One Year Later: Spec Review for 3/1/17

What up CHUllectors!?! Shawn B., the One Year Later Investigator, back with another One Year Later round up, where we take a look at some of the comics that Anthony, Mel, and Poyo specced on one year ago. Their specs turn out to be quick flips, slow burns, straight up misses, straight up winners and on and on. Sometimes they spec with their hearts out of their passion for comics. Sometimes they spec based on data. And sometimes they spec based off the word on the street. Either way, all their specs appeal to a few or many collectors whether it is due to them having similar taste in writing or art, or just an opportunity for a collector to flip a book and make money to “support their habit”. So, this is our weekly chance to look back at how some of our buys from a year ago are doing today.

Solid week for the guys!
Winners

Death Of Hawkman #6 Variant Bill Sienkiewicz Cover (available on eBay) – Mel, Anthony & Poyo Pick 
Original Value: $4 Quick Flip Value: $15 Current Value: $9 
BS has been hotter than a $2 pistol over the past couple years… and that’s no BS! They don’t all turn out to be Winners but this one will always be solid.

Nightwing #16 Variant Ivan Reis & Oclair Albert Cover (available on eBay) – Mel Pick
 Original Value: $3 Current Value: $12
 This homage cover shot up to $12 immediately after release and has held up pretty well.

Smoketown #1 (available on eBay) – Anthony & Poyo Pick 
Original Value: $4 Current Value: $8
 Scout Comics + Optioned = Increase in Value. I know Anthony has posted about this one a couple times since being optioned. Weird thing about this one is the average sales on the bay equal twice cover price, but Midtown has copies for cover price.

Deadpool #28 Variant David Lopez Venomized Cover (available on eBay) – Anthony Pick
 Original Value: $4 Current Value: $7
 Here’s another one where Midtown has copies for cover price and the bay’s sales are above that price.
Quick Flip Winners

Amerikarate #1 (available on eBay) – Anthony Pick
 Original Value: $4 Quick Flip Value: $8 Current Value: $4 
Was sold out for a while. You can find copies now for cover price. I am unsure of what the short lived hype was about…..besides being a mash up of two of life’s greatest gifts, America and Karate!!!! I kid.
Misses

Extremity #1 (available on eBay) – Anthony and Poyo Pick
 Original Value: $4 Current Value: $4 Still available at on-line retailers. 
Hard to say no to Image #1s during this time. But hey the good news is that Midtown has copies of the Retailer Appreciation Cover on clearance for only $100.25!!!!! WHAT!?!?!
Unspecced Winners

My Little Pony Annual 2017 (available on eBay) Original Value: $8 Current Value: $12?
 Not a lot of sales to really pin point where this one is at but there are a few high ones. Could be worth keeping in mind if you see any at your LCS.

Unstoppable Wasp #3 Paulina Ganucheau Variant Cover 
(available on eBay)  Original Value: $15 Current Value: $35 
This one was a sleeper. Who’da thunk it!?

10 thoughts on “One Year Later: Spec Review for 3/1/17”

  1. Great write up. Your article is always a fun trip down memory lane. I just picked up 5 copies of the Extremity RI variant from Midtown. At that awesome price, i couldnt pass. ?

    1. Thanks Jay! Nice I’ll give you $10 each for them. Haha.
      I don’t know why they jack up those retailer variants so much when they’re nearly always going on the bay for $10-20.

  2. Midtown always has their one per store variants up for a crazy price. It’s due to them being such a big store and since it’s a one per store they price like that.

  3. Yep like the young guns Spidey 797. I think people are going to be disappointed with 797 seen about 10 pages no Red Goblin in em.

  4. The Hawkman cover was one of Hawkman’s and Bill’s best covers ever…and I still don’t have one….uggghhhh ! Surprised that Extremity hasn’t taken off. It will be more surprising if Image titles don’t make a comeback across the board. Tons of overlooked and undervalued books from the last 5 years at this company.
    What’s hot is fickle. In the small companies, Image (twice), Valiant (twice), Balck Mask, Archie, Scout, and others have each had their time in the sun. While Marvel and DC are the blue chips, these things run in cycles. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Image surge again based on the quality of the stories they put out.
    Amerikarate was just plain old fun. Love books like those but they tend to have a short time in the spotlight.
    Love these articles. Please keep them coming our way ?

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