Does anyone else find it insulting that the value of our hobby is completely driven by other media? 1 1

[William-James88]

On 12/29/2021 at 12:22 PM, Off Panel said:

I already have way more Marvel goals than I can possibly achieve in this lifetime (but I maintain a very upbeat denial on that front)

 

Haha, now the reason for this topic is crystal clear ;) All kidding aside, I do wish you best of luck. 

[William-James88]

On 12/29/2021 at 5:30 AM, jjonahjameson11 said:

On the other hand, when movie announcements were made for Aquaman, Shazam and Black Adam, Wonder Woman (just to name a few), their GA 1st appearances went through the roof so I don't think your statement is correct either.

That's fair. 

[D2]

I completely agree with the OP. 

 

It was a difficult transition for me to stop caring about these influences since most comic collectors seem to absorb these speculations. 
 

But

 

If you read comics…

 

Then you care about: comics. 
 

And not what you should be ‘investing’ in. 
 

I don’t care if my books aren’t investments. I don’t want to lose money, obviously, but I want to keep my love for: comics. 

[RonS2112]

"Insulting" may be the wrong word.  But I agree with your point that the paradigm of artists' and writers' work and/or significant storylines driving value seems to be a thing of the past.  It makes me wonder how many people have READ the ASM 300 that they paid $1000 for.....?

I do wonder how long this MCU phenomenon can last.  I love the movies, but I'm a bit skepical that lightning in a bottle -- such as the the movie arc leading up to Avengers: Endgame -- can be captured twice. And if the movies do become passe, what does that mean for comic book prices?  But Kevin Feige seems to have the recipe for the "secret sauce".  I guess we'll see.

Edited January 3, 2022 by RonS2112

[Ride the Tiger]

As a Gen Xer I can tell you that everything that is or was cool will change. This applies to everything including this hobby.

 

Remember when video arcades were everywhere and the games were fun to play? Now you have new technological games that generate tickets so you can buy stuff sold in dollar stores. You certainly will not be playing for 10 minutes on one coin like Pac-Man. 

 

Remember stereo systems? Everyone had one. The options were endless. Literally thousands of different receivers, cassette decks, turntables, CD players, equalizers to choose from. Stores the size of Best Buy had stereo components only. Radio Shack in its early days actually sold radios. Everyone had a collection of music. Now you have bluetooth Playlists and ear buds.

 

Bowling alleys, roller rinks, carnivals, hobby shops, ect.....   All cool places at one time. Now mostly gone.

 

Nascar. Look at how many people were at the races when Dale Earnhardt Sr was racing compared to current races. Attendance is a joke.

 

You could go on forever. It's the way of the world. Just so you know it's not just our hobby that went downhill, it's everything that was ever cool. Now excuse me while I find a cool 8 track to play.

 

 

[Ken Aldred]

On 12/29/2021 at 5:22 PM, Off Panel said:

It's really a "know your limits" situation. 

Read whatever appeals to you. What seems interesting, regardless of who published it.  Give yourself some latitude to widen or narrow the focus. You do naturally change with time, and there’s enough variety to accommodate that.

Edited January 4, 2022 by Ken Aldred

[HuddyBee]

On 12/28/2021 at 11:34 PM, William-James88 said:

DC simply does not act the same way. Maybe it's time you jumped ship

+1

Considering all the reasons the OP has stated, that's why I never buy a Marvel book, unless I'll be flipping it. I stopped collecting Marvel ~7 years ago, unloaded most of my keys, and haven't looked back. More time to focus on SA DC and GA Fawcett & Fiction House, which I find way more enjoyable. But then again I was never a fan of Stan Lee's writing, so 60's Marvel was never my thing.

[HuddyBee]

If people do share a similar concern with OP, I would maybe consider having different purchasing habits. If you feel a book is overrated or overvalued, don't buy it. There are a lot of comics, and they don't all need your money. I know there are a handful of DC books I'd like to purchase that I just can't justify spending the money on, because I don't think they're worth it. It's a bummer that I won't get these books save stumbling upon a deal. But I sure feel a lot better when I spend my money on books that I feel are actually worth it, whether cheaper or more expensive.

