Superman 75 - 25 Years Ago Today... 2 2

[Gatsby77]

Hard to believe that Superman 75 was released 25 years ago today.

The most hyped book of my childhood and yet those of us who were collecting then had fair warning, were "in the know" before John Q. Public.

For a brief time, we geeks were cool.

It's also a bit sweet that we can commerate that iconic issue by watching a Justice League film that features his rebirth.

[Michael Browning]

I remember well scrambling around to find copies of this book for cover price. I knew about it only a couple weeks before it came out and had reserved two copies at a local comic shop and tried to reserve a couple at another shop. When I went to the latter shop, the owner said they sold out immediately and, if I wanted my reserve copies, I had to pay the wall price for them, which was $50 each. Years later, when that comic shop went out of business, they had a couple long boxes of Superman 75s where they had ordered almost 1,000 copies. They made a ton of cash off of them, but they could have made so much more if it wasn't for the greed of the owner.

Nowadays, I see this issue escalating in price again, but only moderately. I don't think anyone was ever put through college by selling their two or three copies, like they thought they would.

In retrospect, this one comic made me very aware of pre-orders and caused me to want to start a folder at the other comic shop. It was truly a great story and will go down as one of the greatest events in comic book history.

[CKinTO]

I was in my peak childhood comic collecting years when this came out, and I remember the craziness of it... I was just 10 at the time, so didn't really understand the economics of it all, but even I remember all the different versions, polybagged, and what not. 

Given the enormous print run of this book, don't think it will ever have real value... I have a 9.6 of the poly-bagged version (with the "tombstone" cover) for my PC, but I think it's a $50-60 book today. I think the only version of this I'd really consider "valuable" is a 9.8 of the platinum version, but even still, I think of this is as more of an iconic nostalgia book for my PC than an actual book I expect may go up in value years from now... 

[Gatsby77]

I pre-ordered 12 copies at $2 apiece and sold them to kids in my high school study hall that week for $12 apiece.

But my LCS was on the ball. To advertise the whole "Doomsday" storyline they had huge posters reminding subscribers to pre-order the whole series. They also put out about 60 copies of Superman ('87) # 1 at cover price as a promotion.

Because of this, I had two sets of the series, but bought 8 copies of Man of Steel 18 and 12 copies of Supes 75 off the shelf.

[Shoomanfoo]

This book was a revival for collecting for me. In my upper teens I became to "cool" to read comics...then THE DEATH OF SUPERMAN!

[Philflound]

22 hours ago, Michael Browning said:

I remember well scrambling around to find copies of this book for cover price. I knew about it only a couple weeks before it came out and had reserved two copies at a local comic shop and tried to reserve a couple at another shop. When I went to the latter shop, the owner said they sold out immediately and, if I wanted my reserve copies, I had to pay the wall price for them, which was $50 each. Years later, when that comic shop went out of business, they had a couple long boxes of Superman 75s where they had ordered almost 1,000 copies. They made a ton of cash off of them, but they could have made so much more if it wasn't for the greed of the owner.

Nowadays, I see this issue escalating in price again, but only moderately. I don't think anyone was ever put through college by selling their two or three copies, like they thought they would.

In retrospect, this one comic made me very aware of pre-orders and caused me to want to start a folder at the other comic shop. It was truly a great story and will go down as one of the greatest events in comic book history.

Not sure where you see this escalating at all. I can get copies of the black bagged version at $8. I bought one at that price about a year ago from that dealer and left at least 5 more. There isn't much activity on them. I see 1st print regular covers at $5 or less.

[Ken Aldred]

I bought all of the Superman titles at the time because they were enjoyable reads, as were the Batman titles.  My LCS did come through in selling me two copies at cover price.

Amongst many gimmicky 90s comics, it was one of the better; still an okay read and at least up to the standard of the earlier material written by Dan Jurgens.

[ygogolak]

Was definitely nostalgic for someone:

Superman #75 Platinum CGC 9.8 $475

[F For Fake]

I remember that I'd reserved 1 copy each of the bagged and regular covers at my LCS, with no real clue as to how huge a deal that this was going to be. I showed up at my LCS the day of release, and the place was PACKED. I went to the counter to get my preorders, and they had mistakenly put me down for two copies of each. They told me I didn't have to buy the extra copies, but considering the crowd around me, it might be smart to pick them up since they were held for me anyway. I took their advice.

[chrisco37]

It was a fun time to be collecting and, yeah, the fervor for the book was crazy.   I wasn't a big Superman fan, so I didn't pre-order any (or even have the title on my pull list) and missed the boat on the book.  

