Infinity Gauntlet is heading into TDKR and Killing Joke territory 0

[dirtymartini1]

On 9/5/2018 at 6:50 AM, O. said:

Now that it's sold for $23k, does anyone have further thoughts on the quality and price of this IG #1 page?

I was rather surprised there was so much interest in it, as to my eyes it's just a small image of Thanos surrounded by abstract art. Going by a traditional method of valuing Perez IG OA - size/quantity of Thanos/Gauntlet images - this page doesn't tick many boxes.

So is it the prettiness of the cosmic/psychedelic background, or demonstration of the Gauntlet's power, that drove the price? Or am I missing something else entirely?

 

anyone with a discerning eye can clearly see the Wong effect price bump here.

[Dick O.]

Was fascinating to read everyone's views on IG OA 

I'm actually a bit surprised at the optimistic sentiment on values going forward, considering the already-elevated prices.

But thinking deeper into it, I guess IG is presenting itself as the next mini-series to join the V for Vendetta, DKR, Watchmen high-priced OA club. Is IG also the earliest/only '90s series to succeed those '80s classics OA-value wise?

 

Edited September 22, 2018 by Dick O.

[delekkerste]

4 hours ago, O. said:

Was fascinating to read everyone's views on IG OA 

I'm actually a bit surprised at the optimistic sentiment on values going forward, considering the already-elevated prices.

But thinking deeper into it, I guess IG is presenting itself as the next mini-series to join the V for Vendetta, DKR, Watchmen high-priced OA club. Is IG also the earliest/only '90s series to succeed those '80s classics OA-value wise?

 

I know you're talking about OA market values, but, it still seems very wrong to mention IG alongside V, DKR and Watchmen. 

[Dick O.]

16 hours ago, delekkerste said:

I know you're talking about OA market values, but, it still seems very wrong to mention IG alongside V, DKR and Watchmen. 

Yeah the IG art is so much prettier 

 

[delekkerste]

3 hours ago, O. said:

Yeah the IG art is so much prettier 

 

[hmendryk]

On 9/22/2018 at 6:09 AM, O. said:

But thinking deeper into it, I guess IG is presenting itself as the next mini-series to join the V for Vendetta, DKR, Watchmen high-priced OA club. Is IG also the earliest/only '90s series to succeed those '80s classics OA-value wise?

 

Since OA collecting is so nostalgia driven, IG could reach such high levels as V for Vendetta and Watchman, but I believe aesthetics and historical significance still are part of the equation so I doubt IG will ever reach the OA prices achieved by DKR.

[Nexus]

 

On 9/22/2018 at 10:40 AM, delekkerste said:

I know you're talking about OA market values, but, it still seems very wrong to mention IG alongside V, DKR and Watchmen. 

The OA is worth what it's worth to its fans, and they will continue to love it regardless (because nostalgia)...but I don't see IG ever being mentioned in something like the FT article that was just posted when there are so many other more "respected" examples to highlight.

And yes, FT article is flawed, but the point remains: Whether a work advances/exemplifies the art form, even if only perceived, also matters. And may actually matter more to that certain audience that so many in this hobby are hoping to reach.

[MGS]

Well, Albert just posted a Watchmen page, and a couple of Perez IG pages on his site, and at least for now it's safe to say IG isn't in the Watchmen ballpark quite yet.

Mike

[Dick O.]

7 hours ago, MGS said:

Well, Albert just posted a Watchmen page, and a couple of Perez IG pages on his site, and at least for now it's safe to say IG isn't in the Watchmen ballpark quite yet.

Mike

Albert underpriced those IG pages by about 50% or more... there were a horde of earlier orders for them by the time I sent in my buy request 

 

[MGS]

18 minutes ago, O. said:

Albert underpriced those IG pages by about 50% or more... there were a horde of earlier orders for them by the time I sent in my buy request 

 

Yeah, I kept waiting to see them marked as "On Hold" because I kinda thought the same thing.  I only mentioned them on here after I decided I didn't need another Perez IG page even if I thought they were under-priced.

Mike

[PhilipB2k17]

4 hours ago, O. said:

Albert underpriced those IG pages by about 50% or more... there were a horde of earlier orders for them by the time I sent in my buy request 

 

Yep. It’s not on par with TDKR, Watchmen or KJ story wise. But as a touchstone in pop culture and the hobby, it’s starting to close the gap quite significantly. 

The quality of the art is somewhat subjective, as I am not a big Miller TDKR fan, but obviously many people love it. Watchmen is just OK, from an art perspective. KJ is superb, of course. (My Bolland fandom showing here). 

But IG is nice stuff! 

[Nexus]

1 hour ago, PhilipB2k17 said:

Yep. It’s not on par with TDKR, Watchmen or KJ story wise. But as a touchstone in pop culture and the hobby, it’s starting to close the gap quite significantly. 

The quality of the art is somewhat subjective, as I am not a big Miller TDKR fan, but obviously many people love it. Watchmen is just OK, from an art perspective. KJ is superb, of course. (My Bolland fandom showing here). 

But IG is nice stuff! 