Should anyone really drop $200+ on the first appearance of Agatha Harkness? I would argue no, your collection can probably do without such a minor character. However, dropping $100 on the first appearance of Nova? Seems like a far better deal considering Nova's importance and popularity (pre MCU).

The MCU collector would probably choose FF94 over Nova1, but I think it's pretty fair to say (excluding you die hard Agatha fans) most comic collectors would go with Nova.

[William-James88]

On 1/3/2022 at 9:45 PM, HuddyBee said:

More time to focus on SA DC and GA Fawcett & Fiction House, which I find way more enjoyable. 

Ah dammit, it's probably you who keeps beating me in those recent auctions ;)

[AGGIEZ]

On 1/3/2022 at 8:19 AM, Ride the Tiger said:

As a Gen Xer I can tell you that everything that is or was cool will change. This applies to everything including this hobby.

 

Remember when video arcades were everywhere and the games were fun to play? Now you have new technological games that generate tickets so you can buy stuff sold in dollar stores. You certainly will not be playing for 10 minutes on one coin like Pac-Man. 

 

Remember stereo systems? Everyone had one. The options were endless. Literally thousands of different receivers, cassette decks, turntables, CD players, equalizers to choose from. Stores the size of Best Buy had stereo components only. Radio Shack in its early days actually sold radios. Everyone had a collection of music. Now you have bluetooth Playlists and ear buds.

 

Bowling alleys, roller rinks, carnivals, hobby shops, ect.....   All cool places at one time. Now mostly gone.

 

Nascar. Look at how many people were at the races when Dale Earnhardt Sr was racing compared to current races. Attendance is a joke.

 

You could go on forever. It's the way of the world. Just so you know it's not just our hobby that went downhill, it's everything that was ever cool. Now excuse me while I find a cool 8 track to play.

 

 

I thought about this just yesterday as I was sorting through some of my comics, getting ready to sell a few. Thought to myself, “my boys aren’t interested in this stuff”. Then thought about when I was growing up and how I felt about dying hobbies like stamp collecting and train sets (zero interest).

It’ll happen eventually to our hobby, but this movie business has bought the comics hobby decades!

[theCapraAegagrus]

"Completely driven"? Not true. Is it insulting that some people only go out and buy back issues because of speculation? Sure, but that's not what drives the hobby in full.

[HuddyBee]

On 1/4/2022 at 12:51 AM, AGGIEZ said:

I thought about this just yesterday as I was sorting through some of my comics, getting ready to sell a few. Thought to myself, “my boys aren’t interested in this stuff”. Then thought about when I was growing up and how I felt about dying hobbies like stamp collecting and train sets (zero interest).

It’ll happen eventually to our hobby, but this movie business has bought the comics hobby decades!

I agree with this somewhat. But I don't think equating comics to stamps or trains is really all that accurate even excluding the MCU's impact. Kid's love superheroes, and they did before the MCU was popular. I know I loved them as kid, but I didn't read any comics then. Superman is an American icon and is a part of American culture far more than stamps and train sets are. So while comic books as a medium might be declining, I think the sheer popularity of superheroes regardless of movies will keep the hobby afloat.

[fastballspecial]

On 12/28/2021 at 4:20 PM, Off Panel said:

I agree with this. (I’ve always liked Taskmaster.)

BUT… when people thought Taskmaster MIGHT BE IN A MOVIE the price of Avengers 196 suddenly shot up from around $1,000 to around $3,000! Then when people decided that movie Taskmaster was lame, the book sank like a stone to around $900.

I kind of think my point still stands.

It does. Our hobby is just changing like it did in the 90s. Money is flooding into our hobby from several areas.The question really now is can it be sustained or will it cause another crumble like the 90s. I kinda wish the 90s would happen again as I miss good comics now. I almost have to go to Image or other Indy companies to read good comics with good art. I either get one or the other and growing up on comics in the 80s I was used to both.

