CBSI TOP TEN PROSPECTS

Again, Thanks to my friend Patrick H. over at the Google Plus Comic Book Speculation and Investment group for the top notch Top 10 List. You can find Patrick here on eBay

Welcome back to another segment of our community’s top ten books to scoop ASAP to flip or to hang on to for the long flip.

The following list of issues that are selling consistently online or will be good to sit on for a bit. I’m including current prices off of eBay and using print runs from comichron.com

1. WEREWOLF BY NIGHT #32(1976, MARVEL)
Why: 1st appearance of Moon Knight Print Run: NA

Juice: The new Moon Knight series is doing well, great creative team on it and it is selling. Some interest has been sparked in this classic (and undervalued) character and as such collectors/speculators have been digging up his library of appearances. The biggest of note is his first appearance which is Werewolf By Night #32, he has always been niched in the horror genre, in this writer’s opinion, is perfect for a TV/movie jump for this character. This issue still isn’t out of reach, it’s definitely a $200+ book so finding one in high grade is still affordable. Moon Knight’s second appearance is in #33, also to note Moon Knight #1 (1980) is a highly undervalued Bronze age key, keep an eye out for the faded cover (faded will be purple! This book is super cheap so pick up copies anytime you see them!

Price: $220 (Raw)/CGC 9.2 $900
Honorable Mention: Moon Knight was in limbo for a few years before he received his own series, early appearances include Marvel Spotlight #28-29. Another set of keys that can get you top dollar is the Marc Spector: Moon Knight #55-60, these issues have Stephen Platt on art duties and are scarce.

2. WONDER WOMAN #72 vol. 2 (1994, DC)
Why: Origin retold Print Run:

Juice: This book has picked up tremendously, Brian Boland cover and the gist of this one is the retelling of Wonder Woman’s origin. Since the casting, all of Wonder Woman’s key issues are heating as everybody is clamoring to get them prior to movie realease. Gal Gadot’s casting has sent collectors and speculators on a feeding frenzy over certain keys and this one took a couple of speculators by surprise. First off, even though it is an origin retelling, the key value of this particular issue is from the cover by Boland. It is a clean cover and embodies Wonder Woman perfectly, this cover still holds up despite having been published twenty years ago.

Now this book has always been sought after by collectors but has never reached the prices that it is going for now, it has peaked to a $75 book and sells at $45-$50 consistently. I would suggest digging through dollar bins for this one, it has the potential to go further.

Price: $40 an up book all day
Honorable Mention: The New 52 series by Azzarello and Chiang is already classic, issue #1 can still be picked up for $10. The series is starting it’s final arc and suggest picking up these last few issues as they tend to have lower print runs, sets have been selling on average for $100-$115. Adam Hughes always sells,
pick up his variants and covers he’s done: #141 has been gaining some heat with the Superman kiss and #150 has creeped up a bit as well.

3. MS. MARVEL #1 (1977, MARVEL)
Why: 1st Ms. Marvel Print Run: NA

Juice: A strong female character, a key Bronze age Marvel book, and is also a highly undervalued issue. A classic series written by Chris Claremont and drawn by Gerry Conway has had a roller coaster ride of success. Several key issues have come out of this series, most importantly this one for being the first appearance of Ms. Marvel. As an Avenger and as a solo character she has maintained throughout the years, with recent popularity of the new Ms. Marvel series and the rumored possibility of being introduced in the Marvel cinematic universe has seen these back issues and keys heat up slowly.

Right now would be the time to buy this book, a year ago prices were dirt cheap and they have slowly started to rise. A high grade copy of this book will run you about $75 but you can still find many sellers on ebay slacking on this one, great deals can still be found for under $50.

Price: $35-$45/ CGC
Honorable Mention: A few key issues worth picking up are Ms. Marvel #18 (1st Mystique) which has been gaining momentum, again, pick this up now before it is out of reach. Also to note Captain Marvel #14 (2013) introduces the new Ms. Marvel (Kamala), this book has been reprinted several times and is hard to find. The main issue you should be hunting for is a little more high end but is a relatively cheap book for what it is: Marvel Super Heroes #13 which is the first appearance of Carol Danvers.

4. VENOM #1-8 (2011, MARVEL)
Why: Low print run and popular creative team Print Run: 53,981

Juice: Remender and Moore put a new spin on a classic villain by making him work for the government and throwing Flash Thompson in the symbiote, the result is something special. This series has been slowly gaining steam and has been picking up in price steadily, with several key issues and multi connecting covers will make a complete set tough to build. Selling sets of these issues can get you great returns, find these for cover or less and flip the living ish out of it.

Let’s talk about the key books in this series:

#1 – Venom collectors are all over this one, tougher and tougher to find.
#2 – Second issues are definitely printed significantly lower than their predecessor, this issue also has a cover swipe of ASM #300.
#4-6 – These issues are the heat right now, they sell higher than most issues in the series. Hard to find!
#13.1-13.4 – Four interlocking covers are sizzling right now with each issue going for over $15 on average.

