Moderns that are heating up on ebay! 70 70

[the blob]

25 minutes ago, Wolverinex said:

That's a good question.   It's definitely not as rare as Cerebus 1 or TMNT 1 first print.  @valiantman may know.    I do know it's hard to  find in   NM though.

 

Btw,  Cerebus 1 has gotten so crazy that a counterfeit Cerebus 1 just sold for 900 dollars!  

A cgc 9.6 sold for $150 within the last 2 years, I believe. A 9.2 for under $70 about a year ago. I never pull the trigger on stuff when it interests me the first time. I know I was thinking about getting a nice copy, but $150 seemed like big money! Now it seems like nothing.

Edited March 26, 2021 by the blob

[MetalPSI]

1 hour ago, jsilverjanet said:

 

bingo and rarity

regular are the more desirable before why should that change now

My LCS growing up was also a used book store. When the deluxe and direct editions came out, they didn't even bother with the regulars or newsstands anymore.

[Corona smith]

1 hour ago, the blob said:

seriously, i can't find the time to actually organize my collection because every week there is another batch of hot books i need to hunt for

I try and buy them before they’re hot. Unless your saying you seek out cheap copies of hot books. 

[valiantman]

1 hour ago, the blob said:

1 hour ago, Wolverinex said:

There's no question FQ 1 is undervalued and that would have been a really smart move. 

Just wait and it will pop like the other hard to  find independents.. just Like Crow 1, Comico Primer, etc...  

thing is, it doesn't seem that hard to find, or maybe what is there is constantly for sale? any idea what the print run was? i think the problem with some of these 1980s indies vs. nowadays is that they might have printed extras to sell as back issues if the book took off. Not everyone was operating on a shoestring budget and could only print a few thousand like Cerebrus and TNMT

Notes on ElfQuest...

Fantasy Quarterly #1 (1978) - 1st ElfQuest, published by Independent Publishers Syndicate (IPS shut down after this one comic) - there are 334 copies CGC graded with 63 in CGC 9.8

No reprints of Fantasy Quarterly #1 by IPS, the first ElfQuest story would be reprinted later (after ElfQuest #3).

ElfQuest #2 (1978) - 2nd ElfQuest, first ElfQuest published directly by Wendy and Richard Pini (WaRP Graphics) - there are 11 copies CGC graded and zero in CGC 9.8 - the first printing has a $1.00 cover price

ElfQuest #2 went to a 2nd printing ($1.25 cover) and 3rd printing ($1.50 cover)

ElfQuest #3 was next, and eventually ElfQuest #1 was created by WaRP Graphics reprinting the story from Fantasy Quarterly #1.  (All of these have $1.00 first printing, $1.25 second printing, $1.50 third printing)

 

There's no doubt that Fantasy Quarterly #1 is the first ElfQuest, but the fact that the creators immediately created their own publishing company (disappointment with IPS?) makes me more interested in ElfQuest #2 ($1.00 cover).

Thrown in the fact that there are so many fewer copies of ElfQuest #2 and the back issue price is currently so much lower on ElfQuest #2, and it seems like a "reverse TMNT" where it's the Gobbledygook #1 (Fantasy Quarterly #1) that's relatively common and the TMNT #1 (ElfQuest #2) that's much harder to find.  Then throw in the fact that they had to go to 2nd and 3rd printings for ElfQuest #2, and it's even more like TMNT #1.

The creators themselves decided that Fantasy Quarterly #1 (IPS) wasn't good enough (publication quality) and reprinted as ElfQuest #1 later under their own company (WaRP Graphics).

Imagine if Cerebus was first published by some low-quality publisher, then a much scarcer second issue was published directly by Sim (and every issue after was a Sim publication).

Sure, he'd have to admit that Cerebus #2 isn't the "first Cerebus", but that would be like constantly reminding someone they made a mistake 40+ years ago.

That's ElfQuest. 

Fantasy Quarterly #1 was the mistake, and ElfQuest #2 ($1.00 cover) was the actual first step in the right direction for 40+ years. 

