OPINIONS: Undervalued Modern Books

[Zonker]

Ya may be right about JMS' Spidey, but I wouldn't completely dismiss the collectibility of writers these days. Alan Moore's arrival on Swamp Thing in the early 80s changed the fact that "no one collects writers." The "new" Marvel is by and large about writers: Bendis, Millar, Morrison, Kevin Smith, JMS.

 

Just my opinion,

Z.

 

 

[aardvark88]

Those current Valiant gold embossed prices look like bargains now to the mature Valiant collector since they used to be valued in CVM at $100-$140 each around 1992.

[blowout]

Those current Valiant gold embossed prices look like bargains now to the mature Valiant collector since they used to be valued in CVM at $100-$140 each around 1992.

 

Lightning is not likely to strike twice though.

[The_Man_Of_Steel]

Those current Valiant gold embossed prices look like bargains now to the mature Valiant collector since they used to be valued in CVM at $100-$140 each around 1992.

 

That is because dealers were preaching what Blowout is preaching, low print runs are GOD. People bought into it, and were purchasing everything from "Archer & Armstrong" to the "Eternal Warrior" to "X-O ManOWar" because they were told that low print runs would make them more valuable. What the dealers forgot to mention is that mass market appeal (a.k.a. demand) is MORE important than low print runs, and as such the market for Valliant today is a very small one, which doesn't show much room for growth.

[Hensley300]

Im gonna have to go back to magic 8-ball here, but I agree with amaz 201 +202 being rare in high grade. I remember being a top bidder when 201 came on ebay in 9.8 and being outbid at the end with myself not thinking the book worth the final price (I guess I was wrong). I will have to say we are overlooking the two rarest in NM/Mt grade modern age books:Wolverine 145 nabisco variant and Amaz Spider-man 301. Other than these two, series run of undervalued moderns would have to be GI Joes 1-till say 35, Superman Platinum editions (where are all the NM+ or does anyone care?) as well as ( and I know I am going out on a limb here) late 80'sbut post year one batman's and JLA v2 series, especially the test covers of JLA 3 and Firestorm 41 (I believe that is the correct issues number). Lets not leave out the TMNT's and Cerebus's out there

[blowout]

That is because dealers were preaching what Blowout is preaching, low print runs are GOD.

 

I have never said that.

It is just that books with low print runs are more likely to have gone under most collector/speculators radars and have more chance of being collectable in the long term than those with huge print runs.

Of course the supply/demand ration is crucial. Neither Supply nor Demand is more important than the other. A book will increase in value when the demand exceeds the supply at price A. The book is then raised to price B and demand falls off, now supply may satisfy demand. If it does not, the book will rise again to price C and so on and so on.

[blowout]

That is because dealers were preaching what Blowout is preaching, low print runs are GOD. People bought into it, and were purchasing everything from "Archer & Armstrong" to the "Eternal Warrior" to "X-O ManOWar" because they were told that low print runs would make them more valuable. What the dealers forgot to mention is that mass market appeal (a.k.a. demand) is MORE important than low print runs, and as such the market for Valliant today is a very small one, which doesn't show much room for growth.

 

This is a very simplistic view of what happened to the value of Valiant books. The fall/demise of Valiant has as much to with the sale to Acclaim and the departure of Jim Shooter as it did to all the speculators.

The main reason Valiant books became popular in the first place was their outstanding quality, a very coherant and well written series of books.

Speculators were rampant in the early 90's and the Valiants they were buying certainly didn't have low print runs. I think they were averaging around 300,000 copies an issue at the peak.

 

[bronze]

Batman:The Cult(1-4)

Batman:The Killing Joke

Batman:The Dark Knight Returns(1-4)

Havok and Wolverine:Meltdown

 

Of course,I own MM's of three of the four books above(except "Dark Knight Returns"

 

Oh yeah......Batman #428

 

Got plenty of those too......

 

PS.

Sold an uncracked "Killing Joke" recently for $100......

[valiantman]

the market for Valliant today is a very small one, which doesn't show much room for growth.

 

Growth, in the traditional sense of "new readers"? No. Probably not.

 

Growth, in the sense of "returning collectors"? Yes. Absolutely.

 

The only possible explanation for Harbinger #1 to command $25 today

(which it does) is that "former Valiant collectors" have returned...

Otherwise, it would be worth $0.10 like all the Image books of that time.

 

When the "Valiant hype happened" there were speculators who lost their shirts,

and there were teens who couldn't afford the earliest books they really wanted.

 

The speculators for Valiant are long gone... and boxes of the overproduced books sit around.

