Oblivion Song #1 Will Have No Additional Printings Scheduled, Will Have Substantial Overprint Instead

62 thoughts on “Oblivion Song #1 Will Have No Additional Printings Scheduled, Will Have Substantial Overprint Instead”

1. Oh look, its Spawn #1

   1. Haha.. but Spawn #1 was a better read with better artwork.. so it took 25 years for Spawn #1 to become a $20 book.. is it safe to say it will be 40 years for this book to end up as a $20 book? 😛

      1. In 40 years, cover prices will be $25!

         1. Haha.. yeah and I plan on being in retirement nearing death more than likely. Comic book prices will be the last of my worries. My only worries is when the nurse gives me the really good pills that take the pain away another day.. 😉

   2. I like how Kirkman claims how important it is for collectors to have a first print in their collection.. like he’s doing us a favor.. Hahaha.. Collectors like their stuff to end up valuable as well.

      1. Undoubtedly a better read (from what i see in those preview blurbs at the end of ALL the image books) and spawns usually a solid read. Unfortunately spawn never bumped significantly in value, and with the spawn movie not being centered on spawn, it may still not go up (much) either.
         Heres to hoping oblivion song wont be a massive flop like its teasing.
         (Guh. my flow is terrible today)

      2. Should of thought about that when he put Walking Dead out.

         1. Thats when he was Joe Schmo writer with no money and zero input power… 😉

      3. There’s a chance that the book might be in secret negotiations for a tv series. Don’t forget that Kirkman has a deal worked out with Amazon prime. I would recommend that everyone get at least a few copies.

         1. Option means nothing though nowadays, even a show in production. Outcast was optioned before or right when issue 1 hit stands and its a worthless book.

2. I got hold of two copies of the pre release “not for resale” books that covers the whole story arc.
   Do you think as a result that that will increase in value?
   Also I guess we need to hope it goes to tv if the standard covers are going to do anything.

   1. Probably not and if it makes it to TV, that’s not a guaranteed. Look at Outcast. It’s only a $5-$8 book on a good day for #1. A recent double signed 9.8 CGC went for $53.77 with 21 bids.

      1. I overpaid for my advance edition so will most likely just keep it for PC and not by single issues….so that part of me hopes that he did this to hype and the single issues have a different ending then the TBP to throw people off. LOL.

      2. Outcast has especially fumbled since the 2nd Season was delayed indefinitely. I still have several copies of the first 6 issues I haven’t sold, and now I’m wishing I’d done it before the season 1 premiere. By the time Outcast returns, it’s original viewers are going to forget it even existed. I’ve held off on watching it from overseas bootlegs, since Cinemax decided to release it in the UK last year but gave US viewers the finger… but I’m about ready to just do that, since they still won’t even give a date for the US release a year later!

      3. I never knew the 2nd season of Outcast didn’t air in The US. I watched them weekly last year using the Kodi app on my Firestick because I work when the show airs and just assumed I missed it each week and would catch it when I got home.
         I like the tv show so much that I stopped buying the comics because I want to be surprised about what happens. Basically the polar opposite of Walking Dead, although I can see the comic catching up to the shittiness of the tv show very soon

3. The Diamond website shows this as no longer available and final order cutoff was back on the 12th. So we’ll see what happens.

   1. This press release tells us one of two things then:
      1. Image is lying with just marketing sales tactics to boost sales
      or
      2. Diamond will be getting more to make available.
      I guess we will see.

4. My main shop has the Advance Edition TPB for me, they said they can’t sell it yet. Probably the only shop that didn’t actually sell their copy, but they said it’s mine when they do. That’s the only edition I’m worried about getting.

5. Spawn has 5million copies and people are paying above cover for it now. So as long as this series goes on for 25 years and has a super popular character that help launched the publisher this book will go for above cover maybe in 25 years.

   1. I can’t see this one going longer than a few years at most.

      1. But Kirkman has a say and money, so it’ll probably go longer than it should. I hate being a negative Nancy but I’m not hyping this book, it did nothing for me and I really hate how they’re marketing it.

6. You would think by reading the commentary here, upward price movement rather than simple love of the genre holds sway .. this is, again, exactly what nearly killed the Hobby in the 1990’s ..

   1. Many of the people here don’t read comics and only care about the value. This is exactly what takes the fun out of this hobby.

