When Does it All Fall down?

[X-ray Spexx]

It's beginning to feel a lot like 1990....

 

SO, I went to my LCS today to get a copy of East of West. I know right, I know how it sounds but I couldn't help it, i drank the Kool-Aid willingly. I read the synopsis about the book and wasn't terribly impressed ( sounded very 6th Gunnish to me ). But then I remembered that I read Manhattan Project and was very impressed and now that I want the actual comics I've found that I can't hardly afford them, even though they just came out. Also, I remembered reading the preview for Saga and being intrigued but not enough to rush out and buy it and we all know how that turned out. So this was supposed to be a sure shot right, decent writer though maybe this book just isn't my cup of tea, decent artwork, Image which is always a plus these days, limited print run. Perfect conditions for speculation right.

 

So I go to the LCS, pick up like 3 copies ( WOW, they're still in stock even though they came out like today! ) feeling like I've got a sure bet here. I read one, not terribly impressed but I'm pretty harsh on new stuff. I call my friend Clutch to tease him about it and clue him in to this ultra rare book. Clutch is like dude, the print run is high and the book is highly anticipated, and by the way I bought 3 copies of the regular cover when I should be buying 3 copies of variants A, B, C which are apparently ultra rare.

 

Needless to say, I'm like man why did I rush out and buy this book in triplicate that I'm really not that impressed with only to find that its not rare and I didn't buy the right variants anyway. So of course I do some data mining ( Ebay ) and see where people have already listed the regular cover copy in addition to the variants for like triple the actual cover value on the day the book was released which is today. I mine even further and find that even though cats are charging like triple the cover price they're actually selling them. People are buying at triple the cover price on the day of release when they could just walk into the LCS like anybody else. But who knows, maybe these people live in Alaska or don't have legs, or legs that work. Now I really feel stupid but more like stupid and confused? Clutch is like dude, you gotta check the flypapers ( chat boards ) to see whats sticking. I check the boards and find that proper speculative etiquette is to now buy 10 copies not 3, and 10 copies of each variant if you really want to call yourself a speculator.

 

I guess what has got me so turned around is if I'm not mistaken, what makes this book worth so much in the first place? It seems like it was worth something before it even came out. I feel like we're getting ahead of ourselves don't you think. I'm not trying to be the voice of doom but its starting to look a lot like the 90's. New titles every month, multiple variants of each book, instant vintage status right off the stand, rare but maybe not really. I look back at all the boxes of tin foil, tri-fold, die cast, glow in the dark, books that I bought in the 90's and it seems like de ja vu all over again. I feel like at some point we're going to look around and realize we've missed our exit and end up holding the bag on a bunch of books that may or may not be worth anything.

 

Now I know your probably thinking, " but you just bought into it yourself ", and your right, and FU for telling by the way ( but like in a friendly way ). Yeah, I speculate too and sometimes I'm wrong, and sometimes I'm very wrong. But I did buy a copy of 6th Gun # 1 off the shelf for cover price and find out the next week its selling for a couple hundred bucks. Now if some insufficiently_thoughtful_person wants to buy it from me for like a couple hundred bucks by all means have it. Introduce me to the people you hang with. Or maybe not, maybe I'll be the insufficiently_thoughtful_person for selling it cause next month it'll be a thousand bucks or more. Who knows, but I feel like I'm starting to see some writing on the wall thats looking very familiar to the boom and bust of the 1990's. Maybe the best thing to do is speculate and buy " hot " books now and dump them before people come to their senses. I don't know if I'll participate any further.

 

Gotta have good vision!

 

- Spexx -

 

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[Webgeek]

amen!

 

I feel a bit of Deja Vu happening. I sure hope Image is not the next Valiant. There are several new/newer tiles that are actually pretty good reads..but NONE that should be garnering these kind of prices.

 

As an avid comic reader and collector for years I find this just another cycle that will run its course. As a speculator that feeds off these silly people to fund my own habit then I guess to all those out there willing to pay 1000x the face value for a comic 1 week old please continue I need some more key issue funds!

[Sensei Ryan]

Ironically, I bought three copies of this issue myself. I keep telling my friends that I feel that there will be an eventual end to this but with the success of the Walking Dead (and the other book shows that will come / are coming as a result), the wave will keep going for at least a year or three. Image is hot...hot...HOT right now and it's either get on the bandwagon or kick yourself for not buying/flipping down the line (something I'm doing now after missing out on Revival (1&2) and Panzerfaust (1-9). I'm almost afraid to miss out on a new book for fear of missing the 'boat.' But I guess it's a good problem to have as long as you appreciate what you're reading, right?

