Cyberspace Comics market report, reviews and more

June 15, 2012

Guide to Marvel Comics Presents #66

Filed under: Guide to Marvel Comics Presents — Doorman @ 8:01 am

Marvel Comics Presents launched in 1988 as an ad-free anthology showcasing four eight-page features, stuffed inside a wrap-around cover. This guide will tell you everything you wanted to know about the series – and more!


Marvel Comics Presents #66
Cover Date: 1990 | Cover Price: $1.25 | Cover Artist: Jim Valentino


Wolverine in “Acts of Vengeance” part 3
written by Howard Mackie
art by Mark Texeira

Standing over the knocked-out bodies of Ghost Rider and Wolverine are three figures: a father and his son and daughter. The next night, Wolverine wakes up in a hospital while Ghost Rider is fighting Deathwatch’s assassins again.

Poison in “Vandals of the Heart” part 7
written by Steve Gerber
art by Cindy Martin

Foxy, who’s now missing his left hand, recruits Dallas to take out Trinity Joe. And, though it would appear he’s helpless in his hospital bed, he is now inhabited by Mrinhä – a mysterious, powerful force. Foxy invades Joe’s hospital room with gun blazing – but, when he exits the room, he’s now missing both arms! Poison looks on – fearing that Mrinhä is slowly but surely taking over Joe.

Fantastic Four in “Dark Dimensions” part 3
written by Robert Denatale
art by Tom Morgan

Mr. Fantastic calls the Baxter Building to alert the Thing that the Mad Thinker’s androids have been reactivated (see last issue). Just at that moment, the Thing is the victim of the first of many explosive forces. But, where are they coming from? He investigates the origin of the energy blasts to discover … a green-skinned alien!

Volstagg in “The Thief of Asgard
written by Sholly Fisch
art by Sam Grainger

The Enchantress enchants Volstagg, implanting a mission in his mind. That mission? Steal the gem that Karnilla, Queen of the Norns, gave to Balder. The oafish Asgardian then embarks on a hazardous journey through distracting treasure (kegs of wine), dangerous terrain (winding stairways), and wild beasts (ok – it’s just a cat) – all to grab the emerald gem for the Enchantress. But, before he can hand off the jewel, it’s intercepted by his fellows: Hogun, Fandral and Balder himself. It appears that the voluminous one is not quite as stealthy as he’d like to believe.

The Wolverine/Ghost Rider feature was nearly a waste. It seems as if nothing significant happened. This Mrinhä spirit is quite powerful … I hope we learn what it is next issue (the conclusion). It appeared as if the FF story was not going to be one large story but this issue clearly sets that notion aside. The green alien looks like a mix between the Impossible Man and the Infant Terrible. Finally, the Volstagg feature was excellent! It was truly the most enjoyable MCP story I have read yet. To be honest, I don’t know if there is a more perfect Volstagg solo story. This captures the character’s self-congratulation brilliantly!

On Ebay: Marvel Comics Presents | Wolverine | Fantastic Four | Volstagg
On AtomicAvenue: Marvel Comics Presents | Wolverine | Fantastic Four

June 14, 2012

Famous Fanmail #115 Stan Lee

Filed under: Famous Fanmail — Doorman @ 11:49 am

You may not be surprised to learn that most people in the comic business grew up reading comic books. However, you might be interested in knowing what they were reading. Here’s a look at “Famous Fanmail”!

Stan Lee lends another encouraging letter to Fantastic Four #281 (cover date – August 1985).

Fantastic Four letters page with Stan Lee

On Ebay: Fantastic Four | Stan Lee
On AtomicAvenue: Fantastic Four

June 13, 2012

Celebrity Cameos #27 Stan Lee

Filed under: Celebrity Cameos — Doorman @ 10:11 am

Some of the best parts of movies like Old School and Zombieland are their unexpected celebrity cameos. The same thing happens in comics, every once in a while. Here’s a look at another Celebrity Cameo!

There is a Marvel Comics Company that exists inside the Marvel Comics Universe. The company publishes comics based on the various super-heroes that exist in the M.U. but, they don’t always get the details right (as noticed in the Marvels Comics one-shots from the late 1990s). In Nova #5, Marv Wolfman & Sal Buscema pitch a Nova solo series to Stan Lee.

On Ebay: Nova | Stan Lee | Marv Wolfman | Sal Buscema
On AtomicAvenue: Nova

June 12, 2012

Comic Book Cover Swipes Exposed #115 Nightwing

Filed under: Swiped: Comic Book Cover Swipes Exposed! — Doorman @ 1:44 pm

After looking at hundreds of comic book covers, it becomes quickly apparent that not every cover is 100% original. Whether done intentionally or even underhandedly, there’s something about uncovering these “swipes” that adds a new element of fun to reading and collecting comics.

