This Wednesday one of my favorite writers returns to comics after a much too long absence. ”James Robinson” wrote some of the most important and best comics of the 1990′s and then fell off the radar. Well not completely off the radar. Robinson left comics to pursue his writing carrier in Hollywood. After writing some small cult films like ”Comic Book Villians” and the screenplay for the failed 2003 summer blockbuster ”The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen”, neither of which are regarded as classics or even being very good for that matter, Robinson makes his return to comics as the new eries writer for Superman beginning this week with issue #676. Robinson has been writing comics since 1989 and in that time has produced such critically acclaimed books as The Golden Age for Marvel and JSA for DC. The series he is best known for is DC’s ”Starman”.

Starman was the story of ”Jack Knight”, the Son of the Golden Age Starman Ted Knight, who reluctantly inherited the title of Starman after his more heroic brother David was killed in action. Jack differed from other DC heroes in the sense that he was a junk dealer with an eye for antiques that would rather track down tin toys and 60′s kitchen sets than wear a costume and fight crime. He accepted the job of Starman after his brother’s death but only at the urging of his father. Unlike the previous Starmen Jack refused to wear the traditional Starman costume and dons a leather jacket with a toy western sheriff’s star and welding goggles. Jack uses a variation of his father’s cosmically charged rod that has been converted to a staff which enables him to fly and fire bolts of cosmic energy.

Starman separated itself from other superhero comics by being driven more by Jack Knight’s personal life dealing with his father’s history and brother’s death. Robinson’s writing allowed the reader to relate to Jack Knight in a way that had never been possible with other DC icons like Clark Kent or Bruce Wayne. Jack Knight’s character was more Woody Allen than Clark Gable. It was Jack’s humanity and flaws that made his character believable and the comic such a great read.

Robinson’s Starman ran for 80 issues, including a #0 issue, from 1994-2001 and was the second series with that title. The previous series ran for 45 issues from 1988-2001 and told the story of Will Payton, who gained his cosmic powers after being struck by a bolt of energy from space. The only sought after issue of Starman vol. 1 was #26, the first appearance of Jack Knight’s brother David, which guides for $5.00 in Near Mint condition.

Robinson co-created Starman with series artist . It was Harris’ cover art that initially drew me to Starman. At the time Harris was a relative newcomer to comics but his run on Starman would lift him to superstar status and several ”Eisner Award” nominations. Tony Harris is currently the penciler on DC/Wildstorm’s ”Ex Machina”.

Although Starman back issues don’t guide very high, issues #0 and #1 guide the highest at $7.00 each, collectors will find it very difficult to track them down. I have a friend whose been trying to put together a Starman run for more than a year now. Full runs of the series sell on Ebay for $80-$120 but they are few and far between. However, Starman issues could become more readily available now that DC is reissuing the entire series in a multi-volume hardcover set called ”The Starman Omnibus”. Generally when high quality hardcover reprints hit the market a number of collectors will part with their original issues.

The latest reprints along with Robinson taking over writing duties on Superman this coming Wednesday could lead to a renewed interest in Starman and a serious spike in this highly under-valued series.

For more on James Robinson’s Superman and other new comics check out my other blog, ”This Week in Geek” where I discuss the new comics of the week that could be tomorrow’s hot collectibles. If you have any questions about these books or anything else in the comic book world feel free to contact me or post your question in the Comic Book community forum. Want to know what your comics are worth? Join Worthpoint for free and post your titles in the “Ask A Question” section.

This Wednesday Marvel revived the Eternals for yet another ”mini-series” in an attempt to once again reintroduce them to a new generation of readers or perhaps just to make some sense of who they are. Which is the subject of this week’s Comic Speculator: Who are the ”Eternals”?

The last time we saw the Eternals was the ”2006” mini-series written by ”Neil Gaiman” and Penciled by ”John Romita Jr”. The series did little too explain the origins of the Eternals and due to massive over-ordering has been relatively easy to find for cover price in most back issue bins. Even the 1/25 Romita Jr variant covers are hard to move for more than $5.00 each. In fact, to find an Eternals book that guides for more than $10.00 you need to go back to 1976 when ”Jack “the King” Kirby” introduced us to the Marvel Universe’s 1st heroes.

After seeing the last of his ”Fourth World” titles canceled at DC, Kirby brought his cosmically charged ideas back to Marvel, where he began his carrier in Superhero comics. The Eternals, like his ”New Gods”, was a psychedelic-cosmically charged romp to the birth of man. Millions of years ago the ”Clestials”, a mysterious group of godlike beings, visited earth and evolved early mankind into two races, the Eternals and the ”Deviants”. I’ll let you guess which one was evil.

Kirby’s writing on Eternals can be a bit much for the casual reader and the series has been called a rehash of his New Gods work but it was his amazing artwork that makes these comics worth picking up. By 1976 Kirby had been drawing superhero comics for more than 35 years and his Eternals work perfectly illustrates his mastery of the comic medium. Kirby’s splash pages seem to leap from the page regardless of borders crackling with cosmic energy. The Eternals was some of Kirby’s most ambitious work and, also like his New Gods, would be misunderstood, under-appreciated and ultimately canceled before he could finish his epic storyline.

