Undervalued comics #23 – cheap bronze age comic book speculation (1972 and 1973)
This is part 2 of the series where I examine every single bronze age comics with first appearance and see which ones are still worth buying in this current over heated comic investment climate. Just remember most of these picks are like lottery tickets. If you missed part one, you can read it here.
1972 to 1973 Marvel
1972 saw some pretty impressive characters being introduced such as Ghost Rider and the currently hot Luke Cage. 1973 followed suited with the likes of Thanos, Blade, Shang-Chi, Valkyrie etc appearing in the pages of Marvel comics for the first time.
1972 to 1973 DC
Once again, DC offers more opportunities for undervalued buys as I see a number of characters that are at least recognizable. During this era, Swamp Thing is probably the biggest breakout. In fact, HOS #92 continues to climb recently compared to the prices I paid for them in 2014/15. I think the Justice League Dark news definitely helps in this regard. In addition, the collector community (not the spec sites) actually like this book so that definitely helps in creating a solid base for this book.
Picks
Now, it is time to see which characters from the 1972 to 1973 era is worth a consider!
Reminder: these are C class characters so risks are inherently high. Essentially, we are buying lottery tickets here. Some of these characters will make you scratch your heads.
| Marvel Characters | Issue | Assessment | |
| Werewolf by night | Marvel Spotlight #2 | I was never a big fan of characters like werewolf and vampires because Marvel would likely prefer original creations. | |
| Shanna, the She Devil | Shanna, She Devil #1 | Savage Land is an interesting area to explore so MCU might eventually go there. Then you can’t have Lost Lands without the likes of Shanna. | |
| Daimon Hellstrom | Marvel Spotlight #12 | I strongly believe that Hellstrom’s full appearance should be considered Marvel Spotlight #12. This aside, he could be someone we will be seeing on the big screen, given that the supernatural side is taking off. | |
| Satana Hellstrom | Vampire Tales #2 | Satana was one my picks here when I first talk about Marvel Supernatural characters. She is one of the few female supernatural characters around so there is a chance she might pop up as every movie always need some female leads. | |
| Brother Voodoo | Strange Tales #169 | This issue heated up when there was rumors that Chiwetel Ejiofor was playing him. That turned out to be false and interest died off. However, the fact that Brother Voodoo is now being published means there is a chance to rekindle collectors’ interest. This book is still relatively affordable and I encourage you to be pick it up. | |
| DC characters | |||
| Demon | Demon #1 | It seems more and more certain that Justice League Dark will happen. Demon happens to be one of the characters mentioned so definitely that will move this book’s prices when things are confirmed. Still affordable in high grade raw copies. | |
| Kamandi | Kamandi #1 | A Jack Kirby creation and we all know how fans love this man. There will be a new Kamandi series launched in 2017 so it might spark interest in this character again. Hey, if Moon Girl can arouse interest, why not Kamandi? Very affordable in 9.0 and above. | |
| Human Target | Action Comics #419 | If you have read Vertigo titles, you will know about the Human Target. He made this first appearance in this little gem of a book that figures a nice Neal Adams Superman cover. Very cheap to buy. | |
| Klarion, the Witch Boy | Demon #7 | A second Demon book? Yes, this time it is for the first appearance of Klarion, the Witch Boy. With query characters becoming more popular, why not the Witch Boy especially when he is still being published. | |
| Abigail Arcane | Swamp Thing #2 | If Swamp Thing get hots, it will be a matter of time before Abigail Arcane follows. She is such a pivot character in the Swamp Thing saga and has developed into someone with a rich history. Bonus: this issue also contains the first appearance of Anton Arcane, who might the villain for Justice League Dark. | |
| Wildfire | Superboy #195 | Arguably one of the most popular Legion characters during the 90s. DC seems to be quietly pushing the Legion of Superheroes in both publishing and movie/tv so it makes sense to pick up first appearances of their popular members. |
Compared to the 1970-71 period, the 1972-73 seems to offer more potential for buying undervalued debuts. There are a couple of books here that I personally can really break out under the right conditions such as Strange Tales #169, Superboy #195 etc.
Even if they don’t perform exponentially well, most of the books are affordable and give you a good return if you go after high grade copies.
I would love to see you do a feature that examines which characters you think will ride out this current speculator trend and still retain a high value at the end of it. In contrast, you could show which characters are better suited as having ‘flip’ potential and should therefore be sold during the height of their involvement with a movie or tv show, etc.
Great suggestions Mark!