Is Detective Comics 523 (1st Killer Croc) rare in 9.8 or just not popular? 1 1

[Jesse-Lee]

On 12/3/2021 at 7:46 PM, William-James88 said:

You are more patient and lucky than me, those are some great prices. How did you find all those 609s? That's an itneresting issue too since 609 is not he first appearance of Hush, but of Tommy Eliot, the guy most associated to Hush even though he is never Hush in that story (the big reveal was of another character).

Yeah, that is interesting because it's another example of the label denoting it (although it does list it as "1st appearance of Tommy Eliot (Hush)").

One of my favorite things to do after my wife and kids go to bed is to throw on a movie and hunt on eBay - my first issue of 609 was in a 130-issue Batman lot I won for $175. That lot included Year One, the whole Hush run in mostly high grade (there was a beat up 612 unfortunately and a mid-grade newsstand 608) and a high-grade Batman 635, as well as a bunch of lesser "keys." I ended up cherry picking the lot and trading the leftovers to an LCS for credit. I've had great luck at small local shows where I've found 609 for less than $10; at a recent Milwaukee con I actually scored a Long Halloween 1 for $15. Most recently, I picked up 608-613 on eBay for $45 - so I got 609 in there, plus the 608 and 612 were newsstands.

There are deals to be found but you really have to like digging through a lot of bad listings, sketchy listings, etc. The one where I got the 635, it wasn't mentioned in the listing title or shown in the photos, it was just listed in a long list of issue numbers in the description - I figured based on the average price per book and the other issues I could see in pics, even if the 635 wasn't a great copy it was worth the risk.

Edited December 4, 2021 by Jesse-Lee

[Jesse-Lee]

On 12/3/2021 at 7:54 PM, William-James88 said:

Interesting notion. Who would be an equivalent Marvel character to Batgirl in terms of legacy/popularity within the brand? Thor? Black Widow? Daredevil?

That's funny, I thought about the same thing when I wrote that and Black Widow was the first to come to mind...

Edit: Which, actually I just looked it up - Tales of suspense #52 - and they're actually somewhat comparable on price. But maybe we're underplaying Batgirl's significance? I'm not sure...

Edited December 4, 2021 by Jesse-Lee

[ADAMANTIUM]

On 12/3/2021 at 7:59 PM, Jesse-Lee said:

Yeah, that is interesting because it's another example of the label denoting it (although it does list it as "1st appearance of Tommy Eliot (Hush)").

One of my favorite things to do after my wife and kids go to bed is to throw on a movie and hunt on eBay - my first issue of 609 was in a 130-issue Batman lot I won for $175. That lot included Year One, the whole Hush run in mostly high grade (there was a beat up 612 unfortunately and a mid-grade newsstand 608) and a high-grade Batman 635, as well as a bunch of lesser "keys." I ended up cherry picking the lot and trading the leftovers to an LCS for credit. I've had great luck at small local shows where I've found 609 for less than $10; at a recent Milwaukee con I actually scored a Long Halloween 1 for $15. Most recently, I picked up 608-613 on eBay for $45 - so I got 609 in there, plus the 608 and 612 were newsstands.

There are deals to be found but you really have to like digging through a lot of bad listings, sketchy listings, etc. The one where I got the 635, it wasn't mentioned in the listing title or shown in the photos, it was just listed in a long list of issue numbers in the description - I figured based on the average price per book and the other issues I could see in pics, even if the 635 wasn't a great copy it was worth the risk.

I need batman 635!

It was spiking hard and last i looked had come down a little, even in 9 8. Still that seems to be the DC way.

I have enough of it  I think, that if it ever floated all boats I'd be ok, I've made peace without a 1st man bat or league of assassins

Still I'd like to own 635.

I too found 609 cheapish at $20 came back 9.6. Well +grading fees.

Still, I've done the challenge of trying to do the run as Newsstands 

I have the 609 and 612, and I think 1 or 2 others. Admirable run though

 

Edited December 4, 2021 by ADAMANTIUM

[Jesse-Lee]

On 12/3/2021 at 8:15 PM, ADAMANTIUM said:

I need batman 635!

It was spiking hard and last j looked had come down a little, even in 9 8. Still that seems to be the DC way.

I have enough of it  I think, that if it ever floated all boats I'd be ok, I've made peace without a 1st man bat or league of assassins

Still I'd like to own 635.