The Eternals and Kirby’s other comics of the late 1970’s are not as sought after as his early works but are starting to see higher prices in the back issue market. Eternals #1, Marvel Comics, 1976, currently guides for $24.00 in Near Mint. Overstreet also lists a variant of Eternals #1 that had a .30-cent cover price that guides for $36.00 in Near Mint.
Several of the Eternals and other Marvel comics that were being published in the 1970′s had price variants that were .5-cents more than the regular cover price. These price variants were part of the initial print-runs and are much harder to find due to low distribution. As far as the reason for the price variations on the Eternals and other Marvel comics of the late 1970’s, there are theories that Marvel was experimenting with higher prices to see if readers would pay more for their issues. I haven’t seen definitive proof of these price experiments theory but it is noteworthy that shortly after they emerged and sold out Marvel raised the cover prices of their comics. The Eternals price variants are becoming harder and harder to find and are going to continue to guide higher than their regular priced counterparts :
Eternals #2, .25-cent cover price, $12.00 in Near Mint (first appearance of the Celestials.

Eternals #2, .30-cent cover price, $18.00 in Near Mint
Eternals 12-16, .30-cent cover price, $10.00 in Near Mint
Eternals #12-16, .35-cent cover price, $15.00 in Near Mint

If you don’t have the cash to track down the original Eternals issues Marvel has just released ”Jack Kirby’s Eternals: Book 1”, which collects Eternals #1-11 . There is also an amazing hardcover ”Eternals by Jack Kirby Omnibus” that collects the entire 19-issue run that is still readily available.

I know I know. I’m late. New comic day was yesterday and I was coming home from a short vacation. I beg your collective forgiveness and promise it won’t happen again, mainly because I’m not paid enough to vacation more than once every five years or so. Plenty of news this week. DC launched it’s latest weekly series ”Trinity” much to the chagrin of many disillusioned fans. Personally I plan on checking out issue 1 because I like the idea of the book. You can click on the link for review and possibly a warning. I’m not sure what’s going on at the DC editorial office but one thing is for certain, summer is here and they still seem to be playing ball like its spring.

Enough all ready let’s talk speculator picks!

House of Mystery #2, DC Vertigo, Written by Matthew Sturges and Bill Willingham with art by Luca Rossi
I really enjoyed issue one of HOM and yes, picked it to sell out as well in a previous column. Little did I know how under-ordered HOM #1 would be. Comicbookresources.com reported that initial sales on issue #1 were lower than DC expected. How low? We’ll have to wait until DC releases it’s May sales numbers to know for sure. One thing is for certain, the orders for issue #2 will be even lower. Which is too bad because HOM is certainly interesting so far. Plenty of other Vertigo books have had trouble finding their legs, Fables and Exterminators are perfect examples, I’m guessing HOM will follow suit. Two years from now we’ll be making fun of everyone that has to pay $20.00 for issue #1 and $100.00 for #2.

Secret Invasion #3, Marvel, Written by Brian Michael Bendis with art by Lenil Yu
Secret Invasion continues to deliver excellent storytelling paired with top-notch art talent. Not to mention that the last page of this issue was the single best comic page I’ve seen in years. SI #3 is a landmark issue. I can’t tell you why, because I don’t do spoilers here, but trust me the last page is worth the price of admission. Normally I don’t espouse the value of variant covers because they are really hard to speculate on, but I will say that the variant for SI #3 is hard to resist. Issues #1 and #2 have already sold out and, though they are still readily available at most comic shops, because of the popularity and brilliant execution of this crossover event SI is going to be a hot back issue seller for years to come. Yes I’m gushing, but it’s for good reason, this might be the best crossover event I’ve ever read. I suggest you do the same.

Scream Queen #1, Boom Studios, Written by Brendan Hay with art by Nate Watson
Correct me if I’m wrong but I think this is my first pick from Boom Studios. I like the direction Boom is moving in and bringing a guy like Mark Waid in as the editor-in-chief lends them some serious geek credit. I’m picking up Scream Queen because it’s written by Daily Show and ,b>Frank TV writer Brendan Hay and when comic companies bring in established writers good stories tend to follow. I’m picking this book as a potential sell out because retailers aren’t yet convinced of Boom’s selling abilities so you can bet that orders are low. The average around town seems to be 4 copies per store.

For a preview of Scream Queen #1 click ”here”

Well there’s plenty of comics to drop your cash on this week and this is, of course, just a couple of them. I’m also real exited about the current Night Wing issue and the Robin Spoiler Special. What about you guys? Get on the Worthpoint.com comic books forum and tell me what you’re reading. Also check out my other blog, ”The Comic Speculator,” where I discuss classic yet still affordable back-issue comics. If you have any questions about these books or anything else in the comic book world feel free to contact me or post your question in the Comic Book community forum. Want to know what your comics are worth? Join Worthpoint for free and post your titles in the “Ask A Question” section.

Welcome to a rare new comic’s Thursday edition of This Week in Geek. Since Monday was Memorial Day the boys at the post office and UPS got the day off and new comics day moves from Wednesday to Thursday. This can be traumatizing for serious comic junkies but those of us who have been collecting for a while plan ahead. This weekend I caught up on my back-issue reading with Jack Kirby’s Third World Omnibus and my Absolute Edition of Crisis on Infinite Earth’s (which was worth every penny). Having an extra day to prepare for this week’ s DC Final Crisis ordered and gave me the time to reacquaint myself with the original Crisis storyline and to see the Indiana Jones movie. I liked it. Not loved it, just liked it. Indy 4 is going to be the seed of a lot of nerd discussion for the foreseeable future but I don’t see it becoming a retro-active disappointment like the last three Star Wars movies.
Now on to the comics!

Final Crisis #1, DC, Written by Grant Morrison with art by J.G. Jones.
This is the event DC swears we’ve been waiting for. It’s been called the final chapter in Dan Didio’s Crisis trilogy, which seems funny since he’s just the editor in chief, and I’m hoping it’s his parting gift to the DC Universe. Rumors are swirling around the net as to DiDio’s future at DC and the success or failure of Final Crisis could be the deciding factor. But we don’t read comics because we love the politics behind their creation; we read them because of the larger than life heroes and menacing villains. Final Crisis is going to be fun, it may not live up to the hype but one thing is certain. Every DC reader out their will be picking up a copy of issue #1 so expect to see it go fast!

