Frostbite Review: A Story Worth Reading

Frostbite #1

Of all the comic books that have been in the reading stack over the past few months, I was probably intrigued by Frostbite a little more than most. It’s a Vertigo title, and that label carries with it the Hellblazer and Swamp Thing cred that I have come to adore.

If you’ve seen Frostbite on your local comic book store shelves, then you already know the details. The story is by Joshua Williamson with art by Jason Shawn Alexander, and the duo is presenting some pretty riveting things in this series.

Frostbite #2

Basically, the earth has entered another ice age, and a mysterious disease called (you guessed it, frostbite) freezes people from the inside out. There was no cure, until a doctor and his daughter found one. You get where this is going, because it’s a storyline that a lot of us have seen before in comics, books, movies, and much more. The two need to get the cure to a location and hire a team of professionals to get them there. Unfortunately, (and a bit cliché) there is a big bad hunting down the doctor and his daughter. So out to the frozen tundra they go, being pursued on all sides by adversaries. Not exactly what anyone would call a good time, unless of course you’re simply reading the book.

The thing that puts Frostbite on the next level is the depth of Williamson’s story. There are heat booths, which emphasizes the mini-economy that has popped up around something we all take for granted—simply being warmed. There are breakouts of society, Jack Frosts, Snow Queens, Firemen, and much more that have taken root to find a new way of life. That depth is what helps sell, what is probably a pretty much well-trodden dystopian tale. The frozen world is a bit unique, but in a lot of ways the books is Mad Max in Antarctica with a bunch of crazy people running around.

Still, the art from Alexander is something that is pretty interesting all along the way. The characters take on lives of their own, which is really the point of a good comic book. When the writing and art combines effortlessly, the result can be something borderline poetic. Does Frostbite succeed? Well, it’s too early to tell only three issues in, but the early returns look promising.

Frostbite #3

Williamson manages to draw readers in by giving them a stake in the characters. Unlike the superhero books stacked up in reading piles across the world, the independent world is loaded with characters WITHOUT fifty years of canon backing them up. Simply caring about what is happening to these characters is a challenge many books aspire to, but simply fall short.

It’s not a knock, just a note on the state of the industry. It’s easy to care about Batman and Spider-Man, because they’ve been a part of your life for decades, Keaton (one of the main characters on the contracted transport crew in Frostbite) has earn years of respect in a few short pages or the book stays on the shelf never to be opened.

Without giving too much away, because I hate spoilers and the corresponding alerts, the story moves fast in issue number one and only accelerates from there, and that is exactly how a comic book should read. Put the action into the pages and let the narrative develop, this exceeds my Vertigo anticipation.

So by all means, give Frostbite a chance if you’ve liked the Mad Max worlds, Highlander stories, or even some of the Star Wars stuff. The world isn’t as well-developed as those, but it holds all sorts of potential and possibility. From an investment standpoint, Frostbite is probably a buy and hold. Without a major movie or TV series, it’s going to be limited in appeal based on the darker story and strong imagery. That alone should grant it some collectability, but in the end, this a story that I’m going to see through to the end. And the eventual sequels that is.

A Look Ahead at 2017: Five Comic Books with Impressive Upsides in the Coming Year

New Warriors #1 (first printing)

Looking ahead is always a difficult task. Nobody really knows what will happen. Those words ring pretty much true regardless of which industry anyone is talking about. The comic book world and the world of investing in those ultra-cool colorful pieces of awesomeness is really no different. After all, if anyone had a crystal ball, those would be the chosen few knowing far in advance what books were going to be hot.

The coming year holds A LOT of comic book movies and television shows, and a whole lot of promise. Pop culture has an enormous impact on the comic books world, because popularity drives demand, which turn drives price. Scarcity matters too, but in the end, it’s all about what people want. The big books will always be hot, those comic book gold mines, but with the year just beginning to unfold, here are five issues you will want to keep your eyes out for at your local comic shop.

New Warriors #1

What? Really? Yep, with a television show from ABC in the works (an animated comedy it looks like), the upside to this already difficult to find 1990 series is actually pretty positive. There are even two printings to chase to make it a little more attainable, but either one is a buy rated title at the $5 and under level.

DMZ #1

Yep, another title with a television show in the works. DMZ #1 currently sits with a $4 value on Comic Book Realm, but that value could change drastically with the fortunes of the series. In any case, with suck a low purchase price the upside of finding it in dollar bins is increased, which means the chances of it vanishing quickly and reappearing with ten dollar plus tag is extremely likely.

