woopak_the_thrill
"Comic Book Collecting 101..."
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Sep 26, 2010
- by woopak_the_thrill
- posted in Cafe Libri: Reviewing Books & More
Rating:
+3
We have all heard or read the stories in newspapers, Action Comics # 1 sold for $ 3 million dollars, a severely damaged Marvel Comics #1 selling for a sweet $ 18,000 (mint condition is about a few million), Amazing Fantasy selling for a cool million. Let’s get this straight and let us analyze why these comics are so valuable…they weren’t valuable because they had great stories and awesome art, they were valuable because they were a part of pop culture and they were RARE. I’d hate break it to you, but unless you want to spend a humongous amount of money to invest in comic book media, it is a bad idea to buy comics for investment. Why? You need to buy cheap and sell for a lot more. Actor Nicholas Cage sold part of his collection for more than a couple of million dollars.
The Love of Comic books comes from the appreciation, the understanding of the stories and how you begin to care about the characters. Some aficionados only buy the cheaper trades and I respect them. I go by a simple rule; I buy comics for their enjoyment and nothing else--if the book does become valuable in the future then it will only be a mere bonus for me, comic books are simply a part of my personal history and nothing else. My collection spans 4 decades because of the comic books I’ve also inherited. Yes, I have sold some before to get rid of some bills; but making money from them is never a good motivation. I will be describing the three different types of people who buy comics; I’ve seen a small show about it before which inspired this write up, but the following would be my own personal opinion on the matter.
1) Investor
People such as “investors” are the ones who buy comics looking for “first appearances”, number one’s, significant events in comics such as “the Death of Superman” among other things. Most of these folks never even read all the comic books they buy, and they have very different ways to pick what they buy. You may want to ask someone why he bought so many issues of THE AVENGERS and THOR when he doesn’t even care about those titles: past present and future (Hint: movies are coming out and they project in an increase of value of those titles. There will be but it won't be significant). Don’t get me wrong, everyone has a right to invest, but don’t pose that you’re a fan--folks who pose give collectors a bad name--which is also why investors deny that they are merely investing. Having and owning comics and loving and understanding them are two different things, there is a difference between knowing your path and walking the path.
Let me tell you a story, remember when the news announced that in Capt. America # 25 (2008 I think) Steve Rogers was going to die? Well, I didn’t even know, so when I came to pick up the issues in my monthly list, I got three copies of the much-talked about # 25. The guys in the store I go to (I also get a 40% discount) usually save me 2-3 copies so I can decide which copy I want to buy (I avoid creases and folds) and seeing as all copies of # 25 were sold out or reserved I was approached by two guys in the store--one wore a nice suit who offered me $ 50 for it and another who wore jeans and asked me if I could let one go for $ 10? I asked the two guys two questions about the character. The guy in the suit didn’t know the answers at all but offered me more money instead, while the other guy answered one question right. I sold one copy to the guy who answered one question right for its cover price ($ 2.99), the other copy I sold for $ 2.99 to a co-worker who wanted it for his son. Why did I do this?
Myself, I am not fond of investors in comics. Remember the collapse of the industry in the late 90’s? Investors were the main cause, they bought and bought, provoked the comic book companies to print millions of copies (and reprints) and dozens of different covers. Then when these investors tried to sell the copies and turned out that they were worth squat, they get angry at comic books. So why are the comics in the 90’s worth a dime-a-dozen? Because there are so many copies made and reprinted. Note: they were not garbage--I bought some original graphic novels in the 90’s that are worth 4 times as much now. Because of the collapse, Marvel was pushed to selling the movie rights to its characters for really cheap starting with X-Men; from then on, movie studios have played on which direction the comics themselves would go (comics accomodating their intended adaptations, in costumes, characterization and such). Don't get me wrong, I rather enjoyed some of these Hollywood adaptations, but don't you think it has become an overload lately with all the mediocre comic book movies? Disney now even has Wolverine and Spider-man appearing as members in three titles of The Avengers (I know how this came about Disney execs saw kids wearing Spidey and Wolverine T-shirts, and Avengers is a soon-to-be produced film). Comics can lose their creative nature when influenced by money men motivated by investors.
So you ask, when is it a good idea to invest? Well, you can buy some 70’s comic books which are a good price (most go from $10 up to even $ 200 for a 40-50 cent cover price, 10 cent cover prices usually go from $ 50 and up) Remember though, if you want to profit, you need to keep the comic at least 10 years; and then there is still no guarantee, it all depends on what happened in the comic to make it more ‘in demand”. Buying a $ 50 comic does not mean huge returns, it may well mean that it would be worth $ 10.00 in the future and this means a loss on your part. Also, always pay cash or check in buying your comics, interests are not worth it.
Truth be told, unless you own issues such as Giant-sized X-Men # 1, X-Men # 1-10, Avengers # 1 and # 5, Justice League of America # 10 and so forth, most comics aren’t exactly that valuable. Golden-Silver age comics and comics from the 80’s are now being reprinted for the fans in trade paperback form. Comic book companies want their piece of the pie, so they are now keeping digital copies of the comics, so they can be reprinted anytime.
So, mister investor, do not even bother trying to invest in comics these days (unless you have a few thousands to invest), comic books now know how to make profit--on their own side of the fence. Hollywood is also getting their piece of the pie, quite honestly. Hollywood is not for the love of comics but for the love of the almighty dollar. (remember Spider-man 3 and Fantastic Four?)