For a preview of Final Crisis #1 “click here”

Firbreather #1, Image Comics, Written by Phil Hester with art by Andy Kuhn
Back in 2003 Hester introduced readers to the the character of Firebreather, a young dragon-human hybrid who’s father was an evil shape-shifting dragon that seduced his human mother. Years later Firebreather is a confused teen with orange scales and wings that just wants to fit in. According to Hester this story was originally pitched to Marvel Comics as the Son of Iron Man villain Fin Fang Foom but the House of Ideas passed. Now Image comics brings us a new story of the firebreathing-teen and I guarantee you’re going to love it… If you can find it. Orders on Image superhero comics have always been low in the past resulting in comics like Robert Kirman’s Invincible, Image comics 2003, selling for upwards of $30.00. The formula is simple, retailers are afraid to take a risk on new comics until they are proven sellers. Because of this it’s easy to understand why early issues of Invincible sell for as mush as they do.

For a preview of Firebreather #1 “click here”

Giant Size Astonishing X-men #1, Marvel Comics, written by Joss Whedon with art by John Cassiday
Whedon and Cassiday end their critically acclaimed run on Astonishing X-men this week in giant fashion with this double sized issue. Early on in their run Whedon stated that he was killing an X-man before he left the book. If his history as the creative force behind “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” holds true then fans know Whedon is not afraid of a body count, even when it includes his main characters. Flash forward months later after several delay’s on Astonishing and it seems pretty apparent that Kitty Pride is getting the axe. Or is she? I’m on my way to the comic shop as soon as I’m done writing this to find out.

For a preview of Giant Size Astonishing X-Men “click here”

Lots of great stuff to read this week while we patiently await the upcoming Incredible Hulk movie. I’m a little nervous about Hulk and nothing I’ve seen in the trailers has me shaking in my seat. That’s not to say I’m not excited, I am, but my hopes aren’t as high as they were for Iron Man. So what did you guys think of Iron Man, Indy or any of the other Summer-nerd movies? Get on the Worthpoint.com comic book message board and let me know. Until next week feel free to post to the forum topics in the comic books community and tell me what you’re reading/collecting. Also check out my other blog, The Comic Speculator, where I discuss classic yet still affordable back-issue comics. If you have any questions about these books or anything else in the comic book world feel free to contact me or post your question in the Comic Book community forum. Want to know what your comics are worth? Join Worthpoint for free and post your titles in the “Ask A Question” section.

OK, I don’t want to brag here folks but it seems as if Matt has been on a roll lately. Last week I went three-for-three with all of my picks of the week selling out. According to Comicbookresources.com Batman #676, Guardians #1 and Cap Britain #1 all sold out before the weekend hit and Cap #1 is already selling for upwards of $5.00 online. Not bad if I do say so myself. I feel like one of those annoying AM radio sports bookie commercials already. Can bets be placed on comic sales? Anyway, enough tooting of my own horn. Lets talk new comics.

Dresden Files #2, Dable Brothers, Written by Jim Butcher and drawn by Adrian Syaif
While fans are mourning the Sci-Fi Networks cancellation of the Dresden Files (apparently there was a letter writing campaign and a virtual sit-in planned, I don’t even know what that means but Man does it sound nerdy) the comics starring the magick detective have been selling out at the stands. Dresden Files #1 was vastly under-ordered by retailers and is already selling for more than $20 online. What’s the only comic that will be less ordered than Dresden Files #1, why issue #2 of course. I told you guys to check it out but you didn’t listen and now it’s going to cost ya! If you can find Dresden #1 for less than $20.00 pick it up along with issue #2, you won’t regret it.

Casey Blue: Beyond Tomorrow #1, Wildstorm, Written by B. Clay Moore and drawn by Carlo Barberi and Drew Geraci
Even a broken watch is correct twice a day and Wildstorm proves it this week with Casey Blue. Why should you care after the disaster that was the last year’s failed Wildstorm relaunch followed by the no-name replacement writers that lowered the storytelling bar back down to the level of the pathetic mid 90′s “Stormwatch” run before Warren Ellis pulled the companies collective fat out of the fryer? Mainly because Casey Blue has nothing to do with the other crap Wildstorm is publishing. Indy comics phenom B. Clay Moore of “Hawaiian Dick” fame bring us this new series about a high-school student that finds out she may be the savior of humanity after murdering someone with her bare hands. If you can get past the typical Wildstorm-school-of-J. Scott Campbell-penciling by Barberi and Geraci there is actually a pretty good story here. With Wildstorm’s sales in the toilet right now you can bet that Casey Blue saw very low initial orders by retailers. Pick it up while you can find it yo!

Mighty Avengers #14, Marvel Comics, Written by Brian Bendis and drawn by Koi Pham
Secret Invasion is a hit and it seems all Marvel has to do to insure a comic sell-out is print Secret Invasion on the cover. So far every S.I. Tie-in has sold out at the presses and for good reason. Every issue has as of yet been great. I love it. I’m in. Marvel, you got me right where you want me and I’m not alone. According to Comic Book Resources April report on estimated Comic Sales Marvel swallowed a whopping 49% percent of sales mainly fuled by Secret Invasion and it’s tie-ins. This crossover is for real folks and will be selling out of back issue bins for ridiculous prices for years to come.

