Talking about collecting underground comics 1 1

[DRex33]

I am thinking about purchasing a large underground collection. I enjoy reading and collecting them, but I wonder if they are broadly popular and have potential to gain value over time. I suspect the pool of interested collectors is fairly small, but I would like to know other's thoughts on collecting underground comic books.

[DRex33]

I just discovered this thread: 

Underground/Newave Comix: Post Your Obscure, Undocumented or Rarely Discussed
Wow, very amazing and chock full of wonderful posts. I posted the following just now over there:

"I'm glad I discovered this thread, I've skimmed to lightly so far and find it fascinating. I have read and collected undergrounds since the 70s, but am the sort of collector who purges the collection with life's changes, and presently my collection is modest.

I have the opportunity to purchase a long box of undergrounds (bagged but not boarded). The collection is all books interesting to me and in fairly nice condition, 6.0 to 8.0 on average, presenting very well but most seem to have crunches or other defects that prevent them from grading higher. I offered an amount I was comfortable with paying, but they are holding out for about 50% more than my offer.

I do not really speculate on comics to resell, but only buy what I like, and frequently pay too much for books I really like. What I am wondering is what the market really looks like for undergrounds, which boils down to how many people are there out there who love these books and want to collect them? It seems to me that the market is small and somewhat stagnant for most run of the mill books, and even keys seem to be selling at or less than I remember a decade ago. I'm wondering if I pay the higher price, do I have any chance that they will appreciate in value over the next ten years? Any thoughts on this would be very welcome."

I came here seeking insight into the underground collector's market before spending a lot of money for a collection I am considering purchasing. Any advise you may offer will be gratefully considered!. 

[DRex33]

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[DRex33]

I don't see underground comix, or alternative comix as limited to the publication of Jay Kennedy's 1982 guide. Above are examples of books I collect in the spirit of creator owned and operated comic books. I suppose we all have our own aesthetics that define our idea of the genre. I love underground/alternative comix but also Archie series comics, romance comics and most other non superhero genres. Maybe I am drawn to these because I can collect them on a budget, but I think it is more because I outgrew superheroes long before comic books in general.

Maybe I am out of place on this CGC forum because money value is low on my list of reasons for collecting comic books. Not that it isn't there at all, but mainly I love reading (or just looking at the artwork) and collecting cool examples of comics I enjoy. I revel in low grade comics as well as high grade comics, especially with gold and silver books.

[Jayman]

There’s also this thread…

https://boards.cgccomics.com/topic/149997-the-unofficial-underground-comix-thread/

[MattTheDuck]

There have been some pretty good sales of underground comix in the last couple of years, so there are clearly collectors on the Boards.

[divad]

On 3/14/2024 at 9:10 PM, MattTheDuck said:

There have been some pretty good sales of underground comix in the last couple of years, so there are clearly collectors on the Boards.

Define "good"  

 

[MattTheDuck]

On 3/14/2024 at 10:15 PM, divad said:

Define "good"  

 

"Lots of books available"

[shadroch]

Many undergrounds have multiple editions, so you need to be knowledgeable to avoid costly mistakes.  It's a niche within the hobby.

[DRex33]

On 3/14/2024 at 8:32 PM, Jayman said:

There’s also this thread…

https://boards.cgccomics.com/topic/149997-the-unofficial-underground-comix-thread/

Yhanks for the tip!

[Ken Aldred]

I have quite a few Richard Corben underground slabs from 9.4 to 9.8's; Weirdom Illustrated, Fantagor, Up From The Deep, Grim Wit, Anomaly, Slow Death.

One of my all-time favourite artists, but just something very different and interesting and, at the time I was building the collection up, quite reasonably priced. 

[sfcityduck]

Certain undergrounds are incredibly under priced given their literary import. Of the two I'm thinking of, I own the best CGC'd copy of one and the second best of another. Some day the market will realize how important these comix are. The literary world already does. But, there is a strong bias against undergrounds in the comic collecting market even when they transcend the underground scene.

 

 

 

 

[Yorick]

On 3/13/2024 at 12:00 PM, DRex33 said:

Any advise you may offer

If the price is right, and the art/story looks like something you want to read... give it a shot.  I feel that there is an impression of "rarity" sometimes with these as certain online outlets (feebay... cough cough) try to prevent their sales.  On the flip side, there are many that were produced in copy shops and the print runs only number in the hundreds.

Lately I've been feeling that undergrounds are the best thing to preserve freedom of speech, and I've been trying to buy directly from active artists to support this.

[DRex33]

On 3/16/2024 at 1:36 PM, Yorick said:

If the price is right, and the art/story looks like something you want to read... give it a shot.  I feel that there is an impression of "rarity" sometimes with these as certain online outlets (feebay... cough cough) try to prevent their sales.  On the flip side, there are many that were produced in copy shops and the print runs only number in the hundreds.

Lately I've been feeling that undergrounds are the best thing to preserve freedom of speech, and I've been trying to buy directly from active artists to support this.

I agree that presently most undergrounds are not particularly rare in middle grade for most titles, due mostly to the limited number of collectors who are the the end home for these books. I to try to buy directly to support creators.

[DRex33]

On 3/15/2024 at 9:08 PM, Ken Aldred said:

I have quite a few Richard Corben underground slabs from 9.4 to 9.8's; Weirdom Illustrated, Fantagor, Up From The Deep, Grim Wit, Anomaly, Slow Death.

One of my all-time favourite artists, but just something very different and interesting and, at the time I was building the collection up, quite reasonably priced. 

I love Corben's work! I once had all of those books in the distant past but of those you list this is the only one I have at present...

[namisgr]

I began collecting undergrounds featuring my favorite creators in the 1970s, and continued sporadically for decades not for their investment potential but for the love and appreciation of the storytelling, points of view, and art, all of which are distinctly different from books from the major comics publishers.

In 2021 I sold the bulk of the collection here on the boards.  The price appreciation for these books was modest, but there's a dedicated group of collectors and the sell through from my thread was outstanding:

 

[shadroch]

I picked up a small, well-loved batch of Underground a few months ago. There are lots of cool titles, but most have coffee stains throughout the books.  

I didn't read many underground books in my youth. I didn't care for B&W, and many were 50-75 cents at a time when comics were a quarter. Eventually, I'd buy an occasional Raw or Neat Stuff, and I sold those in my shops, but I avoided underground books since I had many underage patrons.

[the blob]

A few issues, yes, probably have investment potential, but I don't see the bulk of this stuff outpacing inflation. Of course, it depends on what you're paying for it. If you're paying 10% of FMV you have a lot of wiggle room. I'm 52 and think this stuff is cool because I saw some of it as a kid, but unless it is some mind blowing cover or the 1st appearance of Cherry Poptart or some really early Crumb, what's the appeal to Millenials?