XxSpideyxX

But we don't know who are buying those issues. I would argue that we essentially have two different audience segments enjoying the movies. The first (the older generation) watch the movies and fuel the back issues that support those movies. The far larger segment (younger generation) watch the movies but are not called to collect the comics, new or otherwise.

August 9th is Book Lover's Day. That includes us, right?

I agree. There is something tangible and real about holding the comics and completing a run or set. That being said, let me ask this Let's say those comics that you own are worth absolutely nothing in terms of monetary value starting right now. Would you still add to the collections? Would you read them differently? Store them differently? Would you slab any? I'm sure you would keep them. That part is not up for debate. But I wonder if you would store them or read them the same way? I think (whether we want to admit it or not) we feel some inherent monetary value/investment in our comics. Despite AND because of our love for them I'm certainly not trying to argue with you because I agree with you fully. It just matters to me that these comics are worth SOMETHING beyond sentimental value and I hope they at least remain to do so.

I guess that's my problem. I love to death the very few comics I own. But it's honestly hard to feel good about spending a ton of money on them, when I can essentially read them all for free or under a dollar if I really want to. Why I buy the comics I do basically boils down to two reasons: 1) I want to own the best version of the "original" versions of the comic books that I can afford because they have strong sentimental value to me. 2) I see these as an investment in some form. Whether it be to pass along to my children as a way to remember me, or a way to provide on rainy day when all else fails. Let's not kid ourselves. We slab these books to preserve them, but also to help us have a better objective idea of their worth. We can't really "enjoy" all these books have to offer books if they are permanently sealed. We slab to protect, give objective value, and, if not to sell, then to pass down. So I buy the comics because I love and enjoy them, but I deliberately choose the more expensive option. It isn't good enough for me if it isn't tangible and real. And if I'm going to spend in some cases a 1000 times more for the same version of something I can read on my phone, I want it not be money wasted in 10-20 years. I'm certainly not trying to use these as a retirement fund, but I also hope I'm not completely wasting money. In a way, it's like a home improvement. You do it primarily because you want to enjoy it, but you also want it to, in the very least, not depreciate the value of your home

There seem to be two independent conversations going on here, and I'm not sure how much they each actually relate to one another. The first being that superhero movies are a fad in the cinematic genre and will die out to some (large?) degree. With this sentiment, I tend to agree. If we look at popular movie genres over the years, there has also been a trend of genre popularity every 10 years or so. Very generally speaking, cinema saw genres gain and lose popularity every decade since sound entered the picture. We had romantic comedies in the 30s, film noir in the 40s, westerns in the 50s, rebellion movies in the 60s, disaster films in the 70s, adventure films in the 80s, dramas in the 90s, and superheroes this decade. Of course, each of these respective genres have continued with spattered success, but nothing like the popularity they experienced in their prime decade. So yes, I think superhero movies will decrease in popularity starting now. But I'm not sure we can correlate that to back issues we all own today. We haven't seen an increase in comic book sales as a result of the increased popularity of superhero films. We've actually seen the opposite. What this means (to me) is that the films aren't driving comic sales. But again, I hope I'm wrong!

Maybe I'm misunderstanding either or both of you, but I think you are actually in agreement I believe Marvel Maniac was was saying that the back issues that are in high demand now ( Gold/Silver/Early Bronze) are that way because they weren't artificially cost inflated or offered with those other cheap marketing gimmicks that plague comics today as you point out

Yes, I am in agreement with all of this. An apt comparison might be to what generations before us collected that failed to pass down to us. Stamps? 🤓 Baseball cards? 😎 Playboy magazines? 😳

AF 15

Excellent points and I love your insight! I think this sentence kind of summarizes the point I'm trying to make Right now, I would argue these Golden/Silver/and Bronze age books are doing well in the market because those of us old enough to have disposable income are finally able to spend it on what is nostalgic for us. But, if "kids these days" aren't buying comics (new or old), there will be no nostalgia left for them in comics by the time they are our age. Without the market support, the values will plummet. I'm certainly okay with change and realize I have a different value in these books than any of my friends or family, but my passion for these heroes and this format really makes me want to help it survive for generations to come. Since the passing of Stan Lee, I feel comic books have lost the single brightest torch-bearer and mouthpiece for this market.