DC is going to have to bring some serious storytelling firepower to the table with their upcoming Final Crisis event and recent news of a fill in artist by issue #4 certainly isn’t going to help their sales. Don’t get me wrong, I’m excited for Final Crisis but after their last major Crisis crossover I find this myself going into the current one cautiously and with a noticeably empty wallet after picking up all the Secret Invasion tie-ins. It’s time for DC Editor-In-Chief Dan DiDio to put his money where his mouth is or leave the world’s greatest heroes to someone more capable. This is your last chance Dan and make no mistake if Final Crisis doesn’t live up to the hype we’re blaming you. Grant Morrison and J.G. Jones have proven themselves to be talent of the first-order time and time again. What have you done lately?

Until next week feel free to post to the forum topics in the comic books community and tell me what you’re reading/collecting. Also check out my other blog, The Comic Speculator, where I discuss classic yet still affordable back-issue comics. If you have any questions about these books or anything else in the comic book world feel free to contact me or post your question in the Comic Book community forum. Want to know what your comics are worth? Join Worthpoint for free and post your titles in the “Ask A Question” section.

Final Crisis #1, DC, Written by Grant Morrison with art by J.G. Jones.
This is the event DC swears we’ve been waiting for. It’s been called the final chapter in Dan Didio’s Crisis trilogy, which seems funny since he’s just the editor in chief, and I’m hoping it’s his parting gift to the DC Universe. Rumors are swirling around the net as to DiDio’s future at DC and the success or failure of Final Crisis could be the deciding factor. But we don’t read comics because we love the politics behind their creation; we read them because of the larger than life heroes and menacing villains. Final Crisis is going to be fun, it may not live up to the hype but one thing is certain. Every DC reader out their will be picking up a copy of issue #1 so expect to see it go fast!

Firbreather #1, Image Comics, Written by Phil Hester with art by Andy Kuhn
Back in 2003 Hester introduced readers to the the character of Firebreather, a young dragon-human hybrid who’s father was an evil shape-shifting dragon that seduced his human mother. Years later Firebreather is a confused teen with orange scales and wings that just wants to fit in. According to Hester this story was originally pitched to Marvel Comics as the Son of Iron Man villain Fin Fang Foom but the House of Ideas passed. Now Image comics brings us a new story of the firebreathing-teen and I guarantee you’re going to love it… If you can find it. Orders on Image superhero comics have always been low in the past resulting in comics like Robert Kirman’s Invincible, Image comics 2003, selling for upwards of $30.00. The formula is simple, retailers are afraid to take a risk on new comics until they are proven sellers. Because of this it’s easy to understand why early issues of Invincible sell for as mush as they do.

Giant Size Astonishing X-men #1, Marvel Comics, written by Joss Whedon with art by John Cassiday
Whedon and Cassiday end their critically acclaimed run on Astonishing X-men this week in giant fashion with this double sized issue. Early on in their run Whedon stated that he was killing an X-man before he left the book. If his history as the creative force behind “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” holds true then fans know Whedon is not afraid of a body count, even when it includes his main characters. Flash forward months later after several delay’s on Astonishing and it seems pretty apparent that Kitty Pride is getting the axe. Or is she? I’m on my way to the comic shop as soon as I’m done writing this to find out.

Lots of great stuff to read this week while we patiently await the upcoming Incredible Hulk movie. I’m a little nervous about Hulk and nothing I’ve seen in the trailers has me shaking in my seat. That’s not to say I’m not excited, I am, but my hopes aren’t as high as they were for Iron Man. So what did you guys think of Iron Man, Indy or any of the other Summer-nerd movies? Get on the Worthpoint.com comic book message board and let me know. Until next week feel free to post to the forum topics in the comic books community and tell me what you’re reading/collecting. Also check out my other blog, The Comic Speculator, where I discuss classic yet still affordable back-issue comics. If you have any questions about these books or anything else in the comic book world feel free to contact me or post your question in the Comic Book community forum. Want to know what your comics are worth? Join Worthpoint for free and post your titles in the “Ask A Question” section.

Final Crisis #1, DC, Written by Grant Morrison with art by J.G. Jones.
This is the event DC swears we’ve been waiting for. It’s been called the final chapter in Dan Didio’s Crisis trilogy, which seems funny since he’s just the editor in chief, and I’m hoping it’s his parting gift to the DC Universe. Rumors are swirling around the net as to DiDio’s future at DC and the success or failure of Final Crisis could be the deciding factor. But we don’t read comics because we love the politics behind their creation; we read them because of the larger than life heroes and menacing villains. Final Crisis is going to be fun, it may not live up to the hype but one thing is certain. Every DC reader out their will be picking up a copy of issue #1 so expect to see it go fast!

Firbreather #1, Image Comics, Written by Phil Hester with art by Andy Kuhn
Back in 2003 Hester introduced readers to the the character of Firebreather, a young dragon-human hybrid who’s father was an evil shape-shifting dragon that seduced his human mother. Years later Firebreather is a confused teen with orange scales and wings that just wants to fit in. According to Hester this story was originally pitched to Marvel Comics as the Son of Iron Man villain Fin Fang Foom but the House of Ideas passed. Now Image comics brings us a new story of the firebreathing-teen and I guarantee you’re going to love it… If you can find it. Orders on Image superhero comics have always been low in the past resulting in comics like Robert Kirman’s Invincible, Image comics 2003, selling for upwards of $30.00. The formula is simple, retailers are afraid to take a risk on new comics until they are proven sellers. Because of this it’s easy to understand why early issues of Invincible sell for as mush as they do.

Giant Size Astonishing X-men #1, Marvel Comics, written by Joss Whedon with art by John Cassiday
Whedon and Cassiday end their critically acclaimed run on Astonishing X-men this week in giant fashion with this double sized issue. Early on in their run Whedon stated that he was killing an X-man before he left the book. If his history as the creative force behind “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” holds true then fans know Whedon is not afraid of a body count, even when it includes his main characters. Flash forward months later after several delay’s on Astonishing and it seems pretty apparent that Kitty Pride is getting the axe. Or is she? I’m on my way to the comic shop as soon as I’m done writing this to find out.

