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The following are Tasteecat Comics annual market reports published in the Overstreet Price Guide:

- 2013 MARKET REPORT - 2012 MARKET REPORT - 2011 MARKET REPORT - 2010 MARKET REPORT - 2009 MARKET REPORT -

- 2012 MARKET REPORT -

INTRO:
This year seemed to continue the downward trend in spending & prices realized for a majority of non-key books from most time periods. Other then Golden Age, which I actually saw a mild resurgence in, and early Silver Age superhero issues, there was almost no reason to even bring this stuff to shows, as even at trying to sell it at 50% off didn't get much interest at these larger shows. At the smaller, regional, or one day shows however, there is still a strong demand for these as often these customers have less opportunities to purchase these books in person at these prices. Now, things are not all doom & gloom here. I do see a slightly positive sign to this slow-down trend! More people do seem to be spending good money on VF/VF- copies as these are really nice books that can be had for usually 1/2 or 1/3 of their NM- counterparts.

One of my big concerns, is how far off on pricing this price guide has gotten in recent years on quite a few books/titles. The guide used to be fairly close to the actual resale price of a book (when sold from a store/dealer that has the customers, as compared to your average person selling out of their garage or on Craigslist). Many titles/runs need to be adjusted 50% upward or downward to get close to their current market value. This would require a very thorough look at a large % of the titles in this guide, but things have gotten so far off across the board, that I think the time has come to embrace this, and not ignore it any longer.

2nd tier Golden Age titles in VG-VF should drop around 25%. Same is true for funny animal, Tarzan, Classic Comics and most westerns. Leave good & higher grades as that seems to be what's selling. Common Silver & Bronze Age filler books should drop around 25% in VG & Fine & remain flat in Good & VF & VF/NM, and maybe a modest 10% gain in NM-. This would be a good starting point. I do not think we should get too aggressive in dropping prices here, as the economy is finally starting to come around, and we also have natural inflation, and of course present comics are $3/$4 each. So do consider when a dealer is asking $5-$8 for say Witching Hour #20 in Fine for a book that's 35 years old or so, that seems like a realistic price given a new book that may never have any demand is already selling for 1/2 that. Key issues in particular need a major overhaul! I've stated before, and I am again. Key's in Good condition sell very quick almost always above guide, as they are always in demand. For keys only, I am hoping the guide will move away from the typical spread of 50% of VG (An example would be $10G, $20VG & $30F). I would rather see: $20G, $30VG & $40F. In many cases, keys in Good are selling 50-100% above guide, then a lower % above guide in VG/F conditions. Here's a perfect example: Incredible Hulk 181 actually dropped around 33% in last year's guide (42nd edition) in Good condition to $64 from just below $100 in the previous year!?? This is a book that regularly sells for $150-$250 in Good slabbed or raw, and from a liquidity standpoint, sells faster when I get them in stock then almost any other book from any time period. I'm suggesting this book be listed at $200 $350 $500 for G VG F in guide, and then probably go up from there next year. Same is true for other keys such as Iron Man 1 & 55. Iron Man #1 should be more like $75 for Good (presently at $37!) & issue #55 should be around $100 in Good (presently at $15! I'd pay double guide for these all day long!).

Here is a list of keys that should go way up in Good (say 100%, then up around 50% in VG/F, and around 25% in VF to NM- conditions). This is by no means a complete/comprehensive list, but just ones that for me are particular points of interest or ones I regularly sell. Obvious keys that already have fairly accurate pricing and are on the guides radar are not listed here: Albedo 2, All Flash 32 (1st Star Sapphire), Amazing Spider-Man: 121, 122, 129, 194, 300, 361, 430 & 431, Archie's Madhouse 22 (1st Sabrina), Avengers 57, 93, 100 & 196, Batman 181, 189, 227, 232, 234 & 608, Batman Vengeance of Bane Special 1, Blue Beetle 54, Captain America 100, 117 & 241, Captain Marvel 1 & 25, The Crow 1, Cry For Dawn 1, Daredevil 16, 131 & 168, Deadpool 1, 54 & 55, Detective Comics 359, 400 & 411, Doctor Strange 169, Exciting Comics 9 & 39, Fables 1, Fantastic Four 52 & 112, Fight Against Crime 20, Four Color 74, Ghost Rider 1, G.I. Combat 68 & 87, G.I. Joe 1 & 21, Green Lantern 7, 16 & 87, Grimm Fairy Tales 1, Hero For Hire 1, House of Mystery 175, House of Secrets 81 & 83, Incredible Hulk 180-182 & 271, Invincible 1, Iron Man 1, 55 & 128, Journey Into Mystery 84 & 85, Justice League of America 1, Kick Ass 1, Little Dot 1, Marvel Premiere 47 & 48, Marvel Spotlight 2, 5, Marvel Super Heroes 12 & 18, NYX 3, New Mutants 87 & 98, Nick Fury 1, Night Nurse 1, Our Army At War 81, 83 & 84, Pep Comics 1, 22, 26, 36 & 41, Phantom Lady 23, Punch Comics 20, Sgt. Fury 1, Silver Surfer 1 & 4, Strange Tales 110 & 135, Strangers in Paradise 1, Suspense Comics 3, Tales of Suspense 1, 52 & 57, Tales To Astonish 44, Terrific Comics 5, Tomb of Dracula 10, Weird Chills 1 & 2, Werewolf By Night 32, X-Men 101 & 266 & Y The Last Man 1.

Here is a list of Keys that I think should go up in all grades: Action Comics 252, Aliens 1 (1988 Dark Horse), All American Comics 61, All American Men of War: 28 & 67, Amazing Spider-Man: 50, 101, 252, 36 (vol.2), Archie's Girls, Betty & Veronica #1, Brave & the Bold 28, Daredevil 1, 7 & 158, DC Comics presents 26, Dennis The Menace 1, Detective Comics 225 & 233, Eerie 1 (1947), Fantastic Four 25, 26 & 48, Four Color 62, Ghosts 1, Green Lantern 1, Hellblazer 1, House of Mystery 1, House of Secrets 1, The Jetsons 1, John Byrne's Next Men 23, Journey Into Mystery 1 & 112, Mad 1, Marvel Premiere 15, Marvel Spotlight 32, Marvel Super-Heroes Secret Wars 8, New Mutants 1, New Teen Titans 1 & 2, Nova 1, Phantom Lady 17, Punisher 1 (limited), Rai 0 & 1, Richie Rich 1, Sonic The Hedgehog 1, Spawn 1, Sub-Mariner 1 & 8, Sun Girl 1, Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen 1 & 134, Superman Man of Steel 18, Tales of Suspense 40 & 50, Tales to Astonish 1 & 27, Thor 126, The Tick 1, Transformers 1, Weird War Tales 1, Now, as for these bigger ticket early Silver Age Keys, especially the Marvels (J.I.M. 83, A.F. 15, AMZ 1, Hulk 1, Avengers 1, X-Men, F.F.4 1, T.T.A. 27 & T.O.S. 39 as well as others), another trend I've noticed these last few years, is slabbed 1.8's, often sell for more than 2.0's, and sometimes even 1.5's outsell 2.0's! My guess is that the people buying these lower grade copies do not have access to the GPAnalysis sales data, and do not realize they could probably get a slightly nicer copy for a little less. Heck, even slabbed 1.0's are often selling for 75% of Good, not � of good, and the difference in condition between a 1.0 & 1.5 is usually huge. These trends are not with all sales, but surprisingly a decent % of the time. Let's see if this trend continues or will correct itself these next few years. ARTWORK:

Original artwork pages are selling for big money by big time artists with Silver Age Kirby's leading the way overall, but with specific pages by Todd McFarlane, Frank Miller, Neal Adams, and other artists selling for just as much if not more. This segment of our market I still feel is completely wide open with record prices being set what now seems to be weekly. If you're looking to begin collecting in this market, then an easy thing to do is buy what you love (sound familiar), as placing a value on artwork is usually an intangible thing. Now, if you're looking to invest in this market, that's a whole other concept that warrants some serious research before spending big money. Safe bets do seem to parallel comic collecting, with Kirby's Silver Age Marvel superhero characters or Neal Adams Bronze Age Batman/Green Lantern a good place to start (if you can afford these). If this seems too rich for your blood, you could try current established series like Walking Dead or Deadpool, as this title & character respectively seem to only be increasing in popularity. Covers, splash pages, and battle/action pages, or pages with key characters/storyline plots are also a logical place to start. If you're budget is say >$5000 I'd go the Kirby route or maybe a Romita Amazing Spider-Man cover/splash page, if you're in the $1-$4000 range, there are quite a few amazing covers from the Bronze & Silver Age that are available online. The $3-$500 range, has some great pages/covers/splashes from artists like Perez, Toth, Colon, and Adlard. Some of the newer artists in this price range I've purchased pages by include: Tony Moore (Walking Dead, Masters of the Universe, Deadpool), Charlie Adlard (Walking Dead), Jeff Lemire (Sweet Tooth) & David Peterson (Mouse Guard). The work from these artists I enjoy, do not cost too much at present (covers & early Walking Dead pages excluded), are high quality, and from very young, promising artists who could be with us for the next 30+ years. I highly recommend searching Ebay, Heritage, Comic Connect, Comic Link, Splash Page, Romitaman & Nostalgic Collectibles inventories/auctions to get a sense of what things are selling for before diving in to any large investments.

