Top 10 Predictions For Comics In 2025! What Will The Collecting Hobby Look Like This Year?

[@agentmobius8458]

I predictin 2025 I'll be working nonstop to pay off the multiple credit cards I ran up buying comics this year

[@sixtogarcia9130]

But I'm sure the comics were so cheap that you won't regret it later

[@TimelessEnthusiast]

thanks for this useful video. Interesting piece about Tech. I wonder how others feel about tech in comics.

[@scottabraham1234]

Manga to start to gather pace in the collectors market. Heritage to sell more items, maybe even discussed on several youtube channels.

[@christophertomasello1227]

The sad truth is, most of the biggest Golden age collections are owned by old men. (And we ain't getting any younger) That having been said, the market needs a serious infusion of collectors

[@ginoames]

I also hope this year people just collect what they want and dont feel the needs to look down on other folks stuff. If you dont like slabs thats ok. Dont buy any. If a collector digs them it doesn't effect anyone else at all.

[@xellosmetallium8519]

Considering how my New Year started with car trouble, unfortunately I'm going to have to predict 2025 is going to be a bad year. Already have plenty to worry about beyond store closing and Trump's tariffs. Regarding comic movies, I do like what they have teased so far and hope the new Superman film is a success. The trailer really drew me in, so that is a good sign. Although I think your wrong about Comic con attendance, it's going to be lower not higher. This is going to be a tightening of the belt year for a lot of folks.

[@ChristTheLover]

I don't have a prediction but,if I'm not taxed on my overtime anymore, I will have a LOT more to spend.

[@tcnkal]

Would love that comics values would go back to reflecting the quality or significance of the story. Then the people who read the books have the advantage in investing. Rooting for the Superman movie but it’s nearly impossible to predict buying patterns from movie results. Agree with the Comic convention predictions. It’s the least expensive way to buy runs. No ebay fees and you get to see the books in person. PSA explodes in a positive way IF they don’t feed certain dealers or collectors. If you want to build value on your product, give everyone HOPE that you’re a fair business and not someone selling grades. Whatnot seems impractical. Auctions for books that you may or may not want. Prices all over the place and very difficult to see the grade and quality of the book. Seems to be a place where people sell the stuff they can’t move I. Store or on eBay. Happy New Year and good luck with your channel. 😊

[@joshuawyatt4381]

I think prices on major keys will continue drifting downwards outside of speculation/hype books. A lot of older folks and people who hopped in for a quick buck will continue liquidating their collections with more sellers than buyers continuing to benefit collectors. The Fed will have to decide between accepting higher-than-average inflation or tipping the economy into recession to tame it, with geopolitical fragmentation continuing to spread throughout the year. I do think some movies will perform better than others, with Fantastic Four being solid, Thunderbolts being decent (with a low box office), Superman being so-so, and Captain America: Brave New World bombing pretty hard. A lot rests on Gunn's Superman given poor performance could cause other films to lack funding for production thus that outcome could certainly impact DC keys. All in all, it will be a good year for those of us below the age of 40 who are in the hobby long-term and able to make wise buying decisions. Hope everyone has a great year and thanks for the great content Mr. Swag!

[@gagofred]

I've been wanting to pick up more original art. The art for the first couple of issues of Absolute Batman sold recently for some really nice prices. too rich for my blood, but I did pick up some nice Chris Samnee illustraions that I can't wait to get framed this year.

[@matthewfox2340]

Great video and solid predictions. I agree that studio success will drive prices, but Man! I'm kinda digging this buyers market. 😂😂

[@twindiezel1965]

This is an awesome video.. I agree with most of your predictions

[@MrTazjr-qd3wj]

i LIKE TO CONTENT YOU PUT OUT AND LISTENING TO OTHERS HAS MADE ME RETHINK MY COLLECTING POV'S. SPECTULATING IS NOT MY THING BUT I MUST SAY I GOT A FEW..

[@brute_nm]

Solid list, agree with keeping an eye on all of them. Crowdfunding has blown up, there will definitely be more/larger issues!

[@Vexer-rl9fq]

Happy New Year! Good list overall but I'd pull out Whatnot and original art. I still think Whatnot is just a place for comic book collectors to waste money chasing FOMO or for newbies to get ripped off. As for original art, to me that always felt like a different market to me altogether. Need a lot more funds to play in the original art game. The community hope sentiment I think has more to do with prices dropping. However, that makes collectors happy since we can afford to buy more books. I know dealers and speculators didn't like 2024, but I wouldn't mind if prices dropped more (and I say this being burnt a lot) or at least level off where they are.