Lots of great stuff to read this week while we patiently await the upcoming Incredible Hulk movie. I’m a little nervous about Hulk and nothing I’ve seen in the trailers has me shaking in my seat. That’s not to say I’m not excited, I am, but my hopes aren’t as high as they were for Iron Man. So what did you guys think of Iron Man, Indy or any of the other Summer-nerd movies? Get on the Worthpoint.com comic book message board and let me know. Until next week feel free to post to the forum topics in the comic books community and tell me what you’re reading/collecting. Also check out my other blog, The Comic Speculator, where I discuss classic yet still affordable back-issue comics. If you have any questions about these books or anything else in the comic book world feel free to contact me or post your question in the Comic Book community forum. Want to know what your comics are worth? Join Worthpoint for free and post your titles in the “Ask A Question” section.

DC Universe #0 hit the new comic stands this week and started a firestorm of rumors about the return of Barry Allen, the Silver-Age flash. The story even found legs in the Associated Press and was printed in The New York Times. Click here to read the story: http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gwE0DpRFy9OKm7kGaUxuuGcYR2TAD90C4J4G0

While some of us are thrilled by Allen’s return others, myself included are still reeling from the lack luster return of Wally West, the Modern Age Flash. Regardless of which Flash is your favorite, an argument that can get just as nasty as the Hal Jordan/Kyle Rayner Green Lantern debate, today the speculator is taking a look at some key issues in Barry’s comic life. When Allen does return, presumably in the pages of “Final Crisis”, there will be a definite spike in value on all of the Silver Age Flash’s appearances. Especially if he returns EVIL! That’s right I’m calling my shot! Barry is coming back a bad guy! Maybe I’m insane but I’m betting Grant Morrison would love to take a beloved Flash icon and make him a villain. You herd it here first! And yes, I’m a Wally West guy.

Barry Allen’s first appearance was in “Showcase” #4, DC 1956, which currently guides for $45,000 in Near Mint condition. “Showcase” #4 is also considered the first Silver Age superhero comic hence Barry Allen’s importance to the point of reverence with creators and fans alike. Allen took his superhero name from his childhood hero Jay Garrik, the Golden Age Flash. At the time DC’s Golden Age heroes like Garrick and the other members of the JSA didn’t exist in Allen’s universe but were fictional comic book heroes. Later the concept of Earth One and Earth Two would bring the Golden Age heroes back into the DC universe but that is a whole essay within it’s self. Perhaps I’ll ask my friend Mike, an expert on the subject, to write a brief explanation of Earth One and Earth Two in the DCU.

Allen’s first appearance and most of the Silver Age “Flash” run is definitely well out of the price range for the average collector but there are plenty of other key appearances that are still very affordable.

Flash v1 #179, $110 in Near Mint condition. 1st unnamed appearance of Earth-Prime when Flash travels to the real world to meet series editor of the time Julie Schwartz. Earth-Prime is the current home of the DC heroes and the keystone of the 52 existing Earths in the DCU. Mind-blowing isn’t it?

Flash v1 #217-219, $50 in Near Mint condition. Neil Adams takes over the creative duties with issue #217 and begins the first of his legendary Green Arrow/Green Lantern stories as a back-up feature.

Crisis on Infinite Earths #8, $20 in Near Mint condition. This is the issue to watch. Barry Allen is killed while stopping the Anti-Monitor from destroying the Earth. When Allen finally does return I’m predicting this issue sees the largest jump in price.

Flash v2 #149, $3 in Near Mint condition. Barry Allen travels through time to help Wally West defeat Cobalt Blue, Allen’s evil twin brother. Issue #149 was part of a five issue storyline called Chain Lightning by Mark Waid and Brian Augustyn and is still one of my favorite Flash stories.

Flash v2 #225, $3 in Near Mint condition. Issue #225 was the final issue in Geoff Johns amazing run on the Flash and what an issue it was. Barry Allen appears this time to help Wally West defeat Professor Zoom the instant before Zoom murders West’s unborn twins. On a sad side note West twins more recently reappeared in last years pathetic Flash relaunch as pre-teens with really weird powers. It’s sad that this latest Flash incarnation tarnishes what Johns did for the character of Wally West and I only hope that after Final Crisis West is not pushed aside as Kyle Rayner was when Hal Jordan returned.

The DC message boards are already lit up with talk of Barry’s return and with “Final Crisis” shipping soon his return couldn’t come at a better time. Bringing heroes back from the dead has been DC’s bread and butter for the past five years and has yet to prove unprofitable. Barry Allen seems to be the next to join the ranks of dead heroes returned to life along side Hal Jordan (Green Lantern), Oliver Queen (Green Arrow), Rex Mason (Metamorpho); no Metamorpho’s return wasn’t as huge as the previous two but I like him a lot and it’s my column, so there. After you see Iron Man this weekend pick up a copy of “Crisis on Infinite Earths” and see what all the what all this Barry Allen fuss is about. I promise you won’t be disappointed.

For more on “Infinite Crisis” and other new comics check out my other blog, This Week in Geek where I discuss the new comics of the week that could be tomorrow’s collectibles. If you have any questions about these books or anything else in the comic book world feel free to contact me or post your question in the Comic Book community forum. Want to know what your comics are worth? Join Worthpoint for free and post your titles in the “Ask A Question” section.