GOLDEN AGE:
Action Comics 162 Batman 37 Modern Comics 85 Ken Shannon 4 Intimate Secret Romance 1 Combat 9

Action Comics #29 is NOT the first Lois Lane cover. It is Action Comics #27. Our price guide needs to change this information. Issue #29 is the 2nd Lois Lane cover. Lois appears behind Superman on #27 in a yellow dress (ironically she is also wearing a very similar yellow dress on the cover of #29). There are only 2 woman in the Superman story, one is a retirement age woman who is a villain, and the other is Lois, who is wearing a yellow dress and is called by name, so you know it's Lois. I brought this information up several years ago in my market report, but was not changed, so I�m stating this again, so that hopefully our guide will be corrected.

Now, for the Golden Age, I would say that Good girl books, romance & crime books all need to come up, as well as early Archie�s/Pep�s. Many of these need a 25% upward adjustment in Fine & higher, as they are scarce in these grades. After doing the 3 biggest shows in the country this year, I�ve come to realize that there just aren�t that many of these books around anymore in these grades, or dealers with huge inventories just have stopped bringing them to shows, and are mostly just bringing super hero, classic covers, pedigree books (Mile High�s, Crippen�s, etc..) or super high grade which for Golden Age would be 8.0�s & higher. Early runs of such titles as My Love, Shocking Mysteries, Jo-Jo, Planet, Daring Mystery, Terrific, Suspense, all seem quite low in guide in any grade, and unless you�re at a major market show, most collectors won�t even be able to see a copy of these in person, let alone more than one book from the run, or have a choice of grades. Archie�s under #50 & Pep�s under #100 all need a large bump up in guide across the board, and especially in VF to NM- (25% increase in lower grades & 100% in high grade). Also, Archie�s need more attention given in the price guide, as there are very few line listings or key issues given credit. The major keys all need to go WAY up in guide: Pep 22 & 26, Jackpot 4, Archie 1, Jughead 1, Reggie 1, and Betty & Veronica 1 in all grades. Recently Heritage auctioned a CGC 7.5 copy of an Archie giveaway that for years was thought to not exist Archie Your Official Store Club Magazine #NN. This lone copy sold for $1912 in February. Guide currently lists it in the promotional section under Archie Comics "Official Boy Scout Outfitter" with a line listing between $48 - $725. This book described above is actually the Boy Scout Outfitter comic listed in guide. The Boy Scout Outfitter is actually a comic that does not exist, as it is actually the name of an ad on the back of this comic. I suggest a line listing of: Archie Your Official Store Club Magazine #NN (Very Rare) $300 $600 $1000 $2000 ---- -----. At this point this is the only known sale/copy of this book.

How about Classic covers? Good Girl covers (Anyone else think about how many Betty & Veronica covers there are?)? For example, should Archie Comics #50 with Betty on the cover be considered a classic headlight cover? OK, sure, it�s not a Phantom Lady #17 (as she�s wearing a sweater), but still, that�s a headlight cover, and this book sells at multiples of guide in all grades when it rarely comes to market. What about Archie #101? I�d consider this a classic Archie cover, as it�s the only one from the 1950�s or earlier that has a close up of Archie & Veronica and nothing else. One of the most minimal Archie covers from any time period, and one could even make the case of it being a headlight cover! Another example is, Everything�s Archie #137 has Archie editor Victor Gorelick appearing in a story with writer Rich Margopoulos referencing himself. These types of references are listed in this price guide for the Marvel/DC universe, so why not list them in the Archie�s. When I compile my sales after conventions, Archie (including all the misc. titles) books are my #2 selling behind Amazing Spider-Man & ahead of Batman/Detective!

As for books/titles/genre�s, let�s start with Good Girl books� First off, talk about UNDERVALUED when compared with other genres. Many of these titles are extremely scarce in any grade. Some of these may be the scarcest books from this time period. The Fox Wood/Kamen/Feldstein books in particular are very difficult to track down. Titles like My Love Memoirs (formerly Women Outlaws & becomes Hunted), My Love Affair (becomes March of Crime), My Life (Formerly Meet Corliss Archer), My Past (formerly Western Thrillers), My Love Story (Check out the cover of #4), and My Love Secret (formerly Phantom Lady and becomes Animal Crackers). The Fox �Yellow� & �Red� covers are some of the toughest books to track down, as they are often just a few issues. Many have only 1 or 2 graded copies, often with a 4.0 or 5.0 being the highest graded, and with many individual issues having none graded. The My Love Memoirs title has NO GRADED COPIES OF ANY ISSUE! Now, granted, this is only 4 issues, but still. $15 to $30 for lower grade copies or $150-$300 for NM- all just seems flat out REDICULOUSLY CHEAP for how scarce these are.

The Fox Giants are all tough books to find in any grade, as is Crimes By Women, the later of which I picked up a rare VF copy of an issue that sold via my site in 2 days! Other titles to check out include the very much undervalued Junior Comics (all issues are classic good girl covers!), Murderous Gansters, Nellie, Tessie, Mopsy & Torchy. Fiction House�s have heated up including Planet, Jumbo, Jungle & Rangers. So many gems here I�m not even sure where to begin. ALL (other than the Planets), are way under-valued, especially in VF or higher! Then there are titles like Rulah, Zoot, Zegra, Zago, and Jo-Jo that all have classic covers, and all should come up in guide, especially in VF and higher. And how about those air brushed Wonder Comics cover! Wow, let�s bring those up in guide, especially in higher grades.

Hitler covers & stories have been hot sellers above guide. All Star Comics 13 has a book length sci-fi story with Hitler in the beginning and end of the story, and should have a separate line listing in guide noting his appearance. Marvel Mystery 63 is also a classic Hitler cover, and should come way up in guide, as is the issue from this title with Hitler riding in the car.

SILVER AGE:
Action Comics 162 Batman 37 Modern Comics 85 Ken Shannon 4 Intimate Secret Romance 1 Combat 9

I�m not going to talk too much about this time period, I�m hoping the rest of the world starts buying books from other time periods. Great books, great stories & artwork, and tons of movies being made from these. Marvel Silver Age keys are all still great investments, with Strange Tales 110 & Tales To Astonish 27 both heating up considerably, as is Our Army At War 83 & Sgt. Fury 1. The war books are still undervalued, but catching up fast. Wonder Women is a consistent seller in all grades, as is Iron Man. Later Silver Age Spider-Man�s have really cooled off. Incredible Hulk 1 continues to sell for considerable money in all grades. I sold a restored #1 raw 1.0 copy from my website in less than 24 hours! The 2 books showing the most gains annually are Incredible Hulk 1 & AF15.

BRONZE AGE:
Action Comics 162 Batman 37 Modern Comics 85 Ken Shannon 4 Intimate Secret Romance 1 Combat 9

Selling well in high grade, and great in the $2-$5 price range for filler issues. Quite a few books could explode in this time period as Iron Man 55 has, and Green Lantern 76 did. John Stewart�s first appearance could explode when they introduce him in a movie down the road. Fantastic Four 112 is simply my best selling book in this title. Detective 411, Talia�s first appearance, and her father�s in Batman 232 sell as fast as I get them. Werewolf By Night 32 sells way above guide in all grades. Horror outsells superhero for me here, with cheap romance in the $1-$5 range close behind.

