Wednesday Open Forum

Wednesday

Wednesday, the best day of the week, new comic book day. It is like your birthday in the middle of each week (well, one where you buy your own presents.)

We open things up to hear from you. A free for all.

The 224th edition of the open forum!

As always we also want to hear about your weekly pickups.
So, What were your pick ups?
What had disappeared off the shelves?
What was sitting on the shelves?
What back issue deals did you grab?

94 thoughts on “Wednesday Open Forum”

  1. Picked up some nice silver and bronze books over the weekend cheap: Marvel Premiere #1, New Gods 7, 2001 #8, a couple Steranko Shield issues. Immortal Hulk #2 for cover.
    Attempted to watch Polar last night on Netflix and gave up after 20 minutes. What a piece of shit!

    1. I haven’t even had time to watch Polar yet. I’m tempted now to watch just to see if it’s really that bad. I’ve got a co-worker who said it was really good but he’s also kind of weird so ones gotta take his opinion with a grain of salt.

  2. I can’t wait for Immortal Hulk. Do any of you guys remember what issue it was that he “died” in? I’m pretty sure it was posted on here but I can’t remember.

  3. Hey guys, I’ve been into comics for a while but I’ve recently gotten into hunting down hot comics and reselling them, just wanted to hear how you guys go about doing that as I’m really new to this part of the comic world (do you pre-order some of these comics ahead of their release? And if so how do you know which ones to invest into by pre-ordering and knowing you’re going to be able to flip it?)
    Last week I picked up a couple Wonder Woman variants and Spawn variants to resell but my lcs wasn’t selling the “recalled” spawn b&w variant and so I missed out on that opportunity, other than just keeping up with the latest going on in the comics market, how can I avoid something like that happening again?

    1. I follow this site and a few other spec sites (comicbookinvest) for movie and first appearance announcements, and check enay prices. I know which local LCSs carry a decent amount of back issues such that I don’t waste time searching.

      Also for what sells out at midtown the week before…watch eBay sales the night before and days following and visit the lcs early on Wednesday if possible. It helps to have an lcs large enough they order quantities which qualify for incentives too, if that’s your thing. Incentives are usually a high buy in and risky, imo.

      But the best situation may be to have an existing pull list/account with an lcs that you can add comics up to the night before in case an issue gets hot and then you may not have to worry about getting to the shop early.

      My thoughts.

      1. another behavior is to buy two copies…one to flip quickly and possibly pay for the second copy with the profits, then hold he second copy and either sell when he price levels off, or when you’re ready to move it.

      2. Thanks D-Rog! I follow this website a lot and also follow writers, artists and news sites a lot of comic news related accounts on twitter and also watch youtube channels like Simpleman’s comics etc to try to keep up with everything but I will definitely start checking out midtown comics as well. Thanks!

        1. Stick to first appearances buy 2 copies of each if not more, don’t fall in love with covers, don’t buy a book with 3 or more regular non incentive covers for the same book, don’t fall in the have to buy #1 issues trap, don’t fall into the recalled or error comics at inflated prices trap buy em at cover and flip them, don’t fall into the low print run Indy trap just stay away sure you’ll miss out on something like Rags but for every rags there are 1000 Indy books that do nothing and waste money and tie up comic storage space and supplies, do read the previews, list your comics as VF+-NM+ to avoid the snobs, list on both eBay and Mercari, don’t buy a book just because it’s o so,e strangers to
          10 list, follow comicbook.com for movie and tv news, follow CHU for everything else and always read the comments, SHIP your books how you would want them shipped to you, don’t buy anything Mattina.

    2. There are a lot of ways to approach speculation, but, its important, I believe, not to worry if you miss a ‘hot’ book on any given week. There will always be another ‘hot’ book next week.

        1. Only chase if you want it in the personal collection and don’t mind paying a premium. Buy what you like, sell what you can profit from and for those hot books, treat it like the stock market, buy low, sell high. If you buying the hot books at the premium prices, you likely already lost.

    3. As a shop owner, it seems to me the allure of the quick buck on the comic flip folks are beginning to reach saturation point .. not to say there won’t still be winners out there, but quickness to the market and speedy acquisition seem to be becoming more and more key ..

      The books that are a surprise are the ones that you can’t predict ..

      Sadly, shops are participating more and more, and they tend to have the upper hand .. as well, demand books tend to run hot for a minute and then cool, with some exceptions ..

      As much as I know no one wants to hear it, it’s like a Ponzi scheme .. the person ending up at the bottom of the feeding frenzy get’s burned a few times and then walks away .. which does nothing for the overall Market ..

      Tread Lightly .. collect what you enjoy .. don’t follow the herd .. mainly, have fun, because that’s what the hobby is all about ..