Continuing my theme of Hispanic Superheroes, today we’ll be looking at a few of Marvel Comics famous Latinas. While the list of Marvel’s Hispanic heroes is slightly longer than DC’s I was a little shocked to notice that there were no major-first tier characters on it. I’m not pointing any fingers here, just making an observation. The only character on the list that had their own on-going series was Arana (pronounced A-ron-ya).

Arana’s book, now canceled, followed the adventures of Anya Corozon, a Latina of Puerto Rican and Mexican descent who works as the agent of the mysterious Spider Clan. The Idea of the Spider Clan was first introduced during J. Michael Straczynski’s controversial run on Amazing Spider-Map. Arana, which translated means “heart of the spider”, has abilities similar to Spider-Man but can also create a blue exo-skeleton to protect her. Her ablilites come from a mystic tattoo given to her by the Spider Clan during her initiation. Anya’s first appearance was in “Amazing Fantasy” v2 #1, Marvel Comics 2004, which currently guides for $4.00 in Near Mint condition. Arana can be seen monthly in the pages of the current Ms Marvel series.

Angel Salvador was introduced during Grant Morrison’s run on X-men as student at the Xavier institute who sprouted insect wings after emerging from a cocoon she created shortly after her mutant powers manifested. Currently Angel is de-powered, after the events of “M” Day when the majority of the mutants in the Marvel Universe lost their powers (see the “House of M” storyline) but she continues to fight crime under the code name Tempest with the latest incarnation of the New Warriors. Angel wears armor that gives her fire, ice, wind, and flight abilities. When Angel first appeared in the X-men she was black but with her reappearance in the New Warriors she is now a Latina. As of yet this racial change has not been explained. Hey, it’s just a comic book. Angel’s first appearance was in New X-Men 118, Marvel Comics 2001, which guides for $3.00 in Near Mint condition. Angel can currently be seen monthly in the pages of New Warriors. For More on Angel Salvador check out this complete bio: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angel_Salvadore

For the first several issues of “New Avengers” the group had a mystery member who went by the name of Ronin. Ronin was sent to the Avengers by Daredevil because he could not accept their invitation to join. Trusting Daredevil, the group allowed Ronin to join the team only to later find out that Ronin was actually Maya Lopez, the Hispanic-Native American daughter of a close former business partner of the King Pin (Daredevil’s arch-nemesis). Lopez is deaf but has the ability to perfectly mimic any physical action she witnesses thus making her an amazing martial-artist. Before becoming Ronin and attempting to clean up the Yakuza crime ring that was partnered with the Hand, a Japanese group of mystical Ninja terrorists, Lopez went by the moniker of Echo and had vowed revenge on Daredevil for the death of her father. Later she would discover that the King Pin killed her father and thus became a hero and ally of Daredevil. Echo’s first appearance was in “Daredevil” v2 #9, Marvel Comics 1999, which guides at $3.00 in Near Mint Condition. Echo can be seen monthly in the pages of “New Avengers”. For a complete bio on Maya Lopez click here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Echo_%28comics%29

Again,this is just a partial list of the actively appearing Hispanic heroes in the Marvel and DC universes. There are many more worthy of discussion so feel free to post your favorite Hispanic heroes here. Don’t forget pics if you can find them.

With the Iron Man movie premiering this week, I have goose bumps just thinking about it, I thought it would be a good time to highlight one of my favorite runs of ol’ shell-head’s comic. In the 80′s David Micheline and Bob Layton redefined Tony Stark’s character making him the Iron Man we know today. During their first run on Iron Man (#114-#157) Micheline and Layton introduced Jim Rhodes, who would later become War Machine(#118, $12 in Near Mint) and will be played by Terrance Howard in the upcoming Iron man film. Micheline also portrayed Tony Stark as an alcoholic in their classic storyline “Demon in a Bottle” (#128, $10 in Near Mint) and introduced Iron Man’s stealth armor (# 152, $4 in Near Mint).

Micheline and Layton also wrote the two Iron Man and Doctor Doom stories that are currently being reprinted in a trade paper back called “Doomquest” published by Marvel Comics. The first Iron Man vs Doom storyline was in Iron Man #149 – #150 and sent the two back in time to King Arthur’s Camelot. This first Doom/Stark meeting is considered by some the pinnacle of the Micheline-Layton-run and is a must read for any fan of 80′s superhero comics. The second Doom/Stark was was printed in Iron Man #249 – #250 during Micheline and Layton’s second run on the book and saw the two flung into the distant future year 2093. Iron Man #149 guides for $6.00 in Near Mint condition and #150, a double sized issue, guides for $10. Iron Man #249 and #250 both guide for $4.00 in Near Mint. These classic Iron Man vs Doom story lines were great fun and are, for the moment, still very affordable.

Just as the popularity of the Spiderman, and Fantastic Four films artificially inflated the values of their corresponding comics you can expect the same to happen for Iron Man. However, if like Spiderman the film is both successful and good then you can expect Iron Man comic values to rise even further. If the movie turns out to be a stinker like Fantastic Four expect to see the rise in back issue prices to settle back down after the summer movie season. Obviously comics like Iron Man #1(Marvel, 1968) will take huge leaps in value, already it’s selling for more than $700.00 up from $650 just two months ago, but not all collectors have hundreds of dollars to spend on comics. I’d love to be able to drop a grand on a perfect Iron Man #1 and not have to file for bankruptcy afterwards but for now collector’s like myself are buying up key issues like the Doomquest story line.

Michelene and Layton are currently working on a new Iron Man vs Doom story in the pages of “Iron Man Legacy of Doom. For more on Legacy of Doom and other new Iron Man comics check out my other blog, This Week in Geek where I discuss the new comics of the week that could be tomorrow’s collectibles. If you have any questions about these books or anything else in the comic book world feel free to contact me or post your question in the Comic Book community forum. Want to know what your comics are worth? Join Worthpoint for free and post your titles in the “Ask A Question” section.