Price: #1 is a $10 book with potential
Honorable Mention: What If Venom Possessed Deadpool? is a book that is strong on plow, this is a sought after book by Venom, Deadpool, and Skottie Young collectors. The price point on this has grown and is on average a $75 book.

5. OMEGA MEN #3 (1983, DC)
Why: 1st Lobo Print Run: NA

Juice: The first appearance of the main man! Lobo was created by Keith Giffen who was made a villain until the early nineties when he was turned into a humorous anti hero by Simon Bisley. A series of mini series was released and the characters popularity blossomed as the take no ish guy in the DCU. Lobo has had a strong following since his reincarnation in the nineties and has only grown in popularity by his cult-like followers.

There has been plenty of rumors about this being developed into a feature film and with just word of mouth alone this issue has really blown up from being an under $20 book to $35-$40 and continuously rising.

Price: $35 (raw)/CGC 9.8 $
Honorable Mention: Lobo #1 Bisley is the reincarnation of the title character and is given a complete rehaul by changing his origin and making him the bad ass of the DCU and its basically what gave him his cult like following. This is the first in several mini series which also include the follow up Lobo’s Back which has him switching sexes! Fan boys went crazy in the 90’s over this one..

6. ADVENTURE TIME with FINN & JAKE #1A (2012, KABOOM!)
Why: 1st Adventure Time comic book, small print run
Print Run: 12,392

Juice: The Adventure Time animated series took the country by storm, it appeals to a wide demographic ranging from children to adults. It is a cultural phenomena that eventually jumped media and started being printed by KABOOM! This is their largest license to date.

With the animated show’s popularity backing up the first release it quickly sold out despite having multiple variants and a few printings. The scarcity of this issue is insane. Copies barely get listed and even then they are listed at high dollar, copies sell for $40-$50 and slabbed high grade SS copies have sold for under $100! This is a book that will only continue to grow with time

Price: $40 (Raw)/CGC SS $100!!!!
Honorable Mention: Adventure Time with Fionna & Cake #1-6 (2013) is a sure bet. Just like regular Adventure Time there a bunch variants for each issue but this series is amazing and has not peaked yet, Natasha Allegri wrote and drew the series and it is amazing. Ms. Allegri actually works on the show as well! Great quality work that will be a good flip.

7. BATMAN #1 EXCLUSIVE WB STUDIOS 75TH ANNIVERSARY VARIANT (2014, DC)
Why: WB Exclusive, limited print run Print Run: Estimated 5,000

Juice: For Batman’s 75th anniversary, DC has printed a limited edition of their flagship title to commemorate the character’s birthday. It is the 2011 New 52 Capullo/Snyder Batman #1 reprinted with a brand new variant cover by Capullo. Now this book has just been released recently and already prices for this issue are reaching astronomical numbers, the main reason for the price hike is because of the difficulty in purchasing it. The only way this book is available is to go through a WB studios tour and check out the Batman exhibit, now the cost of said tour is $55 which then the issue comes free with the tour.

This is an anniversary book that has a limited print run, huge fan base, and extremely hard to find. This has all the makings of a quick flip and one you can sit on for the long term. Already the book is selling over $100 and auctions that are still running have surpassed those numbers, there’s going to be a lot of people going after this one get it before it is out of reach. Catch the right auction at the right time, right now there is only one listing on ebay and it ends in a few hours. Good luck.

Price: $100 with an auction ending soon that is over $100 already.
Honorable Mention: The fourth printing of #1 is the gem besides the first, it has the lowest print run and is the most difficult to find (It is distinguishable by its blue color). The ending prices on this issue are close to #1’s, for completists this is a must have. Last one on ebay sold for $__. Another Batman #1 worth mentioning is Batman Adventures #1 (1992, DC). The real gems out of the Batman Adventures series are the Harley Quinn appearances but issue #1 is one that will appreciate over time. This book is relatively cheap but when you think about it this is a twenty two year old Batman #1, why not?

8. BATGIRL #12 (2009, DC)
Why: Artgerm cover, Stephanie Brown Batgirl, HTF
Print Run: 28,011

Juice: Stephanie Brown has been a fan favorite for years and any issues with her in it are picked up by collectors, some have some heat and most don’t but her 2009 series has been getting some attention. In particular, issue #12 has been on fire.

This issue has a cover Artgerm that is fantastic, great eye appeal and also shows off the artist’s skills. It is also particularly difficult to find this book in the wild with a few copies popping up on ebay and Amazon randomly and they are going over $40 a pop. This book is just starting to gain its momentum..

