A sad fact about difference between DC and Marvel 1 1

[Phicks]

On 7/14/2023 at 8:42 AM, lostboys said:

As someone who recently put together a NM/NM+ Spidey run of just issues 193-400...yes, its damn expensive...even non keys cost $15-$20 in high grade.

 

I may try to put together issues 150 through 192 but not in super high grade.

 

I cant even imagine what it would cost to buy Spidey issues between 100 and 150.

I am currently working on ASM 30-40 in 8.0-9.0.   Each issue costs a minimum of about $400, and then more if it’s a key like the first Rhino.  Needless to say, progress is slow on these issues.  Right up there with my quest for FF 40-50.

[valiantman]

On 7/13/2023 at 5:01 PM, StillOnly25Cents said:

indeed, I have a 40 Years of ASM 11 cd-rom collection with over 500 issues from 1963 -2023 that had a $39.99 price tag on the box … granted I have to find a pc with an optical drive to view these (not so easy in today’s digital age) but there are ways for people to discover these stories/art on the cheap …  being a “collector” is a whole different animal and you should not equate the two which is something I think the OP is doing

Just throw one of these in a desk drawer with the CDs.

https://www.amazon.com/External-Blingco-Protable-Notebook-Computer/dp/B072BR5VWK/

[Robot Man]

In all my many years in garage sailing, flea marketing, ect, I used to run into a lot of mostly SA books. I would say easily, 60-70% of the time they were DCs. Sometimes, nothing else in the pile or box. Mostly 1958-1965 eta. DC was in full swing and Marvel was catching up. Now, the Marvels sell way faster than DC. Near impossible to find any anymore.

One time I was set up at the famous Rose Bowl flea market. Since I was there to sell, I didn’t go shopping.

A buddy of mine who knew nothing about comics, only toys walked up with a paper box full of SA comics. He said the guy wanted $5. each for them. My friend thought they looked good and made him a low offer for the whole box without looking through them. He asked me how he did.

They appeared to be mostly 12 cent DCs. Decent shape. Cool stuff. I noticed the first Teen Titans and a couple others. Then I hit a handful of FF4. A couple single digits and then #5. I gulped and said these were real good ones. More cool DCs than a handful of ASM. #9, 11, and early #20’s and then #14! More DC then came Avengers, Daredevil and X-Men including a couple #1’s. The last handful at the bottom, ASM #1. Hard to contain myself.

He kind of looked at me blankly and asked how he did. I just told him, he hit the mother lode and I would have to look through and grade and price them. I shot him a quick figure off the top of my head and he about soiled himself. I guess I should have taken a walk before I set up. I was happy for him though. A good friend and he really could use the money.

Out of maybe 100 books there were only about 25 Marvel. But they were from the dawn of SA Marvel. 

[BA773]

On 7/14/2023 at 7:32 PM, Robot Man said:

In all my many years in garage sailing, flea marketing, ect, I used to run into a lot of mostly SA books. I would say easily, 60-70% of the time they were DCs. Sometimes, nothing else in the pile or box. Mostly 1958-1965 eta. DC was in full swing and Marvel was catching up. Now, the Marvels sell way faster than DC. Near impossible to find any anymore.

One time I was set up at the famous Rose Bowl flea market. Since I was there to sell, I didn’t go shopping.

A buddy of mine who knew nothing about comics, only toys walked up with a paper box full of SA comics. He said the guy wanted $5. each for them. My friend thought they looked good and made him a low offer for the whole box without looking through them. He asked me how he did.

They appeared to be mostly 12 cent DCs. Decent shape. Cool stuff. I noticed the first Teen Titans and a couple others. Then I hit a handful of FF4. A couple single digits and then #5. I gulped and said these were real good ones. More cool DCs than a handful of ASM. #9, 11, and early #20’s and then #14! More DC then came Avengers, Daredevil and X-Men including a couple #1’s. The last handful at the bottom, ASM #1. Hard to contain myself.

