1 & 2. Action Comics #1 (June 1938) and Superman #1 (1939)This is it, the comic book Holy Grail, the one that introduced the world to Superman. The cover bears the famous - if somewhat crude - drawing of Superman smashing a car against a rock. Written and drawn by Jerome Siegel and Joe Shuster, the comic introduced Superman as "Champion of the oppressed, the physical marvel who had sworn to devote his existence to helping those in need!" The last survivor of the doomed planet Krypton (duh), Superman could "leap 1/8th of a mile; hurdle a 20-story building ... raise tremendous weights ... run faster than an express train ... and nothing less than a bursting shell could penetrate his skin!" Superman was so popular, he became the first character to get his very own comic book. Superman #1 hit newsstands in the summer of 1939. The Man of Steel has held up pretty well, you could say. Action Comics #1 Superman #1 3. Detective Comics #27 (May 1939)Less than a year later, an artist named Bob Kane decided to create a caped superhero of his own, one much darker, more mysterious, and more "human" than the squeaky-clean Superman. His creation: Batman. Unlike the campy '60s TV version of the character, the Batman in this first issue was a dark, vengeful crusader who stalked the night (he watches as a bad guy plunges into a vat of acid), presaging the hero's reemergence in the 1980s in The Dark Knight Returns. Perhaps this darkness was a reflection of the dread of war looming on the horizon in 1939? The cover proclaimed, "Starting this issue: The amazing and unique adventures of THE BATMAN!" and promised "64 pages of action!" Cover price in 1939: 10¢ 4. Marvel Comics #1 (October 1939)In 1939 a comic book house called Funnies Inc. approached pulp fiction publisher Martin Goodman with a proposal to provide him with ready-made comic book artwork. All he had to do was publish it. Seeing the kind of cash Action Comics and others were raking in, he agreed, and Marvel Comics was born. The first issue introduced three legendary Marvel characters: the Sub-Mariner of Atlantis, prince of the Deep; the Human Torch (a different Human Torch than the one that would become part of the Fantastic Four 22 years later - let's not get them confused); and Ka-Zar the Great, a man who lived in the jungle among apes (strangely similar to another popular ape man whose name had a lot of teh same letters). Cover price in 1939: 10¢ 5. Batman #1 (Spring 1940)After appearing in 13 issues of Detective Comics, Batman and his new sidekick - Robin the Boy Wonder (introduced in Detective Comics #38) - were so popular, they got their very own comic book. Batman began as a quarterly, but that wasn't enough for fans. Neither was a bimonthly. So, before long, readers could get a new Batman adventure every month. The first issue introduces two of Batman's most legendary nemeses: the Joker and Catwoman. More than 63 years and over 600 issues later, Batman is still fighting villains - as well as his own demons - on the streets of Gotham City. Cover price in April 1940: 10¢ 6. All-American Comics #16 (July 1940)How many times has this happened to you? Man finds alien metal lantern. Man makes ring out of lantern. Man presses ring to lantern. Man has incredible superpowers over everything. Except wood, obviously. That's the story in All-American Comics #16, a book published tangentially under the DC Comics umbrella. When regular guy Alan Scott made his ring, the superhero created was, of course, the Green Lantern. The idea of an everyday schmoe just lucking into superhero-ness proved incredibly popular. A similar idea struck gold in 1962 when a young nerd named Peter Parker got bitten by a radioactive spider (see below). Cover price in 1940: 10¢ 7. Amazing Fantasy #15 (August 1962)The word bubbles on the cover say it all: "Though the world may mock Peter Parker, the timid teen-ager ... it will soon marvel at the awesome might of ... SPIDER-MAN!" And writer Stan Lee (pseudonym of Stanley Martin Lieber) and artist Mike Steve Ditko could not have been more right. Spider-Man was the first comic book hero to be a regular teenager, going through the same thigns his readers were dealing with: shyness, insecurity, a crush on a pretty girl, and trouble with the popular jock (Flash Thompson). No wonder people of all ages are still true believers. Cover price in 1962: 12¢ |
___________ From mental_floss' book Condensed Knowledge: A deliciously Irreverent Guide to Feeling Smart Again, published in Neatorama with permission. [Update 3/15/07: Original article written by Christopher Smith] Be sure to visit mental_floss' very neat website and blog! |
Those multiple copies of Star Brand and Dakota North are gonna be a great investment.
http://comics.drunkenfist.com/top.shtm
It deals with specific copies and will offer a little more perspective on the actual values of top copies.
