The comic collecting world has gone through a number of speculator cycles - the ‘90s being a very famous period that almost killed the industry. The past few years has seen many of the traits from that period being repeated - covers being more important than the contents for example. Coupled with this trend has been the massive increases in collector prices for first appearances when a character gets to appear on screen, or a scene is mirrored on screen (such as Iron Man wielding the Infinity Gauntlet). This trend seems to have caught up with Star Wars comics. Until recently, there were a few Star Wars comics that commanded big money - the 35 cents copy of Star Wars issue 1 for example. But with the Mandalorian things are starting to change. So issue 42, the first Boba Fett has started to rise. But the one that has really caught my attention is Clone Wars issue 1 - this is reaching insane values as it features the first appearance of Ashoka in comics. Dragging behind it are some issues such as Mace Windu Jedi as that has Ventress & Darth Vader issue 3 as that is Aphra’s first appearance. I know some of the trade paperback reprints were increasing in value, but by & large, the Dark Horse single issues were not. This appears to be changing. I’m interested in people’s thoughts on this.
I’ve collected every comic since the reboot in 2015. Apart from the Farth a Vader issue 3 you mentioned, I’m not sure if anything published that recently would sell for that much more than retail, barring cast autographs and rare variant cover editions,
I agree, the current comics don’t really advance the story as I feel we are in ‘treading water’ territory, similar to the time period after ROTJ was released. it’s primarily the Dark Horse stuff that seems to be going through the price increases.
I would expect some issues from the Marvel original run to keep appreciating. Marvel Star Wars #42, but issues of #39 thru #44. Comic price guides will likely not reflect the rise in price unless there is a large appreciation. Price guides have generally been resistant to showing price appreciation for SW comics, with only a few exceptions. Marvel #68 with the Boba Fett cover should appreciate but be less expensive than Marvel #42. Marvel #81 tends to claim higher prices. #88 and #90, #94-#96, the Lumiya issues can claim higher prices. Lumiya could come back potentially. #100 thru #107 have always tended to claim higher prices because of their lower print run. I would watch out for the foreign exclusive editions appreciating in price. The rare SW Annual that has the Ewoks on the cover from 1989 or 1990 is tough to find in most regions. Spoiler I agree there. That issue was tough to track down in its regular cover and its variant edition cover. Spoiler There is also a rare tradpaperback of the Clone Wars webstrips that was a convention exclusive. Spoiler The tradepaperbacks for Dawn of the Jedi have appreciated since 2015. There are a lot of Dark Horse specialty items that tend to claim high prices: The Mix-up Droid Cassette and Mini Comic when they are sealed, Exar Kun and Ulic Qel Droma Comic Book Pack Dawn of the Jedi items Force Unleashed Mini Comics Also check out these variant editions for the new Marvel runs Spoiler This Vader Down #1 variant was introduced to the market at insanely high prices due to its low print run. I think its market value has been cut in half since it first hit the market. That shows you how wildly speculative these prices can be. I have seen this comic listed at prices exceeding $8,000.00 when it was a new item. My last check on Ebay shows it listed for about half of that original price.
As it happens, I purchased a copy of #42 (also the first comics appearance of Yoda) on eBay just a few months ago for a touch above $20 USD, which I considered a pretty reasonable price all things considered. The Mandalorian has certainly triggered some price increases - I had to wait quite a while for that opportunity to finally present itself. No, I'm not a "Mandalorian Speculator" - I simply got a bug up my tail to complete my Marvel collection, and as it happened #42 (and a copy of #100 in better condition than the one I already had) were all I needed. Taking a break to catch up on my canon collection before trying to tackle the Star Comics Droids and Ewoks books - I don't even want to think about what those might be going for right now!
I'm not sure if it's because of how many have been printed or the editions, but many of the trade paperbacks on my Amazon list are what I consider somewhat spendy - I know some are more valued than others which surely explains it, but some prices seem kind of high. Dawn of the Jedi trades as @Tython Awakening mentioned I usually see for around 35-40 dollars. The cheapest copy of the Darth Maul: Death Sentence trade is $40. Some of the Omnibus collections are anywhere from $50 - $100, and Invasion and Crimson Empire trades are going for a pretty penny. I've been striving to collect more Star Wars trades and suffice it to say my wallet is in pain
Man this is just coming to my attention. I sold that Clone Wars issue with the Filoni cover two years ago or so and don't remember getting much for it. Suffice to say I feel somewhat stupid as it would have been the most valuable comic I every had in my collection, I've never had anything close to that value. Other issues I regret selling a couple years ago, Dawn of the Jedi #1 variant, and the complete run of KOTOR which is now going for 4x what I sold it for. And funny enough the runs I did keep like Legacy didn't seem to change in value much. This must be a recent phenomena because I bought Darth Maul Son of Dathomir in 2019 and paid around $30 for four issues now they're going for $100. What is the Clone Wars webcomic TPB worth? Can't find it on ebay. I amazingly still have a signed copy after purging most of my tpb collection several years ago.
I'm no expert, but isn't that because a lot of the Dark Horse stuff is out of print? Even if a particular comic is being reprinted by Marvel as part of their Epic Collection books, the original versions with the Dark Horse logo stamped on them are no longer being made.