IMO, IG is closer to SECRET WARS (a LOT closer) than WATCHMEN, DKR, V, et al.

At best, IG should be regarded as a fan-favorite superhero title of its era. An early, important event mini-series (for better or for worse). That really should be good enough; to try to shoehorn it in with works which have near-unanimous critical status as highlights of the medium, regardless of the context (values), is a major stretch.

If anything, more fitting to compare IG to say, Claremont/Byrne X-MEN before WATCHMEN. And frankly, that prospect should be much more tantalizing and exciting for IG fans than any awkward association with WM.

And yes, art is subjective. Not just somewhat. Totally. WM is one of the most meticulously constructed comics ever. Gibbons' contribution to that cannot be overstated. It's also not something that most who consider, say, Jim Lee the greatest comic book artist ever, would appreciate. This is not a knock on Jim (his art IS spectacular-looking) or his fans, but we're almost talking about two completely separate audiences.

[JadeGiant]

I thought we were talking in terms of popularity and OA prices when comparing IG to those other stories, not critical acclaim. Where I see IG closing the gap In the former, I do not in the latter.

 

Regarding the comparison to SW that Felix posted, good example …. Though I think IG has already sailed by SW (but I don’t follow prices closely so I don’t have data to back that up)

[PhilipB2k17]

3 hours ago, JadeGiant said:

I thought we were talking in terms of popularity and OA prices when comparing IG to those other stories, not critical acclaim. Where I see IG closing the gap In the former, I do not in the latter.

 

Regarding the comparison to SW that Felix posted, good example …. Though I think IG has already sailed by SW (but I don’t follow prices closely so I don’t have data to back that up)

Yeah, at this point, I don't think Secret Wars is very highly regarded. The Beyonder is not a compelling or interesting character, and the only truly interesting idea to come from that series is the Symbiote. The entire MCU is based upon the mythos developed in the IG. And Starlin's philosophical and psychological characterizations are somewhat underrated.

[JadeGiant]

43 minutes ago, PhilipB2k17 said:

Yeah, at this point, I don't think Secret Wars is very highly regarded. The Beyonder is not a compelling or interesting character, and the only truly interesting idea to come from that series is the Symbiote. The entire MCU is based upon the mythos developed in the IG. And Starlin's philosophical and psychological characterizations are somewhat underrated.

Which could all change if MCU developed a Secret Wars arc that was well received. 

[PhilipB2k17]

Just now, JadeGiant said:

Which could all change if MCU developed a Secret Wars arc that was well received. 

I don't think they will. I bet "Contest of Champions" is more likely. 

[delekkerste]

1 hour ago, PhilipB2k17 said:

Yeah, at this point, I don't think Secret Wars is very highly regarded. The Beyonder is not a compelling or interesting character, and the only truly interesting idea to come from that series is the Symbiote. The entire MCU is based upon the mythos developed in the IG. And Starlin's philosophical and psychological characterizations are somewhat underrated.

I confess to never reading IG and dismissing it as lightweight '90s drek.  Is it worth reading?  

And, for those who have read both, how does it compare to Starlin's "The Death of Captain Marvel"?  I can't imagine that IG holds a candle to DOCM except to Millennials with bad taste (redundant? )

[rocket1312]

Let me preface this by saying that I started reading comics in 1991, so Infinity Guantlet is right square in the middle of my peak nostalgia period and I do enjoy it. That said, I think it's pretty overrated by those who love it and is far inferior to Starlin's Captain Marvel/Warlock/Thanos stuff from the 70's. It's got some cool moments, and the Perez art is especially nice (I like Lim, and his work here is solid, but anyone putting his stuff on Perez's level is crazy pants), but there's not much substance. Make it a 4 issue series instead of 6, and cut out the useless tie ins, and it would be much improved.

Edited September 24, 2018 by rocket1312

[tth2]

6 hours ago, delekkerste said:

I confess to never reading IG and dismissing it as lightweight '90s drek. 

I thought 90s drek was your milieu.  Or was it 80s drek? 

[Dick O.]

7 hours ago, PhilipB2k17 said:

The entire MCU is based upon the mythos developed in the IG.

Yup IG's value stems from its criticality to the most successful cinematic franchise in history, ahead even of its comic book impact. In that sense it diverges from those '80s classics, which are valued mainly for their comic book contributions

   

5 hours ago, delekkerste said:

I confess to never reading IG and dismissing it as lightweight '90s drek.  Is it worth reading?

For the story, probably not. But for the art, hell yeah (strong Marvel Cosmic bias kicking in)!

FWIW my cosmic OA collecting is largely untouched by nostalgia and mainly driven by tastes developed from my early-20s onwards. As a child I didn't much read nor admire the cosmic comics, but as a young adult came to be fascinated by the mythos and cosmic beings, which led to a newfound appreciation for the art     

 

4 hours ago, rocket1312 said:

Make it a 4 issue series instead of 6, and cut out the useless tie ins, and it would be much improved.

Agreed, IMO the series fizzled out after Thanos lost the Gauntlet halfway through #5.