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The Comic Speculator – New Comics Roundup 10/06/2010

Lady Mechanika #0 1:10 sketch

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, Oct. 6, 2010. For a full list of comics shipping this week, click here. To find a comic shop near you, click here.

Variant Watch:

Here’s a look at the variant comics hitting the shelves this week. The ratios discussed (i.e. 1:10) represent the ratio of regular covers retailers must order to receive one of the variant covers.

Aspen:

Lady Mechanika #0 ships this week with a 1:10 sketch cover and I’m guessing it could be tough to find. I just don’t see retailers ordering stacks of a title that is essentially a 13-page preview for a series that sells for $2.50. Why not sell it for a dollar? Everyone will pick up a comic for a dollar, even if it’s only 13 pages. Look for an $8-$10 price tag on this one as most retailers will be looking to pad their losses on ordering 10 issues.

DC:

Brightest Day #11 1:10 Ivan Reis variant

Brightest Day #11 ships with another 1:10 Ivan Reis variant and, again, it features Firestorm and, again, it’s awesome. These variant have been selling well on the back-issue market but are still affordable if you’re looking for them. Sets of the first six are selling for around $40 but they are going up. If Brightest Day turns out to flip the DCU on its head like it looks like it could, these variants could turn out to be a great set.

Speaking of DC variant sets, maybe it’s the economy but the White Lantern Variants that I promoted for months aren’t selling for much at all. I owe you guys an apology. Sets of the White Lantern variants are selling for as low as $32, which really is a steal. So, anyone who wants vengeance can meet me in the parking lot of Legend Comics, 5131 Leavenworth St., Omaha, Neb., this Wednesday at 2 p.m. Wednesday. I’ll put my hands behind my back and you get one free punch in the stomach.

Marvel:

Avengers Academy #5 1:15 Vamp variant
Shield #4 1:15 Vamp variant

It looks like the Superhero Squad variants are done and now it’s time for the Marvel Vampire variants to tie-into the current X-Men vs. Dracula event. These look pretty cool and feature a lot of homage covers to famous Marvel Comics with a vampy twist. This week, watch for two different 1:15 Vamp variants of Avengers Academy #5 and Shield #4. I’ve seen these selling for as much as $14, but if you look around you should be able to find them for $7-$8.

Speculator Picks of the Week

These are comics that could sell out very quickly due to conservative ordering, popular demand, shipping errors, a ridiculous amount of false start penalties from the Green Bay Packers’ offensive line or any other set of unforeseen events. Pick them up while you can or pay too much for them later . . .

Chaos War #1: Marvel

Chaos War #1

Solicitation: Bigger than the Infinity Gauntlet! More cosmic than Annihilation! Since the end of Secret Invasion, the Chaos King has amassed his army of alien slave gods—and the time to strike Earth is NOW! Only the greatest Marvel heroes can oppose him—all led by the newly-returned god of heroes . . . Hercules! But are even his incredible new powers enough to stand against the greatest threat the Marvel Universe has ever seen—a mad god who seeks to destroy reality itself? PLUS: While thought dead, Hercules was trapped in a dangerous world that threatened his very sanity. Find out the secret of his exile in a special extra story penciled by Prince Of Power’s Reilly Brown!

40 pages
$3.99
AUG100581
Written by Greg Pak and Fred Van Lente; art by Khoi Pham; cover by Ed Mcguinness.

Why it’ll go fast: This is another one that is not going to sell right away, but when nerds hear the buzz on how much fun Chaos War is, copies of issue #1 will already be gone. Don’t look for this one to be heavily ordered. I would expect to see Chaos War ordered at similar numbers to the Prince of Power mini-series, which, the final, issue #4, only shipped 17,137 copies and checked in a 112 on the Top 300 ordered comics list for August. Here’s why that’s a mistake; retailers ordered lighter on Prince of Power because it featured Amadeus Cho, not Hercules, but the series still sold well because of the tie to Chaos War. Hercules is back here and he’s bringing just about every Marvel Hero you can think of with him in a title that feels like the Infinity Gauntlet/War cosmic tie-ins of yesterday. Chaos War looks great and watch for it sell out to give an added punch to sales of the Prince of Power mini-series on the back issue market. By the way, if you didn’t read Prince of Power, you missed out, but you can still find complete runs on the cheap. Pick up the Bob Layton Hercules Prince of Power mini-series while you’re at it. It’s good fun ’80s stuff starring Herc.

