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.

Safeguarding Your Collection: What is the Best Way to Store Comic Books?

It’s a small matter really what type of comic book you are collecting. Whether you are building a Silver Age shrine, a Walking Dead library, stockpiling DC or Marvel issues, or whatever floats your boat, you need to take some steps to protect your collection and your investment. After all, comics do not cost thirty-cents each anymore (or even two dollars).

There are a lot of general rules governing a collection, but it boils down to each collector doing what they like. Some bag and board everything, others bag most and board the expensive issues, and still others ditch the board entirely. Some folks even deploy those really cool comic booksized top loaders for pricey comics. Don’t forget though, all that card board and fancy protectors take up room in those glorious short and long boxes.

By the way, those boxes are designed for comics, which is a huge advantage over the whole Tupperware or plastic storage bin argument. I like short boxes because they are easier to move around, but the longs are nice for storing massive runs of books. Others favor the drawer boxes, which allow the advantage of stacking large amounts of boxes in a pyramid or such and still being able to open the box to get to the comics without unstacking the entire box. It’s a personal thing after all.

Of course, bags, boards, boxes, and more all cost money, which means many collectors can have serious cash tied up in storage solutions and protective bags. Those bags are important, because they keep the comics safe from any number of potential harms. The tape on the bag is also important because nobody likes a snag putting the issue in and out, sadly it happens though.

Once in the box, the books need to be stored in a proper environment as well to prevent mold, moisture, and other problems from developing. Granted, it’s less of a problem with the higher quality paper being used today, but those from the 1990s and prior offer a bit of challenge. Paper offers a number of problems for long-term storage.

The point is that collectors and hobbyists should do what they are comfortable with and can afford. However, some storage precautions need to be taken less all those first appearances and key issues risk being lost forever to general aging problems. Bags alone can make a world of difference.

Personally, in three decades I've seen things with collections that make no sense, and I've seen things that make perfect sense. The best way is pretty much the way you want to do it, but bagging and boarding seems to offer the most protection for the long-term collector with a long box or short box serving as the storage medium in a typical humidity free location.

Classic Comic Book Cover of the Week: Amazing Spider-Man 121 The Death of Gwen Stacy

Amazing Spider-Man #121

Let's be brutally honest, the value of a comic book is tied to a number of different factors. When all of those factors are present in a positive equation, the secondary, or collector's market, for that particular issue climb. If the factors are really positive, the price of the book climbs to astronomical levels. For this reason, number ones, first appearances, and important events are sought after in the collectible market.

When it comes to the Amazing Spider-Man series, few events are as important as the death of Gwen Stacy, which is an event that happens in Amazing Spider-Man Vol.1 #121. The cover of the book is one that beginning collectors will want to memorize, but it actually is a pretty great cover considering the demands of the day it was printed. 

According to Comic Book Realm, Amazing 121 has a basic value of around $700, but condition is key like it always is with key issues. The cover on display in this articles shows a number of flaws and lands this issue at the bottom of the quality scale. That being said, this particular one is a great reader issue because quite frankly who wants to open and read a $700 comic book? Of course, if said copy was slabbed that temptation would be removed anyway. Therein lies the rub of professional grading services (they are investments after all).

The death of Gwen Stacy helped shape the future of Spider-Man and had a big impact on what the wall-crawler would become. This is one of those issues that pretty much every Spidey collector is chasing at some point in their lives, which keeps the value higher than normal. The fact that it is pretty hard to come by in any condition only adds to the level of enchantment surrounding it. 

Is is a great wall book? Well, this is another great John Romita Sr. work that is simple and effective. In short, anyone stopping by can instantly recognize this as a pretty serious book for the serious collector. So let your geek show, find a reasonably priced copy and put this issue next to those other great covers, because comics should be appreciated and enjoyed. Above all else, have some fun with it.

Classic Comic Book Cover of the Week: Silver Surfer #45 Thanos & Mesphisto

Silver Surfer Vol. 3 #45

When it comes to comic book covers, the villains like to sneak in and steal the spotlight on occasion. While not a regular type of deal, because the heroes generally take center stage in their own books, sometimes the bad guys can have some seriously fun times when they jump to the front of the comic book. The Silver Surfer has some pretty powerful villains, which is necessary to balance out those terribly awesome powers of his. It does not take the power cosmic to find one of the coolest covers in the entire series.

The cover of Silver Surfer Volume 3 #45 features two of the most powerful bad guys in the entire Marvel Universe: Thanos and Mephisto along with the tag line "The Boys Are Back." The issue sets up one of the most legendary partnerships (and dangerous betrayals) in comic book history. This is one of my personal top ten covers of all time. The Ron Lim & Tom Christopher cover is simply epic in every sort of way, and the two characters look pretty much as bad ass as possible.

On the value side, Comic Book Realm lists this gem at $10, which makes it a solid investment. #44 is the first appearance of the Infinity Gauntlet and has climbed to the $50 level. After "The Thanos Quest" graphic novels, this story line is one of the most important leading up to the hugely popular original Infinity Gauntlet six-issue limited series.

If you are wondering about the volume 3 designation, don't be fooled. Volume 1 of Silver Surfer is a twenty issue Silver Age series that ran from 1968 to 1970, and Volume 2 consists of a single issue from 1982. This Copper Age (1984-1991 or even 1992) series runs 165 issues from 1987 to 1998, and is probably the best well-known of the entire run. A lot of good things happened for the Surfer in this series, and getting Ron Lim and company on board was probably one of the most important.