2) Reader
This buyer is actually someone who enjoys comics for what they are. They read each issue for entertainment and may even have extensive knowledge of the characters. These guys however, may keep the comics for their kids in the future, or they may give them away (my brother and his friend gave me their 60’s comic books) and they buy because they enjoy and understand the medium. I do like to converse with readers, since they offer a lot of geek knowledge to the love of comics. However, though readers are fans, they go through phases such as what they may want to read at times and they rely on word of mouth from collectors. They may like comics now but may lose interest in the future.
These folks usually have some valuable titles in their garages (hardly in good condition) and once they lose interest, they may sell them in a garage sale. However, due to the stories we read in the paper these days, some readers are keeping their comic books. Again, this defeats the purposes of the investor, comics only become valuable when they are rare. Readers help keep investors at bay and I like readers who get into what they read. I like readers myself, they are a lot of fun to converse with. I know one person-reader who has an ipad application to read his comics; quite fun really.
3) Collector
These folks are into it for the fun of collecting, for filing, for having comic books. I myself am a collector since I have held on to 98.8 % of my collection (I sold some which were doubles and some British copies). I don’t care if the comic I buy becomes valuable, if it does it is just an added bonus. I do have my favorites that I have collected since the day I first ran to the drugstore. I do love comics but I would be the wrong person to ask if you want to know what will become valuable, because I will never tell…
I see comic books as part of my childhood and a part of pop culture. I like to talk about them and share what my ideas are about them, but I would never think of selling them right away for profit (but I did pay off two credit cards when I sold some). One last advise; some comic books can be worth nothing by itself but worth hundreds and even thousands when combined in a set cacelled titles and mini-series for example). So be careful who you sell your comic for $ 5-10, they may just be completing a set.
Ironic that collectors are usually the ones who own the most valuable comic books, eh? You know why, we buy cheap and forget about them. We love comics and we don’t care about selling them…. It is also quite funny that the people who don’t care whether a comic will become valuable are the same ones who can/may dictate the foreseen ‘value’ of such a title or an issue. Honestly, unless you are a true collector who has read thousands of comics, you will be clueless as to what would become priceless in the near future. (Sure, you can research by reading the comic buyers guide and such, but you can never foresee the industry movements enough to predict its market and buy them at cheap cover price). Investors usually say "I'd rather spand $ 3.99 on a Silver Age comic than spend $ 3.99 on a new one." while readers and real collectors say "I just want to know what is going on with my favorite character these days."
These days for titles with massive reprints, I may just buy the trade paperbacks to read for titles that are not in my monthly list. It is also a better idea to wait for the collections at times. Comic Books today may be better drawn and have more mature stories...but they are a lot shorter too with less dialogue and bigger panels; I guess it is a way for better art detail and shorter issues mean less stressful deadlines. Yep, I am a geek...so sue me!
Despite my misgivings about investing in comics and profitting from their popularity, I rate comic book collecting a 7 out of 10. Hey it is still a fun hobby...I just wish that the recent H-wood movies and the acquisition of Marvel by Disney didn't drive the cover price so darned high (despite my 40% discount at two stores).
Thanks. Now I take the opportunity to plug a comic book community called REALITY INKED, and Cafe Libri is a Nice Spot for graphic novels too.
This Review is a Cafe Libri Community Exclusive For Lunch.com
Here's a vid on some tips about collecting which I haven't watched LOL!
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William (woopak_the_thrill)
Please "Like" Film and Movies and Keep the Economy strong....LOL!! My Interests: Movies, Anime, History, Martial … more
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[From Wikipedia]
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Comics are collected for several possible reasons, including appreciation, nostalgia, financial profit, and completion of the collection. The comic book came to light in the pop culture arena in the 1930s due to the popularity of superhero characters Superman, Batman, and Captain Marvel. Since the 1960s, two publishers have dominated the American comic book industry: Marvel Comics, publisher of such comics as Spider-Man, X-Men, and Fantastic Four, and DC Comics, which publishes titles such as Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman. Other large non-manga publishers include Image Comics and Dark Horse Comics.
As comic books regained their popularity in the 1960s during the boom of the Silver Age, fans organized comic book conventions, where they could meet to discuss their favorite comics with each other and eventually with the creators themselves. As of 2010, numerous conventions and festivals are held around the world, with San Diego Comic Con being the largest and best-known convention in the United States.
While some people collect comic books for personal interest in the medium or characters, others prefer to collect for profit. To assist both types of comic book collector, comic book price guides are available and provide estimates of comic book values as well as information on comic book creators and characters. The price guides assign values for comic books based on demand, availability, and the copy's condition. The longest running price guide is ...
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I fall into the reader and collector's categories though. I read for the stories and to follow my favorite characters, and in many cases, try to follow all characters. I do not sell or give away my books and never did, in fact, my original collection went up in a house fire, so that's what killed my original collection.
The comic "fans" I don't like, just like in my gamer review, are the old school guys. I have met some very annoying ones who swear that the only good stories are the ones from back in the 70's, and they have an opinion on everything that took place in the 2000's and beyond, and when you really speak to them, it's all word of mouth and the furthest they reached was the mid 90's. These types I try to distance myself from. Nice write up. I would actually do one on comics but it would sound too close to the one I have now.
I also lost about 5000 comics to a flood. Man, seems like our experiences are similar. I lost my older DC comics and some Atlas and Charlton ones.
I know Spidey and Wolvie and Supes and Bats have always appeared in many comic books but none more so than these days. I mean, Wolvie and Spidey appears in EVERY major title. So shameless.I mean Spidey is a member of three of Marvel's team books.
The old school ones can be annoying. The stories froOne cannot claim that they everything about a title, but they can know a lot. m the 60's-70's were more action driven, while today, it all about characterization. What happens in one story arc affects the future issues. Today the art is much more detailed and better. At least that is what Marvel and the independents are doing, DC appears to still be lost.