We have seen older comics skyrocket in value over the past 10-20 years. We've seen it with historic auction prices for key issues and with the added value that comes with universal grading services that are offered by the likes of CGC. Moreover, up until this point, we have seen the (back issue) comic book market stand relatively impervious to economic trends. However, I am concerned with something I am noticing with today's millennial generation and younger. While Hollywood superhero movies are doing better than ever at the box office, new sales within the comic book industry itself are steadily declining: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/22/business/media/comic-book-publishers-streaming.html A simple personal anecdote exemplifies some of this: While I grew up in the 80s and 90s buying every new Spider-Man issue and reading them cover to cover every month, my 11 year old son is hardly interested in picking up and reading a comic. This is despite my obvious passion. He loves superheroes. He watches the movies, plays the video games, draws the pictures, but he has no interest in buying and reading the comics like I was at his age. And, as the referenced NYT article points out, he isn't alone. Comics (for him) are an intermediary way to fill in entertainment gaps, not create them. Brick and mortar comic book stores are becoming more and more like Blockbuster in their scarcity. Even digital comic sales or "streaming" books aren't proving to be the solution that successfully offered in the movie industry in order to address consumers' ever-growing instant gravitation needs and low-attention span thresholds. What does/will this trend mean? I'm now 40. And while I still love comics, I'm more focused on that which I enjoyed in my youth. Not the newer stuff. I have the financial resources to buy older issues I enjoyed or wanted to enjoy as a kid. So while I am still supporting and thus inflating the value of back issues, I see it as a dying market. As we get older, and the younger generations replace us in terms of discretionary spending, what value or reason will they have in buying into a medium they never enjoyed as a youth? I'm not saying that comics like AF 15 or Super-Man 1 will drastically fall in value, but I expect we certainly won't see the economic trajectory that we have seen. Sure, there are limited numbers of these older issues. That will help. But if there is no inherent interest in those issues, what will that matter? Just like stamps, or baseball cards, will comics become a reminder of a bygone time in cultural history? In other words, when my 11 year old and others of his generation are my age, will they care (and thus value) as much as we do about older comics? I'm definitely not saying we should all dump our collections and run for the hills. But just pondering something that has been bothering me for a little while. I hope my intuition is wrong. Or at least someone can argue it is and help me feel better

I’m new to encapsulation. Are there any ‘recalls’ that we know of regarding cases deteriorating over time or perhaps updates in encapsulation methods/materials that warrant re-slabbing? We all know plastic is a chemical and deteriorates over time. ln the absence of any specific identified dates of known defects or improper methods, is there a general rule of thumb for replacing slabs? The reason I ask is that I bought a comic that was slabbed in 2011. While the condition of the slab appears to be perfect, I’m curious if I need to update the casing every so often.

Sage, I appreciate your reply I should have specified...being they are all (I think) high grade, would the investment serve me better to slab them rather than leave them bagged/boarded. I won't necessarily display them like I do my other key issues, so for me it would purely be a monetary gamble. But if having them slabbed improves my changes of having a better sale when the time comes, I may go ahead and do it

Hello! First off: I'm not really a collector. I love Spider-Man and have nice high-grade issues of a couple of my favorite comics (33, 39, and 50). I have them encapsulated mostly so that I can display them and one day give them to my kids in hopes they are of either monetary or sentimental value for them. That beings said, I have a full set of "Kraven's Last Hunt" that are only bagged and boarded. They are all in really good shape. I would say at least a 9.2 each. And all non-newsstand editions. I'm wondering if it is worth encapsulating this set? This would be purely for financial purposes of selling one day to get the Silver Age Spidey books I really like I bought the full set in hopes of them going up in value if they ever do a cinematic version of "Last Hunt," which I imagine one day will happen. Thoughts?

Oh okay thank you.

Small world! Well, thank you! Excited to own this! Just sent you a question on EBay re: pressing

Oh cool! So I just bought it from you?

Oh cool! So I just bought it from you?

This comic was graded in 2011. Any idea why I can’t purchase the notes to it?

Does joeypost do pressings and cleaning? Sorry, I'm new to this community

hahaha I worry CGC will be more strict and downgrade me more! LOL

Thank you!

Thank you! Care to elaborate?

ASM 50 is my favorite comic of all time. I would love to have at least an 8.0 copy, but can't afford to buy it. I have a 7.5 version that I love. The book has two current conditions that I'm hoping may be improved with a clean and press. What do you think?The cover has 2" crease along the top that "barely breaks color" There is also some "light dirt" on the back cover than I'm hoping can be removed. Together, I'm wondering if this would bring the book up by .5. I wouldn't see a grade upgrade for a full or extended color break, but to my eyes, the color break is only around a cm or two.I tried to take some pictures of the crease and the dirt.What do you think? Notes:spine wear & stress breaks colorlight edge wear, bends & few creaseslight dirt back cover, small rust stains back cover spine2" crease top spine front cover barely breaks color, bends through to back cover

Interest in 119 if you can DM me

DM me. Interested