The Question #17

With another cryptic television show announcement, DC has ignited the collecting world on fire. The Watchmen has already gained some pretty serious traction thanks to some interesting rebirth tie-ins, but The Question #17 features the first inclusion of Rorschach into the mainstream DC Universe. Already a $15 book, look for interest and prices to climb as the year and Rebirth storylines continue to heat up.

Uncanny X-Men#267

First appearances are always a hot commodity, and Uncanny #266 is already a high priced book thanks to the first appearance of Gambit. The second appearance of Gambit occurs one issue later in #267 (this all goes against the whole annual first artwork of Gambit BTW). This particular issue has a great chance of getting boosted to the $15 or $25 level with the inclusion of the character into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The movie centered around the character could really bump up the value, and it probably will.

Anything with X-23 in the Title

X-23 will be in the new Wolverine movie, and the early trailer received some pretty good reviews, which means may collectors are jumping all over X-23 books. It simply does not matter which ones these days, because everything with the character is seeing a boost. Since she was already featured in one, two, what is it now? Three or four video games?, X-23 is moving closer to Deadpool status by selling simply with an appearance. If you see any of these priced sub-five bucks, pick them up, you’ll likely not get a chance again at that price point.

So again, 2017 looks like another year where pop culture will influence the price of comic books. It’s not a real surprise since popularity is tied directly to price, but with so many great comics being printed each and every month, taking a few minutes to look at what your LCBS has priced in the dollar bin or below can really make a staggering impact on your collection. These can be some of the best books with regards to turn around or flip value.

The First Appearance of Vigilante New Teen Titans Annual #2

New Teen Titans Annual No. 2

When it comes to annual specials in a comic book run, a lot of buyers and collectors simply take a pass on the purchase. These days, in the world of $4 cover prices, that's a pretty understandable thing. After all, nearly fifty bucks a year is a lot of money to spend on a title. This low selling pace of annuals can make for some interesting collectibles down the road though.

Way back in New Teen Titans Annual #2 a character called Vigilante was unveiled. The character has gotten a boost in the popularity rankings these days thanks to some exposure on the insanely popular television show "Arrow."

Vigilante #1 1983

That popularity combined with the relative hard to find scarcity of the first appearance of Vigilante in New Teen Titans Annual #2 has brought the book to the hot charts in most comic book stores. The best part is that these books are simply just hard to find, because they have been disseminated into dollar bins and half-price stock over the years.

Vigilante of course has a pretty cool story that took place in his own series. While Vigilante #1 is not difficult to find by any means, the story took place over fifty issues and launched in 1983 from DC. There have been a few reissues of the character, but comic book fans will likely remember this run for the rather tragic turn the story takes. This is one of those runs that I never really understood why it did not build more of a following.

Still, the first appearance of Vigilante is seeing a run thanks to the "Arrow" television show exposure, and it is bringing the rest of the characters stories along for the ride. This is one comic book that belongs in everyone's collection, so take a chance at ten dollars or below (condition depending) and make it a hard consider at the 20-spot level. This one could get hotter and hotter as things move on.

Speculators are bound to help this one out, and copies are likely to get snatched up quick. If you see them, you might find yourself wishing you bought them in the near future.

Comics You Need to Own: Sinestro Corps Special #1

Sinestro Corp #1 first printing

It seems like it has been an eternity since any type of Green Lantern comic made it onto the hot lists around the hobby world. Over the last few weeks the character with the power ring has been heating up want lists and rumor mills like crazy.

With Green Lantern Vol. 4 #25 and #28 heating up tremendously thanks to the first appearances of Atrocitus, the Geoff Johns run on this famed superhero is spawning a number of hot issues. Because rumors and other media appearances has become something of a driving force in the comic book world, the latest word that the Sinestro Corps will making a significant appearance in an upcoming movie another GL book is breaking into the hot sheet.

Sinestro Corps #1 fourth printing

Green Lantern: Sinestro Corps Special #1 is the first appearance of the Sinestro Corps and the book has started to make big secondary market gains. Printed in 2007, with four printings with different characters on the cover to boot, the book has proved to be scarce enough to send prices into the $15 range for nice copies. Not too bad for a book that pops up in the dollar bin of many comic book shops.

Over the past few years, the comic book collecting crowd has seen many books receive bumps in price as collectors try to find key issues on existing properties that really start to increase in popularity. It is this popularity spike that drives these books to new heights, both in price and in scarcity. What was once thought of as an easy-to-find comic becomes nearly impossible.

That being said jumping on a Sinestro Corps Special #1, and just about any printing, at a reasonable price seems like a good idea for the long-haul. Once trailers for the GL movie, which isn’t due until 2020, start to hit the Internet, all bets are off if the Yellow Lanterns and Atrocitus make appearances in those few minutes of footage. This is one of those comic books you’ll wish you bought low four years from now.