[Tnerb]

Maybe I am the naive fool. Or could I be the simpleton that doesn't understand. I could be the fool that wants it and wants it now. I didn't check the chat boards on this book, nor CSN, and even skipped whatever they said in the previews. I even overlooked the blurb on Comicology. I went in there more excited for the latest Age of Ultron.

 

My normal routine has me looking at all the past months books. I don't his in case I missed a book or something catches my eye. Then I make my way to the small corner with all the new books and see East of West. I skimmed through if and picked it up. I read this book first on the way home and immediatly thought, this was the book I should have read last. I even wrote my roundabout review about it.

 

I felt I had to have this in a 9.8 and even speculated about getting two. If there is more at my LCS maybe I'll pick up more and try to sell but I loved not knowing about this book until I saw it. Also kind of why I stay away from movie reviews. Was it a great book? No, but it was a solid book, enough to tease me and please me. Will I speculate on thus book, I very we'll might, will I look forward to reading the next issue, yes I will.

 

 

[ItsJustRyan]

[bagofleas]

Modern comics are highly overrated by the younger collectors out there. That is why they tend to spike early and dealers and the attentive can cash in on the flashes in fads.

 

While this has been the case for the last four decades, it is those characters and story lines and key 1st appearances that withstand the tests of time. I believe the 80's were the last REAL longstanding overall value-retaining comics. The 90's have a few issues and anything in the 90's and 2000's with Michael Turner (simply because of his passing), but nowadays, they make so many copies of issues outside of the limited variants, that it now becomes practically impossible for anything to have longstanding value.

 

You have to catch the trends early and fast!!! That is, if you're just out to make money. But the REAL long term value is in those 30's to 80's comics. They will pretty much never drop in value now at this point in history.

 

Of course, I could be completely wrong and only looking at things from an OLD-MAN point of view. It really all comes down to a generation's personal nostalgia for a particular issue or series that will ultimately determine it's long term value.

 

Just remember everyone. Eventually, what you think is awesome, can always eventually become some younger generation's totally uncool old-school.

 

[surfer99]

I agree bagofleas, great points. Personally I'm a Marvel fan and always will be. I did jump on the Image and Valiant bandwagons in the 90s but then sold most everything to fund my Marvel collecting. Rarely do I stray, but (and yes, I'm partial) I do like some of the Aspen titles like Soulfire, Charismagic, and now Legend of the Shadow Clan.

[spreads]

, I'm willing to bet dollars to donuts that 6th Gun you bought, is Sons of the Gun#1.

[thehumantorch]

Amen, it does feel like the early 90s.

 

There are a lot of quality modern books, but like the 90s I'd hate to be holding boxes of them if the music stops.

[zosocane]

Modern comics are highly overrated by the younger collectors out there. That is why they tend to spike early and dealers and the attentive can cash in on the flashes in fads.

 

While this has been the case for the last four decades, it is those characters and story lines and key 1st appearances that withstand the tests of time. I believe the 80's were the last REAL longstanding overall value-retaining comics. The 90's have a few issues and anything in the 90's and 2000's with Michael Turner (simply because of his passing), but nowadays, they make so many copies of issues outside of the limited variants, that it now becomes practically impossible for anything to have longstanding value.

 

You have to catch the trends early and fast!!! That is, if you're just out to make money. But the REAL long term value is in those 30's to 80's comics. They will pretty much never drop in value now at this point in history.Of course, I could be completely wrong and only looking at things from an OLD-MAN point of view. It really all comes down to a generation's personal nostalgia for a particular issue or series that will ultimately determine it's long term value.

 

Just remember everyone. Eventually, what you think is awesome, can always eventually become some younger generation's totally uncool old-school.

 

 

I fully agree with all of fleas' excellent observations, but would amend "30s to 80s comics" to read "30s to mid-70s comics." Even for the Copper Age, there are just so many damned copies around in outstanding condition. (I always scratch my head when I see what an ASM#300 in 9.6 fetches when one considers there were at least 400,000 copies of that book published, I will guess at least 100,000 still exist, and of that 100,000 the vast majority are at least in 9.0 condition because post-1975 collectors figured out the importance of bagging and boarding.)