Tomb of Dracula could maybe use a few more line listings including #43, which is a Blade cover by Wrightson & is a Blade app. This one should have a separate line listing slightly above issues 41-45 & 30. Also, issue #45 is the intro to Deacon Frost, an important player in the Blade/Dracula universe & should also have a separate/higher line listing. Although uncredited, Weird Mystery Tales 16 appears to be a Neal Adams cover, and if so, warrants a separate line listing. While processing a collection I noticed Kamandi issue #58 featuring the Karate Kid (Legion of Superheroes) is not a 44 page issue as the price guide indicates, it is a normal size issue, and should be included on the line listing of issues 41-57 (now 41-58).

COPPER/MODERN AGE:
Action Comics 162 Batman 37 Modern Comics 85 Ken Shannon 4 Intimate Secret Romance 1 Combat 9

The Copper Age I�m now buying heavily from, as there are so many gems here I can�t begin to list them. Many great & high grade books can be had for $.25-$1 in blow out boxes. Buy them up now, as these will most likely be going for $2-$5 (that�s around a 500% gain!) in the next 5 to 10 years or so, which is comparable to the Bronze Age books at present.

Vertigo #1�s from the 1990�s/2000�s seem quite low to me in guide, and all sell at a brisk pace when I can get them in. Fables #1 should be $50 in guide, Hellblazer 1 should be $25/$30, 100 Bullets 1 & 100% 1 should both be at least $15/$20, Sandman 1 & Preacher 1 can both go up as well to name only a few.

Walking Dead is the hottest title on the market from any time period, and should have line listings from at least issues 1-75. I recommend guide pricing around for NM- listing at: #1 $750, #2 $300, #3 $250, #4-6 $200, #7-10 $75, #11-15 $40, #16-18 & #20 at $30, #19 $400, and listings for #27 1st Governor, #53 1st Abraham, #92 1st Jesus. etc�

Indie/Smaller print titles continue to be in demand. One to keep an eye on (which isn�t in guide for some reason?) is Knights of the Dinner Table on Alderic Group. Raw NM sales of #1 have been going on Ebay for $150-$200 with very low census #�s & GPAnalysis figures. The print run what I�ve heard for #1 was 3000. Could this be the next Bone? Another Modern book commanding big money if you can find it, is Hellboy: The Fury #3 retailer incentive variant, which is the end of a 3 part series in which he dies. Raw copies are going for around $200, and I saw a CGC 9.6 go for $500!

Rocket Raccoon is hot due to speculation on an appearance in the Guardian�s of the Galaxy movie. His 1st appearance Marvel Preview (magazine) #7, 2nd appearance in Incredible Hulk #271 & his own 4 part limited series are all selling quite well. Marvel Preview #7 doesn�t even list this is his 1st appearance in the current guide, so this should be added along with a suggested NM- listing of $50. Incredible Hulk #271 should be listing on a separate line listing in guide as his 2nd app. With a NM- listing of $25.

OK, I think it�s long overdue to this price guide to have a more accurate Copper Age top 10, so I�m suggesting a TOP 25 COPPER/MODERN AGE section. I feel this section warrants 25 issues listed, as it is the longest time period (30 years approx.), and has the largest share of the market from a buying/selling standpoint. So, one would think logically speaking, this section warrants a top 25 if these 2 time periods are combined, and maybe eventually 2 different top 10�s over time as these 2 periods are more clearly defined..

Here are my suggestions for the spreads in this new/expanded section for the NM-/9.2 price range based off of raw & slabbed sales throughout the past several years of online & convention sales. Please realize this list is just a starting point as I�m sure I�ve overlooked some important books:

1. Gobbledygook #1: $6000
2. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1: $3000
3. Gobbledygook #2: $2500
4. Miracleman #1 Gold Edition: $1200
5. Albedo #2: $900
6. Walking Dead #1: $750
7. Bone #1: $650
8. Miracleman #1 Blue Edition: $600
9. Vampirella #113: $500
10. Batman #608 Retailer Incentive Edition: $400
11. Chew #1: $350
12. Walking Dead #2: $300
13. Walking Dead #19: $275
14. Walking Dead #27: $225
15. Walking Dead #3: $200
16. Amazing Spider-Man #300: $175
17. Knights of the Dinner Table #1: $175
18. Primer 2: #$170
19. Grendel 1: #$160
20. Walking Dead #4: $150
21. Y The Last Man #1: $130
22. New Mutants #98: $125
23. The Goon #1 $120
24. Cry For Dawn #1 #110
25. Hellboy: The Fury #3 Retailer Incentive Variant: $100

Others: Batman Adventures #12 $150, Peter Panzerfaust #1 $150

Thanks to everyone that�s read my market report, visited the website, and said hello at one of the cons. I look forward to meeting more of you, and another year in the hobby!

- 2011 MARKET REPORT -

INTRO:
This year I believe I�ve found a new price variant for Daredevil #190. I�ve had this book in stock before, and always seen a cover price of $1.00, but this year I purchased a collection with a huge run of this title, with multiple copies of most issues, and there were 3 copies of this issue, 2 with $1 covers, and 1 with a $1.25 cover price. There was no listing inside the book of a �second printing� or �reprint� information. All text/artwork was the same. If anyone else has found other variants from the $1 cover time period, please email me, as I was not familiar with any from this period, as most identified in guide are from the Bronze Age.

Ebay: Most non keys are selling well below guide of common books from Silver Age to present in lower & mid grade. This has been consistent for a while. So� good deals can be had if you�re happy with buying a FN+ from the Silver Age or VF from the Bronze & VF/NM from the Copper Age. Unless you buy regularly on Ebay, there is quite a bit of risk on raw books here. Buy from people who are nationally known dealers with return policies, 1 to 1 ratio cover scans or high quality photos. We ware of sellers offering raw high grade Silver & Bronze keys month after month, as there just are not that many of those books available. Some sellers on Ebay will buy restored CGC books, crack them out of the case and seller them as unrestored. Check the CGC forums before dropping big bucks!


Below are some thoughts about specific time periods, some books I�ve purchased, some books I�ve sold, and some basic thoughts on pricing in our beloved price guide.

GOLDEN AGE:
Action Comics 162 Batman 37 Modern Comics 85 Ken Shannon 4 Intimate Secret Romance 1 Combat 9

I continue finding myself buying more and more Archie�s. Great artwork & stories, and boy are these tough to find in Fine or better! I picked up a nice copy of issue #47 which I kept for myself which has a full page Veronica pin up, with a full page Betty pin up on the other side. Highest graded copy of this issue is only a 7.5, with only 3 graded copies! War comic sales are picking up for me as I continue to tell my regular customers about how scarce these are in Fine or higher, forget VF copies for many issues. In July, an Our Army At War 83 CGC 7.5 sold for $9,600, which isn�t even the highest graded (a lone 9.0). Is this a steal or ridiculous amount to pay for a 7.5 of this book, who knows, only time will tell. Either way, this book seems quite scarce, and needs to move upward in guide in all grades by a good percentage.

Crime books have been slow for a while, but so was pre-code horror for a while. Keep your eye on these, as many are quite scarce, and often contain quite violent covers and stories. Fight Against Crime 20 is a classic decapitation cover that hardly ever comes up for sale. This one needs a major upward price adjustment in guide in all grades. Thrilling Crime Cases 49 (Classic L.B. Cole cover) also is selling well above guide in all grade with a raw G+/VG- selling on Ebay for $128 (guide is $72.50) & a CGC 8.0 selling for $1315 (guide is 284, that�s 5x guide for upper mid grade!). Issue 41 (first issue) has only one graded copy, a 9.2, issues 45 & 47 have no graded copies & issue 44�s highest graded copy is a 4.0 (the only graded copy). This entire series seems quite scarce & very undervalued in guide.


Early Four Color�s continue to be hard to track down as are early Dick Tracy�s, both of which sell quite fast at or slightly above guide when I can find them.