      1. If I can flip enough to pay for my hobby and my core book collection by selling off some Marvel titles that will not matter in 6 months or a year then it’s all good.
        The problem with investing in Marvel titles, and to some extent DC, market is they are always going to revamp it in a year or change volumes or go back to the traditional #’s which kills your previous investment value. The market has changed for them. It used to be you could by a key book and it would appreciate in value over the years. Today’s market is being driven by supply and demand within the first 2 weeks after release. If you hold for a month or get a book graded that is hot today in a month the heat will be gone and the investment in grading is lost. Everyone who reads this site knows that in a year or may 18 months Marvel will go back the traditional numbering. Case and point Amazing Spider-man. How many time has that happened. Of course it’s just my opinion.

        1. With Marvel it’s all about making as much profit for Disney as they can by selling as much paper as possible any way they can.

        2. Peaks and Valleys, Jeff.
          Yes, there is a typical rush after release that tends to not last long. But, some of those books will peak again in a given amount of time. Whether that be 5-10-20 years. But just because a book is down today, doesnt mean that that same book wont be up tomorrow.

    4. Hi Quentin

      Less and less I am buying newer comics for spec re-sale. Sometimes yes but not as much as I used to. There are soooo many options happening all the time especially for indies and the vast majority will never see the big or small screen. I usually play a long game and not so much a short game since by the time an option is announced and I purchased whatever first appearance it would take a week or so until I got them through the mail. All to often by the time they arrive through the mail the heat would have already died down. If you can find them locally and flip them quick that is different but may be a challenge if you live in a high population center with a lot of “in the know” collectors visiting he same shops.

      For newer comics, especially indies I am mostly buying what I want to read and if it gets hot, great. If there is something that seems like it will be a slam dunk long or short term I will take the chance. Those are kind of few and far between for me.

      I mostly spec on tried and true Marvel and DC. Silver to Modern but mostly Silver to Copper.. Have done VERY well with most of these specs over the past few years. Marvel is a hit maker that can take a D list character and make them popular and hot! That means any character ever created in the Marvel U is fair game. DC has been good but overall Marvel is better. Picking the gems in the rough for either can be tough since there are so many characters. That is why it is important to check CHU and some other spec sites as well as paying attention comic book movie and TV news from entertainment sites.

      When I was buying Eternals #1 two to three years ago I was paying about $5 for a mid grade and $10 to $20 for VF to NM. Those days are gone but the next Eternals is out there, super cheap, just waiting to be snatched out of those old bins. Just gotta figure out what those books are before anyone else! Part of the fun!

      Just stay within your budget, have a good time (it should never become work) and don’t go nuts!

      1. Things are cyclical. I have a hoard of comics. Like 40,000 or something ridiculous. But I never just blow things out. I find so many books from the 90’s to recently that have become valuable and flip them.

        1. Totally agree there are gems out there, even in the 90’s over printed junk as some would call it. There are several books that I pick up every time I see them at a shop, 1st Omega Red being one of them, this guy has huge potential if marketed and used properly, can u imagine Sabretooth and Big red teaming up against Wolverine and X-23, sounds like the making of a great movie 🙂

          1. Oh, if I can get a book such as a hot overprinted 90’s comic and sell it before things cool down I definitely will. I just find myself mostly spec’n on and making good profit on Marvel/DC Silver to Copper. I have one of Omega Red’s first. I could see getting another one or two of that down the road.

          1. That was the general idea for my later years. The problem is there is a juggernaut of a store, Third Eye Comics in my area and stores tend to not compete well against them. They have an awesome following and business practice.

        1. Yes. It’s ugly. Do not waste the money. It’s a white cover with Stryfe and some X-Men on the cover and it says something about the history of X-Men. Poorly executed and not worth the money.

  4. Peace Fam.

    Dusty Finger Finds:
    Immortal Hulk 1 x5@1 each ??
    Immortal Hulk 7,8 cvr

    Pull:
    Harley 58B
    Tony Starks Ironman 8A
    Batman 64B

    Have a great week everyone. 1

  5. So I realize I’m not saying anything we don’t already know, but Immortal Hulk is just absolutely “Incredible” 🙂
    It’s been amazing from the start, but today’s issue just knocked it out of the park and entrenched it into my list of all time greats. Everything about it..art, cover, action, deep plot that invokes emotions that will resonate to people in different ways.
    Do not miss this issue & if you have avoided the series/have never been a Hulk fan..please give it chance.

    On another note, I also found myself enjoying Daredevil #1…was pleasantly surprised.

