A Look Back: The Hottest Comic Book Back Issues of 2016

2016 was certainly a banner year for comic books and the corresponding characters. The year started off with a bang and has pretty much continued the hot streak of recent years. It’s a good time to be a comic enthusiast, a great time to be a collector, and it’s never too late to jump back into the fray.

The old favorites are always hot and selling. The Silver and Golden Age Classics like Detective Comics #27, Amazing Fantasy #15, and Action Comics #1, etc. are always bringing bigger and bigger money as supply dries up. However, what has been selling fast and consistent over the current (and soon to be past) year? Well, first hand knowledge of working for a large comic book retailer grants some interesting insight into what is moving and what is pretty much staying put.

That being said, as everyone knows some books move faster than others. Some back issues heat up quickly and cool even faster, others stay hot for the entire year driving prices to unbelievable heights. So taking a careful look back at the previous year, here is a look at the Top 10 Hottest Comic Books of 2016.

1) New Mutants 98

Everything is simply coming up Deadpool these days. A hit video game, a hit movie, and a really hot first appearance is pretty much a hat trick of greatness for the Merc with the Mouth. A lot of watchers have been waiting patiently for the price to drop on this book, but it seems destined to approach the solid $300 mark ungraded. (Graded copies 9.6 and above can get really expensive). Still this book ended up flying off of shelves anytime it showed up.

2) Walking Dead #100

Well, just about everyone expected this book to be on this list, and it makes a huge gain in price. With so many variants running around and an estimated print run of nearly four-hundred thousand copies (thanks to all those variants), the first appearance of Negan and Lucille can still easily fetch $35, the second printing with Negan on the cover can garner even more attention above $50. How long will this book stay on the list? Hard to say, but the character is certainly raising eyebrows on the show.

3) Flash Rebirth One Shot

Godspeed means business in the pages of the Flash, and his first appearance in the highly sought after one shot issue of the Flash has remained the only real Rebirth book to stay white hot. The variant can fetch $30 and the standard can get $20 without breaking a sweat. Who knows where this one will end up? The TV show is helping drive this character to new levels of popularity.

4) NYX #3

X23 has been a pretty popular character for a while, but the first appearance of the little girl getting a big role in the upcoming Logan movie has really started to sell well. This is already a $400 book, and it flies off the shelf nearly as soon as it pops up. This book is rapidly rivaling (see what I did there) other modern first appearances in terms of sales value and demand.

5) Walking Dead #108

Yep, another Walking Dead book makes the list, which testifies to the pop culture power of the AMC television series. The first appearance of Ezekiel and Shiva was always an easy $10 sale, but now after the TV show appearance $30 to $50 for a non-graded copy is pretty much the standard. It doesn’t hurt that simply having a tiger is pretty cool, which makes for a lot of demand for copies.

6) Wolverine Volume 2 #66

The Old Man Logan storyline is buzzing with a couple of re-releases over 2016, but the original story got started in this gem and it has become one hot book. Again, buzz about the movie sent speculators into overdrive, and collectors have answered the bell here. This one is a $40 bargain, because the future looks even brighter thanks to some Hollywood magic.

7) Crisis on Infinite Earths #8

Crisis on Infinite Earts #8

The television show on the CW has brought renewed interest to the Barry Allen version of the Flash. So when the character meets his ultimate demise saving the world in Crisis on Infinite Earths #8, just about every reader sheds a bit of tear. Since this book is tied to the death of Supergirl as well (which occurred just one issue prior in #7), it remains a steady seller and nearly impossible to find below the $10 mark. This one sells well—period.

8) Seven to Eternity #1

The Rick Remender series shows no signs of fading, even after its release. All first printing copies easily fetch three to four times cover price, and some second printings are hovering around twice cover. When a series stays hot four months after release, it could be signs of some pretty amazing things.

9) Infinity Gauntlet #1

Infinity Gauntlet #1

Way back before there was something like an Infinity story every other year, Marvel hit comic book gold with the original Infinity Gauntlet story. These were all over the place a few years ago, and now they seem to have mostly found a home. The first installment of the series can be found for a reasonable $15 to $20, and anyone wanting to see some great art and get introduced to Thanos, Mephisto, and the Silver Surfer needs only scan the first few pages. Of course, some guy named Adam Warlock also drops by later in the series.

