COMIC ASSETS: What happens to my collection now?

[Gabriel Diaz]

How’s it going? Sorry for the long hiatus but honestly, it’s been rough. Let’s get into it shall we?

Amazing Spider-Man has gone through a huge revamp. Fans have already articulated how they feel about it, I’m not going to get into it. We’re here for one thing only, collecting. As such I’m going to break down the thing that most serious collectors are going to be worried about for the foreseeable future, their long standing run of Spider-Man comics.

The immediate past seems to be the most affected by this shift. JMS put together what can be considered by many, an excellent run for the series. Heck, he put Spider-Man back on the map as much as the movies did. Yes he had some misses (Sins Past and Skin Deep, come to mind) but for the most part it’s a thoroughly enjoyable run that added layers to the back story of everyone’s favorite everyman hero.

The question is, are these issues worth anything anymore. You look at the black issue, which dealt with the 9/11 disaster, and you know that it’s an issue that will always strike a cord with fans and readers. It’s an issue that will continue to maintain its staying power because of how human it made not only Spider-Man but the other heroes of the Marvel Universe that make their homes in New York. It’s an issue that’s safe.

Look at the rest of the run and you start seeing that the downward tread has started. Look at Amazing Spider-Man (Vol. 2) #30, which is the first issue of the JMS run as well as the introduction of Morlun and Ezekiel, and the issues has already dropped to ten dollars whereas a few months ago it was about twenty. The question is, is this because of the change in the status quo or because of the ire of fans in over what’s happened?

(Quick disclaimer: I don’t get any of my prices from Wizard, so if you’re reading this and looking at the prices there, you will notice a discrepancy. Be warned. These prices are coming from various online price guides as well as talking to store vendors. Well, maybe not Mark…)

The rest of the run by JMS has not moved much. However, this is just the beginning of the fallout from what can arguably be the biggest change in comics. I know that sounds trite but you have to understand that many of the changes that JMS did are now swept under the run. The poignant issue where Aunt May and Peter sit down and talk out his secret identity is now moot. It was seeking up to sixteen dollars will probably be worth less than toilet paper in a couple of months.

Is this harsh? A little but it’s the truth. A change in the manner that this one’s been done has really change the landscape of the background of the character.

The Wedding Issue? Not worth much anymore.

Mary Jane knows he’s Peter Parker? Not worth much anymore.

Venom issues? Those are still in the air as some of the continuity issues creep their heads up but remember that Venom has always known who Spider-Man is. He put the lives of Spider-Man’s family on the line plenty of times. So now you’re looking at several different issues as well. I would hold onto these for the time being as honestly, they are good reads.

The other factor of this ‘fire sale’ is just that. Are you collecting simply because it’s an investment or are you collecting because the stories that were told about Peter Parker and his family bring a tear to your eye and make you have a laugh every once in a while.

The issues done by Joe Quesada are currently not successful. I say this in a money standpoint as looking at several sites I’ve seen that the alternate covers done have gone down in price. This is unusual as the variant cover market has always been hot and heavy. To lose money on variant covers really tells you that the standard edition covers will not see much growth in the foreseeable future.

There is one comic that is going to drive continuity lovers bonkers and that’s a little something called Spider-Man: Swing Shift. It was thrown out during FCBD last year, it was supposed to be an out of continuity story that had no relevance to the comic itself but it appears that it’s no longer the case. The latest issues of Spider-Man Post OMD notate it as a point in the story where Spider-Man and one of Mr.Negative’s lackeys had a run in, that makes it part of the cannon. For those that already got that freebie, this is great news as you now officially have the first appearance of new continuity Spider-Man. For the rest of us that means possibly ponying up big bucks to see it be part of our collection.

“But Gabe, it’s a FREE comic book! What money are you talking about?”

Pay attention class, there’s a quiz at the end. Seriously, you’re going to run into one of three scenarios. The first, you go to your comic store, ask them if they have a copy and they say that they tossed out their extras with the garbage or as Halloween handouts for kids. The second, you run into your comic store and they DO have it but they’ve actually put a PRICE on the free comic book and you have to pony up the money because technically after free comic book day, the vendors can do whatever they want with the comic. The last thing you’re going to run into? Ebay or a private collector that has that piece of the puzzle you want that they will part with, for a price.

The other part of the puzzle is this. Several retailers are stating that subscription owners have dropped Amazing Spider-Man from their pull box but Marvel is stating that they had a sell out of the first few issues of the new status quo. Now in the 90s when Marvel was under Chapter 11, they had low print runs on many of the titles that they produced. While the quality of the work might not have been outstanding, the issues themselves warrant some money because it’s difficult to come up with pristine copies of the issues in question. Brand New Day may see the opposite effect here because if Diamond has sold out of copies, then that means that the shop owners are stuck with a plethora of copies of the newer issues. Yes the media has been speculating about what’s going on and has shined a light into the comic world, but how long do you think the lookee-loos are going to last? Surely not long enough to warrant the massive amounts of copies that are going to be available to the public. So you’re probably going to see a decrease in pricing for the new issues, no matter what ends up showing up on the pages of Spider-Man.

