Why Everyone is Wrong About the Comic Market

[@glennsimpson_aka_bobbysaccaro]

Not sure why comic book collectors want prices to be high. I prefer then they are low so all of the people who want them can get them.

[@mrmac3971]

you can always get lower grade raw books or reprints if you really love comics. much more affordable and the same reading

[@glennsimpson_aka_bobbysaccaro]

@@mrmac3971 Sure, but that's not what I'm saying. It's not necessarily about reading, it's the same desire for ownership that exists now, to own the original and have it in a comics collection. When the prices are lower, then more people can have more desirable comics in their collections.

[@spaceknight793]

Truth. High prices scare off new collectors. And they present a dead end for current collectors.

[@zoso73]

Great video. I am in buy mode. I see Bronze Age 8.5 or 9.4 keys with white pages at 2019 prices, i buy. Silver Age? I'm upgrading many of my lower-grade books into 7.0s and higher. Everything Alan said is absolutely spot-on and very validating because I've been preaching the same thing. This is the time, folks.

[@henrybemis3439]

Agreed.

[@ArronSturgeonPaintings-so2xc]

We are about to introduce double digit tariffs into the equation. Inflation will be going up not down in the future.

[@ComicCollectorGeek]

The tariffs are a stick. Even as a Canadian I appreciate that they are forcing my government to finally do the right thing and secure our boarder and open up the oil pipelines.

[@jlcornish]

Absolutely right

[@jlcornish]

Securing the border is the biggest fiction going , it’s a scam

[@spaceknight793]

@@ComicCollectorGeek or rather, tariffs are a SHAFT, and the regular consumer will be footing that bill. We always do.

[@nicholaswilliams2389]

Stop watching legacy news. It's all lies

[@ericcasagrande]

I had a friend who, about 20 years ago, had a magnificent coin collection. I mean it was just staggering. But then something bad happened .... he suffered through a divorce. He had been hoping to weather it out and hang onto his coins, but his wife had other ideas and put the squeeze on him, forcing him to sell all his coins. This caused him to fall into a deep depression, and the loss of his coins was simply too much for him. Despite having many friends encouraging him to start over and once again build up a (new) collection, he completely lost heart, and left coin collecting. I think the same thing will happen within the comic sector. For the most part, those who were forced to sell-off their "child" at a tremendous loss just to survive, will never come back and start all over like nothing happened.

[@henrybemis3439]

Glad to hear you addressing the cultural issues and endorsing meritocracy. Comics were one of the canaries in the coal mine when it comes to the that, going back at least a decade. At some point, a generation of people came in who believed they were smarter, more sophisticated, and more politically astute than the fans. They believed we needed to be educated on various political and cultural issues. It looks like we're finally seeing the rejection of that mindset.

[@GTOberfest]

It's about damn time.

[@MarcoMasseria]

To be honest Henry, everyone was at all times tired of that mindset. I would ask, is there any amount of time that you enjoy the presence of some one who is extremely selfish? I don't. Those clowns were at their core delusional and selfish and what's happened is that the calm and patient and good have FINALLY realized that things won't improve unless action is taken - nothing crazy - just a collective push back. The Blue Hairs wouldn't have gotten this far had their been a regular joe tell them they were ridiculous instead of looking the other way. As collectors, we have to sweep our side of the street and push back against the degeneracy. Have a great day!

[@splatcomics3167]

You are 100% correct. I have mentioned this topic myself on the Geeky Weekly Show in the last few weeks / months. The last "perfect storm" on the upside came at the peak of Covid & MCU Infinity War / Endgame. Then came a perfect storm on the downside where Covid went away and people ran out of cash, at the same time that so called "Super-Hero fatigue" occurred. There will soon be a rejuventation of the James Gunn DCU, plus a re-invigoration of the MCU with Thunderbolts & FF & Doom & Secret Wars etc. The peak soon to occur probably won't reach Covid highs, but it will get maybe halfway there, and that place may well be where we end up for a while. One extra thing which makes the rollercoaster happen is KZbin Doommongers saying the world is ending .. their hype becomes self-fulfilling, because they over-embellish it, and people follow their advice. This also occurs on the upside too, but to a lesser extent. Ultimately, super-heroes are becoming more and more part of mainstream culture, and this may well over the long term increase the number of serious collectors who collect for love not money, and that's the key base of a slow overall upward trend in value. Great video ! Keep up the great work :-)

[@jlcornish]

Comics are dropping in price and value because too much junk is being produced ; and collectors are dying off

[@Michael-i2d4d]

Prices exist because scarcity exists. All prices are derived from supply versus demand. If demand for an item falls that puts downward pressure on prices even if the item is scarce. The issue with comics from the late 1980s onward is over production. Also people started to keep the supply of comics in mint condition from this period as well in hopes that these items would be worth a small fortune in the future so it is very easy to find comics from this era that are in mint condition, unlike the first Superman comic, Batman comic, Spider-Man comic, etc. The supply of mint condition comics from this era far exceeds the actual market demand and prices falling are justified.

