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Is Dark Knight the first comic to heat up as a Modern?

Started by Aweandlorder,

59 posts in this topic

Aweandlorder

Aweandlorder

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The 80s brought many new and exciting titles. TMNT probably being one of the most sought after from that era. It also developed a new trend: soaring prices of Modern titles immediately after publication. While some independent titles showed appreciation in price months after they were published, and on a smaller scale, Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns #1 was the first book I remember which went immediately to 2nd print while comic book retailers marked its price up almost days after publication.

And so my question is: was there any other modern comic that behaved that way prior that?

 

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seanfingh

seanfingh

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I'm not sure that is true. Unless the question presupposes that a Bronze comic, even when it was brand new, was never a "modern."

 

I was too young to provide a first hand account, but all the stories I have read about Howard the Duck #1 are that it was $15+ within days of hitting the stands. That is 60x cover within days.

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Aweandlorder

Aweandlorder

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I'm not sure that is true. Unless the question presupposes that a Bronze comic, even when it was brand new, was never a "modern."

 

I was too young to provide a first hand account, but all the stories I have read about Howard the Duck #1 are that it was $15+ within days of hitting the stands. That is 60x cover within days.

 

Yes, your understanding of the question is correct. Regardless of era (thumbs u

I was not aware of HTD #1 inflating in price as a result of selling out immediately after release.

Assuming it did, what was the reason for that? Was it a commercial success? or simply an overlooked title which sold out and caused prices to peak. And for what duration? hm

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NoMan

NoMan

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I'm not sure that is true. Unless the question presupposes that a Bronze comic, even when it was brand new, was never a "modern."

 

I was too young to provide a first hand account, but all the stories I have read about Howard the Duck #1 are that it was $15+ within days of hitting the stands. That is 60x cover within days.

 

Yes, your understanding of the question is correct. Regardless of era (thumbs u

I was not aware of HTD #1 inflating in price as a result of selling out immediately after release.

Assuming it did, what was the reason for that? Was it a commercial success? or simply an overlooked title which sold out and caused prices to peak. And for what duration? hm

 

There was a section in the book Untold History of Marvel Comics about HTD phenomenon in 1975ish, selling out and prices shooting up. Sad to say I can't remember the specifics of what the book said as I read it over two years ago.

 

Although I do remember first hand as a kid in the comic shops in late 70s very early 80s that comic always had a 20$ price tag on it.

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Aweandlorder

Aweandlorder

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Looking at an old guide, it does mark HTD #1 as a "low distribution" comic. Wonder how many were printed. And wonder why it never went to 2nd print even though it sold out.

I would still think that TDKR #1 was on a much higher scale than HTD, but again I dont have the numbers to prove it.

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RockMyAmadeus

RockMyAmadeus

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And so my question is: was there any other modern comic that behaved that way prior that?

 

No

 

 

The very first "instant hit" comic (aside from books like Action #1 and Superman #1, when there wasn't a back issue market to track these things), was Conan #1 (1970).

 

Within a very short period of time of its release, Conan #1 was selling for many multiples of cover price.

 

This coincides with the launch of comic book specialty stores (remember when they were called that?) and organized conventions on a national scale.

 

The argument *can* be made for books like FF #1 and AF #15, but generally it's not, because those books were right before the formal organization of fandom and "buying books because they might become valuable" and "buying multiple copies because they might become valuable", which didn't start happening on any sort of real scale until around 1965, because of books like FF #1 and AF #15, which, in those 3-4 short years, were already selling for $5-$10 each.

 

This is why the early 60's books are worth so vastly much more, especially in very high grade, than books that came out 4-6 years later (like Iron Man #1, Subby #1, SS #1, etc.) People were not only buying to save, they were buying in multiples to save, in ways that had never been done before. (Also, Marvel started selling more, and they had some improvements in their paper stock, which figures a bit into all of this.)

 

Soooo...you get a book like Conan #1, and people flipped out over the art...and within just a few short months, it, too, was a $5-$10 book. GL #76 was also in that mix, but not as much as Conan.

 

The next example you see of this is ASM #121-122. Those were, of course, instant hits, and if Marvel had thought about it, they would have reprinted those books right away.

 

Then you have Shazam #1, and HTD #1, and then, of course, Star Wars #1, which is the granddaddy of all reprinted instant hits.

 

 

 

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NoMan

NoMan

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Was HTD a conspiracy? Like they purposely printed too little of them to manufacture a collectable. Did the Marvel book say that or is that something I made up in my head? It's happening a lot more as I get older.

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NoMan

NoMan

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No not that I ever heard of. Stories in your head I think ;)

 

I just dug the book out of the bookcase. P.178 - they only printed 270,000 because of a couple of reasons and comic store owners hoarded them. Prices shot up as owners kept them in back rooms. Now I've read here that the Untold Marvel Story book is full of errors, so….

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aardvark88

aardvark88

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I was too young to provide a first hand account, but all the stories I have read about Howard the Duck #1 are that it was $15+ within days of hitting the stands. That is 60x cover within days.

 

In Vancouver, BC, HtD #1 hit a monstrous $3 days after release. The same retail value as Capt America #100 vf at my LCS. <3

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Bronty

Bronty

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No not that I ever heard of. Stories in your head I think ;)

 

I just dug the book out of the bookcase. P.178 - they only printed 270,000 because of a couple of reasons and comic store owners hoarded them. Prices shot up as owners kept them in back rooms. Now I've read here that the Untold Marvel Story book is full of errors, so….

 

270,000 copies is still plenty, even for that time in history.

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juggernaut

juggernaut

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And so my question is: was there any other modern comic that behaved that way prior that?

 

No

 

 

The very first "instant hit" comic (aside from books like Action #1 and Superman #1, when there wasn't a back issue market to track these things), was Conan #1 (1970).

 

Within a very short period of time of its release, Conan #1 was selling for many multiples of cover price.

 

This coincides with the launch of comic book specialty stores (remember when they were called that?) and organized conventions on a national scale.

 

The argument *can* be made for books like FF #1 and AF #15, but generally it's not, because those books were right before the formal organization of fandom and "buying books because they might become valuable" and "buying multiple copies because they might become valuable", which didn't start happening on any sort of real scale until around 1965, because of books like FF #1 and AF #15, which, in those 3-4 short years, were already selling for $5-$10 each.

 

This is why the early 60's books are worth so vastly much more, especially in very high grade, than books that came out 4-6 years later (like Iron Man #1, Subby #1, SS #1, etc.) People were not only buying to save, they were buying in multiples to save, in ways that had never been done before. (Also, Marvel started selling more, and they had some improvements in their paper stock, which figures a bit into all of this.)

 

Soooo...you get a book like Conan #1, and people flipped out over the art...and within just a few short months, it, too, was a $5-$10 book. GL #76 was also in that mix, but not as much as Conan.

 

The next example you see of this is ASM #121-122. Those were, of course, instant hits, and if Marvel had thought about it, they would have reprinted those books right away.

 

Then you have Shazam #1, and HTD #1, and then, of course, Star Wars #1, which is the granddaddy of all reprinted instant hits.

 

 

 

The question he asked was for modern comics so I answered. He did not frame the question correctly to encompass other comic ages other than the modern age. My answer would have been completely different.

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jools&jim

jools&jim

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Was HTD a conspiracy? Like they purposely printed too little of them to manufacture a collectable. Did the Marvel book say that or is that something I made up in my head? It's happening a lot more as I get older.

 

See here for additional info:

 

http://boards.collectors-society.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=9410544&fpart=1

 

 

 

 

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