Author: Anthony

‘Jupiters Legacy’: Kills any speculation chance

JLcover01

‘Jupiters Legacy’ is the new Mark Millar and Frank Quitely superhero comic book coming out from Image Comics soon. There was much hype on this book and it was even featured highly on the Diamond Comics Advance Reorder List for 4/7/13.

http://comicsheatingup.wordpress.com/2013/04/08/diamond-comics-advance-reorder-4713/

The combination pre-release buzz and advanced reorders usually lead to speculation gold (or at least silver or bronze), but Image has killed any chances of this getting big on the secondary market. Sure, the publishers, artists and writers, do not care about books becoming big money makers on the secondary market, but the heat it can generate can lead to more people picking up future issues. Books like ‘The Walking Dead’, ‘Chew’, ‘Saga’ and ‘Peter Panzerfaust’ all benefited from new readers picking up the books on the secondary market.

‘Jupiters Legacy’ probably will not reap the same rewards because of the distribution plan that they are using. The plan is this, retailers can order as many copies of the book as they like and return ones that do not sell as long as their order is above their ‘The Walking Dead’ 106 order. In other words, a retailer can order hundreds of copies, get all the variants, sell them at the inflated variant price, and return all the regular copies that do not sell. The total print run for ‘The Walking Dead’ 107 was in the 75,000 unit range. The total orders for ‘Jupiters Legacy’ is in the 150,00 range. This effectively kills the secondary market value on the regular covers, in fact this helps kill the variant market as stores who normally wouldn’t order so high on a new book have done so to get the variants, after all, they can return the unsold ones.

Pick of the week 4/17/13

Sorry for getting this out late, hope you haven’t been to the shop yet if you are a regular reader, but here is my picks of the week.

Picks, because there are two.

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1. Five Ghosts, Haunting of Fabian Gray #2: This was the fifth most reordered book on the 3/27/13 Diamond Advanced reorder list. Retailers had strong sales on the first issue of this mini-series. The 2nd issue was ordered at mini-series levels, and there is rumor that this is being picked up as an ongoing series. Plus, did you see the Phantom Variant for this issue?

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2. Miniature Jesus #1: Again, this was on the 3/27/13 Diamond Comics Advanced reorder list as retailers were scrambling to order extra copies as a buzz picked up on the book. It was the 10th most reordered book of the week.

 

Top Cow’s ‘The Test’ moves past $27

As we said the other day, what a difference a few days can make in selling a comic book. Top Cow Pilot Season 2011 now has a confirmed break out star in Matt Hawkins, ‘The Test.’

 

The one book that had been up on eBay has moved nicely in the sub-$30 range and is creeping up. With 16 bids the book is currently at $27.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/The-Test-1-NM-Hawkins-Fialkov-I-Vampire-Think-Tank-/181119261808?pt=US_Comic_Books&hash=item2a2b8c9c70

 

Other copies are now available starting at .99 cents but there has been no bidding activity to date. There also have been no buy-it-nows or completed auctions for the book with sales. This is the test for “The Test.”

See our original post here. http://comicsheatingup.wordpress.com/2013/04/12/the-test-top-cow-pilot-season-coming-to-scyfy/

“The Test” Top Cow Pilot Season coming to Syfy

the test

What a difference a few days can make. This seller currently has the only copy of The Test by Matt Hawkins and Joshua Hale up on eBay and it’s going for $10.50 at this time with 16 bids.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/The-Test-1-NM-Hawkins-Fialkov-I-Vampire-Think-Tank-/181119261808?pt=US_Comic_Books&hash=item2a2b8c9c70

Just a few days ago, the seller couldn’t even get .50 cents for it.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/The-Test-1-NM-Hawkins-Fialkov-I-Vampire-Think-Tank-/181111877075?pt=US_Comic_Books&hash=item2a2b1bedd3

Whats changed?

Syfy Channel is developing the Top Cow Pilot Season 2011 comic “The Test” into a tv show. Spearheaded by Robert Zemeckis. http://www.superherohype.com/news/articles/176113-syfy-developing-comic-the-test-for-television

Diamond Comics Advanced Reorder 4/11/13

One way to gauge how hot a comic is/will be is by the Advanced Reorder list from Diamond Comics. This is a list of books being most reordered by retailers before the publication date of the comic.

This week is a weird one as speculation wise there is not too much. Uber dominates the chart this week for single issues.

