The cover for the new Justice League #1, which will be released by DC Comics in September, when 52 DC titles all get new #1 issues.

As you may have read recently in the USA Today’s Life section or saw on CNN, DC Comics is relaunching its entire line of comics with new #1 issues this September. To some, this isn’t even news worthy of a cable news ticker, but to others it represents the complete obliteration of more than 75-years of history. For some comic collectors, it is an act so heinous that they would be willing to turn their back on a life-time of collecting DC comics.

At the San Diego Convention Center—where the annual San Diego Comic-con is held—a group of irate DC fans took to the streets, marching in protest of the relaunch. This wasn’t quite a Tahrir Square or Wisconsin State Capitol level of protest, as only about 20 people—dressed as comic characters that have been some of the most redesigned in the coming relaunch—actually showed up and they only marched for about 20 minutes. Forget the poorly attended picket lines and highly mocked Facebook groups, the point is there is a group of fans out there that are damn mad and they’re not going to take it anymore. Perhaps the real question is why the controversy?

Before we move on, some definitions are in order. Since they began, comics publishers have played pretty fast and loose with their numbering system, and for good reason. Historically, #1 issues sell better. For years now, the highest-selling issue of any comic series has been its first issue and for obvious reasons. Number 1 signifies a beginning; a place for readers to jump on board or maybe a new status quo for an old hero. But not all #1 issues are for brand new series. When talking about comics there are generally three different types of first issues.

The first is the #1 that represents the beginning of a new series. This is something that happens every Wednesday—the day new comics hit shelves at comic shops across the planet. On any given Wednesday, it’s not unusual to see anywhere from five-to-10 new series on the “New this Week” shelf. Most of them will be dead by issue six, but that doesn’t stop publishers and creators from throwing new titles at fans weekly.

The second type of #1 is where we get into some real nerdy-definitions. The Relaunch is where an existing character or title has a new story-line coming or perhaps a status-quo-altering event that demands a new #1 issue. Most recently, nerds saw this happen with Captain America and Daredevil at Marvel Comics. Daredevil had been wandering the Southern U.S. after the recent events of his last title left him persona-non-grata in New York City (he led a group of ninjas in sort-of a vigilante takeover of the Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood; as Sienfeld would say, “it was a whole thing”) and Cap saw someone other than Steve Rogers wielding the shield (his kid partner Bucky, who was seeking retribution after being resurrected and brainwashed by the Soviets and forced into several political assassinations; also a “whole-and even-more-involved-thing”). Cap also just happens to have a summer blockbuster movie in theaters, so Marvel decided it was time for a relaunch.

Under a relaunch, the history of the characters stays but the numbering goes back to #1 and the two heroes have a different status-quo. This time, Daredevil is a dashing, high-flying, superhero again and Steve Rogers is once again America’s No. 1 Captain. This offers a perfect chance for readers new and old to get excited about their heroes and for the publisher to sell a few more issues than they normally would. It should be noted that the relaunch is also common and not nearly as controversial as the third type of #1 issue; the type that DC is about to undertake on a previously unforeseen company wide scale: The Reboot.

The Nuclear Option

Batman won't see too many changes in the new Batman # 1.

The reboot is usually reserved as a nuclear option for characters that became so bogged down in their own continuity that creators had no choice but to start all over. Reboots weren’t uncommon when old comic publishers tried to relaunch their characters in more modern settings. Dark Horse recently rebooted several of the silver-age Gold Key characters like Doctor Solar and Magnus Robot Fighter, and Arden Publishing is currently rebooting the short-lived 1970’s Atlas characters. A reboot is basically completely starting over, wherein the publisher takes what works about the character and then updates or sometimes radically changes the rest.

Marvel rebooted several of its characters including Spider-Man and Captain America in 2000, but did so in a separate line of comics called the Ultimate Marvel Universe. The move wasn’t without detractors, but Marvel explained the Ultimate U as a way to modernize its characters for a younger generation and kept printing stories from the original Marvel U. Keep in mind, there’s not a lot of risk involved when dealing with lesser-known characters or separate continuities/universes, which is why what DC is about to undertake is being considered sacrilege by some.