It’s not going to be pretty I’ll tell you that.

The forecast is always going to be cloudy ladies and gentlemen. I will say this though, if you want to BUY now is the time. Selling, I would hold off on. That is if you’re in it for the money. Personally? Regardless of my stance on what’s going on in the comic, the issues of the comic that I do presently have will continue to be in my collection. I’ve said it before; I’m not in it for the money.

So what will YOU do with your Spider-Man comics? Are you going to line your bird cage? Try to make some money back? Stare at them longingly and talk to the younger readers of when you knew a Spider-Man that was married? Will you just look at this as another fad that will pass in time and continue to just read what you like?

Whatever the case, don’t forget to check out the pricing on some of the comics that I mentioned to you, see if you notice a trend.




New Classic:
Whatever you may think of the storyline itself or what the outcome was, we all have to agree that One More Day part 4 has changed the status quo for the near future. As such, it may hold and increase in value. Take that with a grain of salt as Super-man has seen several changes in the past decade or so. Death of Superman and Blue/Red Superman come to mind. Nothing in comics is forever but until it changes, it may be something that you want to take a close look at. Approximate Value: $4.00 (Both versions)













Golden Oldie:
Okay, not so old really but it still bears to be mentioned. Spider-Man Vol.2 #30 brought on board, arguably, one of the best tandems to ever handle Spider-Man since the original duo. JMS brought many things to the table and JRJR poured his heart and soul into every page. The cover by Campbell just sums it up as you know, looking at just the cover, that things aren’t going to be the same for the webhead. Truly, a good investment. Approximate Value: $10.00





Waiting in the box:
Astonishing X-Men #24
Ultimates 3 #2
X-Men #207
Young Avengers Presents #1

[chrismozer]

Was there a decrease in value of Amazing Spider-Man #122 once Marvel bought Norman Osborne back from the dead?

I don't think continuity gives comics value. Value is give due to:
a) scarcity

b) intro/origin/death of someone. Death may be scratched from the list as death means nothing in the Marvel Universe. Tangent thought: What if Mephisto gave Peter the choice of Aunt May croaking or bringing back Uncle Ben?

This is only my opinion.

[marshmellaw1982]

Value is merely a factor of supply and demand...not continuity.

EDIT: Partially strike that...intrinsic value is sa price, or attraction, that you place on the comic itself...for yourself. Financial value is a factor of supply and demand. If nobody wants to buy your rare, variant, diecut, cameo appearance issue, even though it's rare, it's not worth much. If EVERYONE wants to buy your at-one-time-FREE-of-charge-and-widely published, yet readily-available issue, it's worth more... simply because people want to obtain it. Thus, those people are willing to shell out some hard earned loot for it.

PS, I'm on ebay in another window looking for this freebie as I type.

[chrismozer]

Originally Posted by marshmellaw1982

Value is merely a factor of supply and demand...not continuity.

EDIT: Partially strike that...intrinsic value is sa price, or attraction, that you place on the comic itself...for yourself. Financial value is a factor of supply and demand. If nobody wants to buy your rare, variant, diecut, cameo appearance issue, even though it's rare, it's not worth much. If EVERYONE wants to buy your at-one-time-FREE-of-charge-and-widely published, yet readily-available issue, it's worth more... simply because people want to obtain it. Thus, those people are willing to shell out some hard earned loot for it.

PS, I'm on ebay in another window looking for this freebie as I type.

there is only one on ebay that i found!!

And i agree that the only value anything can obtain is that which is given to it by the purchaser.

[Gabriel Diaz]

Yes this is true but you both have also presented my case by going out and getting something that has to do with the storyline.

While continuity may not change the value of a comic, the desire for back issues will change with the change of continuity. Both of you running out and looking for Swing Shift just proved it.

[chrismozer]

Originally Posted by Gabriel Diaz

Yes this is true but you both have also presented my case by going out and getting something that has to do with the storyline.

While continuity may not change the value of a comic, the desire for back issues will change with the change of continuity. Both of you running out and looking for Swing Shift just proved it.

I didn't run out and buy it. I just wanted to see how many people were gonna try to cash in by listing it on Ebay.

[chrismozer]

Look what is on sale next Wednesday

http://www.midtowncomics.com/Neshop/...%28WutNgxgn%3F

[Michael Bailey]

I don't know. After Man of Steel in 1986 did certain back issues of the various Superman books go down in value? I would think that the first Kandor or the first Brainiac or the Kryptonite No More story were all still worth more than an average bronze age issue where Superman fights the Galactic Golem for the fifth time.

I see your point, though. Undoing the marriage like this does kind of suck, but I don't know if it ruins the value of the back issues or the worth of those stories.

[chrismozer]

To show the value of back issues....sold the entire 13 chapter storyline of Messiah Complex. Got $24.00 for the set. That's less then i paid.

To show more value...sold ASM #546, 547 and the Free Comic Book Day Spider-man for a grand total of......$4.25. Once again...less then i paid.


As i was never gonna read any of them ever again i tell myself it beats tossing them in the trash.