[@BigMoneyGripMCV]

Spec is fun, great video

[@dandelatorre1870]

OK, I just posted my predictions on my show, now I want to see how they compare with yours.

[@dariopressimone7810]

Mickey. Happy New year kiddo 🎉🎉🎉 I hope the FF movies is a killer. Been waiting too many years for one that is worthy 🥃🔥.

[@3twentyonecomics291]

Happy new year all. I really like you prediction of distribution changes Mickey. in Alberta Canada we have had many LCS closures. One in Edmonton was there for 30 or 40 years and closed up shop. I think this is happening all over, so diamond and others will have to reinvent themselves to stay in the game. Comic book producers need to take a part in this as well because they need to be able to get their product to the market at large in a more efficient way. My prediction for this year is that it will still be a year for the buyer through most of it. things may change after summer

[@nicholaspreston4417]

CGC could return vintage books in a timely manner, been 6 months waiting for mine with no end in sight!

[@southernrazed]

I’m 45 seconds into the video and disappointed there’s no crystal ball

[@huntincomics]

When you put whatnot packs in the hands of sellers who weigh the packs to determine which ones have the chase books, it's a problem.

[@eblanco7605]

Great list! For #1, i think FF and superman are both going to be huge. Both studios need a big win. FF because the last few marvel movies were not great (minus deadpool of cause) and DC is james gunn first movie with them. I predict, out of left field, some indie comic will hit a streaming service this year and explode. Maybe we will get that Red Sonya movie this year?

[@1ObsoleteMan]

Watch out Main man’s coming. really don’t see much going on for marvel until avengers i expect a doom cameo in f4 too give small bump. Dc is going to do well it’s just a matter of time.

[@popsequentialism7213]

I understand the need to champion hope. Comics and films are certainly better when they inspire than when they despair, but given the global political prospects for the next four years -and the fact that everything cascades from that, I just don't see a lot of hope in what we've been teased. I see a virtual guarantee of disappointment and disenfranchisement. The Superman film with its ever-expanding cast of characters seems more like a late-cycle sequel than a fresh start and that is a massive misstep. The problem that kills most decent franchises is the rapid introduction of too many characters, leaving audiences with no skin in the game. It killed the third Raimi Spiderman movie, it overwhelmed the Justice League film, and it's been the bane of the MCU post Endgame. So it seems weird to kick off a new franchise with that same proven mistake from the get-go. The future of comic book adaptations is in long format content, not 90 minute (or even 160 minute) movies. We were all trained during the Indoor Era to respect longer character development and more intimate storytelling that can expand to grander scale. I think interest in superhero films will decline even further and it'll be groundbreaking animation like Sony's Spiderverse films that fill that need while non-caped comic adaptations like Johnny Homicidal Maniac and Chainsaw Man become the cash cows of media upgrade. Admittedly, probably not all this year. PSA is the most trusted grader of sports cards but their label design does not work for comics amd their over-sized slabs are a format change that nobody wants. With the relatively fickle market of collectibles, collectors need a quick turnaround and the best price for their collectibles. It is going to take years if not a decade or more for PSA to build up a loyal comic grading fanbase and in the meantime CGC slabs will be getting top dollar. If PSA were smart, they'd launch with a policy of only grading Golden Age books at first. That would position them to get record breaking pricing faster and to hold the record above CGC in many instances. After they establish themselves as the 3rd party grader getting top dollar at auctions, they could expand to Silver Age, where their reputation of domination in the Golden Age market would give their Silver Age books instant cache. And after they show that they can go toe-to-toe with CGC there, too, they can expand to Bronze, Copper, Modern, and Post-Millennial comics. But since the vast majority of money to be made is in modern grading via publisher submissions and signings, they won't wait. But neither will collectors who will see CGC prices continue to dominate at auction. And if Shawn's Timmy, Kimmy, and Poindexter all know that a PSA slab is worth less than a CGC slab, PSA will be as relevant as PGX. I never bought into the fake Whatnot hype and I probably never will. But to the pertinent point, it is a foregone conclusion that Whatnot will overkill anything that works in very little time. Few things cause as much rage among collectors as an engineered collectible. And when collectors who got burned leave, it takes a lot to get them to come back Crowd-sourcing, however, almost uniquely lends itself to low print run rewards that can become organically very valuable. Early adoption rewards are never seen as a cashgrab because they represent risk and merit. So while I loathe the idea of major publishers taking over crowd-funding avenues, if they were to shift the burden of ratio covers away from retailers and onto kickstarters it would be greatly embraced -even as it pushes out monthly retailers. The first 3rd party grader to intelligently and affordably adapt AI for grading will win the slab wars. Human error and inconsistency is the biggest complaint. So getting around that effectively will earn the public trust. At least as long as their labels don't look like ass...