Sinestro Corps #1 third printing

Weighing in on DC Universe Rebirth Speculators and Flippers

Well, it’s Wednesday, and thanks to vacations or other what not, it’s been a few since we managed a post here at Let Your Geek Show. Today, I’ll be focusing on DC Universe Rebirth speculating and flipping, which is a topic just about everyone can relate to. If you’ve been into a comic book store over the past few weeks you have likely noticed the cool blue DC Comics logos across the tops of several books, and many of these issues have exploded on the secondary market.

The first thing to keep in mind if you are a flipper is that timing is everything. With a major event like Rebirth, it’s easy to get caught up in all the hoopla and hype surrounding it. At the New Dimension Comics location I work at, we’ve been selling out of every type of Rebirth title imaginable. That’s a big deal. However, on my recent business trip/vacation/week in Hades in the Orlando area, one thing became very clear to me on the Rebirth success: Some retailers are making the most of the 100% returnable part of the series.

In several (read: ALL) the shops I went to (Four BTW), there were plenty of Rebirth Batman, Flash, Aquaman, Green Arrow, and more, and plenty of #1’s as well. Since some of those issues are weeks old, I was amazed, because flippers have been putting up and out for a few weeks now online turning in nearly double that $2.99 cover price. However, all those issues on shelves in a major area (face it there are more people in the Orlando area than here north of Pittsburgh), mean something key to flippers and speculators—the value is likely short lived.

All those issues, and there were excess of 75 or so per location on average, means a glut on the market. Whether those are destroyed when returned to DC or not remain to be seen, but if even a portion of them find a way to market, all that pent up demand gets met quickly dropped the price of the book (for you economics folks that’s basic supply and demand).

This whole situation points to striking while the iron is hot, and red hot from the way things are going to turn a profit and maximize the return. While I don’t personally have a problem with flippers (I do have a problem with one person buying twenty-five copies of the same issue to sell online though one or two is a different story), folks not actually reading these Rebirth stories are doing themselves a disservice, because they are for the most part a lot of fun. At least, they are better than that “Villains’ Month” crap a few years ago.

So there you have it, if you are speculating with DC Universe Rebirth for the long run, you might be in for a wait, but if you are flipping short-term you might just have a nice little profit on your hands. However, if the demand continues to grow, and signs point that they will, you might be better off being a speculator for maximizing your value. It’s always tough to say, but just by being involved in comics, you are after all, letting your geek show, and that my friends is tremendous.

DC Comics Riding a Wave of Rebirth Success

To say it has been a busy week for DC Comics would be something of a pretty serious understatement. One half of the big two has experienced a flurry of activity in book stores and comic book shops across the country. Everyone seems to want to get in on the trend of a newer universe that is bringing a number of interesting events to light, new storylines reveled, and new characters introduced. Hey, you can’t blame collectors and fans alike for jumping all over it.

DC Universe Rebirth has been a pretty serious success. Batman Rebirth sold out in pretty much record time, the return of the originalnumbering in Detective Comics and Action Comics has sold out. So has Green Arrow Rebirth, Wonder Woman Rebirth, Flash Rebirth, and every other Rebirth related title. In short, the stuff is smoking hot. If DC manages to carry that momentum forward, these issues will be sought after for years to come.

Does that mean all of the Rebirth stuff is a safe and sound investment? Hold on there speculators, let’s take a deeper look. The first printing of the New 52 #1’s are pretty desirable, but there is only serious value (read: over $50 retail) in a few of the books. That being said, the other books are pretty much about twice cover price. That’s pretty good, but still nothing to really jump all over with both feet. After all, on the secondary market a copy of New 52 Justice League #1 manages only about $5-7 actual confirmed sale price.

So while Rebirth is hot right now, the long-term ramifications will take a year or more to play out. Personally, the Flash Rebirth and the introduction of Godspeed will probably have legs, Batman is always a safe investment, and Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Arrow, and Aquaman tend to fluctuate in price (if they move at all long-term). Most of the team at Let Your Geek Show is in hoarding mode with Rebirth, but a few of us are in unload mode—Get them, Read Them, and Get Rid of Them, as fast as possible while the iron is hot. So we can not even decide what to do.

In the end, with Batman #1 and Superman #1 set to drop next week, it merits a second glance or two on those one-shot Rebirth issues. The #1 and the original numbering pick up are probably the best investments for speculators and investors. Provided DC Comics does not implode or ret-con the whole thing, which is always a chance. Who knows how this is going to shape up, but either way, it is a lot of fun watching the trends develop and the curves turn into spikes.