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.

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.