Larry’s Comics Market Report
Every Tuesday Larry Doherty from Larryscomics.net in Lowell, MA puts out a market report of books that are selling well in his shop and books that are heating up the secondary market. He also speculates on new books. (We tend to think most of the same books are worth picking up.) We will be running his mini-blog post each week. Here is this weeks:
Top ten
Regular issue new comics by sales:
These are the top ten new comics sold by volume in my shop this week. My shop. A medium volume, single storefront destination location in Lowell, MA. I’m certain Phat Collectables list is different, as is Coast City Comics. These are my actual sales.
#1 – Age of Ultron #6. ”Alpha Dog”. Marvel Universe altering time travel story sold like mad!
#2 – Superior Spider-Man #8. Twists, turns, fun in the Octo-Pete saga.
#3 – Justice League #19. Proof that DC fans want Icons. ( not Vibe )
#4 – Nova #3. Fans digging this new take on an old character.
#5 – Savage Wolverine. It boggles the mind how EVERY cover looks the same.
#6 -Nightwing #19 . Let’s call it Batman runoff, shall we?.
#7 -Wolverine & the X-Men #27 AU. Great Marvel crossover!
#8 – Green Lantern New Guardians #19. DC on life support.
#9 – Cable & X-force #7. Great cover! Cyclops has NEVER been more popular.
#10 -Five Ghosts #2. Indy rock star of the day. Under-ordered. Positive buzz.
Top “ten-ish.”Regular issue new ( last year ) comics by aftermarket:
Modern comics that are seeing aftermarket activity. Ebay, Amazon, CGC boards, Bleeding Cool, conventions & my Phantom retailer network of 25+ shops are the primary source of this information. Not the top selling books in comic stores, rather the currently published, modern books that are selling above cover price for a variety of reasons. Prices are so volatile, in some cases they are out of date upon publication. This is just a guide, you figure them out. It’s simple, search E-Bay under completed auctions:
Rachel Rising #1. Yeah, rising in price due to TV rumors. Up to $200
Pilot Season Declassified #1 & The Test #1. TV development is stirring interest.
Uber #0. Nazi shock violence for the sale of shock violence
Polarity #1. This band tie in dual collectable.
East of West #1 is a rock solid $10 it’s week of release.
Nowhere Men Fabulous word of mouth. Under-ordered. #1-$30, #2-$20, #3-$10
Peter Panzerfaust. Rumored stop motion animated show for BBC Low Print run.
Black Beetle Pulp-esque hit by Francesco Francavilla & Dark Horse #0,#1-$7
Helheim #1 regular #1. Obscure indy publisher. Low print run. Killer material. $6
Injustice #1. This video game tie in hasn’t even begun. Great word of mouth. $25
Hawkeye. Recent trade release should quiet down this back issue juggernaut.
The Sixth Gun. NBC TV show has put the spotlight on this indy gem.
Mind MGMT. The recent movie development news has fans scrambling. #1-$50
Saga. This is the title defines the recent Image revival. #1-$75
Amazing Spider-Man #700. Top volume wall book sold this week. $10. Everybody wants the last issue.
Five Ghosts #1. Positive word of mouth.
The Activity #1. Movie rumors have this once stagnant book at $20
Top ten “ish” up & coming modern Key issues.
Modern comics that are just starting to see aftermarket movement. Books that were recently not in demand, and are finally experiencing aftermarket activity for a variety of reasons.
Dark Knight Returns #2. First full in costume Carrie Kelly.
Annihilation Conquest #6, First Movie Guardians team.
Wolverine #166. 1st appearance Dog
Uncanny X-Men #282. First Bishop.
Guardians of the Galaxy 24 & 25 (vol 2), return of Thanos.
X-Factor #5 & 6. First Apocalypse. Rumored villain in upcoming X-movie
Batman #7. First full appearance Harper Row. Rumored new Robin.
Captain America vol 5 #6. First full appearance of the Winter Soldier
Top ten modern Key issues at my shop.
Modern comics that sell off my wall constantly. My shop sales are primarily new material, & my back issue sales tend to be related. I have a waiting list for most of these books.
Kimota! All Miracleman issues have been flying amidst Marvel rumors.
Walking Dead #1. The undisputed king of the modern era. Actually ANY WD pre 100.
Marvel Super Hero Presents #18. Guardians are really heating up. $50+
New Mutants #98. 1st Deadpool. $100 king of the modern X keys.
Uncanny X-Men #266. 1st Gambit is always a $40 instant sale.
Uncanny X-Men #141 &142. Days of future past movie source
Captain Marvel #33 – Origin of Thanos $50
Incredible Hulk #271. 1st comic book App Rocket Raccoon. $50
Nova #1. The new marvel series has fans scrambling for this relatively inexpensive bronze age key. $25
Batman Harley Quinn. Iconic Alex Ross cover $50
Infinity Gauntlet, War, Crusade, Abyss. Thanos, Thanos Thanos.
