Tales To Astonish #63 (1965)

Tales to Astonish #63 (1965)

Three reasons I believe the value of this book will rise:

(1) The Leader is one of the most important villains Marvel has, and one of the Hulk's top adversaries (#1 in this list, #2 in this list if you don't count Wolverine)

(2) Our understanding of his true first appearance is evolving, with the "incorrect" one valued higher at present

(3) He is due for a reappearance in the Marvel Cinematic Universe
 
Let's look closer at point 3, and then point 2.

In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the fate of Samuel Sterns is a loose end

In the 2008's Incredible Hulk, Bruce Banner corresponds with an unknown figure who is later revealed to be Samuel Sterns, better known in comic books as the Leader.  Introduced as a normal, non-super powered scientist, Sterns' first transformation into the Leader is teased when drops of gamma-irradiated blood drop on his forehead:

We don't see the full transformation.  As there was no follow up to the Hulk film, the character hasn't been seen since.  This is one of the most glaring loose ends in the MCU, and one that I think sooner or later will be revisited.

Collectors don't know (or don't care) about the Leader's "true" first full appearance, but one day they will

As we know, a character's first full appearance is generally more valuable than a first "cameo" or "partial appearance" in a previously published book (the "Hulk 181 rule").  Where different opinions exist, it can take years before the dust settles.  A prime example is Our Army At War #83 ("true" first appearance of Sgt. Rock), which in recent years has dramatically overtaken #81 as the pricier.

In the 2015 Overstreet, notations on TTA 62 & 63 are incorrect, or should I say, "behind the times."  Market values have yet to catch up, which means you can buy the cheaper book now which "should" be more valuable according to the Hulk 181 rule.

The Leader - 1st brief app.

In TTA #62, the Leader appears twice, once on the first page of the Hulk story and once on the last.  In both panels his face is obscured by a mask.

TTA 62 (Hulk story), page 1:

... and last page:

Let's compare his first "brief" appearance with that of Ultron. 

Ultron - 1st brief app.

Avengers #54, last page:

The Leader - 1st full app.

The plot of TTA 62 involves the Chameleon snooping around New Mexico on the orders of the (disguised) Leader.  It does not recount any part of the Leader's origin (in contrast to what Overstreet says), which is shown in TTA 63 to have taken place before the events of issues 62/63:

CGC recently changed its notation on the TTA 63 label from "Origin and 2nd appearance of the Leader" to "Origin and 1st full appearance of the Leader", but there are many copies of 62 out there with the old wording, which is often reflected in listing descriptions such as these:

Let's now look at how the relative values of Avengers 54/55 and TTA 62/63 compare:

We'd expect TTA 63 to be worth more than 62.  Should the values be reversed, or should 63 be worth twice as much as 62?  Personally I think we can expect 63 to rise to at least $600-$800.

But wait! GPA data for Avengers 54/55 doesn't support my hypothesis, with 55 lately selling for more than 54... In 2015 the sale prices for 55 in CGC 9.2 vary wildly, from $350 to $800, and my estimate above is an approximate average.  Avengers 55 sale prices have come down dramatically while 54 seems to be holding steady...  I think if I had presented the numbers 9 months ago I think the picture would be different.  I don't know if this is due to a decrease in popularity of Ultron due to the disappointing Avengers 2 film, or the high supply of slabbed copies of issue 55 (about 15 2015 sales as opposed to two for #54).  To me this means 54 should be coming down dramatically, but I don't know.  More research required!

Thanks for reading and please check out our comic market website, www.heronext.com 

All Star Western #117 (1961)

All Star Western #117 (1961)

Keys associated with popular, relevant characters are worth the most and are the recommended best investments, correct?  True, but some comics don't follow this rule.  How can the rise in value of a comic like Space Adventures #33 be explained, when Captain Atom isn't a significant character these days?  Some books counter-intuitively rise in value (often dramatically) despite an association with defunct or seldom-appearing characters.  Is there a way to identify potential books in this category?  Considering most investors/collectors are focused on characters with high and rising popularity, is this a smart area to invest in due to the lack of competition for available copies?

As the price of keys related to more established characters continue to rise, collectors look for pieces from the past that fit their budget but still have cachet and a reason to collect.  Space Adventures #33, and books like it, gain a following of their own that exceeds the fame of the character that debuts within.  A critical mass of collectors are drawn to a book, and prices begin to rise.  These books are often described as "hard to find," or "rare in high grade" - claims that in general I advise buyers to take with a grain of salt.

One such book I believe has only a small following currently is All Star Western #117, which features the first appearance of Madame .44.  Putting aside for a moment the fact the "western" genre is probably the least collected and least popular comic genre (apart from perhaps "funny animal"), there is no reason that Madame .44 cannot approach the levels of popularity that characters like Lady Blackhawk and Mademoiselle Marie enjoy.  The first appearances of these two characters, Blackhawk #133 and Star Spangled War Stories #84, respectively, fit precisely into the category of collectible I describe above - defunct or rarely used characters whose first appearances have cachet due to their age, "rarity", and cover image.