[@redandblack2865]

AI would make a lot of sense considering the big lay off CGC just had right in the middle of the 10/10 wave.

[@markostler168]

Zines!! The rise of small press. Underground Comic Conventions like Short Run and Hot Off The Press attracts hundreds of people and dozens of creators.

[@zombieprophet648]

I think the whatnot packs need to move off whatnot. I dont trust whatnot seller to not weigh the pack. Gove me 20 packs and I'll figure out if there's a hit in them or not

[@amazingmurfinator6338]

Crowd funding. If you (not aimed at you, but anyone) wanna do a project, then YOU do the project. Start to finish. Just my thought

[@comicpadre8603]

I didn't know the "big" publishers were using crowd funding

[@justplainoltex4991]

It'll be Doublemint gum refreshing if CGC is half as honest as you are in yer application of th word, "Retaliation". Best PR move ever would be if they hired you as a consultant. Too bad they're too greedy to spend that money.

[@michaelstarr1285]

My prediction comics are going to plummet in price....sell now

[@danonmorey2058]

in terms of tech.. i think it won't be long until AI can grade our books.

[@spiritofevil99]

Does CGC still have bend gate issues with their graded books?

[@panteraJTM]

I dont plan on buying any new or modern books this year, I've been picking up a lot more silver age lately, prices are so low

[@BigMoneyGripMCV]

if PSA get the signature series as strong as CGC, they will be #1

[@currybr]

My two predictions for 2025: New comics will suck in 2025. OLD comics will still be good.

[@JESSEJAMESBUCS1]

I think from a collector's standpoint this is pretty close; from the industry it would be more the opposite end at the front...

[@leerogers5318]

Mixed feelings about your list. Here is my feedback on your list: 1. Movies - If the movie is good the book does well but always go down after the FOMO. If the movie sucks, then the book loses all its value. 2. PSA Hype - Until the comic collectors come to a consensus then this will remain an unknown. However, PSA needs to change their label because they are just Fugly. 3. CGC Retaliation - CGC sucks! When will comic collectors finally begin to admit that their grading, encapsulation, and QC are in the dumpster. They will not change until they begin to lose a lot of their business. CGC retaliating against PSA, not happening. 4. What Not Packs - This is pure FOMO and their packs are not worth it. It is a "Bad Idea" re-packaged. 5. Tech - Agree but most of it will be throwing good money after bad. Too new and untested. 6. Original Art - Agree 7. Comic Con Attendance - Disagree. The economy will be down heavily this year and this will show that the crowds will remain the same as last year or decline. Most people will not have the money to spend. 8. Distribution Changes - Agree there will be changes, but the QC will remain the same or get worse. 9. Community Hope - Completely agree but most of the big boys in the comic industry could give a fiddler's f*ck about the comic community. This does not mean the writers and artists, but they are not in charge. 10. Crowdfunding Issues - History shows that most, if not all, have mediocre results at best. As the original hype loses traction, so does the funding (not a good bet).

[@Bill-t5x]