The Killing Joke. It’s simply the best Joker wall book in the 25 year history of my shop. $25
Batman Animated #12. Every Bat fan wants the first appearance of Harley Quinn. $85
My Top ten “ish” under-valued modern comics.
These are books I’m speculating will soon see aftermarket activity, & are currently under-valued in my humble opinion, some may even be found in the bargain bins. I want to buy these books on the cheap. They’re long-shots.
Eric O’ Grady key’s: Irredeemable Ant Man #1-12, Secret Avengers #23 & #32
Marvel Red Sonja #1. Gail Simone is taking over Dynamite series.
Rom #1. IDW just untangled the rights. If Nova & Ms Marvel can get hot, why the hell not Rom?
Starlord #1 the special edition 1982. first comic appearance of Star Lords father J’son of Spartax
Uncanny X-Men #172-3.Movie source material with Mariko Yashida
New X-Men #134. First Quentin Quire.
Spawn #9 & Angela #1-3. Marvel will be publishing material with Angela.
Star Brand #1. First New Universe & brand/tattoo: The Star Brand.
Thor #344. First appearance Malekith ( In upcoming Thor-2 movie )
Invaders vol 2 #1. First Dr. Nemesis
Uncanny X-men #317. First Blink. In upcoming X movie.
Marvel Point One. First Sam Alexander Nova
Battle Scars #1 & #6. First full Phil Coulson & Marcus Johnston.
Iron Man #10. First Pepper Potts as Rescue.
Young Avengers #1. First Kate Bishop. My favorite Marvel female.
Ms Marvel #1. She’s rumored to be in Avengers 2 movie.
Ultimate Team Up #5. First African American Nick Fury in comics.
Captain America #157. first appearance of Viper
Batman Beyond Unlimited #3. First Luke Fox in comics. New Batwing. (The armor appears to be a Beyond armor prototype.) The first new 52 version of Luke Fox is Batwing #19
Deathshead appearances. Absolute quarter box fodder. I’m currently researching which to buy.
Top ten modern variant comics by aftermarket:
Variants are versions of the regular issue comic. They are NOT regular issue comics.
They are distributed / created for a variety of reasons.
Order incentive / retailer incentive, produced exclusively for shops/shows,events.
Adventure Time Marvel parodies. Delightful. $35+
Star Wars #1 Alex Ross sketch. Promo, limit one per Diamond account. $100+
Polarity #1. Strong debut. 1:10 $10, 1:25 $15
East of West #1 Forbidden Planet $30, ComicsPro/Ghost $15
Batman #1. Dc’s flagship title. $50
Nowhere Men #1 Thought Bubble, ComicsPro, CBLDF.
Skottie Young marvel Babys. fans simply adore these.
Hellheim #1 NYCC $50, ECCC $100
Blank sketch covers. There seems to be an insatiable need for these by auto / sketch seekers.
Five Ghosts #1 ECCC. $50+
Spawn homage covers.
Phantom variants. You know you love them. Generally sold $3.99 in shop sell for $10 online.
Incoming!
My pick of the week. The comic shipping this week that will be worth your valuable speculator consideration, and why.
TMNT ONGOING #21
IDEA & DESIGN WORKS LLC
(W) Tom Waltz, Kevin Eastman (A/CA) Kevin Eastman
In this special issue drawn by TMNT co-creator Kevin Eastman, the Turtles have struggled to survive against unstoppable enemies and impossible odds. The time has come for the next stage of their training to begin. The lesson turns deadly, though, when a mysterious new opponent arrives and teaches the Turtles they have MUCH left to learn!
Kevin Eastman returning to the Turtles?!
Ok, I’m in.
Twenty+ year old property collected by Twenty somethings that now have jobs & disposable income.
Word on the street is that Eastman is hungry to make the Turtles better than ever. Big story lines coming that will attract a lot of attention. It starts here.
It was overlooked by retailers & is already out of stock at the distributor level.
A lot of people ask me why I like to speculate on modern comic books. Original Art, Gold, Silver & Bronze age comics are a much better investment. I’m a comic book fan, a voracious reader of new material. I love how new books set the pace for back issues. It is fast paced & never stagnant due to the constant release of new material. Right now modern comics are the petri dish of pop culture, comic shops the breeding ground.
I have been collecting comics since the 1970′s & been in the business of selling them since the 1980′s. I love a quality story & a great buy, equally.
I speculate on new comics every week. I always have & I always will. Purchasing modern comic books with the intent of making a profit is my hobby of choice. It’s impossible that every new comic week will generate a book of “Walking Dead class” potential, but it’s still fun to try to make savvy buys. You can sit back & wait for aces, or you can play the hand your dealt to the best of your ability.
Sometimes, I’m right. Sometimes I’m wrong, but I play every week.
If you enjoy this new micro-blog format of my weekly market report.
Please re-tweet it. Post it online.
Thanks to Jim Parente at Finar comics for his help with this weeks report.
If you notice a trend developing email me: larryscomicsinc@aol.com
Larry Doherty can be reached at:
LarrysComics.net
LarrrysComicsInc@aol.com
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