7. It all depends on how many extra copies are printed. If retailers did not go crazy on this book and there are no future printings then its very possible the extra printings will sell out as well. Image tried this in 2015 with Trees #1 I believe it was and sent Diamond an extra 10,000 copies more than retailers wanted. Paper Girls #1 also had this issue. If the title stays popular those copies will sell out and could be a surprise valuable book down the road.

   1. Yeah, I bought into Paper Girls hype.. still have like 20 copies hoping it would take off. The only ones that seem to sell well are signed copies with COA. I hope in a few years I get my money back with those.
      That’s the problem I find with this book though, I don’t think the writing and story will carry it long. I know people love Kirkman for Walking Dead as he hit gold with that story and it’s the show that made it more popular but Kirkman is no Oprah. I don’t think this book is as great as they (Image and Kirkman) are making it out to be, at least after reading issue #1 already.
      The story or plot is not ground breaking and it felt too predictable. I won’t go into details but the way issue #1 ended, I had a feeling about the ending before I even got to the ending, that’s how predictable the writing was.
      The goo and monsters remind me of Enormous (how it infects everything around them). This book is sort of a total ripoff of Enormous (You know, that Tim Daniel book that was hot for a while), but with a slightly different twist to be honest.

      1. I’m sure if the book was good they wouldn’t need to pretend that they are overprinting it. The whole thing reeks of marketing.

         1. http://ew.com/books/2017/10/05/oblivion-song-comics-robert-kirkman/
            Kirkman hopes he’s breaking into a new genre in this interview.. Umm.. someone hand this guy a book of Enormous to read. He’s done nothing new here. Again, Oblivion Song is Enormous but dealing with inter-dimensions.. whatever they want to call it).

   2. Meh, even without the over print the print run on this book will be pretty high. The were so much hype about it prior so LCS ordered on it. Then you add in they gave retailers even a bigger discount well ahead of the FOC and you got more LCSs ordering more because well they got what like 60% discount on them? Yeah, no thanks. Im with Poyo, avoid pick for me spec wise.

8. This book has pretty much went back to the 90s with its hype and over printing. All its missing is “1st issue collectors item” printed on the top.

   1. But but.. Kirkman wants you to own a 1st print to have in your collection, because that’s what’s important. 😛

9. I bet you all can guess what a future “Avoid” pick is going to be now from me.. 😛

10. Not a fan of Kirkman at all. I think he got lucky with TWD. Right time, right place. TWD is a quality read, but what else has Kirkman done that is considered to be a success? Did he do invincible too? Idk. He just bugs me. Way over rated, imo. I dont think he has that much talent. I have zero interest in Oblivion or any other Kirkman project. He had the wildly successful TWD and he cant even cone up with new ideas in that book after 10+ years. He had one good idea and he has rinsed and repeated for 10+ years. Next.

    1. I’m a TWD fan myself, I think he hit gold with it but the show popularity certainly carried it further for sure. Honestly I’m getting weary of the comic myself. Sadly when Anthony releases the spoilers, that gives me enough info in not having to read the comic. What us to be the top of my reading list I’m now like 4-5 issues behind.
       I tried giving Invincible a chance, just wasn’t my cuppa tea. I gave Outcast a chance and had a hard time after issue 10.. I only read up to issue 16 I think cause some claimed it was getting better.
       Thief of Thieves was okay but sadly I think it got better after Andy Diggle took over writing.. but then the delays started killing it.
       Super Dinosaur was Kirkmans best book besides TWD and it just sort of ended abruptly without a real ending. Talk about pissing off my kid who was reading it.

       1. There are certain writers and artists that, when i see said creator is working on a book, i will buy it and read it regardless. Im sure every comic fan has their own favs too. This is the type of person that should have the real pull in the indusry. And im sure most do. But when i hear Bob Kirkman, it has the opposite affect on me. It makes me not want to read it.

          1. BKV has that effect on me, the effect of making me want to read. Talk about a writer that has rarely disappointed me. I know I kind of ragged on BKV’s Paper Girls about it’s huge print run and I hope to get my money back but it’s a great read still.

       2. Affect or effect? Fak. Brain not working. Please dont judge.

       3. Im changing my answer to effect?, Bob.

       4. Kirkham, Kot, Bendis—they’re on my do not read list.
          Affect is a verb. Effect is a noun. My boss doesn’t believe me and always changes it in my writing, I always change it back.