 

[jsilverjanet]

2 minutes ago, Corona smith said:

I try and buy them before they’re hot. Unless your saying you seek out cheap copies of hot books. 

i believe he has all the books already and by the time he goes looking for one and finds it, the other one gets hot

[the blob]

14 minutes ago, Corona smith said:

I try and buy them before they’re hot. Unless your saying you seek out cheap copies of hot books. 

finding them in my own boxes

[the blob]

11 minutes ago, jsilverjanet said:

i believe he has all the books already and by the time he goes looking for one and finds it, the other one gets hot

seriously, yes, i just looked for machine man 19 the other day and now machine man 7 is hot

I go through a misc box and pull the stuff that got hot, but in another week or two there are more books on the list!!

most of the big marvel titles are at least separated by character, mostly, but the misc stuff is spread out over 15+ boxes. and DC, forget it, i only separated out Batman at this point.

and x-men is every mutant book except wolverine and deadpool, so it is like 6 boxes... ditto all my spidey titles... and they aren't in chron order yet

 

[the blob]

17 minutes ago, valiantman said:

Notes on ElfQuest...

Fantasy Quarterly #1 (1978) - 1st ElfQuest, published by Independent Publishers Syndicate (IPS shut down after this one comic) - there are 334 copies CGC graded with 63 in CGC 9.8

No reprints of Fantasy Quarterly #1 by IPS, the first ElfQuest story would be reprinted later (after ElfQuest #3).

ElfQuest #2 (1978) - 2nd ElfQuest, first ElfQuest published directly by Wendy and Richard Pini (WaRP Graphics) - there are 11 copies CGC graded and zero in CGC 9.8 - the first printing has a $1.00 cover price

ElfQuest #2 went to a 2nd printing ($1.25 cover) and 3rd printing ($1.50 cover)

ElfQuest #3 was next, and eventually ElfQuest #1 was created by WaRP Graphics reprinting the story from Fantasy Quarterly #1.  (All of these have $1.00 first printing, $1.25 second printing, $1.50 third printing)

 

There's no doubt that Fantasy Quarterly #1 is the first ElfQuest, but the fact that the creators immediately created their own publishing company (disappointment with IPS?) makes me more interested in ElfQuest #2 ($1.00 cover).

Thrown in the fact that there are so many fewer copies of ElfQuest #2 and the back issue price is currently so much lower on ElfQuest #2, and it seems like a "reverse TMNT" where it's the Gobbledygook #1 (Fantasy Quarterly #1) that's relatively common and the TMNT #1 (ElfQuest #2) that's much harder to find.  Then throw in the fact that they had to go to 2nd and 3rd printings for ElfQuest #2, and it's even more like TMNT #1.

The creators themselves decided that Fantasy Quarterly #1 (IPS) wasn't good enough (publication quality) and reprinted as ElfQuest #1 later under their own company (WaRP Graphics).

Imagine if Cerebus was first published by some low-quality publisher, then a much scarcer second issue was published directly by Sim (and every issue after was a Sim publication).

Sure, he'd have to admit that Cerebus #2 isn't the "first Cerebus", but that would be like constantly reminding someone they made a mistake 40+ years ago.

That's ElfQuest. 

Fantasy Quarterly #1 was the mistake, and ElfQuest #2 ($1.00 cover) was the actual first step in the right direction for 40+ years. 

 

FQ 1 does not look bad for the era. Looks higher quality than Cerebus. I guess they didn't like it being all newsprint? Obviously the colors pop a lot better on what they put out later.

A lot of folks outright misrepresenting later Elfquest 2 prints as 1sts...

[valiantman]

12 minutes ago, the blob said:

FQ 1 does not look bad for the era. Looks higher quality than Cerebus. I guess they didn't like it being all newsprint? Obviously the colors pop a lot better on what they put out later.

A lot of folks outright misrepresenting later Elfquest 2 prints as 1sts...

Just a matter of education, really.  Elfquest #2, #3, #4, and even #1, aren't 1st printings unless they're $1.00 (or $1.).  Anything higher is a later printing.

[Corona smith]

Most of mine is sorted alphabetically. I do have about the equivalent of 8 long boxes of unsorted stuff which I’m working on integrating into the rest of the collection. So it’s a pain when it’s in the very last box you end up checking. A victory of sorts if it’s in the first few. 

[GeeksAreMyPeeps]

Just now, Corona smith said:

Most of mine is sorted alphabetically. I do have about the equivalent of 8 long boxes of unsorted stuff which I’m working on integrating into the rest of the collection. So it’s a pain when it’s in the very last box you end up checking. A victory of sorts if it’s in the first few. 

It's always in the last box you end up checking. Once you've found, no sense in continuing to check.

[Corona smith]

What’s an Elfquest? Jk. Sorry couldn’t help myself. 