[@henrybemis3439]

Not sure if you address this later in the video, I'm commenting only a few minutes in, but it seems to me that we're seeing the people who bought like crazy during Covid selling their purchases. And that's ok, because a lot of those people, and there were thousands of them, weren't exactly lifelong fans of the hobby. Those of us who have been collecting since we were kids will still be here. If my collection lost a few grand due to a downturn, so be it. Money isn't why I'm in the hobby, it's just a nice side effect.

[@ComicCollectorGeek]

I didn't really address this point in this video. I really should have. I did talk about this effect in previous videos. That most of the loss was due to those who really didn't understand or appreciate the hobby leaving it when things went from good to bad. The rats are the first to leave a sinking ship.

[@ezraereckson6393]

When people say "the market is down," friends and I ask "which market?" There are some very strong sectors right now - DC bronze horror, higher grade ECs, Cole, Baker, etc. There are plenty of strong areas, they just tend to not be books that have thousands and thousands of graded copies.

[@ComicCollectorGeek]

very true

[@Trademark.comics]

I concur 100%… great content and a realistic look at the future of comics! 👍

[@timreierson26]

Take a look how census numbers have increased for many key silver, bronze and modern age comics. The CGC census counts have significantly increased and that trend will continue. I was amazed in a single year how many new copies of graded CGC books have been added for popular and in demand key comic books. What that says to me is that the supply is too high (and will continue to increase) which is going to add consistent & significant downward pressure on comic pricing. As a result, I have shifted my buying preference to low census key golden age books. I do believe that scarcity combined with popularity will be the key driver of comic investment success.

[@jlcornish]

If you think Trump is the answer; you’re sadly mistaken.

[@ComicCollectorGeek]

No politician is really the answer. But some are better than others.

[@dtouey]

Glad someone called him on his bs.

[@zoso73]

Trump might not be the answer, but he is FAR better for the economy than the muppets running the White House the last 4 years (we know it wasn't Biden, because he was mentally incapacitated for most of his last 4 years) or any Democratic Party candidate.

[@MontagaAMGDrope]

I collect keys I buy in a high priced market & low because I collect them I’m not a flipper. The only ppl worried about the prices are mostly sellers. But I’m buying now like crazy I basically have all the books I want

[@SonOfCrom-1932]

I don't care about politics, those people come and go every 4-8 years, and I have loved comics from Nixon to now regardless who was sitting in the White House. But I am super happy for a downward turn in the comic prices! I have picked up so many great books in the last 6 weeks, I am in Heaven right now! Keep selling people, keep selling.... and I will keep buying! LOL I sold my books for a divorce once, now I only sell/trade books to make space for more books I want to fill up the space; then I will sell them too I bet! LOL I have a big grail I am paying for now; and I am already thinking who will want to take it off my hands when I get it.... more than likely, I will just trade it for a "store credit", but first I will let a few people know about it (like you and your group), and see what they would offer. Either way, I will take whatever I get from it to just buy more comics!!😁😁😁

[@Robs.fatstax]

Interesting take, thanks for sharing your thoughts. I do think there is too much emphasis placed on values and markets trying to equate comic books to the stock market. Generally I don't care, and don't see comics as an investment, yet as a content creator, I recognize its something that interests viewers and find myself talking about this as well. I wonder if its another case of the tail wagging the dog.

[@VintagePaper]

Demographic shifts increase supply as well.

[@cjashyeah]

I agree.

[@waynecarney8635]

Allen love your vids and glad you told me your dyslexia is why you struggle with words names etc but regardless your a guru and I love your knowledge. On all things comics. I am a beginner collector love all the genre you love etc. if it's a buyers market can you sell me asm300 at a cheap price I'll take advantage of the down turn. Love swagglhaus to by the way. And Ryan from automatic comics. Can you do a show on Aussie Australian comics or what is big on Aussie issues in Australian etc. But live in USA . Do you have any Aussie books . I love Neil Adams Batman Detective Comics etc. love the Bat. Thanks for you insights I watch you always. I love your wonder woman books too.

