There was a time not so long ago, people sat quietly in dark rooms, avoiding the rest of the world, reading comics. It was a sad time, when reading “wasn’t cool” and comics were the nerdiest way to read. Being a nerd wasn’t cool either…
Thankfully, some of these socially shunned nerds went on to become some of the most famous entrepreneurs in the world. Think Zuckerberg, Wozniak, Bezos and Musk. It’s accurate to say that they have changed how we feel about being a nerdy bookworm and have given rise to the GeekChic world we live in now.
One of the side e ects to this new world thinking is the rise of the Comic book franchise movies. In the early 2000s they tried and they meandered into the remainder bin, but now, any hero is a hit. Aquaman was huge. Now, he is even considered cool and sexy — and this was a hero who rode a seahorse in a yellow leotard!
So where’s the commerce? Well obviously the movie execs and actors are doing well, but so are some of those kids who once sat alone in a dark room. As the dawn of geekdom shone upon their dark and gloomy rooms, we saw interest peak in the origins of these comic book characters. The transactions of comics rose and so did their value. The lonely geeks did well.
It’s fair to say that a lifelong collector of comics can be a little passionate (even obsessive) but this is exactly what makes this an exciting market. Whilst others might buy stock and shares, commodities and property – collectors buy interesting comics, which they love and cherish.
It is the detail that makes the comics special. This brings depth to the market – it is about who wrote the story, where they wrote it, how they wrote it and why. Then we can explore who published it, how it was printed and why it was produced that way. After this we can dive deeper. Who collected this comic? Was it part of a greater collection and how was it looked after? All of these factors play a role in why one comic is valued enormously and why another isn’t worth 50 pence.
We have seen and heard of people building small collections for relatively small investments (£1,000), and over the course of a few years sell that collection for £5,000. This doesn’t mean you can buy any old comic and expect a return — just like stock and shares — you have to do your homework to get a good comic at a good price.
The opportunity is out there, you just have to nd it