Now, it should be said that DC has done everything in its power to dodge the expression “Reboot” because of the negative connotations that come with the term. Just ask any Legion of Superheroes fan who’s tried to follow their four, maybe five different incarnations in the last 10 years. Reboots aren’t universally reviled, but when the term gets kicked around in conversations about the origin of icons like Superman, you can end up in the middle of an old-west-style saloon brawl . . . with comic nerds, rather than cowboys, busting up tables and flying through the windows, of course. DC has been calling their move a “relaunch” since the initial announcement, but when you look at all the previews and information coming from the creators, it sure sounds like a reboot.

Forget titles like the Red Hood and the Outsiders or even the new Aquaman comic coming down the pipe. DC is relaunching/rebooting and starting with new #1 issues for the two most iconic superheroes in the world: Superman and Batman. Action Comics #1 was printed in 1938. It was the first appearance of Superman and is considered the birth of the superhero. Now, for the first time since 1938, Action Comics is getting a new #1. The same goes for Detective Comics, which featured the first appearance of Batman in issue #27, printed in 1939.

The DC Universe, as we’ve come to know it for the last 73 years, is about to get a lot younger, and so is Superman. This September, DC is rebooting its entire line of superhero comics and making its universe essentially 5-years-old. It all starts with Justice League #1 by writer Geoff Johns and artist Jim Lee.

Johns has been credited with writing some of the most important and critically acclaimed DC stories in the history of the company, most notably his Green Lantern stories like the Hal Jordan Rebirth and the recent Blackest Night series. Jim Lee was the artist who changed the X-Men as we knew them in the early 1990s and sold more single issues than any comic in history with X-Men #1. Now, the pair are charged with restarting a universe. Still, their job might not be as scary as writer Grant Morrison’s. Morrison is a British comic writer who has worked on just about every DC character you can think of since the late 1980s. Most recently, he’s reinvigorated the Batman titles with his Silver Age-inspired psychedelic story lines that resulted in Batman’s death and rebirth after being killed by a god (or possibly just displaced in time; again, it was a whole thing). Now Morrison is tasked with reinventing the Man of Steel.

Younger, Brasher Superman?

Superman in the new Action Comics #1 will be a younger, brasher Superman.

In Action Comics, which he’s writing, readers will see a younger, brasher Superman who tends to fight for the common man more like the character created by Jerry Siegel and Joel Schuster in 1938. Morrison’s Action Comics takes place 5-years before Superman joined the Justice League, which takes place in the rebooted DCU present and reportedly will flesh out Superman’s back-story.

Here’s where things get weird and where the relaunch/reboot debate comes in. Because titles like Green Lantern and Batman were selling well, they aren’t going to change much. However, the things that fans liked about those titles and characters will have happened in the last five years. So, instead of a complete reboot, they’ll have a “qualified” reboot with a timeline, possibly a new kind of “reboot” with a new name to be thought up by someone more clever than I. Dan Didio, DC Comics’ co-publisher and de facto ringmaster, spent the entirety of the recent San Diego Comic-Con explaining to fans what stayed and what was written out of continuity in the upcoming reboot/relaunch. For the sake of this article, we’ll stick to Superman, otherwise this could easily become a book.

In the case of Superman, we know that the events of the Doomsday storyline happened (the death of Superman in the mid-1990s, which was really the last huge-selling Supes event). However, Supes is no longer married to Lois Lane. In fact, Lane is dating a different guy altogether and in charge of the Daily Planet’s media division. The Daily Planet itself is now owned by a media conglomerate rather than plucky Editor-in-Chief Perry White. Krypton still exploded, leaving Supes the last Kryptonian, (until we learn more about Supergirl’s origin anyway) and his adoptive parents, Ma and Pa Kent of Smallville, Kansas, are dead. Characters like Superboy and Supergirl are still present but completely different. Oh, and young Superman in the pages of the new Action Comics is wearing cowboy boots, a black T-shirt emblazoned with an “S” symbol and has the red blanket he was wrapped in as a baby is stuffed into the back of his shirt. Also, the young Man of Steel can’t fly. He can run faster than a locomotive and leap tall buildings in a single bound, but no flying. Well, not for five years anyway. I admit, I’m among the skeptics here, but if anyone can win me over, it’s Grant Morrison.

Going Digital

The cover of the new Wonder Woman #1.