[@ComicCollectorGeek]

I collected the Aussie Warren magazines, like Creepy, Eerie and Vampirella. I also enjoy Ryan's content. I wouldn't sell in a down market. Actually, I am really a collector so might not sell in an up market either.

[@CryptoHBK]

There’s less demand now for comic books, since the younglings buy/collect manga and sports cards.

[@SwampThingNJ]

That’s because manga and sports cards have been fun experiences in their lifetime. The IP of comics (e.g., Spider-Man, Batman) are strong and could mirror those mediums if we just have them something exciting and fun to collect

[@Ross57214]

I'm sure Marvel does care about the fans...but it would be 'MCU' fans (a huge market) rather than 'comic' fans (a small and diminishing market). That's why they can happily ignore complaints about serving up a female Silver Surfer...and why the upcoming Dr Doom narrative will be centred around him being a Stark/Downey multiverse variant (rather than the Dr Doom that comic fans have waited decades for). As for the cultural shift...yes, there will be some of that. But I suspect we will also see even greater political polarisation...and the entertainment industry is one of the most likely industries to really double-down on their current political/social stance. Certainly, many of the guidelines around DEI are now firmly built into the Hollywood system, so they won't be disappearing any time soon.

[@ComicCollectorGeek]

Sadly you might be right about that. However, I have seen people are more vocal about speaking out against all the stupidity. Hollywood needed some stronger vocal pushback. They at the end of day just want to be loved and will morph themselves into whatever to get that love.

[@horderphelps1402]

I always listen to contrarian views so I don't follow lemmings over cliffs.

[@biggieshaq]

Yep down in fraggle swaggle rock in his defense his thumbnails are usually more misleading than his actual content most the time I watch his stream thinking he's going to say books are worthless and he doesn't say that exactly

[@Lindsey_Lockwood]

Many shops near me have now abandoned CGC due to the accumulation of scandals and fraud. This will undoubtedly shake up the market in 2025 as slabbed book prices will almost certainly be affected if the company does eventually go under. Probably not a huge impact on raw sales unless maybe those come down as well if slabbed books start getting cracked or sold at a heavy discount.

[@ComicCollectorGeek]

Despite all the scandals I think CGC is still doing well. They need to get back to basics and be a grading company people can trust.

[@KollectingKaos]

Like all collectibles Comic books have fluctuations in prices, it is based on more factors then just the economy. This includes buyers interest, influx of investors which make things more expensive and the outflow of investors which tend to make pries drop. What seem to be a constant is that whenever prices start to drop it's always been heralded as the end of the comic collecting hobby. I have seen this happen so many times over the last 50 plus years that I have come to just ignore it. People also say that comics are dead because they take a box of new comic (anything published post 1985 really) and dealers only offer them a few cents per issue for what they think is worth anywhere from $3 to $20 each. The focus in the last few years has been all on the 'key' issues and to me this is a dangerous practice, as any fluctuation downward of those books are considered a sign of the apocalypse! When in reality it is a market correction of books that are currently way over valued due to the COVID buying spree that the hobby and investors went on.

[@ComicCollectorGeek]

From what I'm seeing the prices have for the most part fallen back to the old trend lines. Some books have overcorrected and others have still a bit more room to drop. I figure the next few months we will still see a slight downward trend but by the end of next year this should reverse and the market will shift.

[@KollectingKaos]

@@ComicCollectorGeek I actually predicted this would happen back when COVID first hit, but most of the people I told about it didn't listen and spent the money they were getting with the stimulus packages on over priced keys, that are now reverting to pre COVID prices. I spent the money too, on older Silver and Golden age comics that weren't really affected as much.

[@ronhobbs463]

That X-men 59 in 9.8 that sold for $36,000.00 in the last Ha has a lot of explaining to do.

[@justinmyers5209]

When Batman 1 goes back to 2012 price please put an order in n for me

[@shadowman8786]

I think basic economics, inflation and management of money should be mandatory to learn in schools at a young age. Plenty can be learned from the boom/bust cycles, though if that will apply to digital only currency in the future is an unknown.

[@PaulDavidCooper]

Sir: with the exception of the most simplistic comics, creators have always incorporated a social agenda in their books. Think Black Panther and Ms Marvel. The industry has always benefitted from reaching beyond the typical candidate pool to bring in fresh talent and perspectives. That’s called diversity and it has to be done on purpose. Compare X-Men comics from the 60s to now and we are talking a net gain in every aspect of quality. The market place will ultimately weed out excesses in either direction, but you cannot have a healthy industry without widening the tent of readers and collectors.