I remember 2-3 years ago half of the Dark Horse TPBs would sell for literal pennies on Amazon (not counting shipping). Now it seems the starting point is $20 and it goes up fast. Any collection seems to be in the triple digits. Kind of a shame that what was once a fun hobby of mine is now pretty much inaccessible. Doesn't help that the Marvel collections are really expensive as well and really all over the place.
For the longest time, Dark Horse Star Wars was a weird one - the trades went up in value whereas the actual issues did not. the trades have remained high, but the issues have started to climb. It’s proving a complete minefield to try to keep up with what is doing what, & some just seem to jump in an almost exponential fashion - Darth Maul: Son of Dathomir being one example. I think even comics like Dark Empire & Heir to the Empire have started to climb. They are following that horrible trend of first appearances - bear in mind these are not necessarily the first appearance in media, but just in comics. Hence Clone Wars 1, Star Wars 42, HTTE 1 etc. As this impacts two of my hobbies, I worry. This focus on first appearances, with all others being ignored, until the next first appearance comes along, seems to suck attention like a black hole. It could be great for the bank balance of old foggies like me who bought all this off the stands when they were released, but I’m not sure it will be healthy for the medium long term.
In the days of the DH message boards, Dark Horse SW editorial staff acknowledged that the trades might climb to higher collectible prices than buying all the individual issues of a story arc. SW comics, both Marvel and Dark Horse, were at rock-bottom pricing in 2012 before the sale to Disney. That was back when Marvel comics were appreciating due to new fans / new interest from the MCU taking off. Some of the SW Epic Collections are only available on back order these days. Marvel has put out so many trades and omnibus books, comic stores can't keep up with their tight shelving and floor space.
I know the recent Marvel Epic Collections have had short print runs, so we've seen some like Old Republic vol. 1 sell for over $2,000(!) on Amazon, for a book that only came out in 2015.
Did it sell for that or was it priced for that? Amazon marketplace prices aren’t very reliable - I’ve seen CDs that are readily available be quoted on marketplace for over £100. I tend to use eBay sold listings to gauge an average price
Amazon marketplace can display more volatile pricing than eBay. I doubt it sold for $2,000.00 USD...but you never know. If it did sell for that price, that could be some rare exception or even the same person transacting with himself. Or maybe the "Prince of Burundi" bought the comic book as a vanity gift? But there is a wake up call here if you want to collect the Epic Collections. They can go out of print or Marvel could have to do additional print runs if secondary pricing starts looking weird. If your collection won't be complete without one of the Epic Collections, it's probably a good idea to PreOrder. What I have seen on Amazon is that collectible items can have a second listing full of speculative pricing. The speculative prices can start over a hundred dollars over the original retail and then run all the way up into the thousands. These are real Amazon sellers but they set up their listing with inflated prices right as in-stock quantities start to get low.
If you want to sell an out-of-print item, collectors may go up to 2-3 times RRP, after that.... Probably not.
As a norm, yes. some go way, way beyond that, especially in the current speculator market where everyone is chasing the next ‘first appearance’. It’s not sensible, but it is happening.
I'm surprised with some of the prices for the Knights of the Old Republic, 1-50 run. One seller is selling issue #1 under the headline there is a "New Disney Movie Story." That can only be speculation. The sellers on eBay are pushing up the price on KOTOR #9 and a few other issues. But it's KOTOR #9 that is being listed at ridiculous prices. Unfortunately, it's not just one seller but several sellers.
Oh, I can believe it. For myself though, I'd feel guilty over charging too high a price and I want the stuff to sell.
I have a bunch of pre PT Dark Horse Star Wars issues that may be worth something, and later Dark Horse stuff is more sporadic, like I have I believe a Clone Wars FCBD issue based upon the 03 media project and cartoon miniseries. https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Category:Free_Comic_Book_Day_comics The Anakin and Obi-Wan cover looks familiar. And I definitely have 1st run of Son of Dathomir and Aphra's first appearance. I guess that would be the only real valuable of the current Marvel run.
Yikes, we have entered a new era for SW back issue pricing. The prices out there now are different from 2015. Most notably, sellers on eBay are using new pricing schemes and new rationales for higher prices. The number of SW comics claiming higher prices these days has expanded. The key Ashoka Tano comics and Knights of the Old Republic issues have appreciated. The proof that buyers are willing to pay higher prices is when buyers bid up the price for auction listings. There are some rare variant issues that only hit the market at super-high prices like the Vader Down b/w Jaxxon variant. Beyond that, there are some key issues that are now claiming higher prices on eBay and presumably in other markets. For example, Mace Windu #5 is claiming appreciated prices on eBay. Key comic issues for characters from Clone Wars and Rebels animated seem to be driving up the prices. Also, another thought, the Covid pandemic and shutdown is probably driving some of the prices up.
I was lucky enough to get the original Son of Dathomir TPB by Dark Horse, which was released right before they lost the license and sold out quickly. For a while it was worth hundreds on the aftermarket, but I suspect it's not quite as desirable with the new and improved Marvel rerelease. I also have all the SoD original issues, Death Sentence, and a full collection of the TCW graphic novels, which includes the three comic reprint volumes. I don't know if I'd ever sell them but I'd be curious as to what each is worth. Sidenote, shame on whomever was in charge of designing the spines for these books. Spoiler
