Larry’s Comics Market Report

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Larry’s Comics Market Report
Every Tuesday Larry Doherty from Larryscomics.net in Lowell, MA puts out a market report of books that are selling well in his shop and books that are heating up the secondary market. He also speculates on new books. (We tend to think most of the same books are worth picking up.) We will be running his mini-blog post each week. Here is this weeks:

Hey guys,
here is my shops weekly report for 5/1/13
It contains A LOT of recycled information because it’s weekly & the market doesn’t change that fast.
Enjoy it. Don’t take it too seriously.
Top ten Regular issue new comics by sales:
Here is the top ten list of actual sales in my shop. These are our just one shop out of 1,900’s actual sales.

#1 – Guardians of the Galaxy #2. “Alpha Dog”. Huge sales, however fans complaining about the “movie like” redesigns for the visuals on most characters.
#2 – Uncanny Avengers #7. Fans like the new art. Cassaday was stagnating.
#3 – Jupiter’s Legacy. Indy “rock star of the day”, The fact that Mr Millar did NOT release this book digitally helped sales immensely.
#4 – Uncanny X-Men #5 . The new Cyclops is bad ass.
#5 – Avengers #9. Johnathan Hickman weaves a complex tale fans enjoy .
#6 –New Avengers #5 . Kindly refer to the above line.
#7 –Deapool #8. This book has been piss your pants funny lately!
#8 – Injustice Gods among us #4. The video game release really pumped numbers up .
#9 – Batman Incorporated #10. The death of Damien is in most fans buy pile.
#10 -East of West #2. Impressive showing for a number two. Universal positive buzz.

Top “ten-ish”Regular issue new ( last year ) comics by aftermarket:
Modern comics that are seeing aftermarket activity. Ebay, Amazon, CGC boards, Bleeding Cool,conventions & my Phantom retailer network of 25+ shops are the primary source of this information. Not the top selling books in comic stores, rather the currently published, modern books that are selling above cover price for a variety of reasons. Prices are so volatile, in some cases they are out of date upon publication. This is just a guide, you figure them out. It’s simple, search E-Bay under completed auctions:

Hoax Hunters. The latest recipient of Hollywood love.
Rachel Rising #1. Yeah, rising in price due to TV rumors. Up to $200
Pilot Season Declassified #1 & The Test #1. TV development is stirring interest.
Uber #0. Nazi shock violence for the sale of shock violence
Polarity #1. This band tie in dual collectable.
East of West #1 Quality new mythology has this on everyone’s radar.
Nowhere Men Fabulous word of mouth. Under-ordered. Settling.
Peter Panzerfaust. Rumored stop motion animated show for BBC Low Print run.
Helheim #1 regular #1. Obscure indy publisher. Low print run. Killer material.
Injustice #1. This video game tie in hasn’t even begun. Great word of mouth. $25
Hawkeye. Recent trade release should quiet down this back issue juggernaut.
The Sixth Gun. NBC TV show has put the spotlight on this indy gem.
Mind MGMT. The recent movie development news has fans scrambling. #1-$50
Saga. This is the title defines the recent Image revival. #1-$75
Five Ghosts #1. Positive word of mouth.
Top ten “ish” up & coming modern Key issues.
Modern comics that are just starting to see aftermarket movement. Books that were recently not in demand, and are finally experiencing aftermarket activity for a variety of reasons.

Spawn #9. First appearance of Angela.
Dark Knight Returns #2. First full in costume Carrie Kelly.
Guardians of the Galaxy #1 vol 2. Fans are starting to focus on this affordable #1
Wolverine #166. 1st appearance Dog
Uncanny X-Men #282. First Bishop.
Guardians of the Galaxy 24 & 25 (vol 2), return of Thanos.
X-Factor #5 & 6. First Apocalypse. Rumored villain in upcoming X-movie
Batman #7. First full appearance Harper Row. Rumored new Robin.
Captain America vol 5 #6. First full appearance of the Winter Soldier
New Mutants #16. First Warpath $10

Top ten modern Key issues at my shop.
Modern comics that sell off my wall constantly. My shop sales are primarily new material, & my back issue sales tend to be related. I have a waiting list for most of these books.

Kimota! All Miracleman issues have been flying amidst Marvel rumors.
Walking Dead #1. The undisputed king of the modern era. Actually ANY WD pre 100.
Marvel Super Hero Presents #18. Guardians are really heating up. $50+
New Mutants #98. 1st Deadpool. $100 king of the modern X keys.
Uncanny X-Men #266. 1st Gambit is always a $40 instant sale.
Uncanny X-Men #141 &142. Days of future past movie source
Captain Marvel #33 – Origin of Thanos $50
Incredible Hulk #271. 1st comic book App Rocket Raccoon. $50
Nova #1. The new marvel series has fans scrambling for this relatively inexpensive bronze age key. $40+
Batman Harley Quinn. Iconic Alex Ross cover $50
Infinity Gauntlet, War, Crusade, Abyss. Thanos, Thanos Thanos.
The Killing Joke. It’s simply the best Joker wall book in the 25 year history of my shop. $25
Batman Animated #12. Every Bat fan wants the first appearance of Harley Quinn. $85

My Top ten “ish” under-valued modern comics.
These are books I’m speculating will soon see aftermarket activity, & are currently under-valued in my humble opinion, some may even be found in the bargain bins. I want to buy these books on the cheap. They’re long-shots.