  6. buy what you enjoy .do your own reserch when possible read chu&cbsi .and go to the greatest spec site on gods green earth comic book scaulping jimmy is #awesomesauce . read blind adams hidden gems as it is funny .don’t chace all the hot books for what you spend on a ratio variant you can buy a low grade golden age book or original art .always tip cos palyers at conventions and I belive hawkeye caped banner in civil war 2 #5.a key book now .avengers #682 2nd prints have dryed up as #684s are creeping up to $30 love you all blind adam out

    1. Avoid Jimmy Ls comic scalping. Linguini was the tool who was bragging online about how he cut out a Sonic Preview from an old book, and made it appear as if it was an authentic Sonic Preview. Tried (successfully, I think) to fool CGC. Jimmy L is a scammer. And when you lay with dogs…

      1. The only problem is the “two” are exactly the same. Indistinguishable. Back in the early 90’s I worked at a couple of video game stores over the years and my friends father would attend the Vegas CES bringing back all the video game fliers, promos and adverts he could find. I was also collecting comics. Not once did I ever see the newsprint Sonic advertisement. I have four of the official mini promo first issue, but never did I see the newsprint. Not at the Game stores. Not at any comic store. Not from any comic convention. Not from what was gathered at any of the CES shows over the years. My personal opinion is any of these Sonic newsprint promos that you see out there on their own have all been lifted out of a comic book it originally came in. I could be completely wrong of course. It was a long time ago but that is my opinion.

  7. All of Marvels Skrull variants might be a good pick up today. They are all sold out today at midtown and my main local guy only had a few.

  8. I had a book come in this week, ordered from Australia. It arrived in a thin box, w/ the book wrapped in 1 sheet of news paper, then taped to the inside of the thin box. Jesus Murphy.

    1. It arrived in surprisingly decent shape. But there were 2 nice tics in the spine that lined up nicely with the folds in the thin box, that were cleary visible on the outside of the package. Smh.

    2. I hear ya! Nothing like getting the mail and noticing a manila envelope where the awesome comic you ordered is in there with only the bag and board to protect it. You would think some people would “get” that comics are very easily damaged in transit.

        1. Yeah. I do just that and usually get well pack items, but every now and again the person just doesn’t care. I’ll tell ya, on the occasion I do receive a poorly packed comic it is usually from an Amazon seller. One of the reasons I find myself buying less from Amazon.

    3. Well you get to read an Aussie newspaper at least. That’ll be kinda fun, assuming you can read Australian…

      1. Ive seen all the Crocodile Dundee movies. Any Australian I don’t understand, I will infer from those movies. ? ? ?

    1. CHU is the only place in the comic world, that ive found, that allows dissenting opinions. All the other sites or groups are quite authoritarian. You agree and praise what the ‘leaders’ say, or you are not welcome.

      1. I just don’t even bother with other groups. I can say there’s one I use to check out but it seemed they trash talked others more than just talking comics and if they weren’t trash talking others they were just bitching about something in general.

  9. Another light in terms of pick ups:
    Die #4 (this is quickly becoming one of my favorite reads each month)
    Star Wars #61 (action figure variant)
    Harley Quinn #58 (Chew variant)
    Daredevil #1 (Dell Otto variant for cover)
    Avengers #14 (Scalera variant for $20)
    Walking Dead

    Spec pick ups for this week:
    Immortal Hulk #1 (NM+) for $6
    Immortal Hulk #2 (NM) for $20 (can’t believe that these are going for $30-$40+

    Good hunting everyone!

    1. I’m surprised at Immortal Hulk #2 as well, especially compared to Avengers 684. I get it that Immortal isn’t a completely “new” character, but I always thought villain spec wasn’t as good. 684 has finally just started to creep to $20ish

          1. Immortal Hulk made his cameo in the last panel of 682. The panel was reused as the cover art for the 2nd print of 682. We didnt see him again until his 1st full in 684.

        1. Generally, in the comic collector world, covers are not considered true 1st appearances. It is generally relegated as ‘1st cover Appearance’.

      1. I believe some of that could be that the print run on Immortal Hulk #2 was 44,481 (split between 2 covers, cover A and the Zaffino variant). While Avengers #684 has a print run of 54,061 (also between 2 covers, cover A and a hideous Scottie Young Variant). IH2 has about a 20% less print run than Avengers684, and Ill bet that shops did not order heavy on the SY variant for 684, making much more of its print run would be Cover A for that issue. A few variables that are perhaps causing the prices, given tge supply and demand.

  10. Finally caught up on Immortal Hulk 1-13 run
    Picked up another Thanos 13
    Statue wise bought a awesome sideshow skeletor exclusive

    ..quiet week otherwise

  11. This week I grabbed Immortal hulk #3,#4,#5 and 2×#13. Grabbed Harley Quinn #58 A cover, which I liked better then the busy, sideways B cover, Avengers #14 ( first legion of the living dead) and Conan #3.