          1. I’m not a Bendis or Kot fan either….

11. Most books are overprinted to a degree ..

    1. Very true. One has to think about how many copies are going to buyers that are selling on the secondary market in a lot of cases. Or the issues with multiple covers (and then you have the collectors that must have every cover for the collection).

       1. To my knowledge “Oblivion Song” is one version / one cover .. other than the comic that comes with the Statue set .. Kirkman is definitely putting in the PR work as well ::
          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DypwJBINLyk

          1. That is true. My last comment was in a general sense for most books ( at least those with multiple covers and multiple copies going to same buyer who then tries to sell on the secondary market).

12. how long until the $1 reprints ? 6 months?
    and
    remember what they said about those negan books in those 25th anniversary box

    1. Lots of comments here so here are some more thoughts. Outcast had a gigantic print run of 90,000 super high for an Image non-superhero comic – it still sold out and had 6 printings and even jumped way up in price yes due to hype for the future tv series. Even with a massive print run i could have sold hundreds of copies at $15.00 each. That definitely might not happen this time – but my point is it really could happen again. The print run will likely be high but if the copies are all bought up by speculators who buy 5-50 copies each it might just disappear off shelves.

       1. Disappear from shelves…. Eventually yes. Secondary market swamped… Very likely as well if speculators buy 5-50 copies each. Thats why I’m trying to advise those who flip to not go heavy or not at all. There will be other books to flip that are more worthy.

13. I have read issue 1-3 from the retailers copy. Issue 1 is borring, issue 2 is ok, and issue 3, u get a little more of the story. And from my understanding, this book is going to have 2 covers. The regular and the Jock. From couple of comic shops here, some of them didn’t get the Jock cover. So don’t know if this news made that cover not available and Image is just going to print regular covers. Ether way, I’m going to get 1 copy for the PC.

14. Yeah, another pass for me
    Outcast had a pretty small window for being a profitable book before it tanked, and only sold well on the bay. Even online it was a race to the bottom almost immediately that never let up. I think in all the cons since it dropped I’ve sold, maybe, 4 copies without the web. Like, the Scooby Doo Team Up issue featuring Harley Quinn sold more briskly for me than did Outcast after the first month. As a spec book it was a REAL dud. Given we may be looking at an event larger print run, I don’t see how it could out perform Outcast. Even if speculators bought up every copy that’s just going to create a race to the bottom without end. It’s why Outcast tanked the way it did. Undercutters still haven’t off loaded the copies that they’re stuck with. If we see it happen like it did with Outcast the book was already a failure. That means we’ll all be racing to undercut online listings week one to try and turn a profit on a book we only should’ve bought if we genuinely wanted to read it. Forget about Spawn, with all the media hype this is more like The Death of Superman, Blue Suit Supes, or Death In The Family. EVERYONE knows this book is coming, and it’s been so over printed and hyped that it’ll be DOA on anything other than the rarest printed versions. Unless somebody has a line on the Store exclusive trades, and Collector’s editions at rock bottom prices it all seems like a dud.

    1. And the very slim chance it does heat up (even a tad bit), I’d rather miss out than lose out.
       Use common sense people. The PR even claims they will have “substantial” overprint instead. What is substantial? That literally tells us nothing yet also tells us this book will be pretty easy to get more than likely. The spec and flip potential flew out the window when the publisher uses words like “substantial” to describe their “overprint”d new book that has yet to reach the masses.

15. In the 40 years I’ve owned my shop, I’ve never hyped a book on spec potential .. that’s a sure way to lose a customer if it does not pan out, and, I don’t have a Crystal Ball .. if I had had a Crystal Ball, I would have stashed a large quantity of Walking Dead #1’s and now I’d be retired ..
    The Preview Trade had a 1500 book print run .. as I do with many books or that type, I drilled a hole in the corner, chained it to a rack and invited folks to check it out .. that’s what a preview book is for, IMO .. out of that, I got 16 regular pull customers to commit .. that’s not great, but it’s not bad .. my pull customers know it’s at least a 2-3 issue commitment even if they cancel after issue #1 ..
    I’ve got 3 pre-orders for the Limited Statue deal, with deposits .. unsure If I’ll get all 3, but hopeful .. ordered an additional 2 as shop stock ..
    I see Kirkman out there on the Talk Show circuit, etc, he’s trying to put the work in and I give him credit for that .. he obviously believes in the book .. he even staged a News Conference early on .. how often do you see that .. ?? IOW, he’s working the traditional Media, not just the Con circuit ..
    My point, if there is one, is we have the Creator of one of the highest Neilson rating TV shows, he has a Fan audience as large as any based on that alone .. he’s working to make the book a success for shops and for customers .. success does not mean it goes up in price .. success means it expands the Market for all of us .. and that’s a good thing ..

