• When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.

Are trades and hardcover reprints "collectible?"
1 1

58 posts in this topic

Killing Joke first print.

I bought the Stan Lee Marvel Universe? TPB thing that reprinted the

first issues of the keys off a Kmart newsstand in '74? when it came

out. Also Bring on the Bad guys which was a favorite. First TPB type

material I ever saw.

 

See I would consider Killing Joke a Graphic Novel and not a TPB. It is all new material and a self-contained story. A TPB is just a reprint of previous material.

 

I personally think that 99% of TPB will never be worth more than cover price, and will likely be worth much less.

 

Next up would be hardcover trades. Here I would say that 95% will never be worth more than cover price, but their value will hold up a little better than TPB.

 

Omnibus collections and such will hold their value, or perhaps increase slightly because they typically have such low print runs because of their high price.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

About 8 years ago when there was only the first 27 Masterworks and only the first 10 or so were reprinted, the first prints of the remaining 17 titles would go for crazy prices, I remember over $300 for some of the Fantastic Four books.

 

Same happened with Terry & the Pirates reprints. For well over a decade, the only reprints available were the OOP NBM volumes which would fetch decent $$ if you could find them but now with IDW's new collection the prices have plummeted. I recently sold my old set and bought the new collection and took a bath on them :tonofbricks:

 

In the NBM Tarzan reprint series, Volume 15B had lower print with the Ruben Moreira run. The volume can fetch up to $200. Thankfully I walked into a store with a copy last Fall and they sold it to me for cover: $25 :grin:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

See I would consider Killing Joke a Graphic Novel and not a TPB. It is all new material and a self-contained story. A TPB is just a reprint of previous material.

.

 

(thumbs u

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Certain trades and HC's are collectible. Several have been mentioned in this thread. I will also add the Predator vs. Magnus Robot Fighter tpb and the Broadway Comics Fatale HC, off the top of my head, the former averaging about $75 in VF shape and the latter going for $100 when found (although i confess I don't know what it sold for when solicited).

 

The run of the mill, reproduced endlessly tpbs will never be collectible. Special circumstances need to present.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

So I'm curious about this topic. Personally, I do not collect these.

But I like to lurk on Reddit and have been surprised at the number of posts where someone shares a picture of their "collection."

Here is someone's "humble comic collection":

57fe7nmxgm111.jpg

And this isn't really uncommon. A lot of people seem to buy tpbs and consider these their collection. Now, I don't see these having value. And yeah, you can "collect" anything you want. But I still find it strange that people consider themselves comic collectors when they collect tpbs. I don't like the pretentiousness of collectors who frown on other collectors' habits, but still, this is just weird. I guess to each their own, but I'm curious what others think.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm very happy with my shelves full of omniboo and OHCs and Absolutes, etc. The presentation is, in my opinion, often superior to the original issues (nicer paper and all that, you get to see the comic that was created, not what was originally produced, a difference I acknowledge is not for everyone). It complements my actual comic comic collection very nicely, giving me easy access to a huge range of material all the way from the Golden Age to now. 

Value is a different beast. I have omniboo I could easily sell and get $800 or so for. More than a few actually. But there's one rather major pitfall with thinking of them that way: they could be reprinted at any moment, and then that value is close to nothing again. So if you're in it for money, I wouldn't recommend it, but if you're in it for the love of comics, I believe it's a great way to go. A nice oversized hardcover makes for a great presentation, especially when they use a nice paper stock (which doesn't always happen, alas, a big problem with a premium product like this). 

But in the end, you do you. Collect how you want, and let's talk about the true joy of comics: the wonderful stories and art we get to share and enjoy whenever we want. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Great thread! Thanks for resurrecting it! I've been collecting tpb/hc comic books for years now. Such a healthy and untapped market there. The pride of my collection is Creepshow original HC edition.IMG_6622.thumb.PNG.7069c93dec9716a1530ec1e27351accb.PNG

And here's a book I'm currently after.. You can say it's my white whale, and has been for quite some time

IMG_6624.JPG.5052314617d299797cb4501670d56854.JPG

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm not a TPB collector, but I will buy the occasional Omnibus or TPB of a run or story of something I really enjoyed, but don't collect. An example would be, I loved Jonathan Hickman's Avenger/New Avenger run that lead into the latest Secret Wars a couple of years ago. I bought the first Omnibus and the SW Hardcover and am getting the 2nd Omnibus in July. I'll do the same for Jason Aaron's God of Thunder/Mighty Thor run. I'll sell off the floppies after that. It's one way to keep my space tidy and keep focus on what I actually collect vs keeping everything I read.   

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 4/2/2009 at 12:33 PM, mrwoogieman said:

Certain trades and HC's are collectible. Several have been mentioned in this thread. I will also add the Predator vs. Magnus Robot Fighter tpb and the Broadway Comics Fatale HC, off the top of my head, the former averaging about $75 in VF shape and the latter going for $100 when found (although i confess I don't know what it sold for when solicited).

Interesting topic; thanks for bringing it up. With hardcover fiction, first editions matter. With trades, I don't think so. Not yet, anyway. If an aftermarket ever develops for "first editions", that will change.