This book can still be found in the five dollar bins of comic book stores everywhere and can occasionally be found online for a nice deal as well. It is one of the coolest wall books out there, and really no collection is complete without some sort of villain presence. How can you go wrong with Thanos and Mephisto? (BTW Mephisto doesn't seem to make cover appearances a whole lot these days, hmmm)

Favorite Book of the Week: Paper Girls from Image

Paper Girls #1

The comic book genre has undergone some radical shifts over the years (okay, decades really). These days there is much more in stock at your local comic book dealer than the traditional slew of super heroes trying to stop crime.  There are literally a ton of options these days, and not just from the Big Two of Marvel and DC.

This week, I wanted to take a minute to highlight one of the more interesting series from Image not titled “The Walking Dead.” I want to talk a little about “Paper Girls.” With art from Matt Wilson and Cliff Chang and written by Brian K. Vaughan, this science fiction storyline has engaged a lot of readers, and with good reason.

Ironically, upon reading the first issue of the series I was surprised to learn that the girls in the story were actual paper girls, or that is to say girls that delivered newspapers. That’s right boys and girls, before this world wide web type of thing, kids actually made a few dollars delivering newspapers to just about every home in a neighborhood. Imagine that happening today! I suppose it’s just easier and cheaper to point and click, but I digress.

The hook of Paper Girls is that the characters are actually interesting and the story is pretty creative. In a lot of ways, without putting out any type of spoilers for the uninitiated, the book smashes separate genres together and blends out a nice smoothie of entertainment. Image has done a lot of different comics over the years, but this one stands out for the cool simple covers and the intricate science fiction type of story being told.

While number one might be a little hard to find, this is one series that has a ton of potential. Better yet, it’s just six issues in, which means there is ample chance to get in on the ground floor before a whole lot of story takes place. Better yet, the back issues and trades are pretty easy to get ahold of, which means if you like it, you won’t go broke or have to save up your paper money for a few months to afford a quality copy.

So take a quick bike ride with the Paper Girls. You might enjoy the trip, and you might even end up having a bit more fun than you thought would, which is exactly the point.

Comic Books You Need to Own: X-Force #2 the Second Deadpool

X-Force Vol. 1 #2 Second Deadpool

In the world of comic books, first appearances are pretty important. When a character like Deadpool bursts onto the scene, like he did in New Mutants #98, the values can be a little tricky in the early going. Of course, many collectors already know what happened with the value of a comic often referred to as simply 98.

The secondary price pretty much exploded upwards of $300, according to Comic Book Realm and my own personal experience.

While the first appearance is nothing to shake a stick at, there is another more easily and more affordable option for early Deadpool appearances. In X-Force #2 the Merc with the Mouth makes his second appearance. Since the movie and the boom of Deadpool appearances has pretty much gone off the deep end these days, finding a copy in decent condition sitting in the dollar bins has faded away. However, that chance is still there.

The fact is: All early Deadpool appearances are constantly moving forward. At Let You Geek Show a few of us would love to say that this is a fad and it's not going to last; however, a few of us feel much differently about that Spider-Man/Deathstroke hybrid (call him what you want but that's the fact of things). The second appearance can command prices in the five to ten dollar range. Slabbed with that CGC seal X-Force #2 can easily garner $60-$70 dollars (which is technically probably not worth the investment into the slab).

With the first appearance quickly and not so quietly leaving the price range of the average collector (not to mention the average teenager), a lot of eyes have been moving toward the second and still early appearance. Deadpool is on the cover, not particularly well represented being on his back and all, but an early DP is an early DP. The upside of this book is pretty positive. Will it climb to the $50 level anytime soon? Probably not, but it's a buy at $5 and probably even approaching $8 right now.

As the popularity of the character continues to climb and new hobbyists continue to start grabbing issues, X-Force #2 represents what every collector probably dreams of (most of them anyway)--a solid chance at a book that has a nice shot at climbing in value and demand.

Really, you can't ask for a whole lot more than that. With a popular character, you can't miss a shot at any second appearance because they can heat up on a moment's notice.

Classic Comic Book Cover of the Week: Amazing Spider-Man #55

There are legendary comic book covers and there is Amazing Spider-Man #55. The ultra-cool cover drawn by legendary artists John Romita Sr. features Doctor Octopus reflecting dual Spider-Man images (being attacked with those mechanical arms) is one of the most popular affordable early versions of the ASM lineup.

The 12-cent cover price is amplified by the long ago print date of December 1967, and Comic Book Realm lists available copies in the $300 range. Of course, these can usually be picked up with a lower grade for under $30, which is a steal for any sub-100 ASM. This is one of those covers that just looks great on the wall.

From an investment upside potential, there really isn't much here. Amazing Spider-Man #55 is the third part of the Doc Ock Wins! storyline (it's even right there on the cover) written by some guy named Stan Lee. However, it lacks any real significance with regards to first appearances, majestic revelations, or traumatic events.

From that standpoint, the only real thing this comic has working for it is the awesome cover and it's relatively low print run (likely under 80,000 copies at the time) and modern day scarcity. So follow that up after nearly fifty years of life, and there are probably just not too many of these running around. John Romita Sr. has a certain amount of appeal to fans of all ages, which makes it a really cool hard to find collectors issue.

All things considered, this is a cover that sticks with you thanks to the expression on Doc Ock's face and the great reflection idea. Long before the villain managed to land inside the head of Peter Parker in the Superior Spider-Man series, he was a mainstay of the classic ASM series. This is one comic that fits the ideal of a classic in just about every imaginable way.