DC’s reasons for the move all sound great. It wants to reinvigorate the DCU with younger characters and new ideas while cleaning up continuity, etc. I get it. Comic sales are down and dropping further every year and this is DC’s Hail Mary pass to save, and hopefully increase, its market share. DC also plans on selling digital editions of all its monthly comics the same day the print editions hit the new shelves. You guessed it, more controversy. Retailers are worried digital sales could kill the market, even though the digital pricing will be the same as the print edition . . . for the first month, anyway. After that, digital edition prices drop to $1.99. I admit, it’s not a bad idea if it gets new readers buying comics they otherwise would’ve passed on. That said, collectors like myself will still continue to buy print copies until they stop publishing them. But when the highest-selling comics have print-runs of less than 150,000, how far off is that reality? What if the comic publishers could cut out their biggest cost: production and shipping? There would certainly be a whole lot more money to go around. The first comic to be downloaded more than 150,000 times might be the first major nail in print comics’ coffin.

Does that mean the collectible market will die along with the new comic market? No. Gold-, Silver- and Bronze-Age comics will continue to set records as their prices rise, while the death of the new comic market could see prices on comics from the last 10 years with very low print-runs also rising. But this is all speculation and a bit off topic. Back to the relaunch, reboot, whatever.

Fans and creators alike are wrestling with the idea. Recently, Todd McFarlane, aritst and creator of Spawn and co-founder of Image Comics, had quite a bit to say about the DC reboot in an interview with Comic Book Resource:

“I’ll bet against it [the reboot]. And here’s why: I think it’s a fool’s game. I’m not on board. . . . They’ve got 52 titles that they’re launching #1. I’m down with that idea, right? I get it, right. To do it all in one month . . . as a businessman, one of the things I try to do before I get headstrong on something is to look at historical data that will basically back up my position. I’m trying to figure out what record company, what car company, what TV show, what theater, what ice cream parlor, put out 52 new products in the same month and expected the consumer to upgrade all 52 of them. If the answer is—and I’d be curious to talk to DC—if they said, ‘No, no, no, we don’t expect all of them to necessarily bump up,” then it seems like a missed opportunity. So, I understand the Top 8, 9, 10 book—Greg Capullo, who did ‘Spawn’” is doing ‘Batman’—one of the more anticipated ones. But if I’m somebody who is writing, pencilling, inking the 47th book? My question would be, ‘how are you getting the word out that my book is also gonna be a #1?’ How are you promoting the 47th one? It doesn’t seem like there’s room to get it there. And then the problem is, if you don’t get a spike in the sales, it seems like a missed opportunity.”

He has a point, one that I missed while being so concerned about how my favorite DC heroes would or would not change. McFarlane isn’t the only comic professional to criticize the move. Brian Michael Bendis, writer of Marvel’s Avengers and New Avengers, traded jabs with DC editorial on Twitter shortly after the announcement of the reboot, saying it was essentially screwing fans and creators of the old DC stories. Only he didn’t use the word “screwing.” Several other creators joined in the chorus and, of course, those who were invited to take part in the rebooted DCU had nothing but excitement and joy regarding the move. Fans seem to be split down the middle.

I spent a few hours in my local comic shop this past Wednesday and asked some comic shoppers what they thought:

For now, I remain cautiously optimistic. Will this move by DC save comics? Probably not, but I applaud its gumption. At the end of the day, comic nerds can agree on one thing: regardless of what universe, continuity or even issue-number the stories take place, we just want to read good comics.

Gotham Gazette

Black Panther

Deadpool

Solomon Grundy

This Week in Geek is a weekly blog about new comics written by WorthPoint Comic book Worthologist Matt Baum. Every Wednesday, Matt takes a look at the week’s new comics from a collector’s point-of-view and discusses which books may be hard to find in the near future and why. Make sure to click on the hot links for previews and more information on the comics, characters, story-lines and creators discussed here. Also, feel free to post your comments in the new “comments” section below.

It’s finally here. “Watchmen” opens in theaters everywhere this weekend. My only worry is that no matter how good the film is, I may be disappointed. Perhaps the hype could be the very thing that brings the Watchmen movie adaptation down. Then again, I remember and even bigger hype behind the second Batman film, “The Dark Knight,” and geeks everywhere are still living happily ever after. Maybe, just maybe, director Zack Snyder will meet or even exceed our expectations and “Watchmen” will join the small, elite fraternity of successful comic book adaptations. We shall see very soon. I’ll post my reaction to “Watchmen” on this blog late Thursday night so check back here Friday.