1. Doctor Strange The Oath TPB

2. Uber #0 Enhanced Edition – This is the second printing of the hot sold out book.  Avatar  books are greatly under ordered and this one sold out due to the demand and the fact Kieron Gillen is writing it. The Enhanced Edition costs $1 more at $4.99 but features 60 pages.

3. Thanos Rising #2 – Thanos is popular with his appearance in The Avengers movie and all things Guardians of the Galaxy being hot due to the upcoming GoG Movie.

4. Superior Spider-man #9

5. Age of Ultron #2 2nd printing

6. Iron Man #9

7. Amazing Spider-man #700 4th printing

8. Polarity #2 Boom Studios- 1st Issue flew under the radar and sold well now retailers are trying to stock enough of the second issue. Orders usually drop from the 1st to 2nd issue of a book as many people try the first issue and may not continue to pick it up.

9. Wake #1 DC

10. Avatar the Last Air Bender TPB Vol. 5

11. Ten Grand #1 Image- This is the big speculator book of the list. JMS returns to monthly (single issue) comics with the launch of this book. Art by fan favorite Ben Templesmith.

14. Image Firsts Peter Panzerfaust #1 – Try buying a first print of PP for under $300 any more is almost impossible. There was a second print which also commands big bucks.

15. Regular Show Phantom Variant #1 Boom Studios- This is a must buy in any cover. Just look how well Adventure Time did.

25. Ten Grand #1 Bill Sienkiewicz Variant Image- See #11

Batgirl 19: Mainstream comics first transgender character

batgirl

Oh boy here is one that went under the radar and was just announced today. Batgirl #19, which shipped today, has a big reveal. Barbara Gordon’s friend, Alysia Yeoh, tells Bab’s that she is transgender. The reveal happens while Barbara is opening up about her paralysis, the Joker (The Killing Joke), and about the wheel chair ramp in her van. Alysia lets loose that she is transgender.

 

So, big reveal that was not covered in the news, yet. Might be worth picking up. The story just came out about 30 minutes ago.

Saga 12 banned on Apple App store

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Saga #12 drops tomorrow and there is already some controversy on it. Seems that Apple censors have banned the sale of it due to sexual content. Saga has been no stranger to sexual content in the past but this one apparently has graphic male on male sexual content.  You can still buy this one in stores tomorrow. Saga back issues always do well and the added press it’s getting could help fire up the prices on the secondary market.

Pick of the week: Walking Dead 109

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Sure, this is an easy one. Walking Dead issues are a safe bet because of the tv show that has helped drum up interest in the book. But Walking Dead 109 is my pick of the week for several reasons.

1. There is a rumored death. The only thing more popular in Walking Dead than a new character is the death of one.

2. It features a blank sketch variant cover. Even the Walking Dead 50/50 split variant covers have done well on eBay.

3. It is already selling for up to $15 on eBay the day before the release.

So this one is a no brainier. Pick up the Walking Dead 109 tomorrow in your local comic shop. Try for both covers. Especially the blank sketch cover.

So there you go. Happy hunting.

Spoiler alert follows:

No death this issue. It’s Glen’s grave on the cover.

Batman and Robin #19 Carrie Kelley Robin?

Image

Yeah, the same Carrie Kelley that appeared in Frank Miller’s Dark Knight Returns.

Not sure how the story will pan out, but Bleeding Cool reported that there was a print run of 18,000 available through Diamond that have sold out as of Sunday night. This book drops on Wednesday and would be worth picking up.

Diamond Comics Advance Reorder 4/7/13

One way to gauge how hot a comic is/will be is by the Advanced Reorder list from Diamond Comics. This is a list of books being most reordered by retailers before the publication date of the comic.

East of West dominates the list this week:

1. East of West #2- Second issues usually drop off in orders. Retailers are scrambling to get 1st prints of the second issue of this sold out book.

2. East of West #1 2nd Print- Even with a huge print run, even with an over print, even with retailers ordering the book in droves, this book sold out. Expect to see the prices rise on eBay as the initial print run dries out.

3. Guardians of the Galaxy #2 – Movie coming, hot series… need I say more.

4. Jupiters Legacy #1 Cvr A- This one is on the list several times as each cover is listed differently. Expect this one to be big!

5. Batman Incorporated #10 – Fall out from the death of Robin continues to boost interest in this book (But it is still being canceled. )

7. Injustice Gods Among Us #4 – Hype from the video game tie in is still high with early issues selling at multiples of cover price.