Madame .44 debuted in the third-to-last issue of the All Star Western series.  Originally a Robin Hood-style bandit who steals from the corrupt and criminal, she teams up with Johnny Thunder to fight off an Indian attack.  They swap spit at their first meeting and later marry, in DC Comics Presents #28 (1980).  Madame .44 makes few appearances throughout the Bronze and Copper Age, and most recently was an occasional guest star in the 2007 Jonah Hex series and its follow-up, 2011's All Star Western relaunch.  I'm going to come out and say the 2007 Jonah Hex series are the best comics I've ever read.

Now regarding the western thing, in the DC world I believe there is enough crossover between the superhero, war and western books that this issue shouldn't suffer from the stigma of being a western comic.  It may currently, but I don't believe it should.

Three copies of this issue have been graded by CGC: a 6.5, an 8.0 (sold for $94 in 2010) and a 9.0 (sold for $255 in 2012).  This raw "VF" copy sold at auction for $113 in 2008.  I paid $28 for a VG copy in 2013, and $55 for a FN/VF (guide) in 2015.
 
The second story in this issue contains the first appearance & origin of another character, a Native American hero called Super-Chief.  Oddly, it is this event which is highlighted in the 2015 Overstreet Guide, with "Madame .44. appearances" noted only in a footnote.

The NM- value was raised a modest $5 over the 2014 edition.

You may even see her in an upcoming Legends of Tomorrow episode alongside Jonah Hex, but I won't make too much of that.  I'm not saying it's undervalued.  I'm saying it's a neat, affordable book to look out for.

- Heronext.com

Complete Madame .44 story:

Super-Chief origin story:

2nd appearance of Madame .44 & Super-Chief

3rd appearance of Madame .44 & Super-Chief

Green Lantern #29 (1964)

Green Lantern #29 (1964).  First appearance of Black Hand (William Hand)

Last week I was telling a friend how I thought Green Lantern #29 was undervalued.  He had never heard of the Black Hand.  This is one of the problems many of us vintage comic collectors run into: we don't read new comics anymore.  When a character's profile grows in modern story lines, we are the last to hear about it.  The rise in value puts us off, or we end up paying more for the "new key".  If you have been reading DC comics the past five or six years (Green Lantern in particular), you'll know how important Black Hand has become in the DC Universe.  I see his star rising the same way as Black Adam and Black Manta, but so far the market value of his first appearance has not changed.  My one hesitation is that his portrayal won't engender the kind of fandom these other two characters enjoy.  In short, he is not quite bad-ass enough.  His first appearance is one to watch.

Comparisons must be made to Sinestro, who is still Hal Jordan's #1 adversary.  We've seen his star rise in the past twenty years.  He has evolved into a character of shifting allegiances rather than a pure mustache-twirling villain.  He is sometimes at odds with the Green Lanterns, sometimes an ally.  Black Hand on the other hand (pun not intended), is just plain bad.  This list from 2011 ranks Black Hand at number 4 amongst Green Lantern villains behind Sinestro, the Manhunters and Krona.

In the 2015 Overstreet guide, I see that Green Lantern #7 (1st Sinestro) is valued 6.5 times more than #29 ($2000 vs $310).  A CGC 9.4 #7 recently sold for $10,755 while a CGC 9.6 #29 recently sold for $657).  The 10 least valuable of the first 30 issues of the Silver Age GL series are each worth $270.  The first appearance of Black Hand is only worth $40 more than that.  According to ComicVine, Black Hand has appeared in more issues than Sonar (a minor, perhaps irrelevant GL character?), yet #29 is only 3/4 the value of #14.  It is worth less than half the first appearance of Carol Ferris as the (Silver Age) Star Sapphire.

Black Hand has been a near-constant foil in the current Green Lantern series (he appears on the cover of the December 2015 issue).  I think some market correction is in order.

Warner Brothers has already used Parallax, Hector Hammond and Sinestro as big screen adversaries.  Considering the disappointing results of the 2011 GL film with Ryan Reynolds, they are likely to go for a different direction in the do-over that is five years away.  I can't think of many more important story lines as Blackest Night.

Another thing this book has going for it is that Black Hand actually appears on the cover, something that can't be said for Hector Hammond or Sinestro's debuts. Finally, this book was published in June of 1964, right in the sweet spot of where I like to look for undervalued Silver Age material.

As a treat, check out the original cover art for this comic, which just sold at auction on Heritage two weeks ago.   

Enjoy this video of Black Hand's history...

... and gallery of Black Hand covers.

Flash (Vol. 1) #258 (1978)

Flash (Vol. 1) #259 (1978)

Green Lantern (Vol. 2) #147 (1981)

Green Lantern (Vol. 2) #206 (1986)

 

Green Lantern (Vol. 4) #6 (2005): "Mutilated by the events of REBIRTH, Black Hand returns to wreak horrifying vengeance..."

Green Lantern (Vol. 4) #43 (2009).  There is also a second printing.