In other news, the un-restored issue of Action Comics #1 that went up for auction last Friday on comicconnect.com is up to $277,300.00, which buries my bid of $10. Like the guy on eBay that drops a $10 bid on a Porsche, I was thinking, “hey, it’s worth a shot.” For more on the 6.0 CGC graded action #1 click here.

And now onto discussion of the new comics for the week of Wednesday, March 4, 2009. Below you will find my pile of comics that I’ll be adding to my collection. For a complete list of this week’s comics click here. To find a comic shop near you click here.

Agents of Atlas #2
Black Panther #2
Buffy the Vampire Slayer #23
Cable #12
Daredevil #116
Dark Reign: Fantastic Four #1 of 5
Deadpool #8
Gotham Gazette: Batman Dead?
Hellboy: The Wild Hunt #4 of 8
House of Mystery #11
Punisher #3
Secret Six #7
Secret Warriors #2
Solomon Grundy #1 of 7
Superman: World of New Krypton #1 of 12
War of Kings #1 of 6

So let’s discuss this list briefly. As you can see, there’re a couple of new additions to the pile. I’m giving Reginald Hudlin’s Black Panther a chance, for the second time, mainly because I love Ken Lashley’s art, and to be quite honest, the first issue was pretty good. I’m picking up Deadpool #8 because it’s a tie-in with Thunderbolts centering around Deadpool’s plan to assassinate Norman Osborne. It could be fun. In the DCU, I’ll be checking out Gotham Gazette: Batman Dead, which sets up the upcoming “Battle for the Cowl” storyline but probably won’t sort out any of the confusing details of Bruce’s “death.” Also, Solomon Grundy looks to explore the role DC’s second most loved swamp monster, behind the Swamp Thing, of course, will play in the upcoming Green Lantern: Blackest Night event. Also of note this week; I’ll be taking a look at New Avengers: The Reunion, the story of Mockingbird’s return to the Marvel U after being replaced by a Skrull (it was a whole, huge thing too long to go into here), but not buying until I give it a good skimming. This stuff is getting expensive you know.

And now, on to the Speculator Picks of the Week. These are books that, for one reason or another, may sell out quickly and become instant collectibles. If you don’t pay attention and get to your local comic shop in a timely fashion, you could be paying way too much for these comics very soon.

Dark Reign: Fantastic Four #1; Marvel Comics
Solicitation: Dark Reign strikes Marvel’s first family—in an explosive way! Prepared to be blown away as HAMMER agents attack the Baxter Building. Reed changes everything. The Human Torch suffers a horrible loss and Franklin and Val go shopping. There’s time travel, alternate realities, Celestials, Eternals, Deviants and Doombots… and more important than all of that, we find out the answer to the question: What is the Bridge?
• 32 PGS
• $2.99 US
• JAN092472
Written by Jonathan Hickman; Art by Sean Chen; Cover by Simon Bianchi; Variant cover by Marko Djurdjevic

Why it’ll go fast: It’s no secret that I love Jonathan Hickman, and until each-and-every one of you love him as much as I do, I will continue to pick his comics as “must-haves” every week. I’m calling my shot here; This FF limited is the Hickman’s try-out for the regular series, and if it sells well I’m guessing he takes over writing duties on the regular FF monthly after Mark Millar finishes his run. If you’ve read Hickman’s Sci-Fi work then you know he’s perfect to write the FF. If you haven’t, check out Red Mass for Mars and Transhuman from Image comics if you can find them.

Superman: World of New Krypton #1 of 12, DC
Solicitation: Following the events of the “New Krypton” crossover, the Man of Steel has had to embrace his past to ensure humanity’s future. And while a devastating armed conflict with Earth may have been averted, keeping the peace will be Superman’s greatest challenge yet. Hot new writer Andrew Kreisberg (BATMAN CONFIDENTIAL) and fan-favorite artist Pete Woods (ACTION COMICS, SUPERMAN: UP, UP AND AWAY!) lead Superman through a world of interstellar treachery and deadly machinations where the lives of two races hang in the balance!
• $2.99 US
• 32 PGS
• JAN090192
Written by James Robinson and Greg Rucka; Art by Pete Woods; Cover by Gary Frank; Variant cover by Jose Ladron.