Good girl books have regained quite a bit of interest here in the Pacific Northwest with what I have called the �Hollywood Smokeshop Collection� being discovered by Peter Fagnant the owner of Excalibur Comics, Portland�s oldest comic book shop. This collection contained around 600 higher grade Fox, Fiction House, Harvey, Timely, Avon & Quality books from such titles as Phantom Lady (entire series except for issue 23), Jo-Jo Comics, Rulah, Zoot, Torchy, Jungle, Jumbo, Fight, Modern, Doll Man, Planet, Black Cat, Blond Phantom, and Blue Beetle, to name only a handful. Almost the entire collection graded above Fine, with Very Fine- probably being the average grade. Cover gloss & page quality was excellent with many books having White or Off White to White pages. I already knew many of these titles were less common, but after some research, it seems many of these books are quite scarce in any grade, let alone in high grade. CGC census for some of the Modern Comics I picked up had zero graded copies or only 1 graded usually around the 7.0 range (Often the �D� Crippen copy). For many of these books, the highest graded copy is between a 7.5 & 9.0. The savvy investor should keep their eye on this genre, as there could be a big upward swing in pricing in the near future on many of these. Although not in this collection, I then researched My Love Secret, the title Phantom Lady switched to after issue 23. My Love Secret #24 (1st issue) has zero graded copies and even has Kamen and Feldstein artwork. The series only went seven issues to #30 before once again changing its name. At the time of this report, the CGC census had 1 graded copy of issue #25 (9.0) & 1 graded copy of issue #26 (4.5). That�s it, no other graded copies of the entire series. I then checked Ebay, 2 auction sites, and 2 other major retailers� sites (that�s 5 of the largest comic retailers sites) and there were NO copies of this title for sale. So, not only are many of these Good Girl titles containing great stories and artwork, many of them are scarcer then I think people believe. The Blue Beetle Kamen/Baker run seems quite affordable compared with their horror counterparts from the early 50�s. Issues 52 & 54 have been noted due to their bondage & headlight covers respectively, however issue 53 should also receive its own line listing with a strangulation cover.

SILVER AGE:
Wonder Woman 146 Thor 136 Amazing Spider-Man 7 Avengers 1 Buck Rogers 1 Silver Surfer 1

So many great titles and investment opportunities here, where to begin�. How about with Archie�s Girls Betty & Veronica #75 where they sell their souls to the devil? This is one to keep your eye out for. >From what I�ve been told, right after this issue came out, a certain religious group nationally asked everyone in it�s faith to purchase this book and destroy it so no one else could by it due to the storyline. To date only 1 copy has been graded by CGC, a 5.0/FN-. This book seems undervalued to me, and is probably much more scarce then people realize. A few big ticket sales to note: A T.O.S. CGC 9.2 sold for $72,100 in Sept. 2011 and the following month a J.I.M. 83 CGC 9.2 sold for $100,000. Detective 359 the intro to Batgirl Barbara Gordon has become a super hot book selling well above guide in all grades and needs a major upward swing in guide to reflect it�s true value. Iron Man #1 continues to be one of the most liquid books from any time period for me. This book needs to go up in all grades in guide, as does Captain America 100. I think both of these are still affordable keys compared with many other earlier Silver Age keys, as people can still buy these for $50-$200, unlike a J.I.M. 83 or T.O.S. 39, which now seem to start at $1000. The next Marvel key to keep your eye on for an explosion I think is Sgt. Fury #1, which seems fairly common in G- to VG-, but finding it above VG or better, forget about in grade seems quite difficult. As for DC�s, Showcase 4 has been flat for several years now, so keep your eye on this one & Flash 105. Adventure 210 (1st Krypto) & 247 (1st Legion) are both tough to track down, as is Action 252 (1st Supergirl), and all are quite liquid. Same goes for Brave and the Bold 28 (1st Justice League). Will one of these be the Showcase 22 for this next year? That book skyrocketed, then crashed!

BRONZE AGE:
Sinister House of Secret Love 1 Phantom Stranger 5 New Gods 1 The Shadow 1 Savage She-Hulk 1 Power Man and Iron Fist 66

This period seems to be quite tricky from an investment standpoint, as books soar in price, then dip dramatically the following year. Hulk 181�s in CGC 9.8 sell anywhere from $12,000 to $30,000! That�s a huge range, and quite a gamble from an investment standpoint. Yes, it�s a blue chip key, but that doesn�t seem like a sure thing to me. Hero For Hire #1 needs to go up in guide significantly in all grades. This is one of my more liquid keys, which sells above guide in all grades. Amazing Spider-Man #123 seems undervalued as it ties for Luke Cage�s 3rd appearance with Hero For Hire #3, and is his first x-over. Amazing Spider-Man 204, 205, 226 & 227 also seem undervalued as they are early appearances of the Black Cat (3rd, 4th, 5th & 6th appearances). Detective $.15 covers, especially Neal Adams ones, as well as $.20 & $.25 large logo covers seem quite cheap to me, and are pretty hard to find about VF in grade. Batman $.15 & $.20 covers also seem quite affordable. Detective 425 is a cool Wrightson cover which should be listed in guide, and possibly a bit higher in guide then other issues around it, although issue #426 with Batman holding a gun to his head is another desirable cover. Independent titles from smaller publishers continue to be scarce and interesting. By now most people hopefully know about Cerebus and Zap Comics, but there are quite a few other titles, writers and artists to keep your eyes on that I feel are quite undervalued. The religious series titled The Crusaders by Jack T. Chick which on the cover says �Recommended reading for adults and teens� is spot on. This is some disturbing stuff regardless of what your religious beliefs may be from kidnapping, to sacrifices and maiming. I hardly ever see this series, let alone in grade. The Big Betrayal by Jack T. Chick (1981 Chick Publications, no cover price � possibly a promo?) currently isn�t in guide. I�m guessing a $2-$25 spread in guide would put it in line with his Crusaders series pricing, but with books like this and their limited sales history, who knows. Also, the Spire Christian books are also pretty interesting, and some command top dollar like Hansi, The Girl Who Loved the Swastika (I sold a raw mid grade copy for $40 at the first show I brought it to which is over double guide). House of Secrets 92 (1st Swamp Thing) is one to keep your eye on as sales have been flat for several years now, yet this iconic cover always draws people in at shows.


COPPER/MODERN AGE:
Men In Black 2 G.I. Joe 21 New Mutants 87 Powers 1 Preacher 2 Peter Panzerfaust 5

TMNT are hot again. In August a CGC 9.8 sold for $22,752, with several CGC 9.6�s going for $5600-$7000. The latest CGC 9.2 sales are $3107 & $2900. Prices do NOT vary wildly on this book anymore. The book sells consistently at strong prices in all grades and needs a line listing in guide at NM- of around $2600. This has been long overdue, and it should also be listed in the Top 10 Copper Age Books at #2 behind Gobbledygook #1. I also think more, if not a majority of the series deserves line listings, as many of the issues have lower print runs then their Marvel/DC counterparts, and come on, how many movies have there been, as well as the TV show, action figures, etc� They even got referenced in the new Muppet Movie!

AMZ 294 the Death of Kraven the Hunter at $14 in NM- seems like an absurd bargain to me, as historically, he was one of Spidey�s most difficult villains, and always an interesting character. AMZ issues at the end of volume 1 can be fairly scarce due to the lower print runs. Issue #430 a Carnage & Silver Surfer cover & 431 a Carnage cover on the Surfer�s board seem to be the least common & selling for the most, regularly going for $15-$25. I suggest line listings for these two at $12 & $15 at the NM- range respectively. Issues 432, 434, 440 & 441 all regularly sell for $5-$10 each, and warrant line listings with $7 - $10 at the NM- line. A mini-series I feel is undervalued is the 4 part Vision & Scarlet Witch $.60 cover series, where in the last issue, Wanda & Pietro find out that their father is Magneto, some pretty important information in the Marvel Universe without even a line listing at present.

