Batman 181 is hard to compare with other books due to the Centerfold Pin-Up in that ish. Very common for that P-U to be missing so a Complete copy commands a higher price and especially the higher grades have an extra bonus multiplier baked in.
@@VolkswagenGamer No, the Pin-Up was basically put in the book by DC knowing full well kids would rip it out and stick it on their walls or tree fort or something. It had ad pages on the reverse sides so no harm to the story.
DC books in general jumped up a lot less than Marvel during the boom, I think in large measure because there was so little to speculate on. I am a DC guy, so I was buying DC keys and some of that has paid off. Deadman - no hints yet at use in live action whereas we've already seen Warlock.
Absolutely love your vids ! One teeny suggestion , however. Instead of saying that one comic has "5 times less" copies on the census, you might say that it has 1/5 th the number or maybe it has 20% of the number. For some language nerds like me, it might be nice. I really appreciate the work you put in and the fact that you are not a hypester like so many on youtube. Hope to meet you in person at a comic show someday. Keep up the good work !
I very much appreciate this video beside by side. Comparisons are very telling. Of all the books the deadman is by far the most speculative. It’s really found raw and when it is found it tends to go for a premium.
Omega Men 3 was a direct market book only I believe so collectors mainly bought them and preserved them more which is why the greater numbers of 9.8’s. I could be wrong though.
When it comes to undervalued DC books, my favorites to mention are Adventure Comics 283 (1st General Zod and 1st Phantom Zone) and Superman 61 (1st Kryptonite). Even compared to other DC Supes' keys, these books are way undervalued. A midgrade copy of Action 242 (1st Brainiac) is in the 4-figure range; a similar grade Superboy 68 (1st Bizarro) is typically north of $750, but you can get a midgrade Adventure 283 at or under $500. (Got mine at a con several years ago for only $45 from a vendor who clearly didn't even know what the book was.) And Supes 61, I recently bought a raw copy (seller graded as VG (4.0); currently at CGC, so we'll see - LOL) for only $400(!). How on earth can a GA key that has SUCH an impact on the whole Superman mythos be that affordable in that grade??
Thanks for trying to compare titles by similar years/popularity. It's not an exact science but I like that it is one tool to use when comparing values.
Comparing side characters makes this fare. If it is just main characters and villains it’s not even close and it’s because the big three for DC are all golden age so all their important keys are all mega grails. There is a reason Action 1 and Tec 27 are the gold standard for books
Another factor to consider when comparing SA Marvel keys to DCs is the sheer number of first appearances in those early days of Marvel. Throw a rock at the first 50 issues of ASM and you'll more likely than not hit a first appearance/key. Not so with the Batman title. Thoughts?
@swagglehaus - like you I am a big stats wonk, so I love it when you do videos like this. I would say that Tales of Suspense #52 is also a good apple-to-apple comp with Batman #181. Like Black Widow, Poison Ivy was a villain who became something of a hero. Considering that the first appearance of Black Widow is a far less iconic cover than that of Poison Ivy, the upside on a well-handled reintroduction of Harley Quinn's BFF/Girlfriend makes Batman #181 seem like a bargain despite the close FMV of High-Grade raw pricing in comparison to ToS #52. But in all honesty, I'm surprised that the first appearance of Black Widow isn't more valuable, too. Great comparison of Beta Ray Bill and Lobo. That Simonson cover is iconic, but there is more heat on Lobo than BRB. There were probably way less issues of Omega Men #3 printed than Thor #337 or New Mutants #98 or even X-Factor #6 which shows a lot of room to grow. That Baxter paper has kept most of the raw copies in better condition (comparatively) so high-grade seems more necessary for Omega Men #3. That said, the lesser over all qty of lower grades will drive those up inordinately as well. Power Girl being a third-tier derivative of Superman and a character that was never the focus of a really good storyline makes her a long shot for really taking off the way that Supergirl or even Krypto could. The character is all physique so what makes Kara Zor-L more or less interesting than any busty super heroine? If finding a comic book writer willing to flesh her out (pun intended) has been so impossible for so ling, what draw is there for a screenwriter to do that? Deadman is undervalued by multiple metrics and I do think that The Vision is a good comp, but Deadman being a bit more Goth and a principle and supporting character of MANY great comic runs that have yet to be exploited in other media makes him a great spec character. I'd also add Animal Man - but I think the real value there is the first in-costume appearance in Strange Adventures #190, which also has great cover art.
