Why are back issue comics skyrocketing?
Coliseum of Comics opened with what is today considered a small but key stock of back issue comics in 1983. The comic fans of that era were as much about collecting comics as they were about reading them. Trade paperbacks, an inexpensive means to read stories from the past, didn’t enter the mainstream scene until 1986 with Frank Miller’s Dark Knight so finding back issues in stores, friend’s attics, or garage sales were the only way to read the stories. The more elusive the comic the higher the price went until some comics in 1975 were going for as much a $1000!
Comics have enjoyed a steady increase in value over the years. I purchased a copy of Fantastic Four #1 in 1980 for $400 for my collection. Had I not traded that book away many years ago it would now carry a value of roughly $40,000 – a 10,000% increase. Unless you purchased Microsoft around the same time you’ve likely not seen a return on investment like that.
Jump forward a bunch of years. Marvel launches a dozen top-grossing films and comics go from basement-dwelling denizen reading material to mainstream in a decade. Big Bang Theory brings geekdom into America’s living rooms. San Diego ComicCon goes full-bore into mass media, introducing comic culture to the masses. The first appearance of Iron Man in Tales of Suspense #39 shoots up from $15,000 in 2000 to $375,000 by the time the third movie comes out. Seeing the huge prices, fans who had dropped out of collecting but fondly remember the days in the early comic stores venture back into the hobby.
“I want to get back into comics that I liked when I was a kid but I don’t want to collect a dozen boxes so I’m thinking I want to get just a few dozen first appearances, first issues, and key books.” That was said to me multiple times at conventions in the past year. For every first issue, first appearance, or key book still out there, there are three buyers. Those key books have leapt up in price, out-pacing nearly any other investment available. And the best part? It doesn’t matter what the Chinese stock market does, the first appearance of Wolverine (Hulk #181) won’t be taking a price dive.
None of us has a working crystal ball (though I think we sold a broken one at 80% off moving sale in Kissimmee last week) as more people become fans and more fans of yore venture back into comic stores we’re pretty sure the investment market is here to stay.
Happy collecting!