WHEN IT COMES TO ASSEMBLING A COMICS COLLECTION, THE POSSIBILITIES ARE ENDLESS, BUT THESE POPULAR SETS ARE A GREAT PLACE TO START
By Barry Sandoval
In my line of work, I hear two common pleas. One is “I’ve decided I want to collect comic books, but I don’t know what to collect.” The other: “I now realize I have bought tons of random comic books, with no system or focus. Help!”
I recommend collecting sets as a cure for both of these problems.
Not that we wouldn’t all love to have the best copy that exists of everything good, but let’s face it – you only have so much money, so much time and so much space. That being the case, some kind of specialization is warranted. You can focus on one series, one artist, one publisher, one era or some smaller subset within those. While there are thousands of possibilities, here are some popular sets that I know collectors are working on, just to get you started.
Matt Baker’s cover for 1948’s ‘Phantom Lady’ No. 17 was reproduced in ‘Seduction of the Innocent,’ which called the image ‘a sadist’s dream.’
1. Comics Mentioned in Seduction of the Innocent
The 1954 anti-comics book Seduction of the Innocent changed the medium forever. It mentions or shows images from a number of comics, and for the most part, fans have been able to identify which comics they are. To be clear, the author speaks of all of them very disapprovingly. Panels are reprinted with comments like “Erotic spanking in a Western comic book” and “In ordinary comic books, there are pictures within pictures for children who know how to look.” In the minds of parents, these aren’t good things, but today’s grown-up collector tends to have the opposite feeling. The issues that author Fredric Wertham featured in the book are flagged as “Used in SOTI” in The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide, and many a collector has sought to assemble the whole set.
Number of comics in the set: About 170
Most notable comic from the set: Phantom Lady No. 17, which, alas, even in average condition will run you $25,000 or more.
‘Showcase’ No. 4, from 1956, was the first of DC’s successful revivals of Golden Age heroes with the debut of Barry Allen as the Flash.
2. The Top 50 Silver Age Comics Listed in The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide
The No. 1 comic on the list, Spider-Man’s first appearance in Amazing Fantasy No. 15, will run you about $30,000 in average condition. The least expensive comic on the list, Strange Tales No. 89, with the unforgettably named Fin Fang Foom, fetches $1,000 in the same grade. As long as that pricing doesn’t make you run away screaming, this would be the set to go after, as it includes the first appearances of many household names.
Number of comics in the set: 50
Most notable comic from the set: The Marvel fan would cite the abovementioned Amazing Fantasy No. 15; the DC fan would point to the first appearance of Barry Allen as the Flash in Showcase No. 4 (around $15,000 in average condition).
Marvel published ‘Giant-Size Creatures’ No. 1 in 1974.
3. Giant-Size Marvels
In 1974 and 1975, Marvel put out these fondly remembered 48-page or 64-page issues. Most were priced at 50 cents at a time when regular comics were a quarter. While the set includes one expensive comic, the first appearance of the new X-Men in Giant-Size X-Men No. 1 ($1,000 even in average condition), most of the rest can be found for a small fraction of that price, with average copies findable for 20 bucks in most cases.
Number of comics in the set: 69
Most notable comic from the set: The aforementioned X-Men easily trumps everything, but don’t sleep on the first appearance of Tigra in Giant-Size Creatures No. 1 ($30 in average condition, $200 in Near Mint).
‘DNAgents’ No. 24, from 1985, features a classic Dave Stevens cover.
4. Dave Stevens Covers
The recent documentary Dave Stevens: Drawn to Perfection introduced Stevens’ wonderful covers to a whole new audience. As to how many comics are in the set, that depends on your definition. His 1980s comic book covers number roughly 40, but if you include later publications that put his art on the cover, you have more than 160 to seek out. The good news is that none of them are expensive in average condition, and even if you are targeting CGC 9.8 copies, few would cost more than a couple hundred dollars.
Number of comics in the set: Up to 160-plus
Most notable comic from the set: DNAgents No. 24 is hard to beat. It trades at about $150 in Near Mint condition.
‘Transformers’ No. 22 features the first appearance of the Stunticons who form Menasor.
5. Marvel 25th Anniversary Border Covers
If you’re an ’80s kid and you want to dip your toe into the waters of collecting, this would be a great place to start. For one month, November 1986, Marvel adorned most of its covers with an appealing border showing all of the most important Marvel characters. None of the comics are hard to find, but you can make things more challenging by holding out for CGC 9.8 copies.
Number of comics in the set: 29
Most notable comic from the set: While there is no true “key” issue in the group, I like the contrast between the superheroes depicted on the border and a non-Marvel Universe character in the middle, as seen on Transformers No. 22 (CGC 9.8 copies can be had for about $100).
BARRY SANDOVAL is Vice President at Heritage Auctions. He can be reached at BarryS@HA.com or 214.409.1377.