Happy DC Universe day true believers! Geoff Johns brings us DC Universe #0 today and I can’t be more excited. DC U #0 is going to set the stage for Final Crisis, Trinity, and and beyond. With a .50 cent cover price I don’t foresee it being under-ordered by any comic shop worth its salt, I’ve even heard of several that are giving DC U #0 away. This is the perfect time for any new or ex-DC hero fan to pick up a comic and reacquaint themselves with the DC heroes. Me, I’ll be at work this morning wondering how cool DC U #0 will be. It seems I am just expected to work Wednesday mornings anymore. Damn the man and his capitalist society! I have to work more so I can make more money, so I can buy more comics, which means I have to work more so I can make more money so I can buy more comics… But I digress.

We comic collectors and speculators are moving into a difficult time of year. Just as Hollywood is preparing to bombard us with a torrent of summer blockbusters the major comics companies will be following suit with a horde of crossover events and prestige issues. DC U #0 is the tip of the iceberg that will be followed by “Final Crisis”, “Trinity”, “Reign in Hell” and many others. Marvel has already launched it’s summer Secret War event and it seems another tie-in issue is announced almost every day. How is a collector to keep up? Take a deep cleansing breath, sit with your legs crossed, palms open on your knees to achieve the meditative lotus yoga position and focus. If you’re not a comic-junkie like my self, who has Trainspoting-esque withdrawal symptoms when deprived, decide what characters are important to you and follow them through the crossover event. Otherwise it’s a long, dark and expensive road to crossover complete-ism that sometimes pays off and other times leaves you feeling betrayed or even dirty. Your best bet is to ask your comic store owner “do I need this?” If you’re a weekly visitor than your store owner should know what you collect and if they’re honest they’ll be able to guide you. If not, you should start looking for another store or you can ask me. Feel free to post your Marvel/DC crossover questions in the Worthpoint.com “Comic Books” forum and I’ll be more than happy to give you my two-cents as I’ll be reading it all. Mainly because I’m pathetic, unhappy and feel the need to escape my station in life. Sigh…

Let’s talk about new comics!

Thor: Ages of Thunder, Marvel Comics, Written by Matt Fratction with art by Patrick Zircher
“Cassanova” and “Iron Fist” writer Matt Fraction takes a critical look at Marvel’s Thunder God this week in the pages of “Thor; Ages of Thunder”. Fraction is one of the hottest up-and-coming writers in the comics business and will soon be held at the level of comic darlings like Brian Bendis and Geoff Johns. I love Fraction’s work, he has yet to do me wrong and I highly suggest checking out his Cassanova series from Image Comics if you are not already doing so. I’m curious to see how Fraction balances the Norse Mythology along with the Marvel’s Superhero myhtos. Either way with Fraction and top-notch penciling talent like Zircher on the book you, the reader, cannot go wrong with “Ages of Thunder”. This comic could disappear quickly much like the under-ordered 2004 “Loki” series about Thor’s villainous brother. Loki #1 sells for $10.00 in Near Mint but at one time was going for well over $20.00. Frugal comic shop owners may have again misjudged a Thor mini-series making “Ages of Thunder” an instant sell-out.

Glamourpuss #1, Ardvark Vanaheim, Written and drawn by Dave Sim
Let’s see… How should I say this without making it sound insulting? How about; Dave Sim is one of the most respected creators in independent comics and his creation “Cerebus” is without a doubt the most successful indy-comic series to date. Sim’s latest book, “Glamourpuss” seems to follow the adventures of a Super-model Super-heroine and seems to be, well, at best over my head. At worst it’s the rantings of a very talented lunatic. I don’t get it. That is the nicest thing I can say about this comic. Glamourpuss is beautifully illustrated, wordy and bizarre. One thing is for certain, Glamourpuss #1 will be extremely under-ordered by comic shops and hard to find for the die-hard Sim fan. I can only imagine that “Cerebus” #1 hit the stands to a very similar reception; something along the lines of “A talking barbarian aardvark? What the hell is this?”. “Cerebus” #1 is currently guiding for $900 so Sim obviously know how to write a series. I guess for now we just have to trust him and pick up “Glamourouss” #1. Only time will tell if Sim is a sexist lunatic or comic book genius.

DC Universe #O, DC, Written by Geoff Johns and Grant Morrison and drawn by various artists.
I managed to dodge all the media coverage of what happened on the last page of this book today only to have my good friend Meatloaf ruin it for me. At 10:30 pm I pulled up to my house and ran inside with the full intention of reading DC U #0 before the New York Times or USA Today could ruin the ending only to receive a phone call. “I heard their bringing _____ _____ back.” (No spoilers here). Sigh, I hadn’t heard that Meat, but thanks for your call. I then read DC U #0, it was excellent and indeed it looks like _____ _____ is coming back. Everyone that has ever read DC comics needs to pick up this book. DC U #0 has reinvigorated my love for DC comics and I look forward to the future of the original superhero comics company. Thank you Geoff Johns and Grant Morrison and I can’t wait for this summer’s DC comics.

So there it is, another Wednesday and another new comics day gone. If you need me you can find me in line for the Iron Man movie this weekend. I’ll be the nerd with the tear in his eye the first time I see Tony Stark don his red and gold armor. Here’s to hoping Iron Man is everything we want it to be.

In the meantime feel free to post to the forum topics in the comic books community and tell me what you’re reading/collecting. Also check out my other blog, The Comic Speculator, where I discuss classic yet still affordable back-issue comics. If you have any questions about these books or anything else in the comic book world feel free to contact me or post your question in the Comic Book community forum. Want to know what your comics are worth? Join Worthpoint for free and post your titles in the “Ask A Question” section.