Why it’ll go fast: It may not go fast at all. This title seems like a pretty big gamble on the part of DC. Although sales on the title have been good (#25 on the top 300 comic sales for Jan 2009) Robinson’s Superman book has yet to break the top 20 in monthly sales since his run began. To give him and Greg Rucka a title that puts Supes on a different planet for a year raises some questions. Will fans be turned off by the main character leaving earth for a year? Will retailers order more of Supes WOK than of the regular title or vice versa? We’ll see very soon.

War of Kings #1 of 6; Marvel Comics
Solicitation: In the aftermath of the Secret Invasion, Black Bolt has led the Inhumans on a shockingly savage path to restore their strength and security. But that path has brought them into direct confrontation with the Shi’Ar Empire—and their mad ruler, Vulcan! Who will get in the first strike? Who will fall on the bloody battlefield? Who will rule? The Imperial Guard, the Starjammers, the Inhuman Royal Family and more of your favorite sci-fi characters are locked on a collision course… and it all starts here! Join the acclaimed team of Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning (NOVA) and Paul Pelletier (GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY) for a pivotal turning point in Marvel’s cosmic history! Rated T+
• 32 PGS
• $3.99 US
W: Andy Lanning; W: Dan Abnett; W: N Dan Abnett; P: Paul Pelletier; C: Brandon Peterson

Why it’ll go fast: Even though this book has the same team that brought fans the hugely successful Annihilation series Marvel, in their infinite wisdom, is not calling this comic Annihilation: War of Kings. WHY? Both Annihilation series sold very well, reinvigorated Marvel’s cosmic characters and made me care about the Guardians of the Galaxy yet Marvel is not going with the Annihilation title even though War of Kings has the same writing team, takes place in space and stars many of the same characters. (Was that a run-on sentence or what?) I don’t get it, and I’m guessing not using the Annihilation title will make most retailers scale back their orders slightly. $3.99 for a Marvel cosmic—event that isn’t a proven seller—is a high price tag for retailers who have seen negative or no growth in the comic market for the past two months. With that said, regardless of the title, War of Kings is going to be a great read and will sell out very quickly.

Indy Comic of the Week:

Strongman, Slave Labor Comics

Imagine the Dark Knight if Batman had been a Luchidore. Tigre, a masked Mexican wrestler, was huge in Mexico in the 1970′s, a crime-fighting movie star. These days, he’s 65 and drunk, living in Manhattan. When a beautiful woman begs him to stop an organ trafficking ring, the old warrior decides to take one last, epic shot at redemption.
• $9.95 US
• JAN093940
• 120 pages
Written by Charles Soule; Drawn by Allen Gladfelter

Why you should care: Does it get any better than aging Mexican Wrestlers fighting crime? Strongman looks like and homage to El Santo, a famous Mexican wrestler from the ’50s-’80s who made several movies where he battled supernatural villains such as Dracula, witch covens and zombies. I came to own two Santo films on VHS years ago and fell in love with the campy Mexican horror films and the legend of Santo.

Nerdy Question of the Week???
The last time Superman took the back seat in Action Comics was back in the late ’80s and resulted in Action Comics starring WildDog, Deadman and a host of others. Starting next month Superman is off-planet dealing with problems on New Krypton and Nightwing (not Dick Grayson) and Flamebird, along with Mon El or Valor (I’m not sure what he’s called now), will be protecting Metropolis. Are you in? Do you care about these Superman replacements or are you skipping the whole thing all together?

Thanks again for your continued input and keep the answers to the nerdy questions coming. 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. Remember to post the title, issue number and cover price.

Matt Baum is a Worthologist who specializes in comic books.

WorthPoint—Discover Your Hidden Wealth

Action Comics #1. An unrestored copy of Action #1 went up for sale on Feb. 27, and experts expect it to draw bids up to $400,000.

The first appearance of Superman in the pages of Action Comics #1, which originally went on sale in June of 1938, has long been considered the birth of the Superhero comics in America. Whether or not Superman was the first superhero is a discussion in and of it’s self, but one thing that is for certain: Action Comics #1 is one of, if not the, most expensive and rare comics in existence. Currently there are 100-150 known copies of Action #1 in varied conditions, and about 80 percent of those have been restored in some way.