10) X-Force #2

X-Force #2

With the first appearance of Deadpool quickly spiraling to uncomfortable spending heights for new and seasoned collectors, many have turned toward the more easily attainable second appearance. X-Force #2 has the right mix of availability and price for many, which is one reason why the book flies off the shelf with regularity. Even in the seven to ten dollar range, this is one comic that will continue to get attention as the years progress.

Well, that's the top ten. Like any great list, the inclusion or lack thereof does not guarantee a specific dollar amount either way, and condition maters greatly in terms of price. Either way fellow geeks, continue to let your geek show, because that is the only way we all win.

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

Comic Books You Need to Own: Green Lantern Vol.4 #25 Atrocitus

Green Lantern Vol. 4 #25

Few things drive the collectors market on short term runs better than rumors. The rumors can be anything connected to print run, television shows, movies, hidden appearances, and really just about anything that has the potential to really bump a character’s popularity. After all, more fans chasing the same amount of books equals a price jump; it’s just basic economics folks.

So on that note, this week is seeing some interesting gains with respect to a character that many comic book fans might not even know exist, and pertaining to the first paragraph most of this price bump is a result of rumored appearance in a movie that is not even due to hit theaters until 2020: Green Lantern Corps.

While it is pretty much a given that Sinestro will likely be featured in the flick, another character rumored to be making an appearance is Atrocitus, founder of the Red Lantern Corps. Since the first appearances of Green Lantern and Sinestro are pretty much out of the range of the average collector with regards to price, many are jumping all over Green Lantern Vol.4 #25, which is the first appearance of Atrocitus created by Geoff Johns in 2008.

Most of these copies are still available at reasonable prices. Better yet, some comic book stores still have these in the dollar bin. For being eight years old and what could be a key first appearance, this is a comic book that you really need to pick up before the rest of the collecting world catches on. The price is going to start climbing.

On another note, there is also a Gary Frank cover variant for this book, according to Comic Book Realm, and it is also something that is jumping off the charts in the short term. Who knows where this value will be when the movie finally drops in 2020, that is if the rumors end up being true. You can never really tell with comics.

Of course, there is another level to this whole story as well, because the first full Atrocitus appearance is in Green Lantern Vol. 4 #28, which is also poised to rock and roll up the charts. So savvy collectors are scanning the long boxes of any source they can find to pick up what they can. So be on the lookout, because this one is probable a must have as well with a lot of long-term upside.

Green Lantern Vol.4 #28

Classic Comic Book Cover of the Week: Swamp Thing #37 First Appearance of John Constantine

Swamp Thing #37

When it comes to comic books and first appearances, Swamp Thing #37 has something of a cult following. Why? Well for those new to the comic book game, this issue represents the first appearance of John Constantine. That's right, the Hellblazer himself comes into the DC Universe in this very issue.

For that reason, prices for this issue hover around $90 in VF according to Comic Book Realm, but in the most recent Overstreet the book is $130 in NM. Of course, graded copies can get even more pricey, but again, it's all up to the collector. Not everyone can have near mint or CGC 9.4 copies of every comic book. I mean where would the fun be?

What makes Swamp Thing 37 so legendary besides the whole Constantine appearance has to do with the people on the book itself. Yep, that's Alan Moore and John Totleben on the cover, and they were something of a dynamic duo for a few years.

Swamp Thing is a series that does not necessarily get a whole lot of love from the comic book world. However should the whole Justice League Dark animated movie get a lot of fan love, this could become a pretty investment. Still, Constantine gets more and more fans every year despite having some issues getting his own television series up and running smoothly.

Of course, this post is supposed to be about the cover and what is not to love from Steve Bissette on this gem? The mystical floating image of old swampy hovering over his green body is somewhat intriguing. Best of all, this is one comic book that every collector should know at first glance, so take a hard look, this is one for the keeper bin.

Nintendo Trying to Stay Relevant with Legend of Zelda: Breath of the WIld

image from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Legend_of_Zelda.svg 

Perhaps the coolest thing about video game franchises is the way many transcend generations. While not every franchise manages this lofty task, one that truly gets it done is the Legend of Zelda franchise over at Nintendo.