Other keys to keep your eye on are The Crow #1 (1st print, Caliber Press 1989), with a current NM- listing of $80 seems quite low for a book that doesn�t appear at cons or on Ebay very often, which is not the case for most Silver Age keys that are twice as old. Cry For Dawn #1 at $120 in NM- also seems like a steal, also from 1989. Primer #2 (1st Grendel) has been soft for too long, and interest should return back to it soon. Pick up one or two of these if you can find them in grade now. For the third year in a row I must continue to at the minimum mention the Walking Dead. I feel after two years of pushing for a line listing for the early issues of this series, now it�s time to give those listings upward movement. CGC 9.8�s seem to be going consistently around $600, with CGC 9.2�s around $300 to $350. Guide needs to come up for the entire series, with NM- listings around: #1 $300, #2 $100, #3 & #4 $50, #5 & #6 $30, #7-#10 $15, and #11-#20 $10, with #61 around $12. Chew #1 in NM- should be listed around $150 (very conservative starting line listing), as this book seem much less common for the 1st printing, and seems non-existent at cons. Morning Glories seemed quite hot, with NM- copies selling around $50 raw, but many readers (including myself) found the story amazing to begin with, then just seemed to go nowhere, and readership/interest started to fall off. How this series could go nowhere is really beyond me, as possibilities seemed limitless. Another key that needs a line listing is Fables #1 at $35. This book has sold at this price or higher consistently now for several years, and doesn�t appear much at cons or in local shops. Another indie title to keep your eye on is Fish Police from 1985 on Fishwrap Productions. I bought a collection that had the first 8 issues in it all in NM which I sold for a lot on Ebay in less than 24 hours as a BIN.

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- 2010 MARKET REPORT -

INTRO:
Other then the early record sales of Action 1 & Detective 27, which many advisors talked about in our 40th guide, my overall feeling was 2010 was worse then 2009, and this is due to several reasons. First off, the economy! Unemployment is still around 10% nationwide, we�re still at war, and the housing market is flat at best with interest rates at an all time low. Does this affect you folks out there who buy your couple books a week to read, probably not, but for those of you that have a box at the local shop and normally bought 5-10 titles each week, you may now be buying 2-5. Oh yes, and that $4 cover price is ridiculous. Remember when cover prices, if they went up, went up $.10 or $.25, but to go right from $3 to $4? How about $3.25? Cheers to Vertigo for having a $1.00 cover price on some of their new first issues (even if it�s only a few).
Other than economic related reasons, I saw less quality material come to the marketplace this past year, I feel this was not only locally in the Pacific Northwest, but nationally as well from my travels or weekly searches on the internet. On Ebay, I�m also seeing more comics coming up for sale as �Buy It Now�s� only, instead of as auctions, which I feel takes away from the purpose of an auction site. There seemed to be very few interesting collections that came up for sale this year, most were Silver � Modern age superhero. Where are the horror, Archie, jungle, or sci-fi collections? Locally I saw one large EC collection come in for the first time in almost a decade, and one superhero collection surfaced which another local dealer purchased, other than that, not much new in the Pacific Northwest.

After the economy and lack of quality material, I also saw some disturbing new trends arise in the value of some blue chips (even in high grade!). Incredible Hulk 181 in CGC 9.8 has consistently sold between $15,000 $25,000 for years now, with an average around $20,000. This year at present there have been 5 copies sold in this grade with 3 selling for $12,600, $13,351 & $11,950, that�s 3 record low sales for the same book at its highest grade in the same year. Also, Silver Age Blue chips have finally stabilized for the first time in years almost across the board. Tales of Suspense 39 CGC 9.2 sold for $49,750, and in 2009 a 9.2 sold for $50,000, even Amazing Fantasy 15 has been flat in most grades this past year. So, demand is still there for this great investment books, but buying and flipping these books in a year or two, may not happen again for some years down the road. From what I�ve seen a book will get hot, sometimes doubling or even tripling in price, then cool off for 4-7 years, then get hot again, although who knows if the returns will be as large. In summary, now is a great time to buy, if you can find the right books to buy. When will that T.O.S. 39 CGC 9.2 will hit the $100,000 sales mark? 2012? 2015? 2020? You be the judge, but my bets are sooner than later.

Below are some thoughts about specific time periods, some books I�ve purchased, some books I�ve sold, and some basic thoughts on pricing in our beloved price guide.


GOLDEN AGE:
Action Comics 252 Archie 24 Batman 98 Popular Comics 35 IBIS The Invincible 6 Crackajack Funnies 38

Guide needs to be corrected on the first cover appearance of Lois Lane. Currently it�s listed as Action Comics 29, however, Lois actually appears on the cover of Action Comics 27 (8/40) kneeling in a yellow dress behind Superman. I�ve checked the story, and Lois is referred to by name in the story, in a yellow dress, and is the only female character remotely close to her age in the story. After further checks online, I�ve seen other listings of Action 27 for sale stating the same information. I feel with certainty, this is Lois, and this issue warrants its own line listing in guide, probably just swapping the pricing info with issue 29. Otherwise, it seems there is still steady demand for these great books, but I�m seeing increased resistance from buyers due to pricing. I�m not sure if the pricing/guide values are right, and people are just pinching their pockets, or if guide needs to remain flat for a year or two for inflation and interest to return to these books. I would like to know where are all of the Centaur�s? Were 90% donated during the war paper drives? Try putting together a complete collection of this publisher! Finding copies of The Arrow on Ebay in any grade is often difficult, and the asking price is usually double guide. Female characters I think are still undervalued such as Wonder Woman, Sun Girl, Miss Fury, Blonde Phantom, Mary Marvel, or the first appearance of Star Sapphire in All Flash 32, you know she�ll be in one of these Green Lantern movies. At shows I�ve been finding more people asking or collecting their favorite artists for this time period, then say putting together a run of a title or publisher. I think Nedor�s and Fiction House are way undervalued in general as they are much more difficult to find then Timely�s or DC�s. Try putting together a run of Black Terror or Planet Comics in Fine or better? It may not cost as much as a Detective Comics run, but it may be more difficult to find these books, forget about in grade. Exciting Comics 9 (1st Black Terror) & 39 (Nazis giving poison candy to kids) could skyrocket very soon, both sell way above guide, and the highest graded CGC sale of #9 is only a 5.5, and there have only been two CGC sales of #39, so yes, very scarce. Buy what you love from this time period, as most books will cost one a decent bit, and there just aren�t that many of them out there. Sales wise, I don�t do much presently in this time period, but I did sell some Blackhawk, Startling Terror Tales, Sensation Comics, Blue Bolt and Archies.

ATOMIC AGE:
My Love Life 7 Murderous Gangsters 1 G.I. Combat 9 Two Fisted Tales 34 My Love Story 1 Shock Suspenstories 1

I�m buying more, selling more, and seeing more people ask for books from this period, which to me parallel�s the Bronze Age in diversity and affordability. EC horror books are regularly in demand, although usually at a small discount below guide, war and Archie titles seem too cheap to me given their scarcity. There are quite a few cool crime/detective books from this period with some great artists doing just a few random issues. Ken Shannon�s seem quite reasonable with great artwork. Early $.10 romance books were in high demand and selling at a good percent of guide if I could keep them in stock. Pre code horror is always in demand, but pricing is a bit resistant, although I think it�s more economic based then guide being too high. I�m seeing less and less Avon one shots in shops and at shows. Try collecting all these! Some titles I sold this year include: Prize Comics Western, Mysterious Adventures, Tales From The Crypt, Strange Tales of the Unusual, I Love You, and Journey Into Fear.

