InvestComics Comic Hot Picks 4-14-10

Number one and number zero comics run wild this week. More than 60, that’s right 60 different versions of premiere issues!! Check out some of those comics and some great Hot Picks AND InvestComics the week that was…

Hot Picks 4-14-10

Sentry Kills Ares…….

Okay so this has to be one of the biggest weeks in a very long time regarding the release of number 1 and number 0 issues. There are a total combined of at least (at last count) 30 number 1 and Number 0 issues being released this week. So let’s assume here that each one has a variant, which many of them have more than one variant, but let’s go with an extremely conservative ONE variant here. That 30 number turns into a 60. I really hope your local comic shop has room this week! So with the numbers game out of the way, let’s talk about Siege. Marvel is delivering the goods with this event. Don’t believe it? Ask Ares how he feels about this…..oh yes he can’t because he’s in about 100 pieces all over the pages of Siege #2. Marvel gets more money out of us this week with the release of Siege Captain America #1, Siege Loki #1, and Siege Young Avengers #1. These are MUST HAVE books if you want to stay in the Marvel Siege loop. The variants to these issues will be in high demand as the Siege event reaches fever pitch. Buy, buy and buy. Marvel keeps things going on the pimp side with the release of 2 new Iron Man books this week. Iron Man Noir #1 will be a nice read, but probably will be a quick sell and forgettable story. On the flip side though, Iron Man Legacy #1 is a new ONGOING Stark book. This one will be the better of the 2 Iron comics this week as far a possible turnover later on. Iron Man Legacy will bring out some cool villains for the start of the series. Radioactive Man – 1st appearance: Journey into Mystery #93 – 1963 $700, Titanium Man – 1st appearance: Tales of Suspense #69 – 1959 $150, and Crimson Dynamo – 1st appearance: Tales of Suspense #46 – 1959 $850. These villains aren’t heavy hitters as far as appeal goes, but they pack a wallop on the investment side. Jack Kirby did all 3 of these covers by the way, so maybe that would be one of the reasons these comics command such high bucks with the exception of the Titanium Man comic and the scarcity of course. It’s a safe bet and a good one that the Titanium Man 1st appearance is undervalued and should be bought as a long term investment. Sticking on the Iron Man topic here, Black Widow #1 comes out without fans screaming they really want an ongoing from her. This will be “Volume 4” number 1, so Marvel will throw their hand out there again to see if it sticks this time. With many female heroes succeeding on their own, Black Widow will do just fine. Look for a very quick sellout on this one as well as a high demand for the movie cover variant with Scarlett Johansson gracing the cover. Wow she is pretty isn’t she?! The series will do well for the duration of the hot Iron Man 2 movie, but sales might decline thereafter when the market cools off, so don’t hold onto the variant(s) too long or you’ll be stuck until the Black Widow SOLO movie comes out. If you want to get a gem though, look for a crispy copy of Tales of Suspense #52 from 1959. Black Widow’s 1st appearance will set you back about $700. This comic falls into the long term investment category. Buy this now, put it away and forget about it for the time being. Marvel’s 1st silliest comic (meant to be serious) will be hitting the busy shelves this week. World War Hulks Hulked-Out Heroes #1. The solicit reads “…the most incredible new character from the House of Ideas: HULKPOOL!” Wow this seems a bit silly doesn’t it? It’s like the whole red Hulk; war of Hulks has gone on WAY too long now. The only good thing about this number one issue are the second rate characters appearing in it. Devil Dinosaur – 1st appearance in Devil Dinosaur #1 1978 for $12. This ridiculous series lasted 9 issues, but the BEST part of actually owning ALL 9 issues is that Jack Kirby did every single one of them! Then you have Rama Tut which first appeared in Fantastic Four #19 – 1963. This comic will cost you about $600. Last but not least, Rawhide Kid appearing in Rawhide Kid #1 back in 1955 which will run you about $700. Any one of these characters could take off at anytime for any reason. Personally, I’m loving that Devil Dinosaur run. ….Getting back to Siege talk for a minute here. Remember when Ares was ripped into about 100 pieces? Well this week he gets his own number one issue. No wonder why the number one issue count is so high this week. Even dead people are getting their own book! So Savage Axe of Ares #1 will be headed to a store near you. If you like looking for 1st appearances of dead people, Ares first appeared in Thor #129. The dead guy with the number one issue, first appearance will cost only about $125. Not too bad considering it’s only 3 issues after the most recommended InvestComics™ pick to date; Thor #126 (which is essentially the “number 1” Thor due to the changing of the title from #125). So even though Ares is kaput, This is still a handsome buy at a buck 25. Spider-Man has a number one issues this week. Heck why not right?? Spider-Man Origin of the Hunter #1. Hunter’s origin has been done and then done again. Why not get Amazing Spider-Man #15 (1964), 1st Kraven? A mere $1500 could land you a very nice copy of one of Spidey’s greatest foes ever. With the reboot of the Spider-Man franchise, do not be surprised if Kraven is mentioned as a possible villain. He would be total bad ass if ever put on film. The last Marvel comic this week to discuss, Marvel Adventures Super Heroes #1 features the Avengers. Actually, not much to say here, but looks like fun!

DC will be no stranger to the “Week of the Number 0 & 1 issues.” As we all know, unless you’ve been living under a freaking rock, Green Lantern’s Blackest Night was the biggest Lantern/DC event to happen for quite some time. So how does one follow this up?? With “Brightest Day” of course! Duh! Check out Brightest Day #0 to get started on the roller coaster ride ALL over again. Remember, keep your hands inside at all times, you don’t want to lose that “jewelry”. Out of the Blackest Night comes Flash #1 with Barry Allen. The Flash will be a hot run with Geoff Johns at the helm, but don’t look for this comic to sustain the speed of Allen for that long. While Flash and Johns go together so perfectly, the interest will eventually die down. BUT, wait till the HUGE announcements come out of San Diego Comic Con to gauge where this comic will go as far as the collector/investment goes. Either on Ebay or sitting in your room for the duration because a Flash OR JLA movie will be announced. So basically hold the comic until then. MOST likely you will be holding onto it for a while. Doc Savage #1 joins the fun of the 30 plus number one issues this week. Doc has been around forever, but not too sure he deserves a number one issue. This might sell out, but a regular ongoing with Doc Savage?? Booster Gold will be going through some changes. Look at Booster Gold #31 for status quo changes for him……. should be interesting. A final DC look would be Green Arrow #32, the continuation of The Fall of Green Arrow”. This too looks interesting and should carry over from the first part.

So what about the rest of the number one issues? Well here are some of the number one’s to look out for. The Pilgrim #1 (IDW), Wolfskin#1 (Avatar), Hellcyon #1 (Dark Horse), Kill Shakespeare #1 (IDW), Pantheon #1 (IDW), The Light #1 (Image), Mindfield #0 (Aspen), Fevre Dream #1 (Avatar), Captain Action Special #1 & Phantom Captain Action #1 (Moonstone), and the 2 most notable of the number one’s are Irredeemable Special #1 (BOOM!) which is a one shot focusing in on loose ends, new reveals, etc. Mark Waid has a hit on his hands and you should find the Irredeemable #1, which shouldn’t be hard to find at all and sit on it. Buy the variant and wait for a while on this one. Irredeemable has potential of doing something big one day, like a movie. Afro Samurai was a big underground success. Take a look at Cold Space #1 (BOOM!) and you’ll see it’s brought to you by the same creators that brought you Afro. Get Afro Samurai comics from 1999, issues 1 & 2 for $14 apiece. Once again, this comic and animation creation looks like a potential live action movie one day.