It’s been a while since an unrestored copy of Action #1 went up for sale, but today on Comiclink.com, collectors can place their bid on one of the highest graded, unrestored copies of the comic in recent memory.

Graded in Fine condition (6.0 out of 10) by CGC, a professional comic grading service, this copy of Action #1 had not been part of the collectible comic market previously and made it’s public debut at the Comiclink.com booth at the 2009 New York Comic-Con. The owner’s identity is being withheld, but according to Comiclink.com owner Stephen Fishler, the comic was purchased for .35 cents in 1949-1950 in a used book store. The comic was then stored in the owner’s mother’s basement until 1966. Since then the comic’s owner has been waiting for its value to increase. Which it has.

Even though Action comics #1 guides for around $130,000 in Fine condition, experts are predicting this copy to sell for $400,000, due to the low number of unrestored copies in circulation. Another CGC graded, unrestored copy of Action Comics #1 in Good condition (2.0) sold for $85,000 in March of 2007, more than twice the $42,000 it guides for, on a similar comic book auction site. More recently, in May of 2008, a restored copy of Action #1 CGC graded at Very Fine + (8.5) sold for $116,512.50 on the Heritage.com vintage comics auction site. In 2003, Stephen Geppi, CEO of Diamond Comics Distributions, offered a $1-million-dollar reward for an unrestored copy of Action Comics #1 that would grade out in Very Good condition as graded by CGC.

Bidding for the comic started on Feb. 27 at $1 at 12 noon Eastern Standard time and as of 6 p.m. was already up to $200,200 with 36 bids. The auction closes on Friday, March 13 and collectors everywhere will be watching to see how high the winning bid will be. Click here to watch the bidding.

Matt Baum is a Worthologist who specializes in comic books.

WorthPoint–Discover Your Hidden Wealth

Speaking of great gifts for nerds-and I hope you’re reading this, mom-Marvel has collected the complete Secret Wars event of the 1980′s in one giant omnibus edition, assembling Secret Wars #1-12 plus Thor #383, She Hulk (2004) #10, and What If? (1989) #4 and #114. The Secret Wars was the first major crossover event that made me branch out from my X-Men comics and set the standard for future crossovers. Nothing better defines Marvel Comics in the 1980s.

Can’t find that perfect gift for the filthy-mouthed, overly-sarcastic, dark-humor-craving-comic- nerd in your life? Search no more; the new Definitive Edition of Garth Ennis’ The Boys collects the meanest, nastiest, most controversial and perversely-funny superhero comics ever written. Ennis is famous for work on DC’s Preacher and Hellblazer and Marvel’s Punisher, but has never been allowed complete free reign with his stories until now. Not for the faint of heart or easily offended, The Boys examines the absurdly dark side of superheroes with deep character flaws. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Here’s my pile if comics for the week of Wednesday, Dec. 17. As always, I welcome your criticism, praise or threats of bodily harm based on what I am or am not reading/collecting. For a complete list of this week’s new comics click here. To find a comic shop near you, click here.

Avengers: The Initiative #19

Buffy the Vampire Slayer #20

Conan The Cimmerian #6

Dark Reign: New Nation

DCU Holiday Special: 2008

Ghost Rider #30

The Invincible Iron Man #8

Madman Atomic Comics! #12

Mighty Avengers #20

Punisher: War Zone #2 of 6

Robin #181

Supergirl #36

Thor: God-Sized

Thunderbolts #127

Uncanny X-Men #505

X-Factor #38

X-Men: Kingbreaker #1 of 4: Kingbreaker

Now let’s talk speculation. As you may or may not know, the purpose of this part of This Week in Geek is to arm the comic nerd with the information he or she needs to make an informed and quality new comic purchase every week. While they might not be worth piles of money, these issues may be pretty hard to find in the near future.

Supergirl #36; DC; Written by Sterling Gates; Art by Jamal Igle; Cover by Josh Middelton, variant by Chris Sprouse; $2.99.