SILVER AGE:
Daredevil 4 Incredible Hulk 105 Silver Surfer 6 Brave and the Bold 34 Amazing Spider-Man 36 Avengers 55

Amazing Fantasy 15 has finally cooled off after around a decade of insane increases. Still a great investment in all grades, but it may finally not be doubling every 3 years like it has been. My sales from this time period are about 70% superhero, 10% Archie, 10% romance, and 10% Dell/Gold Key, however, over the years I�ve been buying mostly superhero, so I have a much larger stock. Starting this year I am actively going to search out less superhero comics, and more from other genre�s, as although their ticket prices are usually much lower, they seem to be much more liquid books for me when I get them in. Amazing Spider-Man interest was low for the 2nd year in a row, other than issues 1-10, Incredible Hulk 1-6 are still very much in demand, with #1 showing huge gains in all grades, Fantastic Four has picked up steam after a few cool years with more interest in 1-10, 25, 26, 48-50 & 52. Avengers 1 has cooled quite a bit, however issues 2-50 are selling regularly as people try and complete their runs on a still very affordable title. X-Men, other than #1 have just been collecting dust for several years now (the movies really weren�t that bad!), and even this first issue has been basically flat price wise. Captain America has been hot for all issues, and #100 has been selling above guide in all grades. Thor & Journey Into Mystery are selling fairly regularly, but not close to the Avengers volume wise. Daredevil, now this one is strange to me, as many of my dealer and collector friends save �Daredevil�s a soft book, or that books dead in the water, etc��, yet show after show, I sell more Daredevil keys or filler issues then other Marvel superhero�s typically (I have to include Bronze sales here with this title due to Bullseye & Elektra sales). Sub-Mariner to me is a soft book, however issue #8 sells quite well in all grades & is due for a large increase in guide. Iron Man #1 is one of the most liquid books from this time period, and needs to go up in guide in all grades by at least 25%. DC wise, Green Lantern 7 (1st Sinestro, which I talked about in guide last year) seems to now be more available since everyone has caught on about this book, but is still very tough to find, and needs a huge increase in guide of about 300% in all grades as CGC 3.0-4.0�s are selling for $300-$400 at present. Issues 14 & 16 (1st Sonar & S.A. Star Sapphire) seem way undervalued and are very hard to find about VF. The first issue is doing quite well in FN or higher, but lower grades copies still out supply demand. Teen Titans books above FN seem quite hard to find, and #1 in high grade seems very affordable if you can find out, same for their first appearance in Brave & the Bold. Showcase 22 is currently one of the hottest books on the market if you can find one. Flash 105-110 still seem very undervalued to me, as he�s probably one of the most well known characters of all time, and a huge player in the DC universe. Wonder Woman�s are very affordable, and tough to find in any grade, especially FN or higher. Adventure Comics haven�t been showing much demand other than a few people collecting the Legion run starting at 300. These are very hard to find in VF or higher, and have great story lines. Archie�s sell almost as fast as I get them in, although usually at a discount off guide. Another character to watch is Richie Rich, whose first appearance in Little Dot seems very affordable, as do most of his titles. Romance titles are very much in demand with high grade selling at or above guide, and low to mid grade moving briskly, but at a % off guide. In general, sales were slower this year for this time period as there is becoming resistance to pricing. Some titles/books I sold include: T.O.S. 39 CGC 3.0 for $1100, Iron man 1 FN $120, J.I.M. 121 VF $50, Green Lantern 7 CGC 5.5 $340, Daredevil 1 G-/1.0 $120, Batman 171 VF- $115, Avengers 2 FN- $200, 9 VG $70, AMZ 14 CGC 7.5R $500.

BRONZE AGE:
Tomb of Dracula 10 Conan 1 Fantastic Four 112 Werewolf By Night 16 Detective 411 Emergency 1

My best selling period for at least the 3rd year in a row. People are filling their runs for quite cheap, as many books are still available in VF/NM/9.0 or higher for quite affordable, and FN to VF copies can usually be found for $3-$5. I saw an increase in demand for DC horror this year (in grade), as many of these have some of the best covers of the decade. Keys that sell often with little price resistance include: Green Lantern 76 (which is now has the highest sale price from this time period with the only CGC 9.8 selling for $37,344!), Hulk 180-182, AMZ 121, 129 & 194, Iron Man 55, Werewolf By Night 32 (this one needs to go up about 100% in all grades in guide!), Fantastic Four 112, Daredevil 131, 168, Ghost Rider 1, Marvel Spotlight 5 & 32 (1st Spider-Woman needs its� own line listing in guide with at least a 25% increase in all grades), X-Men 94 (interest returning after several slow years), Giant Size X-Men 1, Avengers 94, 95 (Neal Adams), Star Wars 1 $.35 price variant, Cerebus 1, Weird War Tales 1, Captain America 117 (1st Falcon), and Iron Fist 14 (regular or variant). One book I feel is a huge sleeper (and maybe it�s because it�s a DC) is Superman�s Pal Jimmy Olsen 134 (1st Darkseid). He almost took over the universe a few years ago, and now he�s the main villain on Smallville�s last season. If only Superman will fight Doomsday or Darkseid in a movie! House of Secrets 92 is still in demand, but showing price resistance. Tomb of Dracula 1 & 10 same thing, people want them, but aren�t shelling out guide for them at present. Green Lantern Neal Adams run is doing well, and the X-Men Bryne run has almost tanked in value for some odd reason. I love Wonder Woman $.15 covers without costume, as they are harder to find, great covers, and showing great annual returns. Shorter run titles are showing demand like Night Nurse, Beware The Cat, Black Panther, Black Goliath, and Champions. Gold Key/Whitman funny animal books sell quite well for $.50 - $2, but not much more as it�s usually parents buying these for their kids to read. Conan 1 is showing price resistance, and interest has been down on issues 23 & 24. Demand for Charlton�s has been up for cheap copies to fill runs, as well as high grade, as they are one of the most diverse publishers from this period. Lastly, one major point I�d like to make is about overall pricing for the end of this time period. Line listings for major Golden-Bronze Age titles (say superhero) seem to end sometime during the middle-end of the Bronze Age. It is also inconsistent between these major superhero titles, as Daredevil�s line listings end at issue #191 (02/83 a $.60 cover), but Fantastic Four�s end at issue #200 (11/78 when cover price was still $.35). Now, don�t get me wrong, I love that blind lawyer, but FF4 are a pretty important superhero team in the Marvel Universe. My suggestion is we add line listings to these major titles at least through the end of the Bronze Age (1984) when cover prices were $.60, this would be through around issue #260 for FF4. Books that are around 30 years old from major titles should probably have a line listing. Also, we should even begin considering line listings for important story arc�s or artist contributions, etc� for early Copper Age, which are 25 years old (talking $.60, $.65 & early $.75 covers. The rest of these books in this period might be due for an increase of $1-2, as most are currently listed in guide at only $3. Early Bronze Age has been showing substantial gains in guide over the last 5 years or so, but the end of the Bronze Age has been virtually flat in guide. This is also a great time period for people to invest in, as finding high grade NM-/9.2 books from this period in collections is becoming much more difficult then 3-5 years ago. Some sales for me this past year include: AMZ 129 VF/NM $400, 121 VF $100 & VF- $75, Daredevil 168 VF $50, Green Lantern 76 CGC 5.5 $210, CGC 5.0 $155, Hansi The Girl Who Loved the Swastika nn FN- $38, Hulk 180 FN $45, 182 FN $25, Weird War Tales 1 VF $100, Werewolf By Night 32 FN+ $1075, and Star Wars 1 $.35 variant CGC 6.0 $1200!

COPPER/MODERN AGE:
Continum 1 Amazing Spider-Man 298 Absolute Vertigo Flaming Carrot 1 Walking Dead 1 Uncanny X-Force 4