The teens who couldn't afford those early books are now...25 to 30 years old.

Speaking as one of those "teens", I'll happily pay $25 today for what was $100

when I was a child. Or even better, less than $10 for most early Valiant books.

Returning Valiant collectors already KNOW that Turok #1 is worthless (overproduced).

So, Turok #1 will continue to BE worthless because collectors don't NEED it.

 

But Harbinger #1, Magnus #12, Rai #3 & #4, and a few more...

those have a whole generation of Wizard-Kids who are growing up...and coming back.

 

 

[Smokinghawk]

Okay, I'm sticking my neck out for a new book that some people will agree with, and some people will scoff at...

 

The Bendis run in the new Daredevil.

 

It has some of the most interesting twists I've read in DD in years. I'm also a Maleev fan. I regard the current run as one of the underrated outputs in recent comics. I'm kinda hoping people catch on to it and Bendis' first DD becomes like Swamp Thing 21.

 

Wishful thinking, I'm sure, but I really like his DD writing with Maleev's art. It's the best it's ever been for me.

 

[Darthdiesel]

Writers come and go, and their first issues are never enough to generate book value like artists are, so I don't think JMS's first Spidey gig will count for much long term

 

Don't forget it is also the first J. Scott Campbell cover and art on a Spider-Man!

[Darthdiesel]

I like the Bendis Maleev run in DD as well; intro lots of controversy and kill off aging 20th tier characters like Hector Ayala (what was he again? Fighting Tiger?) bringing back the Owl who has always, ever since the beginning of his appearances in vol 1, has wanted to be the head of the NYC Underworld...

[seank]

I seem to have a love/hate relationship with Bendis's work. I find the pacing a bit slow, but every once in a while his work really impresses me. The recent conversation with Foggy and Matt in Matt's basement is one example. I'm also getting very caught up with Matt's nascent romance with the blind girl.

[Smokinghawk]

I even liked the last issue, which never had a single appearance by DD at all. Perhaps that should be another CGC trivia question: name issues of a comic series that didn't even have an appearance by the title's namesake character?

 

[mcd-migration]

I like the Bendis Maleev run in DD as well; intro lots of controversy and kill off aging 20th tier characters like Hector Ayala (what was he again? Fighting Tiger?)

 

Hector Ayala! He killed off the White Tiger??? Damn, I had no interest in the book & now I have to go search down the title. Any idea what issue # the storyline ran in? Next thing you know he'll be wiping out the Sons of the Tiger...

 

Mark

[Darthdiesel]

38-40?

[Daredevil]

Action Comics 775 is a good read. Detective comics 727 all so.

[fiendish]

Ditto.

 

The Valiant books in the early 90s were an island oasis of good writing lost in a sea of [!@#%^&^] (and enhanced covers). I discovered Valiants at Unity and remarked at how well-managed a universe it was (like mid-60s Marvel?). My favorites were actually the original, story- and character-driven titles like A&A, EW, XO and Harbinger, rather than the revitalized Gold Key characters (Magnus, Solar). Even the secondary characters were memorable: Aric's gay second-in-command (whose name escapes me), Geoff the Geomancer, Master Darque, etc.

 

Then Jim Shooter left, and the cover enhancements crept in (Turok 1, Bloodshot 1) and character fell by the wayside. Who's Ninjak? Who's Bloodshot? Can anyone remember anything distinct about these guys?

 

Can we agree that Valiant is undervalued critically, if not market-wise?

 

 

[mcd-migration]

Can we agree that Valiant is undervalued critically, if not market-wise?

 

Not a real Valiant fan, was amazed at how popular that universe became with speculators. Anyone ever notice how close Shooter's New Universe for Marvel was to his Valiant Universe? Almost like once Marvel trashed his concept & then flushed it, he then took it to Valiant, tweaked it around, & got it to work. I've always felt the New Universe was like an unlisted prototype to the Valiant line. They both had a guy in armor, both had a team of kids, Starbrand = Dr. Solar, Justice = Bloodshot, the list goes on and on.

[blowout]

Anyone ever notice how close Shooter's New Universe for Marvel was to his Valiant Universe? Almost like once Marvel trashed his concept & then flushed it, he then took it to Valiant, tweaked it around, & got it to work. I've always felt the New Universe was like an unlisted prototype to the Valiant line. They both had a guy in armor, both had a team of kids, Starbrand = Dr. Solar, Justice = Bloodshot, the list goes on and on.

 

 

There is some truth to what you say. The main difference being that Valiant had far superior characters than the New Universe. Thats the reason it was more successful IMHO.