And ASM V2#25 makes it a full run

That's  right, kids, I now have a complete run of Amazing Spider-Man. Yes, that's including Spidey's first appearance in Amazing Fantasy # 15.

The really interesting thing (to me) is that the last couple of issues I needed to collect to complete my full run of this series were not the lower-numbered (earliest) issues, but the ones that came out in the mid-to-late '90s. In fact the final issue I needed (the one I received today) was actually Amazing Spider-Man Vol 2 #25. For some reason this single issue has proven to be harder to track down than some of the more "exotic" issues.

Near as I can figure (because there really is nothing extraordinarily special about it as far as I can tell), is that it came out at a time when Marvel was playing everything close to the vest and (quite literally) only printed what was ordered. Thus proving that scarcity coupled with demand is what determines pricing, not price guide guides or hype.

I've been looking for this particular issue for well over a year now, but most of the time that I saw it (when I could actually find it), the issue was priced well beyond, not only what I was willing to spend for it, but way beyond what the issues on either side of it were commanding.

Sure I wanted it, but no, I simply was not going to pay that much for the issue. As it turns out, I didn't have to (over)pay for it. Even as I searched for it at conventions, I stalked it online at auction sites. I did see it a couple of times priced lower (and missed the bid), but more often than not, I saw it much higher. Finally, the other day I saw it at a reasonable price (a touch higher than I was hoping to pay for it, but not so much so as to make acquiring it painful), so I snatched it up.

Now I just have to look over the other Spider-Titles to see what's missing and then set about filling in those holes as well.

I could be a millionaire!

No really, I could be, and I’m not talking about that Publisher's Clearing House junk mail nonsense, I’m talking about this...

Spider-Man Shocker: Highest Graded Copy of Amazing Fantasy #15 Goes For $1.1 Million

The vintage comics scene is in shock this afternoon with the news that the CGC 9.6 copy of Amazing Fantasy #15, the first appearance of Spider-Man by Steve Ditko and Stan Lee, has sold in a private transaction for $1.1 million. This is far and away the highest price paid for a Silver Age comic book, and is indicative of just how strong the SA Marvel market is right now as we enter a huge year for Marvel properties with a full movie slate.

How does this affect me? I own a copy.

You all can call me MR. Millionaire :)

Hopefully your mom didn’t throw yours out...

There is a comicbook shop in Torrington, CT called My Mother Threw Mine Away. Personally, while my parents never understood why I bought and saved comics, they never tossed any of mine. Hopefully yours didn’t either. Still, if you are looking for a list of some of the highest comics ever offered for resale, check out this list.

Actually, it is a bit dated (with some of the comics shown here having sold for more than this article reports, and the first item on the list is actually a piece of art rather than an actual comic) but it is still a good barometer of the field.

Needless to say, the only comic in this list that I actually own is Amazing Fantasy #15.

Batman #1 up for Auction

As many of you already know, earlier this year, Action #1 (the first Superman) sold at auction for a cool million, a few weeks later, Detective #27 (the first Batman appearance) was gobbled up for a mil-five. Now we hear that Batman #1 is up for sale, and is expected to net over $40,000!

  A longtime Alaska comic book buff is selling one of the gems in his vast collection, a rare copy of Batman No. 1 published 70 years ago.
  Mike Wheat of Fairbanks has put the 1940 comic book on the auction block through Dallas-based Heritage Auction Galleries, where it's expected to fetch more than $40,000. Online bids already have climbed to $35,000 for the book, believed to be one of fewer than 300 still in existence.
  Online bids will compete with a live auction set for Thursday.

 Personally, we’re still awaiting news on how much Amazing Fantasy #15 (a comic we own), which was the first appearance of Spider-Man is going for these days.

ComicConn 2010

So, yesterday I spent the day at ComicConn 2010, and while there I not only hooked up with numerous friends of mine (some I haven’t seen in nearly a quarter of a century), but I met a guy who just might want to hire me on as a writer (more on that as it happens).

Still, perhaps the biggest thing was that I manage to score two of the three missing issues of Amazing Spider-Man that I need to complete my run on this title (ASM #431 & ASM V2 #21). Now I only have to score ASM V2 #25, and I’ll have ‘em all (including Amazing Fantasy #15 I might add).

Seriously, how wicked-cool is that?

As for the rest of Spidey's (numerous) titles, I know that I have like 90% of them all, and once I’ve finished off with ASM, I’m going to hunt down every issue of every title (including all of his appearances in other character’s titles — excluding reprints and variant issues).

So, yeah, I’m pretty pumped about all of this.

A new world’s record!

OK, if this don’t take the cake. Just a couple of days ago we reported that Action Comics #1 had set a new record for the sale of a single comicbook (a million bucks!), and, well, we though that was totally awesome. Imagine our surprise today when we learned that that most astounding record has been broken already, by none other than Detective Comics #27 — the first appearance of the other half of the Brave and Bold team — none other than Batman himself.

Yep, that’s right, it has just been reported that Detective Comics #27 just sold for $1,075,500 (US) at an auction. Apparently the owner of the comic bought it back in the 1960s for $100.00.

Now that’s what I call a sound investment.

Me? I own Amazing Fantasy #15, the first appearance of the Amazing Spider-Man. Wonder how much that will go for 20 years from now?

Spidey @ Old Navy

So I just learned that Old Navy is giving away a 12-page reprint of the Spidey portion of Amazing Fantasy #15. However, before you run out to grab your own copy, be aware that they are making you purchase a collectible kid’s T-shirt (for $10.50-$12.50) before they will hand over the comic.

Now, I don’t know about you folk, but I really don’t need a kid’s collectible T, so what I did was purchase the T, and am intending on bringing it back in a week for a return. I’m sure that they will give me a store credit, which I’ll take and simply use that to purchase something for my daughter that I’m sure that she’ll need for back to school stuff.

Back in the Saddle Again

Well, it has been a while since I’ve been posting to this space, first a virus, then a bad power supply, then well, just overloaded time. Anyway, I’m hoping to catch up over the next few days with a bunch of stuff that has been sitting around my in-box for a time.

First thing is this cartoon. I saw it quite a while back, and clipped it. As a Spidey fan, it hit a responsive chord in me, and I felt that I wanted to share it with you all, especially those of you folk who, like me, are contributors to SpiderFan.

I figured that all of you, like me, would blanch when reading this strip (then get a good chuckle out of it). Especially after the recent conversation that many of us had over owning a copy of Amazing Fantasy #15 (the actual first appearance of our beloved webbed hero.

And look, perhaps the most important aspect of this comic, is that they actually spelled Spidey’s name right, with the hyphen.