I agree with everything u pointed out. One thing specifically that you stated was that Power Girl is pretty much a Tier 3 version of Supergirl.. Can't argue with that point based on appearance and similar powers... One thing I thought of is Superman/Super Girl have always been.. mostly, I guess.. boxed in by "high morals" .. it's kind of there thing that in some ways limits what a writer can do with them.. whereas Power Girl may be able to be used in a way to be characterized as an anti-hero.. maybe like Black Adam... she may not have been written in the comics that way but she has the ability to be used in that way moreso than Supergirl does. Jmo. Any thoughts?
Batman 181 is a rough comparison due to the pin up inside. That book is notorious for not having that pin up. It makes a complete copy far rarer than most other books of that time.
*Extremely undervalued, as well as Japanese manga first appearances, too ~ That's why it should be intriguing to see how the later will appreciate, given the upcoming manga-films in the works ~ As most can attest: the MCU greatly enhanced the price of Marvel comics, and DC had faltered - understandably so - due to the the films aside from Nolan's trilogy ~ Makes me wonder what influence James Gunn's DC Universe will have going forth ...*
Just wondering what the print runs are for DC books vs Marvel books during that period. I would think that the print run for Deadman would be much lower than that of Thor and The Avengers.
Bad Comparison on the Omega Men 9.8's. That book was a direct sales only with no Newstands so of course its going to be hight on the 9.8 count in Comparison . Similar to Dazzler 1 from the same era
Hey good morning what’s up I know you know there are only 2 9.8 copies of fantastic four 49 if I remember correctly one of those sold at auction for $250,000.. let’s take the ghost rider marvel, spotlight 5 9.8 yes I know that sold for over $320,000 at the beginning of this year. I think there are only six of those..
I find that Bronze Age Batmans sell as well as Spider-mans. The horror comics are also popular. In general, DC lost the super-hero continuity game in the 60's and the decennial DC revival never fails to disappoint. Poison Ivy is a gem of a character. She is very artist-friendly. It's a buy IMO. She is way out of the Rhino's league. Anyway, DC in general = ech.
Don’t get why the price guide shows some raw books as having less value than their graded counterparts. That makes no sense (at least to me) and suggests that there is a problem with the pricing guide.
I think for this to become a success James Gunn is going to need a wild card hero to become a real household name. No one cared about Iron Man and Thor until the MCU.
You couldn't give me a 50's/60's DC collection, some 70's yeah, 30's, 40's and 80's most definitely i would accept. Marvel from the 30's thru the 80's hell yeah. Marvel avoided that bland, hokey, whitebread style that DC made famous in the 60's.
Yes, they are undervalued IMO. Marvel has been the top dog for a few decades now, and with the MCU being such a success it's no wonder that Marvel books were at the head of the class. DC just couldn't match that. But if James Gunn can reinvigorate DC on-screen in the way Feige did for Marvel, then DC will certainly shed its underdog title and those books will close the gap with Marvel. Now delete this video so that the undervalued keys can stay that way for a while longer.
Dc is not undervalued. The real 1st appearances are golden age and there is nothing undervalued about them. The silver age stuff is basically reprints so....
I do not think that DC comics are undervalued. I do feel that DC comics 'seem' to be less desired, maybe. I do not see many DC comics on your wall behind you. ( can see 1). I very rarely see many on most walls behind most RU-vid channels. "Less desired?" Whatever, I have 'very few' DC comic books myself.