The average Marvel and DC comic these days is $2.99, although much of that has to do with economics of scale, distribution, paper prices, etc.
Thise 10¢ (Cents) are a fortune in 30'decade, today it is approximade to new 2~3 dollars.
I'm a brazilian and know your money, than may you, it's kiding.
Does anyone know the value of Archie comic # 153 March 1965 ????
thank you!
Ok, so in ComicsPriceGuide.com, there's the usual prices for books I want to sell, then they have another set of prices for the same books using CGC Comics Guarantee, LCC, at cgccomics.com which is actually double the regular resale price. Has anyone else come across this and is it worth the investment to get comic ratings guaranteed to get a higher price?
Also, grading comics means they get sealed in a plastic case. If someone wants to have AND read the comic, they likely won't buy a graded copy. However, if you have a comic worth a fair amount (like any of the issues above), it is completly worth getting graded.
I'm guessing that you're just joking around, but if by some fluke you happen to be serious, the comic could be quite valuable. Let's see, 10 cent cover price...I'd be happy to give you a $100.00 for it. That's a 1000% return! :)
An asset is only worth something if you can create or expect to create a positive cash flow from it.
IE
Owning a business is good because you expect to be paid from the earnings
Owning a house is good because you can rent it out and receive rent
Owning stocks are good becuase you might get paid a dividend (or not and you are simply hoping for appreciation)
Even investments like gold, diamonds, art, baseball cards, and comic books can be good because they might go up in value. My impression of the current collector market though is that they are all bad investment! If I buy superman #1, it is rare and could very well appreciate more than my WACC (weighted average cost of capital...aka, my opportunity cost). If I buy anything modern though, the chances of it appreciating at a faster rate than my WACC are low. Buy new comics because they are fun! They suck as an investment.
If you want to buy a collectible though, it is only worth it if you are going to get better than your WACC (5% in a CD...10% in the market), otherwise it is a losing proposition. Furthermore, in most cases, you have no idea whether a modern collectible will be worth what you paid for it in 10 years or nothing.
As a teenager, I got caught up in the speculating hoopla of thr late 80s/early 90s. How many copies of X-Men #1 did I buy anyway? I was young and dumb. More importantly, the comic companies hid their production numbers from the public so I was at a great disadvantage. Oh ell, live and learn.
I want to buy them.... :-)
Pete
peace out babes
x
Is it a risky investment? less than playing the market, because it is a known factor that there will be less, of good quality, over time.
Is it a stupid investment? not if you enjoy the collecting and maybe reading, and it's a much cheaper speculation than trying to play the stock market.
So, what should you buy? buy what you like, and enjoy them, but take care of them too. many years down the road you may have one of the few surviving issues of the next big score.
but if your buying things that already have a high value, beware and know what your buying, there are a lot of hustlers out there trying to pass of reprints as original copies.
or higher, what about the ones that cost only 2cents.
Is there a value on them?
Best
mahendra
best
Mahendra
I want to sell it. Sealed in Archival case. Any takers?
Creeksideedge@yahoo.com
I was hoping that someone could tell me if I am getting a fair price? I have a bankers box full of Archie Digest comics from the late 90's early 2000 in mint condition.
Thanks,
J
i have a collection of comics, some from the late 70's and most from the 80's. They are comics such as uncanny xmen, other types of xmen, x factor, some gi joes, spiderman, batman, etc. I am curious, so i don't overlook anything, do you know of any very valuable comics from the late 70s and all of the 80's that you would recommend i watch out for?? I have a hodge podge in addition to what i mentioned. Any help would be appreciated! Thanks!
offers are welcome
b
This is the even more rare UK Edition and the 2nd highest rated copy
in existence
CGC CENSUS
Contact me at DarrenDreamweaver@yahoo.co.uk for more information.
Its intact but in terrible condition. Brittle pages and tears.
The last time I checked there were only 8 copies in existence. I can't find any online for sale.
If anyone has some info I would appreciate it.
Thanks
John
I have only No.1 June, 1938 Action c-26 32103 Famous 1st Edition Limited Collectors' Golden Mint Series, 10 cents.
Is that the same as the above or not?