Originally posted at http://comicbookspeculation.blogspot.ca/ from Dakoit, reprinted with permission. I really appreciated reading over this and have sold quite a few of these books myself over the past year. I though it was a great review of what has been hot (and what was not.)
Market Watch-1 year after: Independent #1’s!
Hi everyone, my apologies for the last several weeks. Been very busy with a huge move and family festivities. Today I wanted to share some of the #1 comics from independent publishers (yes, Image Comics counts as one…still.) I bought within the last 2 years (excluding 2013). There are some caveats to consider with these current values/prices found on Ebay:
1) Some represent averages from a price range found on Ebay
2) Some are published earlier than 2 years ago, but bought within the last 2 years (ie. Morning Glories)
3) I have listed only those comics that I actually own.
Mind MGMT#1 (Dark Horse)~$50.00 (Bought for 3.99 +13% tax) UP
Clone #1 (Image)~ $15.00 ($2.99+ tax) UP
Saga #1 (Image)~ $70.00 ($2.99 +tax) UP
Prophet #21 (Image)~20.00 ($2.99 + tax) UP
Glory #1 (Image) ~5.00 ($2.99 + tax) UP
The Strain #1 (Dark Horse)~10.00 ($1.00+ tax) UP
Thief of Thieves #1 (Image) ~$65.00 ($2.99 + tax) UP
Blue Estate #1 (Image) ~4.00 ($2.99 + tax) EVEN
Undying Love #1 (Image) ~4.00 ($2.99 + tax) EVEN
Comeback #1 (Image) ~ 3.00 ($3.50 + tax) EVEN
Mind The Gap #1 (Image) ~$3.99 ($2.99 + tax) EVEN
Morning Glories #1 (Image) ~ $70.00 ($ 25.00 + tax) UP
Revival #1 (Image) ~$22.00 ($ 2.99 + tax) UP
Manhattan Projects #1 (Image) ~$50.00 ($ 3.50 + tax) UP
Bedlam #1 (Image) ~$4.00 ($3.50 + tax) EVEN
Nowhere Men #1 (Image) ~$23.00 ($ 2.99 + tax) UP
The Strange Case of Luther Strode #1 (Image) ~15.00 ($2.99 + tax) UP
Happy #1 (Image) ~$2.99 ($ 2.99 + tax) EVEN
Five Ghosts #1 (Image) ~$5.00 ($ 3.50 + tax) EVEN
The Secret Service #1 (Image) ~$3.99 ($2.99 + tax) EVEN
The Secret #1 (Image) ~ $4.00 ($2.99 + tax) EVEN
Epic Kill #1 (Image) ~$0.99 ($2.99 + tax) DOWN
Rebel Blood #1 (Image) ~$1.20 ($3.50 + tax) DOWN
Planetoid #1 (Image) ~1.00 ($2.99 + tax) DOWN
Hoax Hunters #0 (Image) ~$18.00 ($ 2.99 + tax) UP
Adventure Time with Finn & Jake #1 (Kaboom) ~$50.00 ($2.99 + tax) UP
Hell Yeah #1 (Image) ~$1.50 ($2.99 + tax) DOWN
Dancer #1 (Image) ~$1.50 ($2.99 + tax) DOWN
The Red Wing #1 (Image) ~$2.93 ($3.50 + tax) DOWN
Storm Dogs #1 (Image) ~$3.00 ($3.50 + tax) DOWN
Great Pacific #1 (Image)~$1.99 ($2.99 + tax) DOWN
Mara #1 (Image)~ $1.50 ($2.99 + tax) DOWN
Star Wars #1 (Dark Horse) ~$10.00 (2.99 +tax) UP
I Spent: $137.00 (including 13% tax, rounded)
The total value as of July 2013: $642.00 (rounded)
Net gain of: $505.00
There were many duds from my pics, but overall some comics have totally blown up. Saga#1, Manhattan Projects #1, Thief of Thieves #1, Morning Glories #1, and Revival #1 are still very hot books and are extremely popular with fans (I actually covered most of these books as hot pics in earlier speculator posts, see past posts!) They are without a doubt, excellent quality books even without the prospect of small or big screen. With these books primed for TV or Movie status soon (ie. Thief of Thieves on AMC) , they are destined to gain even more demand.
There are some books that are on the list that I absolutely enjoyed, Dancer and Blue Estate to name a few that are awesome books. Despite their lack of demand, deserve to be read and enjoyed. Please do get them (you can find them in bargain bins), high quality reads!
What had I learned kids?
1) Limited series in comics rarely hold any value (ie. Happy, Planetoid etc.)
2) Even big creators can’t create demand for a comic (ie. Secret Service, The Secret, Bedlam)
3) Comics commonly spike when announcement for TV or Movie is made, then die down (we all knew that, but still).
4) Ongoing series may hold or gain value if the series generates enough following over time and remains popular. Overall, #1’s of ongoing series has a higher potential to gain value over time.
In closing,
I still get Image #1’s but it really is a toss up as to what will be a hit and create demand in the after market. Recent high profile comics from Image: Lazarus #1, Jupiter’s Legacy #1 may be good bets, but have high print runs so there has to be enough demand for price jump. We’ll see how these books do in a years time.
Comics from Kaboom, such as Adventure Time With Finn and Jake #1 ($50.00) and My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic #1 have been in huge demand, catering to adults who seem to be fascinated with comics for kids. Also Oni Press is putting out awesome stuff such as Helheim #1 and Strangers #1, worth a get.
Dark Horse has always been a well…’dark horse’ in my experience. Most of their comics don’t do so well in the after market (even though they make wicked books). However, the recent Star Wars #1 and The Strain #1 are both $10 books right now. We’ll see how they do as SW is obviously in film production, and The Strain will be a new tv show from director Guillermo Del Toro (Hell Boy, Pacific Rim).
The biggest winner for the last two years? I know many of you will say, Peter Panzerfaust #1 (Image). Very true indeed, ya I missed out on that. Out of all the comics here that one is going for all kinds of crazy cash ($200-400). Oh well, can’t grab ’em all right?
If any of you have have independent books you think may become a hit in the back market, please share as this is also a forum for opinions! I welcome them!
Until next time, keep hunting…my pannapictagraphists!