The Comic Speculator – New Comics Roundup 08/06/2010

Posted by:
Matt Baum on 6th Aug

The Comic Speculator is a blog written by WorthPoint Comic Book “Worthologist” Matt Baum that takes a look at each week’s hot new comics and back issues and the comic market place in general. Prices discussed here are taken from the Overstreet Guide to Comics (OVST), Comicspriceguide.com (CPG) and current online auction sales. Sales numbers and rankings are courtesy of ICV2.com. The codes under the prices of new titles discussed are Diamond Comics order codes that can be used to help your local comic retailer in ordering the issues discussed.

New Comics Roundup:

Below you will find all the info you could possibly need on the comics shipping this Wednesday July 28, 2010. For a full list of comics shipping this week, click here. To find a comic shop near you, click here.

Variant Watch:

DC:

Brightest Day variants started out a little slow but have been picking up speed on eBay lately. Coincidentally, it was right about the time that I decided not to buy them all. Sets of Brightest Day variants are selling very well with the first five variants selling for $50 and prices seem to be going up from there. This week’s Brightest Day #7 ships with an amazing 1:10 Variant by Ryan Sook featuring Aquaman dressed as a White Lantern. What the hell does that mean? We’ll just have to read and find out. Retailers are asking $8-$10 for this one but like the others, if you wait a little while you might be able to pick one up for closer to $5.

Marvel:

Amazing Spider-Man #639 ships with two different variants by Joe Quesada. Marvel nerds love Joe Q variants and they are surely going to devour these. The first is the full color 1:25 Joe Q variant and the second is a 1:75 sketch variant of the Joe Q cover. Retailers are asking $20 to $25 for the 1:25 cover. The 1:75 is a whole different story. There’s at least one retailer online asking $199 for the sketch variant. Not very realistic when most are asking closer to $60 to $75 range. The 1:25 variants should be pretty readily available due to high orders on this issue, hopefully because this story will fix the garbage that was “One More Day,” so I’d guess if you do some shopping you could find it for less than $20. However, I’d expect to pay no less than $50 for the 1:75 variants.

Shadowland #2 ships this week with a 1:15 variant cover featuring DD in his old red duds. Retailers are asking $10 to $15 for this variant, which, again due to high ordering, should be readily available. The 1:10 variant of Shadowland #1 is selling for $12 and up online but keep in mind issue one sold out very quickly so the variants may have been all that was left for nerds in search of the issue. If you’re picking up these variants I’d jump at this one quickly as it’s not going to be any cheaper in weeks to come.

Speculator Picks of the Week

These are comics that could sell out very quickly due to conservative ordering, popular demand, shipping errors, oil drenched hurricanes or any other set of unforeseen events. Pick them up while you can or pay too much for them later . . .

S.H.I.E.L.D. #3: Marvel

Solicitation: The surprise hit of the year marches on! In this issue, discover the secrets of Sir Isaac Newton, see how Galileo defeated Galactus long before the Fantastic Four ever did, and find out why Leonardo da Vinci traveled more than 400 years to do. All of this from the twisted minds of writer Jonathan Hickman (Fantastic Four) and superstar in the making Dustin Weaver (X-Men Legacy)!

32 pages
$2.99
JUN100605
Written by Jonathan Hickman; art by Dustin Weaver; cover by Gerald Parel and Dustin Weaver.

Why it’ll go fast: Marvel is not kidding when they say S.H.I.E.L.D. is the surprise hit of the year. I don’t think anyone saw sales like these coming on this title. S.H.I.E.L.D. #1 recently went to a fourth printing, which is impressive when you consider the fact there’s no major Marvel heroes in the comic. In fact, Leonardo da Vinci has been the star-power for last two issues. Maybe it’s the amazing story, or the historical perspective on the Marvel U, but nerds have gone nuts for S.H.I.E.L.D., sending issue #1 to a fourth printing. I can’t remember anything since Blackest Night #1 going to a fourth printing. Congratulations are due to Hickman for his new title. I find it hard to believe that anyone saw this kind of sales success coming for S.H.I.E.L.D. in the state of the current comic market.

Shadowland #2: Marvel

Solicitation: The battle for New York begins as battle lines are drawn and war forges strange allies. Luck Cage, Iron Fist, Spider-Man, Moon Knight and . . . Kingpin?! Plus, a dangerous new player enters the battle, one that could win the fight . . . or damn all of New York.

32 pages
$3.99
JUN100575
Written by Andy Diggle; art by Billy Tan, Victor Olazaba; covers by John Cassaday.

Why it’ll go fast: Picking this one almost feels like cheating. Especially since the first issue sold out before it even shipped. But Shadowland #2 will sell out very quickly, just like issue #1 did. Shadowland #1 is currently selling for $5 and up on eBay and only going up. Watch for #2 to sellout before the end of the weekend as the reorders from retailers pile up.

L.A. Banks’ Vampire Huntress #1: Dynamite

Solicitation: Book 1: Ashes to Ashes. The Neterus and worldwide Guardian teams have defeated Satan’s top demon, The Thirteenth, and have driven back the forces of evil in the first battle of the Armageddon. But the dark side is only in temporary retreat. The warriors of the Light have won that battle, but it remains to be seen whether or not they’ve won the war. Beneath the Earth in the caverns of Hell, the Dark Lord is plotting his next strike with a vengeance. With the human population still reeling from global wars, famine, floods and every conceivable natural disaster and plague, something slithers into the Guardian camps, felling the members of the Guardian teams, and humanity’s only chance of survival. Written by New York Times bestselling author L.A. Banks, The Vampire Huntress Legends: The Hidden Darkness is an original story that takes place after the epilogue in the 12th and final book in the Vampire Huntress series of novels and should not be missed by her fans or anyone who enjoys great paranormal fantasy!

32 pages
$3.99
MAY100923
Written by L.A. Banks; art and cover by Brett Booth.

Why it’ll go fast: Historically speaking, putting Brett Booth on a vampire comic adapted from a bestselling series of novels is a good idea, sales wise. It worked very well in the case of the Anita Blake series at Marvel. Will it work at Dynamite? That remains to be seen, but adapting successful novel series to comics works and tends to bring people to the comic shop that would normally shop at Borders or Barnes and Nobel. Do retailers believe in this one? Probably not. I’m not saying that comic shop owners don’t read books—I’m sure many of them are voracious readers—but the bulk of them probably spend most of their time reading comics. Which leads me to believe they won’t be taking a big chance on comic book-novel-adaptation that isn’t written by Stephen King. Vampire Huntress might not sell out this week, but after the reorders come in, I’m guessing it goes to a second printing as of next Wednesday.

————————————–

Matt Baum is WorthPoint’s comic book Worthologist. 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 below in the “comments” section below. Also, you can follow him on Twitter, where I’m always screaming about something nerd-related. Thanks to all Matt’s new followers and keep the comments coming! Want to know what your comics are worth? Join WorthPoint to search its database or use its “Ask A Worthologist” feature. Remember to post the title, issue number and cover price. And finally, a word to the Federal Trade Commission; all the comics discussed here are purchased solely by the writer, who receives no gifts or free merchandise from any publishers, even though he would graciously accept them.