Questions For Comic Interview Project HELP PLEASE!! 0

[KCOComics]

On 4/7/2021 at 9:59 AM, mjune12252002 said:

Hey guys! I am researching for a comic books collection project interview and wanted to know if anyone could answer these questions as a comic book collector?

 

I am only referring to comic book collectors who are truly passionate. Not speculators. I also am probably gonna focus on superheroes, like Marvel and DC!

 

Have comics gone up or down in value over time?   (How does the value of comics change? What is the average price range in certain time brackets? In your time collecting how have prices changed?)

Do you see comic book collecting going up or declining in the future? (Will the market for comics be effected by Covid or will it continue to be something people still do? Will it get more or less popular and why?)

 

I can also include any extra information or cool stories and credit on the project! Thank you ahead of time!

I'll answer from my position. 

Also,  feel free to PM me about the actual project and I may be and to help you fine tune the questions to get more effective responses. 

 

1) key comics have consistently risen in value for many decades. There have been bumps in the road. The 90s saw comics reach all time highs,  followed by a significant correction. But over all,  the key super hero books have kept on trucking.  

When I say key books,  I mean,  first appearance of significant characters or teams. From Action Comics 1 to x-men 1, to Amazing Spiderman 300.  

As @ExNihilo explained, most comic books aren't keys. And you can find the vast majority of mass produced comics from the last 40 years in $1 BINS or at flea markets. 

Question 2 - 

Key comics have been on fire like we've never seen before.  Since Covid began, books like Xmen1, Daredevil 1, Hulk 181, and Giant size Xmen 1, have been doubling and tripling in value. And the price spikes aren't limited to keys or super hero books.  Precode Horror Books (50s horror), Crime books, and some 50s romance have seen similar spikes. 

No one can say with 100% certainty why prices have spiked, but there are a few running theories. 

1) people can't go out to eat and on vacation so they are putting recreational money towards hobbies. 

2) investors fear inflation and are looking to hold physical assets,  so they are pumping cash into Collectibles.  

3) Disney is doubling down on super hero movies so speculators are flooding the market. 

4) long time collectors are watching their dream books get priced out of reach so they are rushing to buy them before they can't afford them. 

5) stimulus money is being put to use. 

And I think all of these elements are individually part of the story and brought together they've created a perfect storm. 

As for where we go from here,  I'll give you my theory: 

Near term - people will get outside and resume vacations and eating out as the vaccine roles out.  Prices will level off or even correct from the current run up, but key books will probably never return to pre Covid prices. 

Long term - I think the health of the hobby is fine.  My kids are 8 and 3.  Every day I drop them off at school and every day I see Avengers backpacks and Spiderman lunch boxes... the point is,  movies, cartoons, comics, and graphic novels have made comic characters staples of our culture. Our kids have more exposure to them than we ever did. 

Do I worry that comics aren't printed like they use to be? Yes,  I would hate to see physical comic books stop being printed. And I think the big publishers need to address that. Streamline titles, maybe make some more kid friendly titles and in a changing world,  start to think about new distribution models.