Action Comics Vol 1 #845 January, 2007. First modern day General Zod.
Uncanny X-Men #282. First Bishop is a steal at $
Hank Henshaw appearances. The new 52 version is coming.
Eric O’ Grady key’s: Irredeemable Ant Man #1-12, Secret Avengers #23 & #32
Marvel Red Sonja #1. Gail Simone is taking over Dynamite series.
Rom #1 IDW just untangled the rights. If Nova & Ms Marvel can get hot, why the hell not Rom?
Starlord #1 the special edition 1982. first comic appearance of Star Lords father J’son of Spartax
Uncanny X-Men #172-3.Movie source material with Mariko Yashida
New X-Men #134. First Quentin Quire.
Star Brand #1. First New Universe & brand/tattoo: The Star Brand.
Thor #344. First appearance Malekith ( In upcoming Thor-2 movie )
Invaders vol 2 #1. First Dr. Nemesis
Uncanny X-men #317. First Blink. In upcoming X movie.
Marvel Point One. First Sam Alexander Nova
Battle Scars #1 & #6. First full Phil Coulson & Marcus Johnston.
The Invincible Iron Man #10. First Pepper Potts as Rescue.
Young Avengers #1. First Kate Bishop. My favorite Marvel female.
Ms Marvel #1. She’s rumored to be in Avengers 2 movie.
Ultimate Team Up #5. First African American Nick Fury in comics.
Captain America #157. first appearance of Viper
Batman Beyond Unlimited #3. First Luke Fox in comics. New Batwing. (The armor appears to be a Beyond armor prototype.) The first new 52 version of Luke Fox is Batwing #19
Deathshead appearances. Absolute quarter box fodder. I’m currently researching which to buy.

Top ten modern variant comics by aftermarket:
Variants are versions of the regular issue comic. They are NOT regular issue comics.
They are distributed / created for a variety of reasons.
Order incentive / retailer incentive, produced exclusively for shops/shows,events.

Peter Panzerfaust #10 C2e2 variant $100+
Adventure Time Marvel parodies. Delightful. $35+
Star Wars #1 Alex Ross sketch. Promo, limit one per Diamond account. $100+
Polarity #1. Strong debut. 1:10 $10, 1:25 $15
East of West #1 Forbidden Planet $30, ComicsPro/Ghost $15
Batman #1. Dc’s flagship title. $50
Nowhere Men #1 Thought Bubble, ComicsPro, CBLDF.
Skottie Young marvel Babys. fans simply adore these.
Hellheim #1 NYCC $50, ECCC $100
Blank sketch covers. There seems to be an insatiable need for these by auto / sketch seekers.
Five Ghosts #1 ECCC. $50+
Spawn homage covers.
Phantom variants. You know you love them. Generally sold $3.99 in shop sell for $10 online.

Incoming!
My pick of the week. The comic shipping this week that will be worth your valuable speculator y consideration, and why.

FCBD 2013 MASS EFFECT KILLJOYS RIPD

(W) Jeremy Barlow & Various (A/CA) Garry Brown & Various
Three blockbuster titles fill this FCBD offering! In R.I.P.D., a séance goes terribly wrong! Then, in Mass Effect, follow a flight-school grad as he breaks the rules to prove himself in space! Finally, check out the police-state landscape of the highly anticipated miniseries The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys!

This weeks pick shouldn’t cost you a dime as it is part of Free Comic Book Day. It is out of stock at Diamond. It has a lot going for it, but the Killjoy’s & Gerard Way’s involvement is why it is on my radar. Umbrella Academy set records at my shop with online sales. ( I bought a Google ad word early on & cleaned up )

Also: Boom Studio’s Regular Time #1 has been delayed several weeks due to a licensing issue, that makes the Kaboom FCBD special the 1st appearance of the regular show. Not a bad pick up for the price of FREE.
A lot of people ask me why I like to speculate on modern comic books. Original Art, Gold, Silver & Bronze age comics are a much better investment. I’m a comic book fan, a voracious reader of new material. I love how new books set the pace for back issues. It is fast paced & never stagnant due to the constant release of new material. Right now modern comics are the petri dish of pop culture, comic shops the breeding ground.

I have been collecting comics since the 1970’s & been in the business of selling them since the 1980’s. I love a quality story & a great buy, equally.

I speculate on new comics every week. I always have & I always will. Purchasing modern comic books with the intent of making a profit is my hobby of choice. It’s impossible that every new comic week will generate a book of “Walking Dead class” potential, but it’s still fun to try to make savvy buys. You can sit back & wait for aces, or you can play the hand your dealt to the best of your ability.

Sometimes, I’m right. Sometimes I’m wrong, but I play every week.

Thanks to Jim Parente at Finar comics for his help with this weeks report.

If you notice a trend developing email me: larryscomicsinc@aol.com

Larry Doherty

Larry’s Comics
66 Lakeview Ave
Lowell, MA 01850
Wednesday 9a-8p
Thursday 10a-7p
Friday 11a-11p
Saturday 9am-7pm
Sunday 11a-4p
Monday 11a-7p
Closed Tuesday.

You can buy Regional Shop Variants produced for my store
978-459-5323

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