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Copper Age finally getting some love?
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33 posts in this topic

Let's face it, for the longest time copper age books have been mostly ignored and scoffed at. With the exception of a few books it's been much maligned. However, I see a growing trend as more and more copper age books are becoming more noticed. We already know DEADPOOL and HARLEY QUINN but comics like WARRIOR NUN AREALA, VENOM, LADY DEATH, SPAWN and SPACE USAGI are coming to the forefront. Is the copper age still being mined? What are some possible comics do you see that have potential?

Edited by APDallas
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Yup, it's happening.  GA, SA too were "modern" once upon a time, with appropriate pricing... Copper is turning more and more vintage by the year.

Granted, they don't have the same scarcity.  But there are Copper books/variants with relatively low print runs.  And the super popular ones are sufficiently in-demand to drive prices.  

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1 hour ago, APDallas said:

Let's face it, for the longest time copper age books have been mostly ignored and scoffed at. With the exception of a few books it's been much maligned. However, I see a growing trend as more and more copper age books are becoming more noticed. We already know DEADPOOL and HARLEY QUINN but comics like WARRIOR NUN AREALA, VENOM, LADY DEATH, SPAWN and SPACE USAGI are coming to the forefront. Is the copper age still being mined? What are some possible comics do you see that have potential?

Rule of 25?

Obviously tmnt 1 and albedo 2 grails will continue to skyrocket. 

 

I always wonder if any of the original image series like wild CATS  will ever get hot...hm

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1 hour ago, APDallas said:

Let's face it, for the longest time copper age books have been mostly ignored and scoffed at. With the exception of a few books it's been much maligned. However, I see a growing trend as more and more copper age books are becoming more noticed. We already know DEADPOOL and HARLEY QUINN but comics like WARRIOR NUN AREALA, VENOM, LADY DEATH, SPAWN and SPACE USAGI are coming to the forefront. Is the copper age still being mined? What are some possible comics do you see that have potential?

Lots of untapped potential in the early Valiant universe as well. A proper Harbinger movie would be an amazing IP.

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9 hours ago, Wolverinex said:

Lots of untapped potential in the early Valiant universe as well. A proper Harbinger movie would be an amazing IP.

The thing to watch with Valiant is whether they end up being bought out by a larger media company with a track record of producing quality movies and/or television. They're the third largest shared universe and Marvel and DC are never selling. If that happens, there are tons of first appearance outside of the obvious big players. Of course, most of Valiant falls into the "Modern" category as the ages are currently defines by most, but I think all of the original Valiant universe belongs in Copper.

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9 hours ago, Wolverinex said:

Rule of 25?

Obviously tmnt 1 and albedo 2 grails will continue to skyrocket. 

 

I always wonder if any of the original image series like wild CATS  will ever get hot...hm

Image suffers from... three factors, I think.

First, and foremost, it is rather associated in many collectors' minds with the mid 90s excesses of the industry, which includes, of course, ludicrous print runs. That doesn't foreclose interest in Image titles before or after that; see renewed attention (and value) given to Valiant. But it hurts.

Second, especially before TWD and the dominance of non-line comics at Image, it was known for its house style. Big, loud, all about the fight scenes and splash pages. That's not entirely FAIR, mind you, but there's at least a bit of truth there. Outside dedicated fans of a line, even other comics junkies are less likely to be able to name a Spawn story arc (much less a Darkness one, or a Wetworks one, or...) than they are some random DC/Marvel character. That doesn't mean the Image books don't have great arcs. Sometimes, anyway. But they're just not watchwords.

And lastly, the adaptation craze. Image, by its nature, can't license and option things off in bulk. And the creators' efforts have been, well, let's not mince words here. Adaptations of Image properties come in two categories: disappointing (Spawn, Witchblade) or abortive efforts doomed to development hell (the list is too long!). Worse, at this point, other sources have lapped some of the Image properties. Rising Stars was optioned for a film that never happened, and too bad, but since then, we've had The 4400, Heroes, and The Umbrella Academy. Not the same stories, surely, but what was an innovative comic would now be part of an already-populated Netflix category. WildC.A.T.s would have to set itself apart from the X-Men, the Inhumans, Sense8, and tons of random other "supernatural group" stories.