[the blob]

33 minutes ago, valiantman said:

Just a matter of education, really.  Elfquest #2, #3, #4, and even #1, aren't 1st printings unless they're $1.00 (or $1.).  Anything higher is a later printing.

do you have any sense of what the print runs on 2, 3, 4 (1st print) were?

is the low census in part due to folks perhaps not feeling they'd be making their $ spending $30+ on a slab? is there something about these that are going to make 9.6+ super hard? or were these just well loved, well read books?

i ask because #2 , #3 are attractive high quality looking books, you'd think they'd print a decent number

[the blob]

this might just be my old self deluding my brain in assuming something popular in the 80s could catch on now. i offered some of these to my kids to read and they looked at me like i was insane. young people might not be willing to picking up a new "thing," in which case the media moguls might decide this is a movie/show that never needs to be made. The Pinnis are old, they just might give up. they are makin an "audio movie"... that is sure to fail. this is visual stuff.

[jsilverjanet]

26 minutes ago, the blob said:

do you have any sense of what the print runs on 2, 3, 4 (1st print) were?

is the low census in part due to folks perhaps not feeling they'd be making their $ spending $30+ on a slab? is there something about these that are going to make 9.6+ super hard? or were these just well loved, well read books?

i ask because #2 , #3 are attractive high quality looking books, you'd think they'd print a decent number

I think magazines in general have an overall less # submitted compared to comics

[followtheleader]

3 hours ago, jsilverjanet said:

 

bingo and rarity

regular are the more desirable before why should that change now

I only recall the deluxe being sold in the shop.  I'll need to check my personal copy. 

As others mentioned, I've found this book time and again for cheap.  Think I still have a few. 

Guessing the buyer saw the deluxe designation on the label and got excited. 

I would agree, I'd think the non-deluxe would be the one to get. 

Patrick 

[followtheleader]

3 hours ago, Wolverinex said:

That's a good question.   It's definitely not as rare as Cerebus 1 or TMNT 1 first print.  @valiantman may know.    I do know it's hard to  find in   NM though.

 

Btw,  Cerebus 1 has gotten so crazy that a counterfeit Cerebus 1 just sold for 900 dollars!  

Let's hope the same happens to Cry for Dawn 1.  

Have a couple nice copies so it would be great for that to pop. 

Patrick 

[valiantman]

1 hour ago, jsilverjanet said:

1 hour ago, the blob said:

do you have any sense of what the print runs on 2, 3, 4 (1st print) were?

is the low census in part due to folks perhaps not feeling they'd be making their $ spending $30+ on a slab? is there something about these that are going to make 9.6+ super hard? or were these just well loved, well read books?

i ask because #2 , #3 are attractive high quality looking books, you'd think they'd print a decent number

I think magazines in general have an overall less # submitted compared to comics

A good combination of things happened on Elfquest #2... self-publishing first issues are usually not "available everywhere" like later issues or larger publishers.  

Magazine size is less submitted to CGC, primarily because they weren't easy to store.  Grades are generally lower (again, because bags/boards didn't fit). Elfquest wasn't a big deal at first (Is anything ever a big deal when it started?  Action #1? )  Yes, the lower value is keeping copies of Elfquest #2 from being submitted to CGC, but 11 copies after 20+ years of grading is really low... even Elfquest #15 has 19 copies CGC graded.

There are more CGC graded copies of Elfquest #5 than Elfquest #2 (first printing), so it seems likely the print runs were very low at the beginning, and moved up to match demand by #5.  Three printings is usually a good indicator that demand was higher than expected (at least twice) very early, but not necessarily higher than demand for the 3rd print (same with TMNT #1 third print, which didn't need a 4th print until years later).

A "little birdie" told me to see what the Pini's said inside the cover of Elfquest #2... so here's a photo:

The creators preferred the changes they made by self-publishing, and call Elfquest #2 "our first" [issue].

First printing is $1.00, all others aren't... even if the seller REALLY REALLY wishes it was. 

[jsilverjanet]

10 minutes ago, the blob said:

seriously, yes, i just looked for machine man 19 the other day and now machine man 7 is hot

 

reminds me of mighty avengers 13 2nd print copy. i knew i had it, went looking for it, couldn't find, found it when i was looking for something else but value dropped. listed it and sold it. A few months later it jumped up in price again

[Kramerica]

6 hours ago, 1Cool said:

Ugh - the current prices on this one is depressing.  That book was all over the place in $5 bins a few years ago and I liked the cover so I bought a stack and flipped them for $15 - $20 when it started gaining steam.  $120 seems a bit much but it's just sour grapes at this point.  It's still a cool cover

I grabbed both versions the other day and I don't know whether to sell them now or send them in. The way things are going it could be ice cold next week or it could be one of the few with longevity.