Why it’ll go fast: In October, Supergirl #34 came in at 75 on the top 300 selling comics for that month. November’s Supergirl #35 jumped to number 34. What does this huge spike in sales mean? Fans are sold on the new creative team of Gates and Igle, and tying Supergirl’s story directly into the “New Krypton” storyline running through the Superman books was a great idea. I, myself, have never cared about Supergirl as a character before but now find myself calling issue #36 my pick of the week at my local comic shop. Yeah, I’m pretty important. If you’re thinking of jumping on to the “New Krypton” storyline issues of Supergirl, #34 and #35 are still available but going fast.

Thunderbolts #127; Marvel Comics; Written by Andy Diggle; Art by Roberto De La Torre, Cover by Francisco Mattina; $2.99.

Why it’ll go fast: Another book spiking in sales, moving from 64 in October to 57 in November on the top 300 actual comic sales list, is Andy Diggle’s Thunderbolts. After the events of Secret Invasion #8, Thunderbolts leader, Norman Osborne, is a national hero. For those of you who didn’t know, Norman Osborne is Spider-Man’s nemesis the Green Goblin and a millionaire business owner who’s spun his tech-business, Oscorp, into a full fledged political career. Osborne is now not only running the Thunderbolts, a group of “reformed” super villains working for the US government, but has been offered a promotion after being branded the hero of the failed Skrull Invasion. Tony Stark, Iron Man, is out and Norman Osborne is running things now. Just one problem, he’s still evil and totally insane. The new “Dark Reign” storyline looks like it’s going to be just as much fun as “Secret Invasion” and it starts here in Thunderbolts #127.

X-Men: Kingbreaker #1; Marvel Comics; Written by Christopher Yost; Art by Dustin Weaver; Cover by Brandon Peterson; $3.99.

Why it’ll go fast: Fans of the Marvel “Annihilation” story-lines, which reinvigorated the Marvel space heroes and reinvented Marvel Sci-Fi, are excited for the third installment in the series “War of Kings”. Well, it all begins here in Kingbreaker #1. Scott Summers’ Cyclops, leader of the X-Men, power mad brother, Vulcan has seized power of the alien Shiar Empire and plans to make war on the entire universe. While “Dark Reign” is happening on Earth, the “War of Kings” is beginning in outer space. I’m guessing that retailers will order lighter on this series based on the disappointing sales of the previous X-Men: Emperor Vulcan mini-series that established Vulcan as a universal threat. Kingbreaker looks to tie the story in with the rest of the Marvel Universe, is written by fan-favorite Chris Yost (X-force, New X-Men: Mutant Academy) and leads directly into War of Kings. All of which adds up to a quick sellout of issue #1.

Indy Comic of the Week:

Beanworld Holiday Special; Dark Horse, Written and drawn by Larry Marder; $3.50.

I’ll be honest, I’ve never read Beanworld, but as I’m a sucker for holiday comic specials, and most that I’ve picked up so far this year don’t look too promising, I’ll be picking up the Beanworld Holiday special to see what the buzz is all about. Here’s the solicitation:

“The first new Beanworld story in print in over a decade, the Beanworld Holiday Special is the perfect introduction to Larry Marder’s inimitable creation!

As enjoyable for children as it is enlightening for adults, Beanworld is a grand adventure that explores social dynamics, culture creation, and ecological networks-all in great fun! Take a tour of this magical world, from Proffy’s Fix-It Shop to a Fabulous Look-See Show, in this issue that introduces toys to the baby Cuties and plunges readers into one of the most original and brilliant comic-book universes ever created!

You’ve never seen anything like it–unless you’re a longtime fan of Marder’s, in which case you’ll be thrilled by the return of this wonderful and peculiar comic-book experience!”

“Larry Marder’s Beanworld is a vegetarian update on Krazy Kat with a world and lingo unto itself.”
-Smithsonian Studies of American Art

“One doesn’t read Beanworld at all, one lives it. Beanworld draws you into its world and plays out in your mind. This is a rare feat in any medium, and a treasure in comics.”
-Feature Magazine

That’s all for this week true believers. I truly hope this blog has inspired you to pick up at least one comic book you may have passed on otherwise. If not, email me and tell me what I’m doing wrong. I love criticism, both creative and purely insulting. Also, the end of the year is almost upon us and I want to know your favorite comic of 2008. It can be a single issue, new series, or one-shot. Email me and let me know. Until next week, keep the questions coming. 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. Remember to post the title, issue number and cover price.

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.