Parents who grew up with the original NES had the luxury of growing with the franchise over the years, and those games have inspired the children of the Nintendo generation to pick up those older Zelda games. The great stories truly never age.

The cruel irony about the titles is that the recent games, like Twilight Princess, appeared on the Wii, which wasn’t exactly a cutting edge system compared to the other competitors in the industry. Now the newest Zelda title will be hitting the market on a pretty uneven playing field.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is coming to the Wii U sometime in 2017 and the footage released at E3 promises some of the most exhilarating action to take place in a Zelda game so far. While some things about the game are pretty clear, a lot still remains to be unfolded.

Ocarina of Time remains considered one of the most perfect video games ever created, and the Nintendo 64 launched a number of great titles into super stardom. However, none of the gems are as treasured as Zelda (Sorry Mario 64 fans). The new Zelda game has been hotly sought since the Wii U was released.

The problem with what will be considered a Game of the Year award winner is that console. The Wii U has not exactly been lighting the sales world on fire. Lack of support and games is again one particular reason the console has been lagging. The other, sigh, is that control set up.

The large touchscreen controller the Wii U comes equipped with offers little in the way of easy design. A game designed around the control setup, like Lego City or Nintendoland, can be surefire hits. For other types of titles the controller is just simply more of a hassle.

Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild will be one of the hottest games of the year. Mostly because Nintendo created titles are really what drives the popularity of the Nintendo systems. Zelda is always at the very least a good game.

The gameplay footage alone does enough to inspire some pretty impressive visuals. Coupled with the usual great story and some intriguing puzzles, Breath of the Wild has the power to drive a few more consoles off the shelves and into living rooms.

Nintendo is still trying to play catch up with the Wii U, and this game is long overdue. The real problem is that this title comes at the end of the console life cycle, and it is probably too little too late. But that won’t stop millions of fans from snapping up the latest adventure of Link to swing the Master Sword one more time. 

Rogue One Olympic Trailer Delivers on the Build Anticipation Checklist

The pretty obvious elephant in the room when it comes to geek culture is this December’s “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.” Now that a freshly cut trailer has made its debut during NBC’s coverage of the Rio Olympics, fans have been trying to gauge whether or not the force is strong with this one.

Well, if you spared the two minutes or so already, you probably have your own conclusion. In my humble opinion, this trailer looks pretty well put together. I mean, my one complaint about the Star Wars Universe was that there simply were not enough characters, so it made sense to add a few more (read: sarcasm).

That being said, Rogue One looks like it will have pretty common Star Wars elements. Distant planets? Check. A dude that looks like Morgan Freeman? Check. An annoying droid that just might steal the show? Check. Massive fight sequences? Check. A cameo from Darth Vader? Big fat check.

The last few seconds with Vader are perhaps the most titillating few seconds for Star Wars fans since the whole “Chewie, We’re home” statement. The Sith Lord looks like he is ready to make sure the Death Star goes operational at best (we all know how the story ends).

It’s always hard to gauge a film from the trailers, because the comic book and geek set has been somewhat let down this year from film makers and even television show creators. There have been wins as well, and that means there should be at least a little bit of confidence in Rogue One.

If any fictional universe can make stand alone stories happen, it is Star Wars. The simple reason is the amount of characters. Let’s face it, there are a lot of riveting characters that can be explored in their own right. Opening the non-timeline films with the story of how the rebels got their hands on those plans in the first place is actually a stroke of pure genius.

The story takes place just before Star Wars: A New Hope, which means there will be plenty of Easter Eggs for fans.  Just don’t call it a prequel, because that ship has sailed.

The success of the film will draw on the nostalgia and interest from the current massive fan base, which is not really a surprise. Star Wars fans should flock to Rogue One, it’s the repeat business and the chance to draw in additional eyeballs to the entire franchise that generate the huge box office grosses.

Worries about reshoots and changes to what was first intended to be are both good reasons for concern. However, the new trailer, which likely will not be the last, should be enough to satisfy the curiosity of even the most concerned fan. Of course, just like Superman and Batman will tell you, making a great trailer is one thing, making a great movie is something altogether different.