I too found 609 cheapish at $20 came back 9.6. Well +grading fees.

Still, I've done the challenge of trying to do the run as Newsstands 

I have the 609 and 612, and I think 1 or 2 others. Admirable run though

 

My next move is to sell off some stuff so I can afford a 232 (Ra's) and 234 (SA Two Face), and I'd also love to have a Tec 400 (1st Man-Bat). I'd like Batman 227 too, but that's lower on my priority list, along with Batman 171.

I now have CGC copies of 181 (Ivy), 189 (SA Scarecrow), 244 (my favorite cover, even with the pajamas), 251 (another favorite cover), the Tec 359 (Batgirl) and a Batman Adventures 12 (Harley). Plus Killing Joke of course, Vengeance of Bane, and newer stuff like Teen Titans 12 (Batman Who Laughs) and Hell Arisen 3 (Punchline). And a bunch of the lesser 1st appearances, Year One, Death in the Family. 232 and 234 are definitely the next targets though, and then maybe some others like SA Penguin, etc. I also want to get Detective 475 (the Joker laughing fish issue). I have 476 (yet another favorite cover and story continuation) in a 9.0 and a Tec 880, but only in a 9.2 - but I got a great deal here on the boards for that one.

For non-Batman stuff I'd love an ASM 129 and a Hulk 181, but I can't afford everything and I'd prefer to focus on the Bat stuff, even though the Marvel stuff is a "smarter" buy.

Edited December 4, 2021 by Jesse-Lee

[MAR1979]

On 12/3/2021 at 8:23 PM, Jesse-Lee said:

It's crazy to think of how much a book like that with an equivalent character intro would cost if it was a Marvel.

And some of the newer stuff can still be found cheap-ish, although they're going up - I was able to find copies of Batman 655 last year for $15-20 in some cases. if you're patient and maybe a little lucky you can put together the whole Hush run (609-619) for under $50 or lower - I've bought multiple copies of 609 (first Hush) for under $10 each - and in some cases as low as $5 - in the past year. I've found first Ventriloquist/Scarface (Tec 583) for $10 at shows. As a Bat-fan, I've been able to find most of the Copper-Modern first appearances and major issues for fairly cheap. But I agree with you - if you try to spec on DC books for quick flips, you'll usually be sorry.

I have a few copies of most from 609-619 got them all when they were new. At that time my LCS was literally around my corner.

The only one I sent in to have graded was the 2nd print of 612 as I really like the Original Pencil Art cover. 

Those Hush issues were heavily printed. At the time it was huge deal that Jim Lee received a million per issue so DC kept printing to ensure anyone who wanted a copies could get them. IMHO there is glut of them.

Anyhow the more who get burned by attempting to speculate or flip DC may result in lower prices for those of us who truly love DC ?

 

 

Edited December 4, 2021 by MAR1979

[Jesse-Lee]

On 12/3/2021 at 8:29 PM, MAR1979 said:

I have a few copies of most from 609-619 got them all when they were new. At that time my LCS was literally around my corner.

The only one I sent in to have graded was the 2nd print of 612 as I really like the Original Pencil Art cover.  Those Hush issues were heavily printed. At the time it was huge deal that Jim Lee received a million per issue so DC kept printing yo make sure anyone who wanted a copy could get one. IMHO there is glut of them.

Anyhow the more who get burned by attempting to speculate or flip DC may lower prices fro those of us who truly love DC ?

 

 

I love that cover - that sketch cover is the one I got in the lot buy I mentioned earlier, but it's beat up bad - it looks like it got coffee or Pepsi spilled on it.

Edited December 4, 2021 by Jesse-Lee

[William-James88]

On 12/3/2021 at 9:15 PM, ADAMANTIUM said:

I need batman 635!

It was spiking hard and last i looked had come down a little, even in 9 8. Still that seems to be the DC way.

I have enough of it  I think, that if it ever floated all boats I'd be ok, I've made peace without a 1st man bat or league of assassins

Still I'd like to own 635.

 

I was too late on 635. I knew it existed but I didnt care because I had the story as a trade paper back and that's how I was catching up on books I had missed, even if the single issues were cheap. 635 is a book that has wonderful potential for sinking as the years go on. It's not the first appearance of Jason Todd or of the red hood, simply him as the red hood. But it does have that nice cover, so we'll see. 