Now, I realize this isn’t a swipe. It’s actually the same cover artist on both issues and it’s more like a variation on a theme. Or, even a neat way of showing a “scene in motion”.

Nightwing #26
Nightwing vol. II #26
December 1998
Scott McDaniel
Nightwing #27
Nightwing vol. II #27
January 1999
Scott McDaniel

On Ebay: Nightwing
On AtomicAvenue: Nightwing

June 11, 2012

Guide to Marvel Two-In-One #13 the Thing & Power Man

Filed under: Guide to Marvel Two-In-One — Doorman @ 10:31 am

Marvel Two-In-One launched in 1974, teaming the Thing with a different hero each month. This guide will tell you everything you wanted to know about the series – and more!

Marvel Two-In-One #13Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Date: January 1976
Cover Price: 25¢
Writer: Roger Slifer with Len Wein
Artist: Ron Wilson

WHO stars in this issue?

the Thing – Benjamin J. Grimm was bombarded by cosmic rays in a space exploration flight, alongside three friends. The cosmic rays gave each of them different powers, and they formed the Fantastic Four. Ben underwent the most physical change of the foursome: his skin mutated into orange rock and, as a result, he gained super-strength.

Power Man – A freak accident left Luke Cage with super-strength and near-impervious skin. He started his super-hero career as a Hero For Hire.

WHAT happens?

Arnold Krank is a biological researcher at Krasner’s Bio-Systems, Inc. and his special bio-genetics project created life! The green, modified cellular tissue began to grow out of control and, after absorbing two men, took on a humanoid form. He sought out the Fantastic Four to help contain the creature but only the Thing was available. And, when Ben Grimm wasn’t enough to stop it, Krank hired Power Man to join in on the effort.

By the time Power Man had arrived on the scene, the creature had grown large enough to hold the Thing in its hand. It was continuing to grow both physically – and mentally. It’s intelligence soared! (But not high enough to realize that naming yourself Braggadoom, after a recent onomatopoeia, was pretty silly) The monster easily defeated both heroes and tossed them blocks away.



When Power Man and the Thing finally make their way back to the monster, Braggadoom has grown to 300 feet – and destroyed a New York bridge. Sinking to the bottom of the ocean floor, the Thing manages to topple the monster but, before he can deliver a forceful blow, he’s stopped by … Power Man?! Y’see, Luke Cage has been warned by Krank that Braggadoom may be building towards critical mass and a continued assault on the creature could explode it, unleashing the destructive power of a nuclear bomb! As they debate about whether to strike against the monster … it begins to glow! Could they be too late?

Nahhhh … it’s just a false alarm! Actually, the creature expended enough energy during the past few hours to reduce it back to the size of a toy. Expecting the creature to grow and mature in the future, Arnold Krank devotes his life to raising his “son” in a responsible manner.



WHERE does the story take place?

This month’s destructive rampage takes place in New York City!

WHEN does the villain next appear?

This lame-named villain has never appeared again.



WHY is Power Man the guest-lead?

When the title of Luke Cage’s series changed from Hero For Hire to Power Man, Len Wein took over as writer. His run on that series ended 15 months prior to this issue and featured artwork by Ron Wilson. That very same creative team reunited with each other and the Luke Cage character in this issue.

HOW was it?

As terrible as Braggadoom‘s name is – he’s still a neat villain. I say that because I’ve got a soft spot for giant-sized characters. The scope of the battle scenes that include huge characters like this is almost always on a grand scale – and this issue is no exception. Even the cover is just eye-catching!



There’s also a lot of fun interaction between the Thing and Power Man. These guys aren’t quite the best of friends and it shows – Grimm tries to leave Cage out of the fight at one point, assuming he’s not powerful enough to help out. The Thing’s point is actually proven right: when Power Man isn’t able to topple the monster, Grimm has to do it himself. But, it should be pointed out that toppling Braggadoom was Power Man’s idea, in the first place. This interesting dynamic continued to play out two months later in Fantastic Four #168, when Power Man temporarily replaced the Thing.

Note: This issue’s letters column features commentary on Marvel Two-In-One #11. Additionally, this comic includes Marvel Value Stamp [Series B] #11 (part of the Conan the Barbarian puzzle).