Increased interest and sales in these periods continues in the 1980�s and the late 1990�s to present. Most requested titles by far are: Deadpool, Walking Dead, GI Joe, Chew & now Morning Glories. Image is the most dominant publisher in the last 5 years as far as collectability by a long shot. Marvel and DC seem interested in just re-launching their superheroes over and over with an occasional �World Ending� event to pull buyers in. I think it�s time this two publishers hired some new writers with fresh ideas to bring to the table and do things that Image, Vertigo, Dynamite, Dark Horse and other smaller publishers are doing. I�m only reading a few current titles, as this isn�t my main focus collecting wise, and these are Buffy the Vampire Slayer season 8 (story wandered a bit during the issues in the 20�s, but the last half a year to year has been quite good again), House of Mystery�s re-launch staring Fig which contains great stories within the overall story by guest writers & artists, Mouse Guard, and Four Eyes, although I have no clue what�s going on here as it�s been one issue in the last year I believe, which is too bad, as it�s a great story about dragon fighting during the great depression. Deadpool is probably the most requested character for me at shows this past year, with copies from the 97� series selling almost as fast as I put them out. The entire series needs line listings with #1 at about $25, 2-10 in the $10-$15 range, and the last 20 issues or so when Marvel had their lower print runs in the $10-$35 range (#54 & 55 with the Punisher should be around $35 for NM- copies). Walking Dead is possibly the most successful comic ever. CGC 9.8�s are now regularly selling for $600 with a 9.9 selling for $1825 this year, although this 9.9 sale is down from a $2000 sale in �09), and 9.6SS selling for an absurd $1500! The first issue in guide should be around $200, with issue 2 at $100, 3-5 at $75, 6-10 at $50 and so forth. Never has a series gone up so fast so far, and not slowed down. Chew #1 is doing the same with CGC 9.8�s now hitting $200 in just over a year, although I�m not sure if this one will have the same legs. Transformers have been slow for the last year or two, but still seem quite affordable to me and strong title overall. New Mutants 98 (1st Deadpool) has cooled off considerably with 9.8�s now selling around $200-$250, which is probably due to it being fairly common. Moon Knight�s 1980 series is one to keep an eye on, and due for price increase as it�s quite hard to put a run together in VF/NM/9.0 range or higher. GI Joe�s are selling in all grades quite regularly, and the entire title deserves upward movement in guide. Cry For Dawn, Zelda, The Tick, Alien (1st series), Bone, Grendel/Primer 2, Albedo (especially #2, which needs to be doubled in guide in G-FN), THB, and other low print run indie�s are great investments, and deserve upward movement in guide. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 1-10 are much harder to find then they used to be, and #1 deserves a line listing as sales are much more consistent than they once were. I would suggest a NM- price of $2000-2500 and a G listing of $250. New Teen Titans 1 & 2 are selling regularly, and need a price increase, especially #1. Amazing Spider-Man 252, 300, 361, and 431 all sell consistently at guide and deserve increases. 431 should have its� own line listing of $12 and be one of the first breakthrough issues in this title from this period. 361 first Carnage will become a classic Copper Age cover, and most likely one of Spidey�s most important villains. Vol 2 issues 15-36 are still quite desirable and tough to find, and deserve line listings, with #36 having a top listing of $20. McFarlane�s runs on Spider-Man & Incredible Hulk are consistently in demand and could move up. X-Men after the Bryne run seem quite affordable, as do issues 158, 201, 210-214, 222, 244, and 266, this last one is due for a decent price increase as it�s a classic cover from this time period and always in demand selling at or above guide. Cool miniseries are still in demand like Ronin by Frank Miller, as well as his Wolverine series, and 30 Days of Night, Batman The Dark Night, Origin, Crisis On Infinite Earths, 300, Watchmen, etc.. Miracleman across the board is due for a price increase with focus on issues 1, 15, 20-24, especially issues 15, 23 & 24 which sell way above guide in all grades. Sweet Tooth is a title to keep an eye on, as sales locally are consistent and the story idea is good. DC Comics presents 26 is a solid key. Other books that sell regularly and need increases in guide are: Grimm Fairy Tales 1, Fables 1, Sandman 1, Preacher 1 (early Vertigo #1�s in general), and John Constantine 1 (this whole series seems a great buy as it�s one of the longest running modern series). Another book to key an eye on is Superman The Man of Steel 18 (1st full Doomsday, and possibly a Copper Age classic cover). Superman doesn�t have that many villains to fight, and this is arguably his most difficult, who I�m sure will make it to the big screen at some point. NYX 3 is also a book that is still performing well, and has started to get a second wind this past year, as this character continues to be developed by Marvel. Valiant�s� ah yes, so many produced, so many sold, so many available� or are there? Harbinger, Solar, XO Manowar, Rai & Shadowman seem to be obtaining some demand/value. Gold variants still sell consistently. These books are now 15+ years old with some corners starting to get blunted, and a little stress on the spines. Buy these now for $.50-$2 if you can find them, as my thoughts are people have ignored these for so long or simply not cared enough to preserve them properly, that over the next 5-10 years, it will be much more difficult to find raw 9.6�s or better. This is a great period to find keys that are available often in $1 boxes at shows or for only $3-$5, that in 5-10 could very well be $25+ books. Some sales include: John Bryne�s Next Men 23 NM $45, Fables 1 NM $45, Sandman 1 NM $45, New Mutants 1 NM $5, 98 NM- $62, AMZ 238 FN+ $30, 300 CGC 9.6 $210, CGC 9.4 $105, CGC 9.0 $80, 361 VF $6, Vol.2 1 NM+ $20, 36 NM $35, 529 NM $15, Chew 1 NM $30, Deadpool 1 NM $25, GI Joe 1 VF/NM $25, 21 VF/NM $30, Kick Ass 1 CGC 9.6 $55, and X-Men 266 NM $60.

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- 2009 MARKET REPORT -

INTRO:
First off, I would not call 2009 �Another Banner Year� as it seems is published by many dealers in this guide year after year. Global economic problems, a continued collapse in the housing market, and high unemployment are putting strains on everyone regardless of their income level. Heck even Amazing Spider-Man isn�t invincible. In August, a CGC 9.4 sold for $83,650, down $20,000 from its previous sale. Ebay still continues to move huge amounts of books, and represents a pretty good market value. Most books unless they are high grade, keys, or scarce books are not only selling below guide, but often well below. I�ve actually purchased some great high grade Silver Age books on Ebay this year at well below guide, so�. if you have money, now is a GREAT time to buy! I�m also noticing an increasing trend of more people entering the hobby due to our beloved books hitting the big screen. Yes, books often soar in value 2 years to six months before the film is released, then the bottom falls out of those books (300, Watchmen, etc..), or the movies due little to increase sales (Spider-Man 3, Transformers 2, etc..). What I am noticing though, is that these movies are creating an overall resurgence in people returning to collecting. Many of my customers are in their mid 30�s, and have children 1-5 years old, and are now buying cheap $.50 books for their kids to read. This is easing my worries about new comics disappearing (say like our newspapers) or if there will be a �Next� generation of collectors. I was also worried that comics could suffer the same fate as the music industry where teenagers have all but abandoned purchasing cd�s or lp�s, and are just purchasing mp3�s/downloads. Will today�s pre-teens purchase paper comics and not DVD�s in the future, my current thoughts are Yes.

GOLDEN AGE:
Fighting Fronts 2 Mad 1 War Combat 1 Witchcraft 1 Strange Worlds 1 Sub Mariner Comics 39

Record sales this year include Action Comics #1 CGC 6.0 $317,200 (the highest unrestored, certified copy to sell on the open market with only 4 higher, the highest being an 8.5 which is easily a million dollar book at this point), Walt Disney�s Comics & Stories CGC 9.4 $116,513, Detective Comics 27 CGC 1.5 $83,650, Action Comics CGC 1.8 $94,001, and a Captain America Comics #2 CGC 9.2 $103,099. Some of my sales include: Four Color 8 5.0 $250, Prize Comics Western 26 5.0 $18, and Treasure Comics 4 1.0 $10. In general I saw less Golden Age books at shows, on the web and in shops this past year. Books that have sat in our local shops for the last few years are now gone. On a regional level I attribute this to a few things, more collectors in the NW entering this market and the market catching up to the prices on these books as they continue to look like better values compared with modern $4.00 cover prices. People who might have spent $20 on a hot new variant are now purchasing older books. In demand: Timely, Nedor, DC, Fiction House, Dell, MLJ. Not in demand: Classics Illustrated, Boy Comics, True Comics.

ATOMIC AGE:
An often overlooked and still very affordable portion of the market from the end of WW2 presents tons of great artwork and stories that are not that common. EC�s, Star, St. John, Allen Hardy, Avon One Shots, the boom of romance books (which are less common then most think, especially in grade), Good Girl artwork, War Titles, Charlton�s numerous titles, the list goes on. This period to me parallel�s the Bronze Age where publishers were trying many things with crazy stories and pushing the (pre-code) boundaries. Ton�s of great artwork from Baker, Feldstein, Ditko, L.B. Cole, Wolverton and many others. L.B.�s romance books in this period are awesome! Prices across the board here are affordable with many titles and keys within reach of those without deep pockets. In demand: High grade, horror, romance, and artwork from key artists. Not in demand: funny animals.