About first Man Bat and Talia, I didn't find those books hard to get, nor expensive for what they were or meant to me. I bought them in 2019 at guide price or so. Around $300 a piece. They looked good enough for my collection of batman villain covers. I think part of it is that I was not around back then or not into comics when they were very affordable. But for 635, I was buying and hunting down comics back when it was priced as any other book (same for how I feel about UF4 but that's another story that will forever haunt me).

The other books from that era which always eluded me are the iconic Neal Adams Joker and Two Face books. I bid on those 2 so many damn times in the past 10 years, always off by a bit. But they are so abundant that the higher prices they keep getting just seem more and more silly to me (as does 227, though I have no interest in that book). 

One book from that run that I am happy to own and was not expensive (not compared to everything else from that run) is Batman 244. Found a copy that looked good, was affordable, bought it, no regrets.

[Jesse-Lee]

On 12/3/2021 at 10:02 PM, William-James88 said:

I was too late on 635. I knew it existed but I didnt care because I had the story as a trade paper back and that's how I was catching up on books I had missed, even if the single issues were cheap. 635 is a book that has wonderful potential for sinking as the years go on. It's not the first appearance of Jason Todd or of the red hood, simply him as the red hood. But it does have that nice cover, so we'll see. 

About first Man Bat and Talia, I didn't find those books hard to get, nor expensive for what they were or meant to me. I bought them in 2019 at guide price or so. Around $300 a piece. They looked good enough for my collection of batman villain covers. I think part of it is that I was not around back then or not into comics when they were very affordable. But for 635, I was buying and hunting down comics back when it was priced as any other book (same for how I feel about UF4 but that's another story that will forever haunt me).

The other books from that era which always eluded me are the iconic Neal Adams Joker and Two Face books. I bid on those 2 so many damn times in the past 10 years, always off by a bit. But they are so abundant that the higher prices they keep getting just seem more and more silly to me (as does 227, though I have no interest in that book). 

One book from that run that I am happy to own and was not expensive (not compared to everything else from that run) is Batman 244. Found a copy that looked good, was affordable, bought it, no regrets.

I usually base my buying decisions for bigger books on timing, opportunity and cost - I don't chase 9.8s, so if I find a nice looking copy I can afford at the time that seems to be a deal compared to FMV, I try to go for it. I'd rather own a nice looking mid-grade to mid-high-grade at a deal price (like the ASM 300 CGC 8.5 newsstand I paid $340 for right as it started to climb higher) - some would argue it's a bad strategy, but I don't care.

UF4 is a different story for me though. I wanted it, I saw an opportunity on a 9.2 and I bought it - for $625. Less than a week later, I believe a couple of 9.2s sold on eBay in the $500s. I don't regret buying it per se, but sometimes I wish I'd spent that money on a Batman 232 instead. We'll see, maybe I'll be wrong in a few years? It's one of two higher-priced (for me anyway) comics I feel I went away from my strategy on - the other being DC Comics Presents 47, which was an even worse buy at $475 for a 9.0 newsstand...

[William-James88]

On 12/3/2021 at 11:54 PM, Jesse-Lee said:

I usually base my buying decisions for bigger books on timing, opportunity and cost - I don't chase 9.8s, so if I find a nice looking copy I can afford at the time that seems to be a deal compared to FMV, I try to go for it. I'd rather own a nice looking mid-grade to mid-high-grade at a deal price (like the ASM 300 CGC 8.5 newsstand I paid $340 for right as it started to climb higher) - some would argue it's a bad strategy, but I don't care.

UF4 is a different story for me though. I wanted it, I saw an opportunity on a 9.2 and I bought it - for $625. Less than a week later, I believe a couple of 9.2s sold on eBay in the $500s. I don't regret buying it per se, but sometimes I wish I'd spent that money on a Batman 232 instead. We'll see, maybe I'll be wrong in a few years? It's one of two higher-priced (for me anyway) comics I feel I went away from my strategy on - the other being DC Comics Presents 47, which was an even worse buy at $475 for a 9.0 newsstand...

Man those prices are giving me a heart attack.

But hey, you got the comic you wanted, no more chasing. 

And we have the same buying strategy, which is fun.

I too am looking fir a Batman 232. I have a lower grade one but a decent looking VF range isnt exorbitant so that's what I am keeping an eye out for.