By Terrence J. Brady
February 2003
Welcome to the first installment of the CGC Hall of
Shame. Coming to you every first Monday of the
month, you will bear witness to the insanity of CGC
inflated pricing for Modern Age comic books.
But first, if you're not already familiar with the
CGC, read the following article, CGC: The
Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, which examines
the pros and cons of CGC graded books.
Our first contestant, err...entry, is the INCREDIBLE
Edible HULK. Okay, unlike an egg, you can't eat the
Hulk but the buyer of this comic book certainly took a
big bite - out of his wallet!
This auction (click image) involved two books. The
first was a CGC 8.0 VF copy of the 1968 HULK KING-SIZE
#1; cover art by Jim Steranko. A Silver Age treasure,
especially if you're a fan of Steranko or the Hulk,
which (if you shop around) usually fetches $35 in VF
condition.
Normally, such a comic would not be included here (due
to its age) however, the second part of this auction
was the true clunker. This was the more recent HULK
#34 (CGC 9.8 NM/M) which features an homage cover to
that classic issue. Current going rate? Ranges
anywhere from $10 to $30... or more (ack!) Indeed,
that's substantially high for such a new book but, in
time, that price will fall and stabilize.
Okay, time for the calculator. Do these two issues add
up to $225? Probably not (unless the batteries in your
calculator are dying) but that's what this pair of
books sold for January 15. Granted, the KING-SIZE
issue is an incentive but if you do the math, the
buyer paid $45 for two comics and $180 for two CGC
holders. Oh, and don't forget the additional £14-£26
(it was a British seller) for the postage to the USA.
Hey... Hulk fly first class or SMASH! (Thanks to Tom C. of Seattle, WA for
submitting this auction).
Next up on the auction block is the space roving
Silver Surfer who glides through the cosmos on a shiny
board powered by the power cosmic. He prevented
Galactus from turning the Earth into his personal
"Happy Meal" (way back in FANTASTIC FOUR 48-50) so
now, Galactus is getting his revenge by auctioning off
slabbed books of his former herald - for ludicrous
profit!
Well, if not him, somebody (with no sympathy for
hapless earthlings) is making out. Anyone know
Galactus' eBay id??
To the right is a copy of the SILVER SURFER #1 v2 (CGC
9.8 NM/MINT). This one shot published in 1982 featured
an original tale by fan-favorite John Byrne and a
script by the legendary Stan (the Man) Lee. Average
"non-slabbed" cost = $3.00. This CGC auction = $69.
That's a profit margin of 95.65% or (for those with
simple math skills) a markup of 2300%. Who needs the
stock market when you got slabbed comics in your
portfolio! (Thanks to Rachel S. of
Tulsa, OK for submitting this auction).
Had to save the best for last. Its always a pleasure
when mainstream media plugs a comic. Out of the
woodwork crawl all the profiteering speculators a
comic shop can handle. They load up on these books, as
if they were lottery tickets, failing to realize
they'll only be useful in lining their cat-box with
someday. Yes, the 'truth' hurts and that's what this
last auction is about.
Coming to you from Marvel Comics (the fact that all
comics this month are from Marvel was only
coincidental) is the Captain America mini-series:
TRUTH: RED, WHITE & BLACK. This (ahem) hot first issue
of the controversial series was promoted by the media
and sold out quickly. (Issue #2 didn't fair so good).
It features a "what if" tale about a black Captain
America set in WW II.
Hot comic books are notorious in fandom. Notorious
because, after time, those inflated prices drop like a
rock when interest wanes - especially when the media
is providing heavy publicity for said issue or title.
Roughly a decade ago, the media was all over the death
of Superman in SUPERMAN #75. Lines formed outside
comic shops and within days, the issue was selling
upwards of $20. I fortunately pre-ordered my copy but
unfortunately didn't have the foresight to order 500
copies and cash in on the madness (but I digress).
Anyhow, the issue and storyline were "hot" for some
time but where does SUP 75 stand now? Just check the
quarter bin at the next comic convention you attend.
If you can't find it right away, don't despair. In
another year or so, it should be sitting right next to
the huge stack of TRUTH: RW&B that folks are now
shelling out $40 (w/ postage) per slabbed copy ---
which is so NEW the INK hasn't even dried yet! (Thanks to Jeff H. of Ft. Lauderdale, FL
for submitting this auction).
Hmmm ... so are you wondering how you can get into the
fun? Well, its easy as 1-2-3. Just follow the rules
below and send your pick to the author. Winning
submissions will get a big ol' "No-Prize" (which
usually consists of some practical joke by them Yancy
Streeters). And if you don't know about Yancy Street,
pick up a few copies of the FF by Lee & Kirby - when
comics cost 12 cents and the CGC would've been deemed
a poorly constructed hallucinogenic scheme hatched by
the diabolic Dr. Doom.
To submit a comic for consideration in the CGC Hall
of Shame, please follow these simple rules: (1)
The comic must be Modern Age - 1980 to the present.
(2) The comic must be from an on-line auction house;
like eBay. (3) The comic must be CGC graded and
fetch a minimum winning bid of 10X Overstreet Guide.
This CGC Hall Of Shame column will continue to
operate until this senseless overpricing of CGC graded
Modern Age books ceases. I'll see you next month
for.... CGC March Madness!
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