Inhumans Trailer Lowers Expectations

Let’s get one thing straight out of the gate, the Inhumans are not the X-Men. These characters can probably not even lay claim to being as popular as the Fantastic Four. In fact, Black Bolt, Medusa, Lockjaw, and the other characters that make up the “team” are at best third tier characters in the Marvel Universe.

Now before all the hate comments start, there have been some great stories including Black Bolt and crew. Along those lines, anyone that likes the characters can relax, because I’m not going to hate on the Inhumans. Quite the opposite. Like any comic book based characters, the tools are only as good as the creative team behind them.

The upcoming television show on ABC (which seems to be a place for the other Marvel shows) dropped its first trailer recently. As you can tell from watching the few minutes of footage, you are likely in line with what many Marvel fans have thought. It looks, well, not very good.

Of course, it’s unfair to judge a series, even one with a theatrical debut ahead of a television debut (seriously, what is that all about~$$$$$), but right now Inhumans looks as good as Iron Fist. Since they are both from pretty much the same showrunner, fans can be forgiven if they take a pass on this one.

Marvel had been pretty flawless on Netflix until Iron Fist trotted on by, and now Defenders looks to be okay in the early going, but this ABC marriage does not look to be going so well. While Agents of Shield continues to build, err, momentum (okay, we will go with that), this particular offering looks a little stale.

Again, the lack of costumes and masks are a little glaring, and since Black Bolt offers nothing in the way of the spoken word, there will be A LOT riding on his facial expressions and general skills of the actor. The returns look sub-par in this trailer, but who knows, this could end up being the show of the year.

It’s weird how DC shows are excelling on broadcast and the movies (at least until Wonder Woman) were average, but Marvel has been redefining movies and less than stellar on anything but Netflix. Quite the head scratcher?

Anyway, the first trailer is here for Inhumans, and after that Black Panther footage, well, fans were expecting a little more. Hard to say where this one will end up.

Bob Ross Funko Gaining Huge Momentum

 

One of the more interesting trends to pop up in the world of pop culture and collectability over the past few years is the emergence of Funko Pop figures. The little cartoonish plastic figures have become a hit with collectors of all ages and niches. Like any trend staying on top of what seems like thousands of figures can be a challenge for anyone, and that challenge is about to be stepped up even further.

The big item that everyone seems to be talking about is the Bob Ross Funko. Yes, the “Happy Trees” guy from the show “Joy of Painting,” that became a Netflix phenomenon. The tween and teen section of collectors has been buzzing about this figure for a few weeks, and pre-preders are already skyrocketing in demand. Make sure you order yours, or one for a Christmas present, very soon. Amazon is currently offering a nice pre-order price.

The other series that is getting some traction with collectors of all ages features the “Terror that flaps in the night.” That’s right, Darkwing Duck is making a Funko Pop debut along with Launchpad, Gosalyn, and even Negaduck. While admittedly, the Darkwing set of characters will not be nearly as popular as the Bob Ross, the chase and variant crowd is likely in for an adventurous fall collecting season.

With limited editions, exclusives, and chase variants also making waves, just about every Funko Pop has the chance to offer some sort of collectability. What really drives that market is variants and versions of popular figures. While it’s always tough to gauge popularity, these fall releases seem to be generating a whole lot of interest.

Pre-orders at comic shops and collectible centers are heating up, and it seems likely that the pre-order price will get altered on Amazon at some point. Bob Ross has managed to jump into the pop culture conversation, and his popularity will likely make these impossible to find around the holiday season. Jump on them now collectors, or pay the price (quite literally) in a few weeks.

Trade Paperbacks Offer Limited Collectible Value But Major Win for Readers

Anyone that has been to a comic book shop or book store has likely realized something that gets missed a lot—There is a lot of stuff on the shelves. Comic books present a lot of options for readers of all tastes and personalities. Not everything is for everyone. Since comic books are built around on going stories, readers are also presented with another interesting challenge, and that is jumping into a title without knowing what is going on.

It’s intimidating jumping into like issue #300 or so of a series and playing catch up with characters, events, and other situations. This is something that has become less of a problem these days thanks to what seems like a brand new #1 every other week or so. Is it working? Well, I don’t really have the answer to that.

The easiest way to get caught up on a series are those trade paperbacks that can be found in most comic shops. These hard or soft-bound tomes contain a year or more of the designated series. Furthermore, these cost-effective books can get readers acquainted with special events or crossover events. Stories like The Infinity Gauntlet and more can be picked up for one low price rather than collecting each individual comic, which can cost significantly more.

Of course, trade paperbacks (trades or TPB as they are often referred to) have a pretty big downside for investors in the hobby. The secondary market value of these types of publications rarely rises. It’s not that they don’t (a few in fact do climb in price over the years), but from an investment perspective trades are rarely worth it. From a reader’s perspective though, trades are invaluable.

So Can Trades Affect Collectibility?

This is a tricky question. It’s no secret that supply and demand drive the prices of comic books, so along that line a trade can affect the price of a certain issue. The thing is, most collectors want the actual comic rather than the trade containing every other issue as well. After all, anyone can buy the TPB of early Amazing Spider-Man comics, but few can actually own those books.

The reverse of that equation is also true. In talking with another comic book professional recently we touched on the subject of the Marvel Comics mainstay Alf. That’s right, Alf the fifty issue run that dates back to 1988. There is a TPB of these books somewhere, several different ones comprising a whole lot of the issues, but the chances of Alf being reprinted are pretty slim. Therefore, the chances of Alf comics holding value is a bit better than say, some nominal X-Men run, that could be trotted out at any given moment in TPB form. Does that mean Alf is going to skyrocket in value? Well, probably not, it just means that demand is going to stay fairly steady. (Unless he joins the Marvel Cinematic Universe~again, unlikely).

So there you have it. Instead of plunking down what could be thousands of dollars for a classic comic book run, think about picking up the trade paperback version to experience some great stories. Find an issue you like? Hey, try to pick up that original issue.

Trades are a great part of the hobby, and while some collectors take a solid pass on them, others are happy to scoop them up. It’s all about what you are into and what you like, because there is no wrong way to collect and no wrong way to read. Just take a look at what you might be missing, you might be surprised.