07 Feb Does Great Writing = Good Investment?

If knowledge is truly power, comic readers have a massive edge over trend-hopping investors. Readers have the inside track on developing stories and characters and actually decide –by way of circulation– the fates of writers, artists, and what becomes canon. It is demand that informs supply, and together they determine value. On that basis alone, quality story-telling should yield high returns. But does it?

Case in Point

The truth is that not all great comics become valuable. Beyond just being well-written and well-illustrated, the stories must have lasting value. The building blocks of longevity are new characters, which is why issues that introduce exciting new heroes and villains have always been most likely to hold value. But even that requires qualification. One generation’s award-winner can easily become the next generation’s kindling – though a good read is truly its own reward.

Howard Chaykin is a bonafide legend, having co-created the movie poster layout for Star Wars and penciling a great run starting with Star Wars #1 and working tirelessly ever after. His creator-owned American Flagg! built upon his edgy Cody Starbuck strip in the pages of Star Reach –and to much acclaim. American Flagg! was part of indie publisher First Comics’ initial slate of titles back in 1983 and continued for fifty issues until 1988. It was nominated for ten Eagle Awards in 1984 –winning 7, and picked up the Comic Buyer’s Guide Fan Award for Favorite Series and tied for Favorite Character. Chaykin’s frequent collaborator Ken Bruzenak‘s groundbreaking lettering won notice (and a 1988 Harvey Award), as an integral part of the comic’s futuristic, corporate-logo-littered ambiance. As Chaykin became an in-demand writer and artist on titles like DC’s relaunch of The Shadow and the explicit, polybagged Black Kiss, he relegated the production of his own series to others. After five years, it succumbed to cancellation.

If you haven’t read Chaykin’s take on Lamont Cranston, seek it out as it, too, is excellent. The last CGC 9.8 of The Shadow Vol. 3 #1 sold in 2020 for only $21.50. There are fewer than 20 on the census and I’ve never personally seen one. Seems like a pretty solid candidate for long-term gain because two generations of comic book collectors have never read nor likely seen these comics even though they’ve read hundreds of comics that they influenced. Back issues of all these titles generally hover at cover price and I picked up a CGC 9.6 of American Flagg! #1 last year for little more than $30. It’s a shame that the value falls short because the stories still hold up. It was a smart and sexy comic that has seemed poised to explode for decades and somehow still seems like a great long shot now. 80s nostalgia is very real and this is a ripe project for an HBO Max or Apple TV adaptation.

Exhibit B

While it is still possible for any one of the aforementioned Howard Chaykin comics to suddenly become Cult Classics, the great hurdle to this happening is that they are no longer in print. The greatest indicator of consensus appreciation is an Omnibus or Absolute Edition, and unfortunately the American Flagg! Omnibus that collects the first 12 issue story arc has been out of print for years. This is an all-too-common fate for indie titles and even creator-controlled properties. If the next generation can’t find it, they can’t read it, and if they don’t read it how will they come to love it?

Even comic God and chaos Magician Alan Moore’s work has gone out of print on more than one occasion. 1963 (an Image homage to Marvel’s Silver Age) featuring collaborators Steve Bissette, John Totleben, Rick Veitch, Dave Gibbons, Don Simpson, and Jim Valentino is cursed to probably never be republished. That should make the six stand-alone issues insanely valuable, but there are only 23 copies of 1963 #1 (Mystery Incorporated) on the census with no record of any of them having sold. There are 18 copies in 9.8, and 7 in 9.6. It was never collected into an omnibus. You can routinely find these in dollar bins, so if you find a mint copy it’s probably worthwhile to send it in to get graded.

Top Ten and Promethea were each collected into Absolute Editions but a CGC 9.8 of Top Ten #1 last sold for only $60 in 2020 and Promethea #1 averaged a slightly more respectable $146 in 9.8. The former only lists 28 total graded copies across all conditions on the census and the latter only 67.  Out of sight may be out of mind, but nothing gets rediscovered with as much fanfare as a truly great forgotten comic book.

Consensus & Conclusion

We’ve discussed what can keep prices down on a great comic book series, now let’s look at what generally indicates a winner.

The Tom Tyler and Bruno Redondo collaboration that began with Nightwing #78  and continues to publish monthly is one of the most refreshing and exciting comics at this moment and it has recently been collected in hardcover. This collaboration just swept the DC Comic News Awards in 8 categories –including Best Ongoing Series, Best Story Arc, Best Writing, Best Art, Best Colors, Best Lettering, Single Issue, Best Graphic Novel (Collected), and Best Cover (for Nightwing #79 2nd Printing). And the recent Nightwing #87, a twenty-two-page continuous image, is a shoo-in for the Best Single Issue category at multiple award ceremonies later this year.

More than just great writing, there are a plethora of first appearances and delightful additions to the origin story of O.G. Robin and one-time Batman, Dick Grayson. Nightwing #81 debuts one of the most promising new DC villains, Heartless –whose motivations seem fatefully intertwined and at odds with our hero’s. In essence, it’s taken 82 years for this character to finally get a worthy adversary, and this is a very affordable comic in the $5 raw range.

What Makes Nightwing a Smart Investment?

There is no danger of a modern DC comic going permanently out of print, and the growing access to Digital comic archives exposes Nightwing to an exponentially larger audience. The renewal of Titans on HBO Max hasn’t had the type of massive impact on Teen Titan comic keys that Disney+ shows have for Marvel comics, but there is an established and steady growth. Rumors are heating up that Nightwing will soon be getting a theatrical solo film which will skyrocket the prices on Tales of the New Teen Titans #44  but surely also on the keys related to his latter-day revitalization.

Nightwing #88 is the debut of his new costume, which is a smart, hip upgrade from his disco era threads. And the criminally undervalued Starman #9 is the first appearance and first cover of Blockbuster (aka Roland Desmond) who is the Kingpin-esque crime boss of Nightwing’s Blüdhaven.

As a lifelong fan of Dick Grayson across his many incarnations, I’ve always been all-in for Nightwing, but in all honesty, the character has rarely been this well written. Grant Morrison did a great job of promoting him to Batman, but not since the Marv Wolfman and George Perez run on Teen Titans have we seen such a satisfying story arc as what we are now seeing from Taylor & Redondo.

What do you think? What are some of the best-written but undervalued comic runs? Comment below!

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  *None of the content of this article is intended as investment advise.
  This is just the opinion of the columnist – Do your own research!