For 38 years the Overstreet Comic Book price guide has been the standard price guide of the comic book back issue market.

During it’s tenure as the most used price guide in the industry, Overstreet has kept a careful eye on the ever-changing comic back issue market. With each new edition (released annually in March), Overstreet prints several different lists of top comics through different ages and how much they are expected to appreciate in value for the coming year. The first list collectors scan is the Top 100 Golden Age Books. All collectors dream of finding a title on this list in their grandparents’ attic or while shuffling through boxes at a garage sale. The Top 100 Golden Age Books list represents the most expensive and highly treasured books in the comic collecting hobby. The Golden started with the first appearance of Superman in Action Comics #1 (1938) – this issue historically has been in the number one spot on this list every year and 2008 is no exception. Here’s a look at the top ten comics on Overstreet’s Top 100 Golden age comics and how much they are expected to increase in value this year.

Title 2008 Rank 2008 NM Price 2007 NM Price %Increase
Action Comics #1 1 $675,000 $600,000 13%
Detective Comics #27 2 $525,000 $485,000 8%
Marvel Comics #1 3 $440,000 $420,000 5%
Superman #1 4 $400,000 $360,000 11% All-American Comics#16 5 $245,000 $220,000 11%
Batman #1 6 $185,000 $165,000 12%
Captain America Comics#1 7 $175,000 $160,000 9%
Flash Comics #1 8 $130,000 $125,000 4%
More Fun Comics #52 9 $115,000 $105,000 10%
Adventure Comics #40 10 $95,000 $85,000 12%

With fewer than 100 copies of Action Comics #1 known to exist there is little or no chance of it losing the number one spot in the future. Ironically there are only 20 known issues of Detective Comics #27 (1939), the second rarest Golden Age comic, however the first appearance of Batman guides $150,000 less than Superman’s first appearance. The only change to the top ten this year was Adventure Comics #40 (first appearance of Golden-age Sandman) bumping Whiz Comics #2 (first appearance of Shazam) from the number ten spot.

Happy new comics day, Y’all! It’s Wednesday and once again, guess who got called into work. That’s right,ME! Uggh! So here I am sitting in my own filth after racing from work to the comic shop and then home as fast as possible just to tell you guys what comics you can’t live without this week.

It was yet another big week for new comics with the latest issues of “Abe Sapian” and “B.P.R.D.”, “JSA”, “Scud”, “The Goon” and many other great titles hitting the stands. But before we get down to the nitty-gritty let’s talk College Basketball.

Monday night Kansas won the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship in a breathtaking overtime victory after coming back from a nine point deficit in the last two minutes of the second half. Easily one of the best college basketball championships I’ve ever watched.

I’m also happy to report that my masculinity remains intact after beating my lovely girlfriend by one point in our March Madness Bracket Challenge. It’s not a huge victory, but it counts. Put that in your pipe and smoke it, darling!

Now let’s talk comics!

Nova #12, Marvel Comics, Written By Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning and drawn by Paul Pelletier. “Nova” is currently the best Marvel space-hero title being published and, arguably, could be the best they’ve ever done. How am I qualified to make this call, you might ask? Well, I might not be, but I can say that before this series I have never given a poop about the character of Nova. After reading the first “Annihilation” storyline and the first story-arc on this latest “Nova” series, I can’t get enough of him. Not to mention last month one of my favorite New Mutants members, Warlock, popped up in the pages of Nova. It’s like writers know me or someone close to me who loves me enough to say “Hey Dan & Andy, I know this guy that would lose his mind if you brought Warlock back.” I love Nova and if for some reason it gets canceled I’ll personally be handing out bloody noses to anybody that wasn’t reading it. Nova is top-notch superhero-sci-fi that will certainly be regarded as such for years to come.

Serenity #2, Dark Horse, Written by Joss Whedon and Brett Mathews and drawn by Will Conrad. Firefly, the sci-fi-western TV series that Fox couldn’t kill, is back in the pages of “Serenity.” Buffy the Vampire Slayer creator Joss Whedon brings us another fantastic story of the crew of the Firefly-class ship Serenity in this three-issue-series titled “Better Days”. If you loved Firefly as much as I did you will gush over this comic. If you haven’t seen Firefly, put it in your Netflix cue, buy it from a big-box store, or beat up a nerd and take their DVD
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set of the complete series. You won’t regret it. The last “Serenity” comics series, Those Left Behind (Dark Horse 2005), sold out very quickly and is nearly impossible to find today.

Titans #1, DC, Written By Judd Winick and drawn by Ian Churchill Whether you love him or hate him one thing is for certain, nobody causes more comic-message-board fights than Judd Winick. Nerds from both camps will have plenty to scream about this week as DC reunites the the 80′s Teen Titan’s team in their new series Titan’s with the controversial Winick at the comic’s helm. I personally love Winick’s storytelling and, being a huge Fan of the characters of Nightwing and Wally West as the Flash, have been looking forward to “Titans” for months now. Be warned, if you’re only in it for Churchill’s artwork you should know he’s being replaced by Joe Benitez with issue #2.

Well that’s all for now. If you need me I’ll be reading comics and digging out of the April snowstorm that’s being predicted for Friday. Curse you El Nino!

In the meantime feel free to post to the forum topics in the comic books community and tell me what you’re reading/collecting. Also check out my other blog, The Comic Speculator, where I discuss classic yet still affordable back-issue comics. If you have any questions about these books or anything else in the comic book world feel free to contact me or post your question in the Comic Book community forum. Want to know what your comics are worth? Join Worthpoint for free and post your titles in the “Ask A Question” section.