Still, I think some of this stuff is undervalued. Variants of the first wave of Image stuff are scarcer than expected. And a lot of the books, both in the early 90s (before things got stupid), and the early to mid 00s (after the 90s explosion but before TWD and such) are... surprisingly tricky in high grades. Or I could just end up wrong! I certainly have a fondness for a lot of books that isn't proportional to their FMV.

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18 hours ago, APDallas said:

Let's face it, for the longest time copper age books have been mostly ignored and scoffed at. With the exception of a few books it's been much maligned. However, I see a growing trend as more and more copper age books are becoming more noticed. We already know DEADPOOL and HARLEY QUINN but comics like WARRIOR NUN AREALA, VENOM, LADY DEATH, SPAWN and SPACE USAGI are coming to the forefront. Is the copper age still being mined? What are some possible comics do you see that have potential?

You're just noticing this now?

Where have you been for the past decade?  :roflmao:

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On 8/4/2020 at 10:46 AM, APDallas said:

Let's face it, for the longest time copper age books have been mostly ignored and scoffed at. With the exception of a few books it's been much maligned. However, I see a growing trend as more and more copper age books are becoming more noticed. We already know DEADPOOL and HARLEY QUINN but comics like WARRIOR NUN AREALA, VENOM, LADY DEATH, SPAWN and SPACE USAGI are coming to the forefront. Is the copper age still being mined? What are some possible comics do you see that have potential?

1. You're years late with this thread.

2. Half the stuff you mention isn't Copper and the stuff that is is just barely.

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On 8/4/2020 at 11:46 AM, APDallas said:

Let's face it, for the longest time copper age books have been mostly ignored and scoffed at. With the exception of a few books it's been much maligned. However, I see a growing trend as more and more copper age books are becoming more noticed. We already know DEADPOOL and HARLEY QUINN but comics like WARRIOR NUN AREALA, VENOM, LADY DEATH, SPAWN and SPACE USAGI are coming to the forefront. Is the copper age still being mined? What are some possible comics do you see that have potential?

Detective Comics 583, Brave and the Bold 200, Starslayer 2 and 10

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On 8/4/2020 at 10:46 AM, APDallas said:

Let's face it, for the longest time copper age books have been mostly ignored and scoffed at. With the exception of a few books it's been much maligned.  What are some possible comics do you see that have potential?

Major or minor key Newsstands, CPV's and Mark Jeweler inserts. 

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When the heck did Spawn 1 become a $20 book?  I’m not talking newsstand or 9.8 candidates.  I’m talking about just a nice normal copy on EBay.  They printed like 1.7 million of them.  Are there really 1.7 million people that want a Spawn 1?

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23 minutes ago, Hamlet said:

When the heck did Spawn 1 become a $20 book?  I’m not talking newsstand or 9.8 candidates.  I’m talking about just a nice normal copy on EBay.  They printed like 1.7 million of them.  Are there really 1.7 million people that want a Spawn 1?

No, there are a thousand people that each want 1700 copies of Spawn 1.  And then telling everyone else that it's valuable and rare.  :insane:

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Looking back now IMHO, copper age art is lazy (I'm thinking of Marvel in particular).  There is little to no background on the covers just action snap shots. I'm not sure of the exact time this happened, maybe 84-ish? McFarlane changed that of course.

Edited by Xenosmilus
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22 minutes ago, Xenosmilus said:

Looking back now IMHO, copper age art is lazy (I'm thinking of Marvel in particular).  There is little to no background on the covers just action snap shots. I'm not sure of the exact time this happened, maybe 84-ish? McFarlane chawed that of course.

I would say the same of "some" moderns, but a lot of people seemed to read them then as they are now in modern. Seemed in the copper age people were looking for new style and like acid wash jeans with tears some of it stuck.

Like any age we have to appreciate it for what it was, I just hope we learned something anything lol

The back cover adds or just adds period in comics seemed at least to be better!

The day you here me say I've bought a book for the ads is the day I've ran off to join the penthouse forum! :roflmao:

Edited by ADAMANTIUM
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47 minutes ago, Xenosmilus said:

Lot's of Frogger ads! LOL

It's got some nostalgia still for sure Haha

The other recourse now a days is nostalgia is mostly online.

Edit nostalgia for ads anyway 

Edited by ADAMANTIUM
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