[@timothypjr]

If I wanted to hear about American politics, I would not watch a youtube comic book show. Comic books are my escape from a sh_tshow called American politics.

[@zoso73]

And yet this essay is not about a comic book story, or comic book art, or which characters we like or don't like -- it's about the current state of the comic book market, and you have to be living under a rock to ignore how inflationary pressures starting out of the US (influenced much by who is the POTUS) have wreaked havoc on an asset class that was highly volatile before COVID. So it is necessary to talk about American politics, thoughtfully, as Alan does here, to explain what effect it has had on prices.

[@andrewb-e8l]

I think your timeline is too optimistic. Falcon movie is not going to be good. Gunn's Creature Commandos is iffy so far ( I did not like the first two episodes ) so now I am doubting Superman will be great. Gunn bashes red necks in Commandos and he has Tom King working on Green Lantern show. I think it is not going to work out for DC unfortunately. Republicans admit that there will be temporary pain from tariffs. Most likely they will lose in the midterms as usual. FF will not have Norrin Radd as Silver Surfer and is done by the wandavision creatives ( not bad show but don't expect something that will cater to wider audience which is what is needed ) .The comic market is simply moving back to normal after the Feds pumped all the rich people with more money. After blow off tops trendlines are destroyed. Nothing is wrong with the market , it is just normalizing.

[@cjashyeah]

I'll pin this video and see you in 8 months. If it's still down in 8-10 months it means you're wrong and I'll remind you of this video and how you are wrong.

[@ComicCollectorGeek]

lol okay...I predicted the collapse of the market 8 months before it did. So I have a pretty good track record.

[@cjashyeah]

@@ComicCollectorGeek What video did you say the vintage comic market would fall?

[@ComicCollectorGeek]

@@cjashyeah kzbin.info/www/bejne/nIfQqKijh7Fmqs0

[@cjashyeah]

@@ComicCollectorGeek This was 3 years ago. And you are only referring to 2nd hand comics, not new releases. Marvel and DC still put out new comic books today. As for the state of the 2nd hand market and speculation market, it will continue to collapse because it is an aging market.

[@ComicCollectorGeek]

@@cjashyeah hmm...I was really mainly addressing the 2nd hand or collector's market. I was a bit narrow vision on the topic. The new releases will probably suffer unless the writing gets better. I did address this partly by talking about the Absolute, Ultimate and Bloodhunt series and how when they decide to make cool stories the market gives them a good reception. The change in culture away from DEI and woke agendas and back to good storytelling can save the new comic releases.

[@bryanwatson123]

I dont believe any of this. Trump isn't going to sprinkle his magic economy dust and make comic books relevant again. Comics have been in a depression for years just like movie posters. I love both but I'm not deluded into thinking they are going to have a resurgence any time soon. There are hot collectibles like advertising, militaria, etc and there is also really cold collectibles.

[@brennandre8234]

yeah, you'll be proven wrong--now that Biden's gone, people will have damn money again

[@AmericanDischord]

I concur.

[@jespernicolaj]

I respect you wanna make a Buck og these videos bit the amount of adds was just silly.

[@ILikeWhatIBuy]

If you’re not a player in the stock market, you’re doomed… Paychecks will come and go because of inflation and high rent. I live in San Diego and I know how expensive it is. It’s gonna take a little bit more time than six months, but in the meantime, I’m buying what people are selling 😊

[@EugeneLorey]

The trend is dead, no one under forty years old wants or cares about comics. Even the comic book movie will soon go away.

[@ComicCollectorGeek]

There are lots of people who love comics. They aren't beanie babies yet.

[@UpTheDown7]

Comic book movies aren't going anywhere but you're right that most young people don't care about comics. I'd say most under 30 as opposed to 40. And that's a major problem for the hobby going forward. The next major market spike that happens might be the last one.

[@cjashyeah]

Data shows Marvel and DC's bsst selling products rihgt now isn't comics. It's movies, action figures and statues. People buy comics a lot in the 80's and 90's because there was no internet back then, comics is a form of entertainment but these days, you have your smartphones and gadgets, children dont read comics that much anymore.

[@Gotham_n_glam]

While I'm not a fan of a certain politician, I will say that I'm looking forward to seeing a cultural shift. We need people who are willing to take risks again without fear of an angry mob.