He kind of looked at me blankly and asked how he did. I just told him, he hit the mother lode and I would have to look through and grade and price them. I shot him a quick figure off the top of my head and he about soiled himself. I guess I should have taken a walk before I set up. I was happy for him though. A good friend and he really could use the money.

Out of maybe 100 books there were only about 25 Marvel. But they were from the dawn of SA Marvel. 

Huh... wtf im not sure to understand. My english is not very good so some times i can be lost... you would say your bro has payed 5 freaking dollars and converted it on thousands?

[StillOnly25Cents]

On 7/14/2023 at 12:22 PM, valiantman said:

Just throw one of these in a desk drawer with the CDs.

https://www.amazon.com/External-Blingco-Protable-Notebook-Computer/dp/B072BR5VWK/

yes, didn’t mean to be overdramatic … I’m well aware I can hook up an external drive

[Robot Man]

On 7/14/2023 at 11:59 AM, BA773 said:

Huh... wtf im not sure to understand. My english is not very good so some times i can be lost... you would say your bro has payed 5 freaking dollars and converted it on thousands?

No, the original asking price was $5. EACH. Based on this price, he made the seller an offer for the whole box and yes, considerably more than $5. And you need to understand both the seller AND buyer were totally clueless as to value at the time of the sale.

[BA773]

On 7/14/2023 at 10:16 PM, Robot Man said:

No, the original asking price was $5. EACH. Based on this price, he made the seller an offer for the whole box and yes, considerably more than $5. And you need to understand both the seller AND buyer were totally clueless as to value at the time of the sale.

Wonderful story!

[Robot Man]

On 7/14/2023 at 11:06 PM, BA773 said:

Wonderful story!

Thanks. And, no, I didn’t end up with them…

[seanlinc]

The books I'm interested in collecting are all the ones I bought and read as a kid in the early 80s, which were all marvel. What I can't recall is why I only bought marvel? It makes me wonder if the Fast Fare(the 7-11 of the area at the time) just didn't sell dc Because it seems like I would have atleast bought a few batman or something.

[Nick Furious]

On 7/15/2023 at 11:14 AM, seanlinc said:

The books I'm interested in collecting are all the ones I bought and read as a kid in the early 80s, which were all marvel. What I can't recall is why I only bought marvel? It makes me wonder if the Fast Fare(the 7-11 of the area at the time) just didn't sell dc Because it seems like I would have atleast bought a few batman or something.

In the early 80's the trending DC books were New Teen Titans and Warlord.  Hot Marvel titles would have been more like X-men, Frank Millers DD, Moon Knight, ASM and eventually Secret Wars.  Marvel books were just a lot more fun for most kids.   

[Off Panel]

On 7/14/2023 at 8:42 AM, lostboys said:

I cant even imagine what it would cost to buy Spidey issues between 100 and 150.

I've been working toward this exact goal for 15 years now: collecting ASM 100-150  in 9.8 with white pages.

At this point I have 31 of the 51 issues. I've got all the big keys, and was fortunate to front-load most of those, so they were expensive but not stupid-expensive. The hardest part has been picking up issues from the first part of the run where there are often 15 or fewer copies on the census (104, 106, 109, etc.), and of course all of those don't have white pages.

I'm four books away from having the run from 100 to 130. I'm telling myself that 131 to 150 will be easier (but I only see 14 copies of 143 on the census, so we'll see...).

 

[Prince Namor]

On 7/14/2023 at 7:39 AM, Ken Aldred said:

The difference is that I’ve been involved with this for a very long time, and I recall the frustration associated with missing issues and story chapters which I wanted to read when they didn’t appear on the newsstand, something endemic to the 70s in the U.K. when I started out.  Then, you were either excluded or paid a ‘non-distributed’ premium to dealers or comic shops. There wasn’t really any other option. What I like about the digital age is that it makes that disempowerment a relic of the past, and gives you more unlimited freedom to choose without being in thrall to many who have interpreted a sincere love of the medium as being closer to an exploitable addiction.