Green Lantern (Vol. 4) #43 1:25 Variant (2009)

Blackest Night #3 (2009)

Green Lantern (Vol. 5) #9 (2012)

Green Lantern #11 (2012)

Green Lantern #12 (2012)

Green Lantern #23.3 (2013)

Green Lantern #37 (2015)

Green Lantern #45 (2015)

Aquaman #37 (1968)

Since I last wrote, there's been a lot of interesting casting news in the superhero TV and movie world.  Jesse Quick will be on the Flash, Bean and Green may play Ares and Circe in the Wonder Woman film (timely post!), Rachel McAdams is confirmed for Dr. Strange although we still don't know who she'll be playing (read my theory here), a Booster Gold / Blue Beetle movie seems to be in the works, and, announced just today, Negative Woman will be on Legends of Tomorrow.  I've long planned to write about how Misty Knight is sure to show up on TV or in a film sooner or later - then this happened.  Some of these I anticipated and some were complete surprises, but the subject of this post is none of the above but rather about the rising star of a certain Aquaman villain.

We all know how expensive Aquaman #11 and #35 have become, and to a slightly lesser extent, #29.  These are all books that I (and many others) correctly favored for speculation purposes from the earliest whispering of a DC Cinematic Universe.  In the case of #35, my one good comic collecting friend and I have been talking for as long as I remember about about how cheap it was.  These are bona fide keys now and should continue to grow, but the ticket on these trains is quite expensive, so the subject of today's post is something that is a much cheaper buy.

Aquaman #37 features the first appearance of the Scavenger.  The list of Aquaman's interesting or popular rogues is not long, but we need to ask who Aquaman would face in his inevitable sequel and threequel.  It is not too farfetched to think there may be 3 antagonists in his first film, or that a third will be set up.  After Orm and Black Manta, I would argue that the Scavenger is the most likely candidate.  One of the reasons I feel this way is because of how he has been used in the New 52 Aquaman series, which was written by Geoff Johns.  As everyone knows, Geoff Johns is the chief creative guy at DC and has a lot of say as to what characters are used in TV and film projects, so I pay close attention to the characters he has revived and fleshed out in the many series he has written.

I see this book all over the place for cheap, and nobody is buying.

Below is a brief image gallery of Scavenger's debut, first cover appearance, and depiction in the New 52.  I may come back and flesh this article out a bit more but this is all for now! Thanks for reading and as always please check out our main site www.heronext.com*.

- Heronext

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Aquaman #37

First cover

Aquaman (2011 series) #23

Justice League #30, hanging out with Clayface, Dr. Psycho and the rest

Avengers #69 (1969)

Twin Cities copy of Avengers #69

I think the Grandmaster will play a role in the remainder of Marvel's Phase 3.  I've suspected his involvement in the movie franchise since Guardians of the Galaxy, when Lee Pace was cast in a then-undisclosed role.  He ended up playing Ronan of course.  The Grandmaster was my wild guess at the time.

In December last year, rumors circulated that Al Pacino was in talks to star in a Marvel film, possibly GOTG 2 (scheduled for May 2017, probably filming a year from now).  I only saw one site that tied him to a possible role as the Grandmaster. Other than that, I did not see much talk about it.

The Grandmaster's Marvel Universe debut

A clue appears at the end of Avengers: Age of Ultron that in my mind is a clear tip-off to the future role of this character.  I have not seen this theory in any reviews, articles, or "Easter egg" videos.  Near the close of the film, Thor says to the other Avengers "It can't be a coincidence that all of the Infinity Stones are appearing now. It is almost as if we are pawns in someone's game."  Or something to that effect.

To me, this is a clear reference to the Grandmaster.  The story title of Avengers #69? "Let the Game Begin!"  It's about Kang and the Grandmaster summoning the Avengers and the Squadron Sinister to fight each other in an alternate reality.

I do believe prices for Avengers #28 rose when it was announced in June 2013 that Benicio Del Toro would play The Collector.  I'd expect this other Elder of the Universe to play a more significant role.

Avengers #69-71, in my mind, belongs up there in the list of classic Avengers stories.  And so many important first appearances!

What does CGC have to say about this book?  It doesn't give the Grandmaster his correct due, another sign this significant event is under the radar:

As a tease of a future post, I'll leave you with the last page:

The Hulk #180, if you will, for the Squadron Sinister

Avengers #69 notable events:

1^st appearance of the Grandmaster (an Elder of the Universe) – appears in 6 panels / 4 pages

1^st brief (last panel) appearance of the Squadron Sinister (4 team members, all 1^st app.)

1^st brief (last panel) appearance of Doctor Spectrum (Kinji Obatu of Earth-616)

1^st brief (last panel) appearance of the Earth-616 Hyperion (creation of the Grandmaster)

1^st brief (last panel) appearance of Nighthawk (Kyle Richmond of Earth-616)

1^st brief (last panel) appearance of The Whizzer / Speed Demon (James Sanders of Earth-616, becomes the Speed Demon in Amazing Spider-Man #222)