SILVER AGE:
Teen Titans 20 Sub-Mariner 8 Strange Tales 135 Showcase 30 Magnus Robot Fighter 1 Journey Into Mystery 83

Amazing Fantasy 15 continues to be the best book to invest in. It is more affordable and available then the Golden Age keys and shows large returns in short periods of time. A CGC 8.0 sold for $70,500! The only Golden Age books at 8.0 or lower to sell for this value are: Action 1, Dectective 27, Batman 1, and Marvel Comics 1. This book sold at an average of $1,200 in 2002 in CGC 2.0 and now, 8 years later, sells at an average of $3,200 at CGC 2.0. That�s doubling at the good line listing every 3 years! Some of my sales include: AMZ 19 4.0 $42, Avengers 1 5.0R $335, 57 $70, Batman 181 7.0 $80, Daredevil 37 9.2 $75, FF4 52 8.5 $85, 75 9.0 $110, Iron Man 1 8.0R $100, and World�s Finest 176 8.0 $30. I�m seeing increased action in DC�s like Green Lantern, Flash, Wonder Woman. High grades of these books are scarce and sell above guide almost always with little resistance. Green Lantern #7 (origin/1st Sinestro) I think is going to explode as this book is scarce in any grade. I looked on Ebay, Comiclink Mile High, and Metropolis�s websites for this book, and there was only 1 copy for sale, a VG on Ebay, with heavy bidding, selling well above guide. Increased interest also I�m seeing in Mystery In Space, Hawkman, Aquaman, Showcase, Teen Titans, and Brave and the Bold. Finding these in VF or higher is difficult, forget NM- or higher. On the Marvel side, Avengers prices have skyrocketed with the movie in the works. #1 is pretty common compared with Incredible Hulk #1, but is selling above guide in all grades. Tales of Suspense Iron Man appearances are moving steady in all grades and Thor�s/Journey Into Mystery are hard to find anywhere in VF or higher. Although AMZ outpaces all other titles in sales by a large %, sales on many books have been flat or need to be discounted a little to move unless they are true NM- or higher. Also, Detective Comics 378 has an ad for Angel and The Ape in it which predates their first appearance in Showcase by a month. I know this makes a difference for the TMNT in the modern age, should it for other periods/titles/characters? In Demand: High Grade Marvel & DC, Marvel�s starting at VF/NM 9.0 and DC�s starting at VF 8.0, early horror magazines like Creepy and Vampirella #1. Avengers $.12 issues are very hot, as are 9.4 Green Lantern�s. Not in Demand: VG-VF on non keys.

BRONZE AGE:

Werewolf By Night 32 Amazing Spider-Man 122 Conan 1 Johan Hex 1 Iron man 128 Incredible Hulk 181
My favorite period due to its diversity of genres, it�s still a great time for investment, but time is running out, as more people begin to realize this, and are cleaning out shops of books that have sat for years. Some of my sales include: AMZ 101 3.0 $14, 129 9.0 $400, 135 9.0 $70, 194 9.2 $60, Beyond the Grave 1 9.2 $30, Champions 1 8.5 $20, Daredevil 168 9.4 $175 & 9.0 $75, Ghost Rider 1 7.5 $62, Incredible Hulk 181 8.5 $600, Inhumans 1 9.4 $30, Spider-Woman 1 9.2 $20, and Uncanny X-Men 136 9.4 $55. Great titles include: Werewolf By Night, Luke Cage, Conan, Night Nurse (yes, Night Nurse!), Tomb of Dracula, New Gods, Iron Fist, Bryne X-Men, Neil Adam�s Green Lantern, Batman, Cerebus The Aardvark, Astonishing Tales, House of Secrets, Ghost Rider, Forrever People, Shade The Changing Man, Firestorm, the list goes on and on� Some crazy sales occurred this year including Green Lantern 76 CGC 9.6 $30,500, Incredible Hulk 181 CGC 9.8SS $32,001, Batman 227 CGC 9.8 $13,000, Cerebus 1 CGC 9.4SS $7,754, Night Nurse 1 CGC 9.8 $3,850, and Marvel Spotlight 2 CGC 9.6 $3,000. Many books in this period have doubled in only 5 years or close to that. Tomb of Dracula 10 (1st Blade) went from $175 to $350, Marvel Spotlight 5 (1st Ghost Rider) from $220 to $450, Marvel Spotlight 2 (1st Werewolf By Night) from $230 to $375, Wonder Woman 179 (1st issue without costume) from $65 to $115, Green Lantern 76 (first N. Adams) from $500 to $1200 (and may I add selling well above this presently!), Conan 1 from $270 to $400 & 23 (1st Red Sonja) from $40 to $80. Then you�ve got the price variants like Iron Fist 14 $.35 which went from $400 to $1200 (selling well above this), and Star Wars #1 $.35 variant which just finally got a line listing in guide and had a CGC 9.0 sell this year for $3,000 (2x guide). Many non keys though are also going up faster percent wise then other time periods such as Werewolf By Night, which has increased about 60% as a title in 5 years, same as Bryne�s X-Men run. Trying finding high grade 9.6 or higher copes of Firestorm #1 or Shade The Changing Man #1? Trying finding a Ghosts #1 in 9.2 or higher? I haven�t even seen that book in Portland in the six years I�ve lived here (in any grade!). Tough books like Batman 227 are selling for crazy multiples above guide in 9.6 or 9.8�s. What�s up with Heavy Metal not being in guide? This is a well read magazine. Also the Brittish Magazine Warrior isn�t in guide and should be as it features the first appearances of Miracleman and V for Vendetta. In Demand: High Grade of almost any title/publisher and Good copies for $.50 to read. Not in demand VG-VF unless in the $.50-$1 range.

COPPER/MODERN AGE:
X-Men 266 Grimm Fairy Tales 1 Guardians of the Galaxy 1 G.I. Joe 154 Detective Comics 430 Deadpool 1

There are many opportunities to find key issues here, but large print runs, and plenty of high grades still floating around keep prices down. Some of my sales include: AMZ 225 9.6 $33, 238 9.6 $125, 245 9.8 $38, 252 9.0 $40, Fables 1 9.4 $45, John Bryne�s Next Men 9.4 $45 & $35, Ms. Marvel 17 9.4 $40, New Mutants 1 PGX 9.9 $120, 98 9.4 $62(2x), Preacher 1 9.2 $25, Sandman 1 9.4 $45, and Transformers 1 9.2 $25. I�ve noticed an increase in demand for $.50 & $.75 cover price books. Moon Night #1 $.50 cover is getting harder to find in NM-, as is New Mutants 1, and Alpha Flight 1. Ghost Rider (�92 series) is in demand again, as are Valiant�s, especially Solar Man of the Atom, Rai, and Harbinger. Now is the time to put complete runs together of 9.6/9.8�s of these books while they are cheap, cause these books that are $6 in guide will be $15 in guide probably sooner then you realize. Solar Man of the Atom 10 CGC 9.8 sells for like $500, but watch for 9.8�s of issues 4 & 5, both tough to find in grade. The new House of Mystery series is a great read and has awesome mini stories within most issues by some great upcoming writers & artists. Mouse Guard first printings are hard to find and a great read/investment. Buffy The Vampire Slayer season 8 sells well, although the story is beginning to drag. Walking Dead CGC 9.2�s & unslabbed NM- books are selling between $100-$150, which makes it one of the most valuable modern age books (could someone tell me why?). I know Kirkman is doing good work, but why this series and not Invincible or Marvel Zombies? Buy all 3 of these though, all great reads/artwork and valuable books. Miracleman continues to sell well in all issues with later issues scare in grade. Trying finding a 9.8 of issue 23 or 24! There is only 1 recorded sale of a Miracleman 23 CGC 9.8, which happened in 2008 for $823, where issue 15 sells every year in this grade for less. NYX 3 has cooled a bit, but I think over the long run is going to be an important modern key book as this character develops. The entire 7 issue series is a great read with awesome artwork. Small indie�s are available all over the place, many not in guide such as Continum and Panda Khan. Micronauts #1 should have a line listing now as it�s from 1979 and is a 59 issue series. Vertigo, Dark Horse, and Image seem to be paving the way on the modern front with great stories/artwork, and Marvel/DC seem more and more predictable. Older Vertigo #1�s are high in demand and sell at or above guide consistently. New Mutants 87 & 98 are very in demand (is there any reason why 98 does not have a line listing of at least $35 for NM-??). Fables 1 is a hot book and the entire series sells well, as does Grimm�s Fairy Tales. Transformers and GI Joe are both selling well and good investments. In Demand: Vertigo #1�s, Kirkman (Invincible, Walking Dead, Marvel Zombies), Kick Ass, Chew, New Mutants 1, 87, 98, Green Lantern, and Buffy season eight. Not in Demand: $3 back issues & $4 cover prices!

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