…as speculation on Image Comics first issues is beginning to ramp up again. A few years back, my general sense of the Image speculation then was people hoping to twig onto whatever will be the new Walking Dead, a comic that expanded into other popular media and drove back issue prices into the stratosphere.
Now the speculation appears to be leaning towards first issues that are perhaps lower ordered, or otherwise under the radar. Titles that when they’re announced, and when it comes time for me to do my ordering, I don’t hear a peep about from anyone. And then, when it’s the day before the comic goes on sale, I start to get the requests.
From what I hear on the social medias, when I noted this, was that the comics folks on the YouTubes and the TikToks started to hype up these particular comics as “investable collectibles” within the last week or two. Of course, this is well past the time I’m able to get more copies, so even if I saw any of these videos (which I wouldn’t since I avoid most comics content on those platforms) what good was that going to do.
I haven’t noted the titles of the comics in question if only because the onus is not on them; they’re by creators doing books with stories they want to tell. And while I’m sure they’re pleased with the sales (and the attendant reprints), I’m not sure how happy they’d be to know that the primary push for sales is as a commodity, not as a storytelling medium. Look, I’m sure a bushel of twenties is a healing balm, but there must be some disappointment.
It reminds me of a creator at Marvel during initial COVID times, when speculators were desperate for anything to invest in, getting excited that an issue of their book suddenly shot through the roof in demand and sales. They seemed to think it portended future success, not realizing it was a one-off fluke as that issue featured an “invesetable” first appearance, and sales went right back to normal levels with the next issue.
So we have high demand for these new first issues, but no real indication of how many of those sales are to people looking to actually read it, and no indication as to what the sales will eventually settle down to once the investment opportunity is over. I’m just sorry that it may take two or three cycles of printings before the books can find their audiences. Unless they want to go on eBay and pick up the $20 or more copies of the first printings that were listed as such even before the release dates.
Collection and investment has always been part and parcel of the comics hobby — the phrase “must-have double-bag item” obviously came from somewhere. But in these days when comic orders are hewn close to the bone as it is, the surprise last-second demand for a low-ordered book is a frustration.
I’ve lost some brain cells since the 90s … was it Image Comics titles that sparked the first speculator boom, with Youngblood in ‘92? The Death of Superman storyline also happened in ‘92, but later on. I can’t think of any other books before them causing such a frenzy.
Last week, there was apparently high demand for the release of Nectar #1. The owner of the comic shop I frequent has grown tired of a person they had never seen before showing up at the store as it opened, buying every copy of the “hot new book” off the shelf before any other customers arrive, snd not being seen again until social media says there’s another “new hot book”, so he had put all but one copy of Nectar #1 behind the counter exclusively to offer to regular customers. That’s how I ended up with a copy of Nectar #1. That day, I didn’t think about the fact that Nectar #1 was a “hot new book” simply due to the fact that comic stores would order few copies of it. I bought it wondering why there was such hype behind the book. I was left confused after reading it; it wasn’t that special. The art is lovely. I don’t plan to continue reading it.
I don’t understand how this type of speculation works. Who will want to buy a “hot, new creator-owed indy book” at inflated prices? There’s no future demand for the “first appearance of killer butterfly”. The appeal of a creator-owned indy book is based on enjoyment of the story. A fan who wants to read the comic will surely wait for a second printing rather than go to EBay and buy the book for four or five times its cover price. Is anyone buying these type of books off of speculators, or is this another “X-Force #1 will be worth thousands of dollars in a few years” situation?
I can see rare variant covers or first appearances of a shared universe character getting popular as comics that speculators could make a profit. Something like Nectar #1 (or that type of comic, not trying to single out Nectar) seems like a comic that speculators will be stuck owning multiple copies until they dump them as back-issues at a comic shop in the future.
Garrie: Image was the start for my store. SPAWN was the only book on time every month. We lost the older customers who had pull lists. SAVAGE DRAGON still sold.
Because if the kids came in and PITT#2 wasn’t in, they’d buy another X-book. YOUNGBLOOD sold, but like you, age does things, I think once the AWESOME comics line started up, then we didn’t know what to order, how many, when…
What are some blasts from the past to compare and constrast?
Disregarding TWD and Invincible, there was Non-Player, if you’re generous, and Something is killing the Children, SAGA, BRZRKR, maybe Radiant Black?
Nobody cares about ISOLA anymore. And what the hell happened to Brigg’s Land?
philfg:I had thought about SAGA, which was in TWD era.
One summer, the current shop I go to bought a fair amount of trades for REVIVAL and they sold, but I have no clue what the deal was. The book was out over a decade ago and these trades sold back in 2022 or 2023.Tie-ins with streaming now more than regular cable shows like when HBO had WATCHMEN.
Something caused the REVIVAL bump but there’s no answer I can tell, I only heard about it later.
Ugh, I hate how speculation screws up everything. Maybe I want to try Unexpectedly Hot Comic number 1, but people who want to flip it swallow up the copies. It’s the gambling instinct – if I plop down 4 bucks, I could hit for 200 bucks if the comic becomes a popular show or the new character appears in a movie! Easy money! I’ll give current speculators this much- at least they understand the law of supply and demand, and comics with a print run under 30,000 will be worth more than comics with larger print runs. Then again, how many of those “1 in 100” variant covers are in demand today?