    1. Oh I hear ya. He’s in it to make money himself. I can understand he has the power and money to market the crap out of this book. All the power to him on that aspect. He’s using his fame, fan base and money to push a new book of his. Will it work? Maybe. or maybe it will backfire in his budget as well (which I’m sure won’t hurt his wallet too much).
       But since this is first a “spec” site for the secondary market for comics, I think it’s fair for those to be warned about a book that is being hyped up to stay clear of a book that might result with more losing out than winning.
       I hope I’m wrong like I usually am when it comes to spec’ing but like I mentioned once already, I’d rather miss out on an opportunity than lose entirely on an opportunity.
       I see it like this, I walk into a casino with $1000 cash. I see everyone betting and losing that night. So I decide to walk out and not take a chance, I’m still walking out on top cause I lost nothing as I could be walking out with $1000 less cash in hand.
       That’s how I feel about this book and this news of them over printing such book. Who knows, might end up as a great book and read but I’m not counting on it being valuable anytime soon. If I’m wrong, well, I’m still gonna come out on top cause I didn’t pay $100 for 20 copies I can’t sell at cover price potentially on the secondary market. If I miss out on it being a $10 flip.. then so be it, I still won cause I didn’t lose any money by being cautious. 🙂

       1. If the short term potential for make a buck is the most important thing .. my point is and was, expansion of the Market through Mass Media exposure is a good thing, and Kirkman is doing a good job getting out the word .. trust me, he does not need the money ..
          2017 saw a 10% drop in sales in the Direct Market .. that’s the largest drop since 1998 .. regardless of what anyone may think about Kirkman’s personal desire to make some money, expansion of the Market itself, no matter who the Publisher is, should and is the most important thing for those of us that have been at this for a long, long time .. not whether a book is worth a nickel more ..
          You see, by expanding the Market, the folks “flipping” gain a larger customer base .. it also helps actual shops pay the bills .. now, it’s more of a Long Term outlook, but that’s how the Market lasts ..
          Comics as a Commodity has never worked in the Long Term .. ever .. people want to invest .. ?? Buy the best grade Gold/Silver Age you can afford .. or Key Modern books ..
          I’m not here to tout “Oblivion Song” .. people will either buy it or they won’t .. just like any book ..

          1. Some would argue these types of tactics Image is now doing almost killed the business back in the 90s as well. Sure more marketing helps increase business but over printing for the sake of telling collectors they’re guaranteed a first print of a #1 seems like the wrong way to help the business as a whole if you ask me.

16. Great, another book based in Philly by someone who hasn’t lived here. I’ll be sure to read it and pick it apart.
    FYI: the Rocky statue hasn’t been at the actual top of the Art Museum Steps for over 30 years, there is no 1st Street or 14th St, we call Route 1 / Roosevelt Blvd simply “The Boulevard” and we say “youse” an awful lot.
    Most importantly, it’s “hoagies.” Not subs or heroes!

    1. Why would they remove the Rocky statue…. Thats the only thing I thought was cool about Philly…. 😉

       1. It’s still at the museum, just off to the side at the bottom of the steps when I last visited.

       2. The “art commission” snobs decided that it wasn’t art so in the mid-80’s it was moved to The Spectrum, then eventually back to the museum at street level off to the right side of the steps. Now at the top of the steps where the statue was are “Rocky footprints” that you can stand in that look like Chuck Taylors

          1. Rocky is my guilty pleasure movies…. My wife rolls her eyes at me when I find it on TV and the surfing has stopped….

       3. Cheesesteaks! Don’t forget them.

17. No printings…except for the NYCC edition and the foil BCC edition and the SDCC wraparound and the MutantBeaverComics Canadian editon…etc, etc. etc.

    1. Haha… Don’t forget a new #1 for every single Wizard World for two years running.

       1. or their mystery box ones

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