" book, while New Mutants #88 can still be found in dollar bins? Why is Iron Man #55 smoking, while Captain Marvel #26 is cheap? Why is Spidey #129 still holding its own, while Spidey #135 (and, for that matter, all the rest of the Punisher apperances) languishes?

 

This is another matter. That is because the whole New Mutants as a title was ready for the trash can when they set up thing so Louise Simonson had to leave and Marvel management decided that Charles Xavier’s dream was ready to be trashed in favor of the whim of… Cable?

(Not to mention they still have to explain how a pack of intelligent and sensitive teenagers like the New Mutants all of a sudden become illiterate warmongers following this new "leader". Especially Rahne and Cannonball).

[Gatsby77]

This point has probably already been made, but with the main focus of the publishers being movies now, the fans that are created from these films don't want to go beyond having the first appearance of so and so hot character. The old, continuity driven universe most of us grew up with is essentially dead. Marvel hung on for along time, but now the goal is to make it as accessible to the movie going audience as possible. Reboot after reboot has made anything but key first appearances almost pointless to go after. There is no history anymore.

 

This bears repeating. When I was a kid there was (mostly) continuous numbering in titles going back to the 60s or before.

 

Sure, the 90s Ghost Rider and Punisher were volume 2s, but you could have faith that Uncanny X-Men, Amazing Spider-Man, X-Factor and Wolverine would stay intact as one long title, keeping the integrity of the run.

 

Everything's been rebooted so many times since it's pointless to count even on first issues for longevity. What volume Daredevil are we on now? What volume Wolverine?

 

So the market's moved to first appearance keys only, with folks hopping from one speculative flavor of the month to another until next month's surprise movie announcement. And that's led to balkanization -- with 90% of the non-keys far more worthless than before, and the small handful of keys dominating & giving a false perception of a bull market.

 

Pity those long key-less 1970s runs of titles like Superman or Action Comics. Those 200+ books will languish while 4th-tier # 1 titles like Nova & Ms. Marvel skyrocket.

[1Cool]

I wouldn't say that the market for most non-keys is any worse than it was five years ago though. It's not like anyone was getting guide for them then either.

 

I'm thinking mostly of Marvel SA books, since those are the ones I'm usually trying to find at conventions. I would say that compared to five years ago, I am having to pay a little more at conventions or on Ebay for most books like Thor 150 or FF 61. They aren't going gangbusters, but they aren't any worse than they were.

 

I do think that the level of speculation is higher than it has been in a long time, and that is always going to focus on the "hot" books. That doesn't mean that the non-keys aren't still getting bought though.

 

It just means that they don't command silly premiums like the new key of the week does.

 

I mean, how much should a VG copy of ASM 135 really go for? Probably not big money, or we'd all be retiring on the proceeds from a few longboxes.

 

 

Yes, one of the reasons why this market is like nothing else before: keys (and anything that could become a key) are going crazy, while everything else is mess. Why is New Mutants #87 such a "hot" book, while New Mutants #88 can still be found in dollar bins? Why is Iron Man #55 smoking, while Captain Marvel #26 is cheap? Why is Spidey #129 still holding its own, while Spidey #135 (and, for that matter, all the rest of the Punisher apperances) languishes?

 

What about Hulk #272? And, for that matter, does anyone know off the top of their heads what Rocket Racoon's NEXT comic book appearance is? How about the second appearance of Harley Quinn?

 

No, this market is radically different from all that came before, and I don't know if that's a good thing or not. It USED to be "I have Spidey #129...what OTHER Punisher appearances do you have??"

 

Now, it's "I'll just take Spidey #129, thanks. No interest in anything else."

 

It's not a matter of these books "crashing" per say but the demand for them appears to be dropping like a rock. I just hit up 3 stores thru out Ohio and each of them was completely out of anything but the bottom tier hot books. Each of them had boxes and boxes and boxes of common books including a bunch of nice Silver-Age books which appeared to be collecting some serious dust. I'd think 5 years ago people would be hitting the boxes in hopes of finding a nice looking common book but now the shop owners hear is "show me the keys" or so they tell me.