But rarity still drives most collectors. In that regard, if you find Shooter's "Inherit the Earth" Fatale hardcover for $100, let me know, would you? In 1996, it came out in a 250-copy signed/limited edition at (I think) $50 a pop and was soon followed by a TPB at $14.95. These days, the TPB goes for $40-50 on Amazon (Mile High wants $216 on sale) and the hardcover edition runs $400+ if you can locate one. The only seller I can find on eBay is asking for an optimistic $2499.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

17 minutes ago, Hal Turner said:

Interesting topic; thanks for bringing it up. With hardcover fiction, first editions matter. With trades, I don't think so. Not yet, anyway. If an aftermarket ever develops for "first editions", that will change.

But rarity still drives most collectors. In that regard, if you find Shooter's "Inherit the Earth" Fatale hardcover for $100, let me know, would you? In 1996, it came out in a 250-copy signed/limited edition at (I think) $50 a pop and was soon followed by a TPB at $14.95. These days, the TPB goes for $40-50 on Amazon (Mile High wants $216 on sale) and the hardcover edition runs $400+ if you can locate one. The only seller I can find on eBay is asking for an optimistic $2499.

Yup, been on my search list for many many years

Link to comment
Share on other sites

13 minutes ago, Scrooge said:

Here's just one half of one side of my room … -

 

LOAC Shelfie.jpg

what are all those books along the top row?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 6/2/2018 at 7:33 PM, DavidTheDavid said:

So I'm curious about this topic. Personally, I do not collect these.

But I like to lurk on Reddit and have been surprised at the number of posts where someone shares a picture of their "collection."

Here is someone's "humble comic collection":

57fe7nmxgm111.jpg

And this isn't really uncommon. A lot of people seem to buy tpbs and consider these their collection. Now, I don't see these having value. And yeah, you can "collect" anything you want. But I still find it strange that people consider themselves comic collectors when they collect tpbs. I don't like the pretentiousness of collectors who frown on other collectors' habits, but still, this is just weird. I guess to each their own, but I'm curious what others think.

I would have to be in the same camp with you on this.  I think you opinion matches mine on this matter. And it is not to put there "collection" down or anything. But call it what it is...a graphic novel collection. 

This pattern, that you are seeing more and more of from your findings could just stem from lack of education.  Graphic novels are just a collection of reprinted comic books. They may see the comic book part and just classify it as such without knowing the true diversion.  It is also reasonable that they "the poster" seen others calling it a comic book collection and in turn figured they have one as well.  So in short. Yes it's a collection, but a graphic novel collection.  It would be nice to eductate people on this matter. But bright side is that these stories, collections and art are being a appreciated. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

11 hours ago, nickwire said:

the moore  swamp thing hc's that came out a few years ago actually go for surprisingly big money. 1 is easy but some of the others surprised me

Yeah, mine went up for sale about 5 minutes after I stumbled across a surprising ebay listing, as I had no idea.  I keep meaning to go through the rest of my tpb's to see if there are any other surprises.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 hours ago, kav said:

what are all those books along the top row?

From left to right - Terry and the Pirates then Steve Canyon then after the gap Rip Kirby. Switching to the other bookshelf, first up is Tracy and then Little Orphan Annie.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 hours ago, DavidTheDavid said:

Part of my observation and question is people saying, “Look at my comic collection,” and then showing their tpb collection. I see that repeatedly, and that I find especially confusing,

I understood your comment. I am not surprised. I can't tell you how many articles in the past couple of years I've read about: how to collect comics, what to collect, what's a comic book store and how to survive there. The new collector is not interested in the weekly trip to the LCS but is interested in getting their hands on comic material. The most convenient is the TPB of famous & celebrated comics. To them, that's their "comic collection". Our insanity does not exist within their reality. Let's face it, my wall of Hardcovers is nutty by most standards, just not on these boards. I'd much rather post it here than there :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Trade and HC's are hugely collectible, and many yield a return far greater than their floppy counterparts. Especially these days, when print runs on some HC's and trades will be in the HUNDREDS, and collections go out of print rapidly. Some are reprinted due to demand, but many are not. I collect floppies, but I also collect trades and HC's. They're all comics.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, Scrooge said:

I understood your comment. I am not surprised. I can't tell you how many articles in the past couple of years I've read about: how to collect comics, what to collect, what's a comic book store and how to survive there. The new collector is not interested in the weekly trip to the LCS but is interested in getting their hands on comic material. The most convenient is the TPB of famous & celebrated comics. To them, that's their "comic collection". Our insanity does not exist within their reality. Let's face it, my wall of Hardcovers is nutty by most standards, just not on these boards. I'd much rather post it here than there :)

I do buy these, and it's often because it's easier to read, easier to store, let's me not hunt down the first few issues of a series or story line that I missed. But myself, I generally sell them at some steep discount, like used reading material. 

But yeah, I'm happy with to each his own when it comes to collecting. Collect whatever you want, as long as it's not, you know, mementoes of a serial killer or some such.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
1 1