It became a bit of a running joke between me and a few buddies at how crazy the speculation was.   We went to one LCS a week or so after it came out and he already had it on the wall with a $50 sticker.   As an Xmas present (or maybe just a graduation present?) one of my buddies picked up the reprint and taped it up into a mylar and gave it to me.  He put all sorts of stickers on it ("Super Collectors Item", various price tags with the values X-ed out and a higher one written next to it, etc...).  

I still have that "ultra rare collectable" version of the book. 

[kimik]

I had my file LCS put 3 copies aside for me, but when I got to the store the day of release the staff pulled them and put them out at $50 apiece. I was pissed and stood in line and argued with the staff at the front that I had ordered three in my file, which they agreed was the case, but they kept saying too bad. When a couple of people in line behind me started to leave because the store "screwed over the guy at the front", the owner, who was watching all of this and did nothing, came over and quietly slipped one into my stack at cover since I was costing him business. 

Needless to say, I cancelled my file the next day. I was one of the first files at that store and was pissed. My friends dropped their files shortly after that as well. Basically, the owner passed on several thousands of business for $140. Dumb move.

Edited November 20, 2017 by kimik

[Ken Aldred]

4 hours ago, kimik said:

I had my file LCS put 3 copies aside for me, but when I got to the store the day of release the staff pulled them and put them out at $50 apiece. I was pissed and stood in line and argued with the staff at the front that I had ordered three in my file, which they agreed was the case, but they kept saying too bad. When a couple of people in line behind me started to leave because the store "screwed over the guy at the front", the owner, who was watching all of this and did nothing, came over and quietly slipped one into my stack at cover since I was costing him business. 

Needless to say, I cancelled my file the next day. I was one of the first files at that store and was pissed. My friends dropped their files shortly after that as well. Basically, the owner passed on several thousands of business for $140. Dumb move.

An all-too-common dumb, often suicidal move in many forms of retail; a quick kill rather than considering the more lucrative long-term relationship with the customer, and the possibility that the customer might react aggressively and pull the plug rather than sheepishly capitulate.

I've done the same as you on several occasions.

[Philflound]

10 hours ago, ygogolak said:

Was definitely nostalgic for someone:

Superman #75 Platinum CGC 9.8 $475

Platinum is a whole different story as they were limited.

[aardvark88]

1 hour ago, Ken Aldred said:

An all-too-common dumb, often suicidal move in many forms of retail; a quick kill rather than considering the more lucrative long-term relationship with the customer, and the possibility that the customer might react aggressively and pull the plug.

My buddy had a similiar situation happen on Killing Joke 1st prints that he pre-ordered 50 copies of on a spec. Retailer only put 1 copy  in buddy's file box and slapped $20 right away on the other 49 copies LCS held as 'back stock.' Buddy was pizzed and pulled his subcription of at least 100 titles/month plus speculation each month and moved all his business to another LCS.

[Michael Browning]

On 11/19/2017 at 11:34 AM, Philflound said:

Not sure where you see this escalating at all. I can get copies of the black bagged version at $8. I bought one at that price about a year ago from that dealer and left at least 5 more. There isn't much activity on them. I see 1st print regular covers at $5 or less.

They've slowly climbed back up and I know shops that buy every copy they get in and sell for $15-$20 each.

[ygogolak]

11 hours ago, Philflound said:

Platinum is a whole different story as they were limited.

Not hard to find. Limited relative to the regular print run, sure. Almost every comic book is limited in that comparison.

[Onewhois]

Got these from Mexico. Soon to be in hand. only place that did the 25th Anniversary !!! 

[mysterio]

On 11/19/2017 at 10:34 AM, Philflound said:

Not sure where you see this escalating at all. I can get copies of the black bagged version at $8. I bought one at that price about a year ago from that dealer and left at least 5 more. There isn't much activity on them. I see 1st print regular covers at $5 or less.

We sell black bagged at $25 and regular 1st prints for $10 at shows pretty routinely. Not huge money, but steady and reliable sellers at those levels off the wall. 

[AnthonyTheAbyss]

This was the book that almost made me stop collecting comics.

 

I bought every issue leading up to it.

Met Dan Jurgens (a fellow Minnesotan) and told him how I loved the full page artwork.

Watched every news report and read every news article about it.

 

Then when they announced he wasn't dead I said  this.  I felt betrayed.  I felt taken advantage of.  I felt misled.  Genuine anger at them for taking my hard earned money.

 

Still one of my favorite books today.  I love being a comic nerd.

Edited November 27, 2017 by AnthonyTheAbyss
Platinum #75 CGC 9.8

[Michael Browning]

10 hours ago, mysterio said:

We sell black bagged at $25 and regular 1st prints for $10 at shows pretty routinely. Not huge money, but steady and reliable sellers at those levels off the wall. 

Yes. I see this at other stores. My local shops all sell these fairly high (higher than they were a few years ago but not at week-of-release prices ... yet) and usually get around $25 and $10, like you say.