Price: Copies are over $39.99 on ebay so try to find it in a shop!
Honorable Mention: Since we were talking about Stephanie Brown’s popularity we can also talk about the TPB for her Batgirl run, all of those trades go for money because once the single issue ran out people scrambled to the trades. The trades are also out of print so they are in high demand. The artist that did the cover for BATGIRL #12 did all of the covers for Batgirl starting with issue #9 and ends with #14, besides #12 issue #14 is the next heavy hitter with Dracula!

9. PSYLOCKE #1-4 (2009, MARVEL)
Why: 1st Psylocke mini series, HTF Print Run: 26,132 – 23,018 – 22,978 – 21,678
Juice: Psylocke has had a strong fan base that has been growing enough for a mini series to happen, then she gained even more popularity with Remender’s Uncanny X-Force run which really propelled her character as a key X-Men character. With gaining popularity you see increases in key appearances and especially the first, now with this character it gets a little tricky: Betsy Braddock first appeared in NM annual #9 but the incarnation of the character we all love first appeared in Uncanny X-Men 256.

This mini series has a relatively low print run with a few different printings for it as well, it caught collectors off guard and has been a silent killer now as more people find out about it. There is a second printing for #1, sets are selling for $30-$40 right now.

Price: $35 for a full set
Honorable Mention: New Mutants Annual #2 Betsy Braddock’s first appearance and this is a $30 issue right now, this issue varies in price so try to catch this in a deal if you can. Now the Psylocke what we all love had her personality swapped in for an assassin for the Hand named Kwanon in Uncanny X-Men #256-258 and was saved by the X-Men but remained in her current body, people are sleeping on these issues. #258 is also the issue when Psylocke joins the X-Men, oh and the kicker is: all Jim Lee pencils!

10. KING CITY #1-12 (2010, IMAGE)
Why: Extremely hard to find series Print Run: 3,117
Juice: Brandon Graham the artist/writer of the series is an underground sensation who is busting into the mainstream with his creator owned Multiple Warheads and his collective work with his team on Prophet.

Graham was working for Tokyopop at the time and he was given the green light to be able to put out his own work in manga digest form and King City was born. This series is the definition of labor of love, he was doing other work and was doing this series on the side on his lunch breaks. The first volume was released under Tokyopop and soon after the company collapsed and unfortunately so did the rights to all of the properties released under the brand. Brandon and Mike Richardson from Image pushed and pushed and finally gained the rights back so they could finish releasing Graham’s baby, the result was one of Image’s most creative releases to date. Issue #9’s cover has the series’s characters which are able to be cut out to play a game in the inside of the issue! This is a series that you have to go through a few times before you’re able to catch all of the little nuances in the artwork, that is a sign of a good read and a great spec.

King City was released in magazine size and in twelve issues, now these issues are extremely difficult to find. Finding these in the wild is next to impossible, with a low print run and a fierce fan base it makes these issues somewhat of a rare modern gem. Each individual issue can run you between $10-$20 on ebay with sets selling for over $100. If found in the wild most of the time retailers aren’t familiar with it so you can pick this up for cover or less but again good luck finding these issues.

Price:
Honorable Mention: Multiple Warheads #1 (2007, Oni Press) is a hard to find creator-owned property that can give you nice returns if found. Multiple Warheads #1 (2007, Tokyopop) was the first release and was made in mange digest size, only one volume was produced, they are next to impossible to find.

HOT TIP:

FEAR AGENT #1 (2005, IMAGE)
Why: Low print run Print Run: 7,643

Juice: Remender and Moore created a nice blend of hard sci fi and southern flavor with a whisky chaser. The book was created and released in a time where sci fi genre was non existent and led the way for other titles of the same variety to get some limelight.

The Image series ran from #1-11 and then picked back up on Dark Horse with a mini series, then a one-shot, and then finally the series came back monthly until issue #32. The Image run is the more difficult to find and has a lower print run. Remender and Moore went on to work on different projects but have always talked about returning to their passion project and just recently in a joint interview the creators spoke about possibly bringing Fear Agent to TV or film! Their dream pick for the main character would be Shane from the Walking Dead, apparently it is something that has been talked about before. Issue #1 is selling on ebay for pretty low right now, you can find it anywhere between $10-$20.

Price: $15-$20
Honorable Mention: First off there are a few variants for this one, namely the RRP variant and the ashcan. The RRP is the more expensive of the bunch which has fluctuated in price recently, a few have sold for next to nothing but on average they go for $30-$45. The ashcan is the hardest to find of the group and that book is all over the place in price, still a cheap book so pick this up whenever you see it. Next up is issue #3 which is the hardest to find, with a lower print run than its predecessors it has become a tough book.

BOOK OF THE WEEK:

LIFE WITH ARCHIE #36 (2014, ARCHIE)
Why: Death of Archie Andrews
Juice: The book we saw coming a mile away was the hit of the week as far as quick flips go, the media attention definitely helped and had this book selling out in most shops. The hit of the bunch is the regular cover which prices have hit up to $45 but have slowed down to $25-$30. Sets are selling pretty steadily and are averaging prices for up to $50.