[@cjashyeah]

Floppy comics isn't gonna die because of the economy or because of politics, it's gping to die because people below 20 years old, Gen Z arent interested in American comics. They are interested in Manga more.I mean, how many years or decades do you have left on this earth, Allan? I'm 38, I may have 30 years left. LCS that survive adapt to the change in trends. Gen Z today are more into collecting figures, blind boxes and anime. Nobody is buying floppy or Golden age comic books. The market for Golden age comic books is very niche, very low and people who collect them are 45-70 year olds who is going to leave the planet soon. I predict in the next 10-20 years, there will still be a market for Golden-silver age comics but sales wont be as successful as it was. To survive, you must adapt to change. The world is changing from a unipolar to a multipolar one. I predict in the next 10 years, the influence of the USA will diminish even more.

[@ComicCollectorGeek]

You are right about the youth not buying comics. I don't see the recovery coming from them. However, they can become part of the recovery if the publishers and movie makers start appealing to them. They love anime it isn't a big leap to convert manga readers to comic readers.

[@cjashyeah]

@@ComicCollectorGeek It still appeals to them. It doesnt appeal to 45-70 year olds but to 20 year olds and below, movies still do.

[@cjashyeah]

@@ComicCollectorGeek 95% of gen z dont buy 2nd hand comics, they buy new releases. Marvel, DC and Image does not like the 2nd hand market because the profits doesnt go to them when a value of a comic book goes up, this is why they release facsimiles to combat the 2nd hand comic book market.

[@walterdimmick653]

Stick to comics, you really do not really understand economics. As you said though, there are some good deals to had on very high end books now.

[@ComicCollectorGeek]

I guess we'll see in 10 months

[@messedupdude11]

I hope you are right. There certainly is a more positive outlook on the economy after Trump was reelected.

[@divi6401]

Comics can make a comeback if the comic industry gets better writers who are going to write better stories... That's the problem honestly and stop bringing our reality into comics...

[@Hazu.]

ive never sold a comic lol

[@sade281]

It’s called WOKE my man !! It messes shit up!! Comics will always be around !! It’s a low now but it will go up!! There are always someone willing to spend money on books!! Maybe not to many new collectors but the olds one hold it down

[@matrix_comix]

Not interested in listening to someone with a wall full of golden age

[@zoso73]

And yet here you are.

[@MontagaAMGDrope]

Trump BABY!!!! We are BACK!! I didn’t know you were Canadian I usually tell your country men don’t talk about my nation but I see what you said on G.Floyd and said I like this guy. This content was good thanks for the upload

[@cjashyeah]

Name a popular story from the Golden age that has been adapted to movies and TV shows? There's NONE. Why? Because most golden age story telling sucks. Comics improved their story telling in the 1980's with Frank Miller, Alan Moore and Neil Gaiman at the helm. Almost all the adaptation from MCU and DC films are based off on storylines from the 1980's-1990's actually. Spider-man Into The Spider verse, an Oscar winning film was based off on a storyline from the 2000's!!! MODERN!!!! Modern comics, especially exclusive variants makes more profit than those 2nd hand vintage comic books from the Golden age-Bronze age. Over time, Golden age comics are also going to deteriorate more since they were made of really cheap materials. They're not hard bound!

[@ComicCollectorGeek]

Wonder Woman 1 and Captain America 1 were both based on the golden age comics.

[@cjashyeah]

@@ComicCollectorGeek Those are origin stories. So you're telling me out of all the stories that has been told in the Golden age, only two origin stories were adapted into film? In Wonder woman number 1, the dialogue is also very amateur.

[@cjashyeah]

@@ComicCollectorGeek The sequels to the MCU's Captain America: First Avenger were both based on modern age stories: Winter Soldier by Brubaker and Civil War by Millar. Most MCU movies are based on modern age stories.

[@spaceknight793]

The inspiration for films begins in the 1960s not the 1980s. Plenty of Silver and Bronze Age influence in the cinematic universes.

[@cjashyeah]

@@spaceknight793 Majority of the stories are actually modern stories.

[@chicsartorial]

Some facts would have been nice, as opposed to utter conjecture, esp. regarding the U.S. economy - holy crap. And leave politics out of it, thanks, no need for the 'T word' ... I'm trying to hold off any of my big comic purchases in case I need Survival Gear and 'protection' from my southern neighbour... Sorry, that's just me.

[@gabecarino9469]

Agree. Nice summary.

[@MontagaAMGDrope]

Trump BABY!!!! We are BACK!!

[@ScottMcGowanlaw]

you r wrong.

[@prtechguy7192]

You lost me when you went into politics & trump supporting. Stick to comics. Unsubscribed. Too bad, I liked your content, but I can't support where you went.

[@zoso73]

The truth can bite, sometimes. Arrivederci!