Thanks Swagglehaus for another great video, I’ve been a big fan of yours for years and this will be my first comment. I think one piece of data you need to take into account (maybe you already have and I just missed it) is the business/economics analytics forecasts from groups like Fortune Business Insights and related groups. These are all showing 10 year models where the total worldwide value of the comics industry nearly doubles from USD 16.06 billion in 2023 to USD 26.75 billion in 2032 based on growth patterns of the past several years, so a CAGR of 5.96% over the forecast period. The Asia Pacific market is predictably the biggest market (it holds the majority of the world’s population), but the North American market is a close second. It is thought that comic conventions are a big factor in the growth, as well as government programs to improve literacy through comic books. Our culture is also becoming increasingly image oriented. The main takeaway in my view is that the gloom and doom folk who sometimes predict a downfall of comic books are not squaring with the data. As far as “comic books/superhero fatigue” goes there is probably some truth to that in terms of the movies, but the actual books get more popular all the time, though some of that growing popularity is because of non-superhero genres. Regardless of what happens in the movie industry comic books are definitely here to stay and are becoming increasingly popular worldwide. The U.S. still has the largest comic book conventions but the Japanese and other conventions are growing rapidly. Although digital comics are growing in popularity, the majority of comics sold are the hard copies which people still prefer. A lot of people who watch your channel are focused on the speculative angle, and though I can’t say for sure, it would seem that the ever increasing popularity of comic books would bode well for the spec market over the long haul. It’s interesting how you pinpointed a growing interest in original art. The past few months I have been swept away by original art, buying a lot of it, and I didn’t realize till watching your video that this is a new trend. Since we are currently in a buyers market for vintage books I’ve also been expanding my collection. I am mainly just a collector with a passion for the artwork and stories, though obviously a growth in value of my collection would be an added boon. Here is a link to the Fortune Business Insights article I referenced: www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/comic-book-market-103903 Imarc has a similar forecast, and there are many other business forecasters with basically the same forecast: www.imarcgroup.com/comic-book-market

[@ArronSturgeonPaintings-so2xc]

I think the story of 2025 will be DC catching fire and can Marvel catch up?

[@ginoames]

I think we are going to see old school comic shows come back strong. The collectors who actually want to hunt for books are not interested in the long lines, The huge entrance fees, etc. I hope Im right.

[@nivekwons7545]

If cgc goes to AI grading that's it for me, I won't use them and I won't buy them if they are graded that year or beyond. I'll use another service or stop grading entirely if the others go that route as well.

[@jdc4483]

Question: You have what looks like an Emmy over your right shoulder. Care to elaborate?

[@markavelli]

2018 Outstanding Daytime Promotional Announcement -Brand Image Campaign.

[@joshbrooks9781]

Why do people expect PSA to do better against CGC than CBCS? IF PSA breaks CGC's lock on collectors' attention, will that leave room for CBCS to take some market share?

[@RoTelnCheese]

Superhero exhaustion, non comic book fans losing interest. Spec market continues to fall.

[@christophertomasello1227]

Agreed. Even a good movie at this point would not be helpful because collectors are "ahead of the game"fully aware of the movie speculation trick. Personally, I call it superhero burnout

[@RoTelnCheese]

@ it’s so true and given the quality of what we get I don’t think a good movie will be out for some time, it’s been terrible to be honest. I do really hope the market continues to fall and we get a complete flush out. I was lucky to sell most of my collection during the mania in 2021. I’d be happy to buy some books back at larger discounts, when all the ‘investors’ have exited.

[@crossbronxcollectibles9127]

Maybe cgc will start grading manga

[@Rhett-Christopher]

Hopefully cgc will do a better job and not bend slabs in the inner wells and cause color-breaking spine ticks in 9.8 graded books.

[@djrobot23]

As I stated in the new years show, not all the Kickstarters have gone smoothly. The Atomahawk one just stole everyone's money. I realize Donny Cates didn't run it but it's his book, and he's been hush about it. Sad. The chat is filled with angry people and there doesn't seem to be any resolution for buyers. There's not even a report button.

[@jeffstanley6013]

I agree that there will be PSA hype, but, if history has taught us anything, it's that a grading company (CBCS) with a superior slab, superior grading and superior turn times will not be able to topple CGC for one reason: ugly label. And the PSA label is far uglier than any that CBCS ever put out. Hype? Yes. Success in supplanting CGC? I don't see it.

[@themojoverse]

I'm calling it now. No matter how good Captain America 4 is, it will technically be a flop because so many people just don't want to see a black Captain America.

[@ScottTice1971]

But they may want to see a red Han Solo.

[@matthewfox2340]

Or it will flop because it's not a good movie in a current era Marvel's not producing good content 🤷🏽

[@popsequentialism7213]

I think there are a lot of people who love Isaiah Bradley and would be into a series that dives back into his lost years who aren't happy to see Captain Falcon headlining a movie.

[@blackswampcomics5098]

DC rises, MCU continues to fall 😊

[@kachine2000]

Stan Lee RIP. They don’t wanna see a black captain. Race still. You tried.

[@johnkasdorf]

I would LOVE it if the grading companies used sophisticated imaging and AI for grading… 🤖as long as at least 1 pair of human eyes gave it a verification examination.

[@xmen1bishop]

Foreign variants will become more sought after once collectors realize the low print runs.