On Ebay: Marvel Two-In-One | the Thing | Power Man
On AtomicAvenue: Marvel Two-In-One | the Thing | Power Man

June 8, 2012

Are Comics As Good As Gold? #1 the Vault

Filed under: Good As Gold — Doorman @ 9:56 am

An interesting factor of buying comic books (real comics – not digital), is that their value can fluctuate above or below their original price. Aside from being fun to read, buying real comics can have a side-benefit because they have a resale value. Here’s another look at a comic book from an investment point of view.

Image Comics published the Vault #1 on July 27, 2011. It was written by Sam Sarkar and illustrated by Garrie Gastonny. This issue was sold on ebay for $9.99 (plus shipping) on March 15, 2012.

item price on July 27, 2011 resale value on March 15, 2012 % change
the Vault #1 $3.50 $9.99 on ebay (+$4 shipping) +185.43%
Gold (per ounce) $1,616 $1,658 +2.60%
DOW (stock market) $12,302.55 $13,252.76 +7.72%
CPI (rate of inflation) $225.922 $229.392 +1.54%
the Vault #1 (digital version) $1.99 $0 -100%

 

Now that we’ve looked at the rata data, let’s see why these things matter.

Gold – a precious metal that exists in a limited supply. More of it can be (and is) mined every day but it cannot be created. Primarily, it is used to create jewelry but it is also used in electronics. This is because it is an efficient conductor that can remain free of corrosion. Gold is also seen as a storehouse of wealth because it does exist in short supply (in comparison to its demand) and because more cannot be created by man. As the value of the dollar falls, the price of gold rises. When more money is printed, the price of gold rises. And, as faith in the dollar falls, the price of gold will rise. It is viewed by investors as a safe bet against the decline in value of paper currency.

DOW – the Dow Jones Industrial Average is an index that compiles the daily stock prices of 30 large, publicly traded U.S. companies. The DOW, relative to its past performance, can indicate how well the stock market is performing. For example, in 2007 (when the American economy was booming), the DOW climbed to a little over $14,000. But, in 2009, when our economy crashed, the DOW fell all the way to $6,626.

CPI – The Consumer Price Index measures the price of a basket of goods and services. By comparing it to past performance, we can track inflation. Inflation is the rate at which your paper currency is devalued. In 1983, the CPI was $100; it hit $200 in 2006. That means that it would have cost you twice as much to buy the same basket of goods/services in 2006 than it cost in 1983. So, in nearly twenty years, the value of the U.S. dollar was decreased by half. And, that’s using government-issued numbers (so there’s probably some “funny business” going on – and the inflation rate is actually much higher).

Smart spenders know that everything they buy should have a resale value. There comes a point in one’s life when you either:
(1) no longer want to have something or
(2) need to sell some of your possessions to pay for something else.

When making the decision to buy something, I hope you’ll keep in mind that digital items (be they comics, music, movies, etc) retain no resale value. Are you spending your money wisely?

Guide to Marvel Comics Presents #65

Filed under: Guide to Marvel Comics Presents — Doorman @ 9:36 am

Marvel Comics Presents launched in 1988 as an ad-free anthology showcasing four eight-page features, stuffed inside a wrap-around cover. This guide will tell you everything you wanted to know about the series – and more!


Marvel Comics Presents #65
Cover Date: 1990 | Cover Price: $1.25 | Cover Artist: David Ross


Wolverine in “Acts of Vengeance” part 2
written by Howard Mackie
art by Mark Texeira

Wolverine follows the trail of Deathwatch’s men to Brooklyn where he discovers they’ve captured a young woman. He lunges into action to save her! Ghost Rider stumbles onto the scene and assumes that Wolverine is one of Deathwatch’s assassins. This results in a big battle between the two of them. At the end, they defeat each other and a mysterious figure stands above them.

Poison in “Vandals of the Heart” part 6
written by Steve Gerber
art by Cindy Martin

Poison threatens Dallas and Sally for their self-serving ways. Meanwhile, “Myrna” finds Trinity Joe and merges with him (she’d been inhabiting his mop) – she reveals her name is Mrinhä. Poison has an uneasy feeling that Mrinhä is also self-serving and will end up hurting Joe.

Fantastic Four in “Dark Dimensions” part 2
written by Robert Denatale
art by Tom Morgan

In this odd story, the Mad Thinker’s replacement Sue Richards android is re-animated. It seeks out the Invisible Woman and steals her memories/mind/persona – its new programming is so strong that it begins to think it is truly the original Sue. But, when a realization is triggered that it is not, in fact, the real Sue – it makes a surprising move and re-awakens the real Sue. Even though it means it will be reduced to an inert android again.

