Cyberspace Comics market report, reviews and more

August 9, 2016

Comic Book Cover Swipes Exposed #181 normalman

Filed under: Swiped: Comic Book Cover Swipes Exposed! — Doorman @ 8:00 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.

In a twist on the Superman mythos, the title character in Jim Valentino’s normalman (stylized in all lower-case letters) is shipped off into space by his father when he concludes that the planet they inhabit will explode. The child arrives on a planet inhabited completely by super-powered beings – they dub him normalman, because he’s the only one there without powers.

The character debuted in Cerebus the Aardvark #56 and was soon given his own ongoing series. That title served as a vehicle for creator, Jim Valentino, to spoof and parody other comics, a perfect opportunity (if ever there was one) to introduce cover swipes that parody the source material.

Archibald “Archie” Andrews debuted in Pep Comics #22 (published in December 1941). The following year, he got his own solo series which spawned dozens of spin-off titles. One of those spin-offs, Archie’s Pals ‘n’ Gals, debuted in 1952. Issue #14 of this series was the first time they utilized a multiple panel strip on the cover.

As you can see, this cover is certainly not a swipe but it does pay homage to the cover design.

Archie's Pals 'n' Gals #14
Archie’s Pals ‘n’ Gals #14
September 1960
 
normalman #12
normalman #12
December 1985
Jim Valentino

On Ebay: normalman | Archie
On Amazon: normalman | Archie
On AtomicAvenue: normalman | Archie






August 3, 2016

Cyberspace Comics Market Report #72 August 2016

Filed under: Cyberspace Comics Market Report — Doorman @ 8:00 am

I started selling comics full-time in 2010 and wanted to track my progress against the online back issue markets. Here’s a look at the current comics aftermarket and my progress in achieving my goal of becoming a prominent back issue dealer.

one month change one year change five year change
Listings in eBay’s comics section 3,220,701 +2.37% +15.07% +105.67%
Cyberspace Comics listings 91,704 -1.03% +31.07% +1,382.68%
Cyberspace Comics “market share” of comic listings on eBay 2.85% -3.15% +13.89% +617.52%
Number of eBay comic listings that are auctions 175,882 +26.70% +43.27% +106.32%
Percentage of eBay comic listings up for auction 5.46% +23.83% +24.40% -16.48%
Number of listings sold in eBay’s comics section (90 days) 1,045,062 -2.16%
Number of listings sold in eBay’s comics section divided by current listings 32.45% -4.42%


Total number of listings in eBay’s “comics” section

My current eBay feedback (unique): 47,540
My current eBay feedback (total): 92,776
My positive eBay feedback score: 99.9%

Here’s a look at the top five categories in my eBay store from the past 90 days.

Position Dollar Sales (eBay) # of Current Listings
First Marvel Comics Marvel Comics (18,913 listings)
Second DC Comics DC Comics (12,785 listings)
Third Graded Comics (CGC) Other Indies (9,143 listings)
Fourth Image Comics Image Comics (7,554 listings)
Fifth Other Indies (↑) Dark Horse (4,261 listings)
one month change one year change five year change
Listings on Atomic Avenue 1,259,228 +2.00% +10.12% -11.59%
Listings in the Cyberspace Comics Store on Atomic Avenue 90,084 +0.56% +14.31% +133.51%
Cyberspace Comics “market share” of comic listings on AtomicAvenue 7.15% -1.46% +3.83% +164.14%
Cyberspace Comics estimated “market share” of AtomicAvenue orders 9.78% +94.82% +52.10% +49.54%
Number of unique issues on Atomic Avenue 228,380 +0.58% +8.90%
Cyberspace Comics “market share” of unique issues on AtomicAvenue 39.44% -0.01% +4.96%


Total number of comics listed on Atomic Avenue
one month change one year change five year change
Number of members on ComicCollectorLive 127,443 +1.93% +25.21%
Number of items for sale on ComicCollectorLive 1,673,873 +0.34%
Number of items sold on ComicCollectorLive 2,106,067 +0.46%
Number of stores open on ComicCollectorLive 97 -3.00%
one month change one year change five year change
Number of listings in Amazon’s Entertainment Collectibles – Comic Book section 202,379 +10.81% +235.14%
Number of those listings that are in the Cyberspace Comics Amazon store 90,078 +1.96% +253.61%
Cyberspace Comics “market share” of comic listings on Amazon 44.51% -8.00% +5.52%
one month change one year change five year change
Number of listings in HipComic’s Comic Books section 156,249 -11.46%
Number of those listings that are in the Cyberspace Comics HipComic store: 91,343 -0.23%
Cyberspace Comics “market share” of comic listings on HipComic 58.46% +12.68%
one month change one year change five year change
Number of listings in Bonanza’s Comics section 139,901 +7.54%

 
 

eBay’s comics marketplace has reached the second highest selection in terms of listings offered since I began tracking this data.

Atomic Avenue‘s total listings are continuing their climb. This month, their one year change is over a 10% gain.

Comic Collector Live continues to see consistent growth in their user base although their number of stores continues to slowly drop.

I’ve been tracking Amazon‘s collectibles marketplace for a year now. It’s first year’s growth in terms of number of listings is over 225% and growing quickly.

HipComic is back in action! However, they took a more than 20% drop in their number of listings. Let’s hope that temporary shutdown doesn’t affect their validity as a marketplace.

Bonanza put on some strong gains this month.

August 2, 2016

Comic Book Cover Swipes Exposed #180 normalman

Filed under: Swiped: Comic Book Cover Swipes Exposed! — Doorman @ 8:00 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.

In a twist on the Superman mythos, the title character in Jim Valentino’s normalman (stylized in all lower-case letters) is shipped off into space by his father when he concludes that the planet they inhabit will explode. The child arrives on a planet inhabited completely by super-powered beings – they dub him normalman, because he’s the only one there without powers.

The character debuted in Cerebus the Aardvark #56 and was soon given his own ongoing series. That title served as a vehicle for creator, Jim Valentino, to spoof and parody other comics, a perfect opportunity (if ever there was one) to introduce cover swipes that parody the source material.

Howard Chaykin launched American Flagg in 1983. This creator-owned series that follows protagonist, Reuben Flagg, is a mix of science fiction and political satire.

As you can see, this cover is certainly not a swipe but it does pay homage to the cover design.

American Flagg #1
American Flagg #1
October 1983
Howard Chaykin
normalman #11
normalman #11
October 1985
Jim Valentino

On Ebay: normalman | American Flagg
On Amazon: normalman | American Flagg
On AtomicAvenue: normalman | American Flagg






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