I like the distance from all that, the tranquillity. I look forward to my next Humble Bundle.

Yeah, we grew up in that generation where we didn't have trade paperback collections OR the internet to read back issues from! 

These days I read mostly from the internet, as well. It's just easier and conserves space. And saves money from that, perfectly phrased, exportable addiction.

I have a box of unbagged/unboarded Bronze Age readers from 1973-1975 to flip thru and read from whenever I want to experience that nostalgia. 

But mainly I just read from the internet.

[lou_fine]

On 7/13/2023 at 12:41 PM, Cman429 said:

Yes, Spidey comics from then on would be more than the DC titles but only because the key DC issues all came out in the 60s and 70s. 

This would be incorrect as all of the REAL key DC issues cames out in the late 30's.    

[lou_fine]

On 7/13/2023 at 1:32 PM, Bludriver said:

But since you brought it up, it costs more trying to get a non-key Timely superhero comic than a non key DC from the 1940's

True, but then it also costs more trying to get a key DC super hero book than a key Timely super-hero book from the late 30's and early 40's.   

[Cat]

On 7/16/2023 at 2:47 PM, lou_fine said:

This would be incorrect as all of the REAL key DC issues cames out in the late 30's.    

[BA773]

On 7/16/2023 at 2:46 PM, Cat said:

The facts we are obliged to recognize is that because Marvel are younger, during the 80s and 90s they had more space to fill on their painting, there were DC just got to pull old characters out of their hats. And even if they had created too some good charachters during this time any of them cant surpass a vilains with a legacy of 50 years.

For exemple:

yes Bane is just crazy but it he will never become more iconic than the joker. A guy who batman catch since 1940!

And now look Green Gobelin the first ennemy of spiderman!... but only since the 60s and suddenly this freaking venom is born and surpassed him in the mind of many people!

 

[Dr. Haydn]

When I started reading in 1969, it was Harvey, Gold Key, and an occasional Charlton. I started reading Marvel and DC in 1973-74. It was a bit of a down time for DC especially (the main superhero titles seemed a bit simplistic to me, even at 9 years old), so I switched to Marvel, especially the mutant titles. After Shooter's departure, I gradually shifted back to DC, primarily the British Invasion titles (Swamp Thing, Sandman, and the Vertigo line). Moore and Gaiman demonstrated to me what a well-written comic looked like (kudos also to Morrison's Doom Patrol, a quirky favorite).

These days, I mainly pick up omnibuses. Kirby's Fourth World was a revelation, Silver Age FF and Spider-man a guilty pleasure--all the stuff that would be too expensive to pick up in its original form.

Edited July 16, 2023 by Dr. Haydn
added details

[Yorick]

On 7/16/2023 at 8:45 AM, BA773 said:

The facts we are obliged to recognize is that because Marvel are younger, during the 80s and 90s they had more space to fill on their painting, there were DC just got to pull old characters out of their hats. And even if they had created too some good charachters during this time any of them cant surpass a vilains with a legacy of 50 years.

For exemple:

yes Bane is just crazy but it he will never become more iconic than the joker. A guy who batman catch since 1940!

And now look Green Gobelin the first ennemy of spiderman!... but only since the 60s and suddenly this freaking venom is born and surpassed him in the mind of many people!

 

in the 60's DC reinvented many of it's GA characters with fantastic new villians.  Barry Allen as the Flash and ALL of his villians (Prof. Zoom is a favorite of mine).  Flash even gave us the multiverse (something which Marvel is making BANK on right now).  Hal Jordan.  And there are some good Batman villians introduced after the 60's (Ra's, Poison Ivy, Killer Croc....).  I really like Kirby's New Gods...

Don't hate on DC too much!