Starfox in “Wang Dang Doodle
written by Peter Gillis
art by Ernie Chan

Starfox takes his girl, Heater Delight, on a vacation to the lavish planet, Kotzwinkle. Dark Roger, a previous potential suitor of Heater’s, has tracked her down in order to propose marriage … again. When she turns him down … again, he transports the club into the Caverns of Silence on a mystery planet. Don’t worry – he’ll bring it back once she changes her answer to “yes”. But, Starfox and his pal, Howlin’ Wolf, just ain’t gonna stand for it. So, the womanizing Avengers (he’s Thanos’ brother, too) and the legendary dead blues musician team up to take down the desperate suitor.

Well how about that?! The first meeting between Ghost Rider and Wolverine takes place in this very issue! Poison’s feature introduces some interesting questions about this Mrinhä that I truly hope are explained before it ends. The Fantastic Four and Starfox features are very skippable although, it should be noted that Howlin’ Wolf is a tribute to Chester Arthur Burnett.

On Ebay: Marvel Comics Presents | Wolverine | Fantastic Four | Starfox
On AtomicAvenue: Marvel Comics Presents | Wolverine | Fantastic Four

June 7, 2012

Famous Fanmail #114 Barry Dutter

Filed under: Famous Fanmail — Doorman @ 12:10 pm

You may not be surprised to learn that most people in the comic business grew up reading comic books. However, you might be interested in knowing what they were reading. Here’s a look at “Famous Fanmail”!

Barry Dutter wrote for Marvel Comics in the early 1990s, mostly for their licensed titles like Beavis & Butt-Head, Captain Planet, Ren & Stimpy and the Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers. He got a letter published in Fantastic Four #273 (cover date: December 1984), establishing himself as the world’s biggest She-Hulk hater.

Marvels Comics: Fantastic Four letters page with Barry Dutter

On Ebay: Fantastic Four | Barry Dutter
On AtomicAvenue: Fantastic Four

June 6, 2012

Cyberspace Comics Market Report #22 June 2012

Filed under: Cyberspace Comics Market Report — Doorman @ 2:28 pm

Here’s a look back at the previous month in online comic sales.

Number of listings in eBay’s “comics” section: 1,666,330 (-2.99% from last month; +11.64% from last year)
Number of those that are Cyberspace Comics listings: 8,024 (-6.71%; +11.37%)
My “market share” of comic listings on eBay: 0.48154% (-3.83%; -0.25%)

Number of eBay comic listings that are auctions: 156,089 (+64.95%; +116.36%)
Percentage of eBay comic listings up for auction: 9.37% (+70.00%; +93.94%)

My current eBay feedback (unique): 16,247
My current eBay feedback (total): 31,915
My positive eBay feedback score: 99.9%

Position Dollar Sales # of Current Listings
First Marvel Comics Marvel Comics (1,187 listings)
Second Marvel (Bronze Age) TPBs (1,090 listings)
Third TPBs (↑) Bad Girls (739 listings)
Fourth Bad Girls Image Comics (609 listings)
Fifth Wolverine (↑) Underground (602 listings)

 
Yet again, eBay has run another listing promotion – this time for auctions. That’s why the number of auctions has risen sharply and the market is flooded.

 
Number of listings on Atomic Avenue: 1,512,024 (+3.67%; +8.37%)
Number of those that are in the Cyberspace Comics Store on Atomic Avenue: 46,570 (+0.84%; +33.17%)
My “market share” of comic listings on AtomicAvenue: 3.0800% (-2.73%; +22.89%)
My estimated “market share” of AtomicAvenue orders: 6.38% (+4.93%; +41.78%)

 
Number of members on ComicCollectorLive: 86,159 (+0.77%)

June 5, 2012

Comic Book Cover Swipes Exposed #114

Filed under: Swiped: Comic Book Cover Swipes Exposed! — Doorman @ 8:17 am

After looking at hundreds of comic book covers, it becomes quickly apparent that not every cover is 100% original. Whether done intentionally or even underhandedly, there’s something about uncovering these “swipes” that adds a new element of fun to reading and collecting comics.

Derivative heroes were big bucks in the 1990s. Iron Man had War Machine. Thor had Thunderstrike. Spider-Man had Scarlet Spider. Captain America had U.S. Agent. Superman even had four replacements! Ghost Rider got Vengeance and the hero took over the book with issue #46 – its cover harkened back to issue #1.

Ghost Rider vol. III #1
Ghost Rider vol. III #1
May 1990
Javier Saltares
Ghost Rider vol. III #46
Ghost Rider vol. III #46
February 1994
Ron Garney

On Ebay: Ghost Rider
On AtomicAvenue: Ghost Rider

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