8,10,12. Jupiters Legacy #1 Cvr B,C,D – See #4

9. Helheim #2 – 1st issue sold out and doing ok on secondary market. Under ordered 1st issue has sent stores reordering the second.

 

 

 

Buying books other than #1

I read a lot of forum posts, and have seen a trend. People talk about going into stores looking for certain books (Saga, Peter Panzerfaust, Sixth Gun) and not finding the earliest issues. They often state that they had some of the later issues but passed them up. I am not talking about key issues in a run, but just other books in the series worth selling.

 

Why?

We all know Saga 1 and 2 are commanding big bucks, but, Saga 3 and up are pulling in multiples of cover price and worth flipping as well.

Here are some examples of non-#1’s going for good prices

Saga #3 $9-15

Saga #4 $10-15

Saga #5 $14-18

Saga #6 $6-12

Sixth Gun #10 $10-15

Sixth Gun #11 $7-11

Sixth Gun #12 $7-12

Sixth Gun #13 $7-14

Nowhere Men #3 $8-10

Nowhere Men #4 $5-8

 

Just an idea. Do not pass up the chance to buy earlier issues (if you come across them) to sell on eBay. A lot of my sales come from these “other” issues in the run.

 

 

Über #0 from Avatar pick of the week

So my pick of the week is Über #0 from Avatar Comics. It is an alternate history super hero book from Kieron Gillen that comes out tomorrow.

The other important thing to know is it is sold out on the Distributor level. This means shops cannot get additional copies and once they sell out they are out. Prices on the 1 in 4 variant are up to $25 already and the three regular cover sets are going for $20.

Spawn #9

Not sure on this one….

 

Some go unsold and some boom to $50 with bids.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Spawn-9-1st-Print-1st-Appearance-of-Angela-NM-HOT-Age-of-Ultron-/171016001145?pt=US_Comic_Books&hash=item27d1591679

Here is another going for $30+ with a bonus Angela 1

http://www.ebay.com/itm/SPAWN-9-FIRST-APPEARANCE-OF-ANGELA-WITH-FREE-ANGELA-1-ISSUE-VF-NEVER-READ-/221207119573?pt=US_Comic_Books&hash=item3380f8c6d5

And all the completed auctions recently, showing some not selling at all.

http://www.ebay.com/sch/Comics-/63/i.html?_from=R40&_nkw=spawn+9&LH_Complete=1&rt=nc

 

Diamond Comics Advanced Reorders

One way to gauge how hot a comic is/will be is by the Advanced Reorder list from Diamond Comics. This is a list of books being most reordered by retailers before the publication date of the comic.

1. Age of Ultron #6 – This is Marvel’s current big event book. I cannot see too huge of a rise in some of the issues as so many copies have been printed. With Angela being introduced to the 616 it might be worth picking up.

2. Five Ghosts, Haunting of Fabian Gray #2 – Retailers missed out on ordering enough of the first issue but are upping their orders on the second. Did you get the first issue of this book? It’s good, really good. Showing movement on the secondary market already! Phantom Variant by Ben Templesmith to support it.

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3. Batman #18 2nd Printing – Death of Robin fallout, worth picking up the first print if you can still find them.

4. Star Wars #1 4th Printing – The 1st printing saw brisk sales on eBay but has fallen off some with the subsequent reprints.

5. Five Ghosts, Haunting of Fabian Gray #1 2nd Printing – retailers did not order enough of the 1st print and now are covering for people who want this series. (When will retailers learn to up orders on talked about Image books?)

Other Notable entries:

7. Chin Music #1 – A new talked about #1 from Image (looks like they might be learning after all.) This is also another good speculation book as it has been talked about a lot and is being reordered in advance.

10. Miniature Jesus #1 – Another new Image #1 being reordered in advance. Also a speculator pick.

11. Peter Panzerfaust 10 2nd Printing – Hopefully the 1st prints will see an uptick in sales since it is sold out, has a small print run, and is in demand. This has been flat at cover price on eBay since it came out. (Partially due to the fact that “The Croc” was supposed to be introduced and wasn’t.

Well there you go folks. I hope this gives you something to think about and look for.