Lady Mechcanika #0: Image

Lady Mechcanika #0

Solicitation: The exciting adventure of Aspen’s newest female heroine begins here! The mysteries surrounding private investigator Lady Mechanika and her origin begin to unfold as she heads to a rundown city known as Satan’s Alley. Located on the lower east-side, it is an area of town under siege by the presence of a murderous creature of unknown origin. While a weapons manufacturer has issued a reward for the unknown slayer, drawing a crowd of bounty hunters looking to cash in, Lady Mechanika’s purpose is far more personal—information that could lead to the truth about her creation. Featuring a 13-page story that sets the stage for the brand-new Lady Mechanika #1 issue coming next month, make sure to get in on the ground floor of the next exciting series! Complete with an additional sketchbook section, never before seen art, and a stunning cover by creator Joe Benitez himself, this special #0 issue is not to be missed.

13 pages
$2.50
JUL100797
Written and drawn by Joe Benitez.

Why it’ll go fast: Thirteen pages sounds like a rip-off, and it probably is. I’m not trying to generalize here, but it’s not often an artist turns out to be a good writer as well. My guess is that if Joe Benitez was even a capable writer, DC would’ve given him a Bat-title, as it seems to be doling them out to anyone that can draw a cool looking Batman. That’s not a slam on David Finch—before his title even hits the stands—but I will say I do not care for Tony Daniel’s Batman at all. Back to the subject, nerds are buzzing about this title and Aspen has done a great job getting Lady Mechanika press. If the art is solid enough, no one may notice that the story is lacking. But there I go again, with my “artist’s can’t write” stereotype. But really, how many good artist/writers can you name? And Frank Miller hasn’t been on that list since 300.

Neonomicon #2: Avatar

(Preview image is probably Not Safe for Work)

Neonomicon #2

Solicitation: The second issue of the all-new, all-Alan Moore horror series spoken of only in hushed whispers for years is finally here! From the award-winning master of comics comes a brand new tale of Lovecraftian horror that will leave you too afraid to close your eyes, but more afraid to open them! Neonomicon, the sequel to The Courtyard graphic novel, is slithering its way onto shelves to take its place as a Great Old One of comics terror! Illustrated by Moore’s favorite demented artist, Jacen Burrows, Neonomicon pulls no punches, as every full-colored page is covered in nightmares brought to gruesome life! In the wake of a gruesome homicide and an impossible vision in the courtyard, Agents Brears and Lamper are understandably rattled, but more determined than ever to find answers. Now, their case is taking them literally and literarily through Lovecraftian mythos, to Salem, Mass. as they try to unravel the secrets of sex, drugs, murder, and the ever-creeping darkness . . . Alan Moore’s Neonomicon #2 is available with a Regular and Wraparound covers by Jacen Burrow.

32 Pages
$3.99
JUL100809
Written by Alan Moore; art and cover by Jacen Burrows.

Why it’ll go fast: With a cover like, this I don’t know what else you’d need. Blood-drenched beds with bloody pentagrams on the wall; it’s like a perfect speed-metal album cover. Alan Moore is a big name in comics, but some of his best work in my opinion is his horror stuff (see his Swamp Thing). Issue #1 was weird, creepy and sold out very quickly. I expect the same from issue #2. The variant covers are the only copies of issue #1 going for much right now so if you missed it there are regular covers still out there for cheap. But probably not for much longer.

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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.

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