  12. Light week for new stuff. Picked up Immortal Hulk #13 Ross cover, Tony Stark Iron Man #8 cover A and Batman #64 cover B. Also picked up an 8.5 of Avengers vol 1 #71. One of those books that has been on my radar for quite some time but other purchases came first for years now. Because of it being the Invaders first appearance the book has always been a bit pricey for a higher grade and more than I wanted to spend for a semi key. Now that the Black Knight is looking to make a big splash in the Marvel Movie U this book is getting more people looking at it. Outside of the Invaders first this is where the Black Knight joins the Avengers. The story is also titled: Endgame. So, I bought one. Bit the bullet and got it out of the way. If the Black Knight’s first appearances in Avengers #47( first Dane Whitman) and #48 (first as the Black Knight) keep getting more and more expensive this will be the next Black Knight key people will start looking for. Doubt it will ever be a huge key, unless Marvel does something with the Invaders, but it does have a lot going for it overall.

    1. It’s also telling that Marvel is reprinting Avengers #71 under their True Believers line in time for the movie…

      1. Yup. Pretty much why I decided to just finally get it over with and buy a copy. I don’t think it will get super hot but ya never know and since I always wanted one I don’t want to pay a bunch more for it in a few months if it does.

  13. Found only one Immortal Hulk #13 skrull cover in with a big stack of regular covers.Seems to be a tough one to find.What did you guys see?

    1. I think a lot of shops don’t order heavy on these cause in the past they got stuck with too many they can’t offload. Until there’s demand for them, they’ll only be worth cover. 😉

  14. Wednesday forum is educational and humorous as usual. Thank you all. My two cents for the week. Was spreading my money to two of the five LCS here in my area until one decided to put my ordered book(no ratio) marked up to market value on the shelf, then lied to me last week that my ordered Spawn 293 C was “recalled” and I would have to wait for reissue mid Feb. Went to my other shop and got the Spawn with no problem. Now I shop at just one shop. Greed kills.

    1. I’ve seen too many comic shops go under because of lousy business practices. Other factors I’m sure for them, but it doesn’t help if they pull garbage on potential loyal customers.

  15. My pickups on Wed. included…

    Adv. of Super Sons
    Batman B
    Deathstroke A
    Female Furies B
    Green Arrow B
    Green Lantern A
    Harley Quinn Ax2, Bx2
    Young Justice B
    Age of X-Man Marvelous X-Men polybag – just b/c it was the scarcest cvr in my area & none of the other cvrs blew me away.
    Avengers Ax2, 1:25 variant x2
    Champions
    Daredevil 1:10 variant
    Immortal Hulk Ax2
    Old Man Quill 1:25 variant
    Uncanny X-Men 1:25 variant
    X-23 A
    Unnatural B
    These Savage Shores

    There was a limited volume of Harleys A & B at the 3 shops I visited…nobody ordered heavy on either in my area. Actually found a Harley 57 A sitting on the shelf too…surprised me b/c they are long gone.

  16. Didn’t take a close look at which books were sold out, but the HQ #58 B cover was out of stock (and not in my pull, but I did order a couple online). This week’s pull:

    Adventures Of The Super Sons #7 (Of 12)
    Batman #64 (Cover A Chris Burnham)
    Batman #64 (Cover B Sean Murphy) x2
    Curse Of Brimstone #11
    Deathstroke #40 (Cover B Dave Johnson)
    Female Furies #1 (Of 6)(Cover B Francesco Mattina)
    Green Arrow #49 (Cover B Francis Manapul)
    Harley Quinn #58 (Cover A Guillem March) x2
    Harley Quinn #58 (Cover B Derrick Chew) x2
    Justice League #17 (Cover B Will Conrad)
    Suicide Squad Black Files #4 (Of 6)
    United States Vs Murder Inc #6 (Of 6)
    Young Justice #2 (Cover B Sanford Greene)
    Walking Dead #188
    Avengers #14 (Cover A David Marquez)
    Conan The Barbarian #3 (Cover A Esad Ribic)
    Gunhawks #1 (Cover A Gerardo Zaffino)
    Immortal Hulk #13 (Cover A Alex Ross) x2
    Old Man Quill #1 (Of 12) STARLIN HIDDEN GEM VAR
    Star Wars #61 (Cover A Jamal Campbell)
    Star Wars Age Of Republic Anakin Skywalker #1 (Cover A Paolo Rivera)
    True Believers Captain Marvel Ms. Marvel #1 x4
    True Believers Captain Marvel Spider-Man And Ms. Marvel #1
    Wolverine The Long Night Adaptation #2 (Of 5)

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