 

Edited January 4, 2022 by fastballspecial

[fastballspecial]

On 1/4/2022 at 8:06 AM, theCapraAegagrus said:

"Completely driven"? Not true. Is it insulting that some people only go out and buy back issues because of speculation? Sure, but that's not what drives the hobby in full.

I think its much more prevalent then any other time that I can remember.

 

[theCapraAegagrus]

On 1/4/2022 at 12:12 PM, fastballspecial said:

I think its much more prevalent then any other time that I can remember.

You're absolutely right, but the people buying back issues for spec dreck to flip are not buying what's on the shelves right now. The publishers aren't making money or decisions just because comic shops and eBay sellers are selling old print.

[valiantman]

On 12/28/2021 at 3:52 PM, Off Panel said:

<rant>

When I started collecting comic books there were a number of factors that could drive up the value of a particular issue, including but not limited to:

• The first appearance of a popular character (e.g., Werewolf by Night 32)

The first appearance of a popular character is STILL the leading factor.  A character appears (or is rumored to appear) in other media, and it's the first appearance that sees its value driven up.

The REAL problem in this hobby is when the 667th appearance of a character in their own title is worth more than the 1st appearance of the same character.

That would be insulting to every single person in this hobby, except the one pumping that 667th appearance as legitimately worth more than its weight in gold.

[lostboys]

I have a 22 year old son. I could never get him into comics even though he LOVED the Spider Man movie. He was 2 years old when it came out and it dominated his childhood to the point that he memorized every line. If I leave him my books, they will be on Ebay before my body is cold. He watches Marvel movies but still doesnt care about comics. He would rather read mangas.

But im lucky enough to have a 13 year old daughter who does show interest in my comics. She flips through them every chance she gets and has read a lot of them. They will go to her when im gone. My son can have my dvd/cd collection...and his mangas.

 

 

[universal soldier]

On 1/3/2022 at 9:54 PM, HuddyBee said:

If people do share a similar concern with OP, I would maybe consider having different purchasing habits. If you feel a book is overrated or overvalued, don't buy it. There are a lot of comics, and they don't all need your money. I know there are a handful of DC books I'd like to purchase that I just can't justify spending the money on, because I don't think they're worth it. It's a bummer that I won't get these books save stumbling upon a deal. But I sure feel a lot better when I spend my money on books that I feel are actually worth it, whether cheaper or more expensive.

Should anyone really drop $200+ on the first appearance of Agatha Harkness? I would argue no, your collection can probably do without such a minor character. However, dropping $100 on the first appearance of Nova? Seems like a far better deal considering Nova's importance and popularity (pre MCU).

The MCU collector would probably choose FF94 over Nova1, but I think it's pretty fair to say (excluding you die hard Agatha fans) most comic collectors would go with Nova.

I dropped $300 on FF 94 because I missed the boat (my own stupidity and assuming that the book had peaked, enter Wanda Vision ). I am working on a run of FF so that book is important to me. I did pull the trigger prior to the announcement of the new Disney+ show so at least I didn't  that up. I still feel the book is overvalued but had I waited any longer, I would have paid double what I did. Luckily I collected when Nova first came out so I have two nice copies already...

[HuddyBee]

On 1/4/2022 at 3:43 PM, universal soldier said:

I am working on a run of FF so that book is important to me.

Far enough. I have found myself willing to drop more $$ on issues if I need them for a run. The Hawkman collector in me didn't care too much about the first app. of Zatanna, but I definitely needed it for my run when I bought it

[William-James88]

On 1/4/2022 at 2:09 PM, valiantman said:

The first appearance of a popular character is STILL the leading factor.  A character appears (or is rumored to appear) in other media, and it's the first appearance that sees its value driven up.

The REAL problem in this hobby is when the 667th appearance of a character in their own title is worth more than the 1st appearance of the same character.

That would be insulting to every single person in this hobby, except the one pumping that 667th appearance as legitimately worth more than its weight in gold.

Which book are you referring to?