Walking Dead 108 King Ezekial (and his tiger)

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So we all know Walking Dead back issues equal money. No surprise there. It usually takes a few issues before you start to see a spike in price on the newer issues. Well, Walking Dead 108 is breaking that trend with the introduction of Ezekial and his tiger. Not sure how this character is going to play out, but his first appearance is already spiking in the 2 weeks since the book came out. Currently, the book is selling on average for $6.99-$9.99, with a few exceptions of one that sold for $1.99 (???) and one that sold for $16.99. The price increase started happening over the last three days (March 25-28.) Before March 25th, the book was selling for +/- cover price.

With the introduction of a character who could be a key player (speculation is fun) and the fact the book has already picked up steam on the secondary market, it could be time to visit your LCS and pick up a few extra copies.

I am not saying its dead…..

I am not saying the Comic Price guide model is dead, I am saying it is on life support. Currently, there are no monthly comic book price guides (think Wizard Magazine) that accurately track prices. The big books come out every year, but they do not capture the prices of books that spike before or after the publication of the book. If a book starts spiking on eBay before the book is published, it will not be captured until the next edition. Basically, if you are looking for newer hot books, the price guide model is dead. If you are looking for older books, it still might not be helpful.

Continue reading “I am not saying its dead…..”

House keeping items

In the transition from our old blog to this one I did not put out a couple of books that are heating up, albeit cooling down a little now.  So here is the post as it should have run on the blogspot site

Two books I have been selling like crazy, that the shop owners do not seem to know are hot, are Injustice Gods Among Us and the Black Beetle.

 

Of the two, Black Beetle is my fave. It is a grim and gritty (cliche I know) noir super/science hero. It is very much in the vein of Lobster Johnson. Since the writer/artist Francesco Francavilla did some work for Mignola it is not surprising.

 

The first appearance was in Dark Horse presents 11. There are two covers for this one, the regular fetches around $13 and the Francavilla fetches around $20. There is a 0 issue which reprints the Dark Horse Presents chapters and goes for about $30. The #1 issue is pulling in about $20 (these have dipped a little since i first wrote this but are still commanding a premium.)

 

The second book is a DC video game tie in, Injustice Gods Among Us. The video game has a lot of hype and it has spilled over into the comic back story adaptation. #1 of this book is still sitting on a lot of shelves, mostly because people do not usually buy non-cannon video game tie ins. It is fetching $14-20.

 

This has been an easy flip as the demand for this book is strong.

 

 

 

East of West Jonathan Hickman

So our pick of the week, seems to be everyone’s pick of the week.images

Why is this the pick of the week? It is a new Image book. It is written by fan favorite Jonathan Hickman (Manhattan Projects.) There has not been a lot of press on this book, but it did make the cover of previews.

 

There is a down side. Hickman stated in a recent interview the print run of this one would be 3x his largest Image book. That book was Manhattan Projects which had a print run of 18,000 books. That would place this book at roughly 54,000 copies if you take what he said literally.

 

Still, Saga was promoted more, and had a print run of 37,000 books. People still say “I wish I had gotten more copies of Saga.”

 

I, myself plan on picking up a couple of copies and holding a few in reserve.

The Activity by Nathan Edmondson

activity

Maybe it’s due to the coverage about it’s realism in the USA Today, maybe it’s due to the movie deal tweeted, but Image Comics has another breakout success (on the secondary market that is) with Nathan Edmondson and Mitch Gerards The Activity.  Regardless, the secondary market movement is bringing in new readers to this already growing book.   

This one is seeing huge growth on eBay with issue one closing as high as $61.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/The-Activity-1-Nathan-Edmondson-Mitch-Gerads-Image-Comics-1st-Printing-NM-MT-/171009247243?pt=US_Comic_Books&hash=item27d0f2080b&nma=true&si=5mj2%252BufU%252Btp3i4KO7H3FupFxTeA%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

This 11 issue series, to date, is also seeing some of the other early issues heating up.

here is a #2 in non-nm that closed a few hours after it was listed:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/160996317606?ssPageName=STRK:MESOX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1561.l2649

and a #3 that did the same:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/The-Activity-3-Nathan-Edmondson-Mitch-Gerads-Image-Comics-1St-Print-Htf-Sold-Ou-/160996319411?pt=US_Comic_Books&hash=item257c20e0b3

and a #1 that already has movement with 4 watchers in less than 24 hours:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/The-Activity-1-Nathan-Edmondson-Mitch-Gerads-Image-Comics-1St-Print-Htf-Sold-Ou-/160996313730?pt=US_Comic_Books&hash=item257c20ca82

Seriously not many listed on e-bay. Search your local stores for this one.

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