Market Spotlight: DC Relaunch edition!

Booster Gold # 44

I mentioned this book as an earning possibility a couple of weeks ago on the show, back when Flashpoint was just a mildly annoying Elseworlds tale losing out to Fear Itself.  Now that we're forced to recognize that Flashpoint is going to remake the entire DC universe in September, I don't know how this book avoids epic detonation.

This is the only mainstream DC title with a Flashpoint banner on it.  Is it integral to the series?  Doesn't matter.  Was She Hulk # 8 integral to Civil War?  Hardly.  And She Hulk was one of many Marvel books tying into Civil War, while Booster Gold stands alone as the woefully under printed target of collectors looking to complete their collection of the biggest event DC has done in....ever?  

As I type this, it hasn't gone kablooeyyet.  It's been trading at around the $10 level (accounting for shipping) for a couple of days, and still available at those levels.  Don't expect that to last.

Enquiring minds probably want to know - what about Flashpoint proper, or the cornocopia of weird Flashpoint mini-series?  I find it unlikely that Flashpoint the series carries much potential.  History teaches that most event books don't earn regardless of popularity because the print runs tend to sate demand.  You'll have exceptions like Secret War # 8, where Spider-Man discovers the alien symbiote, or Crisis # 8 where Flash dies.  I think that given the breaking news, Flashpoint is probably under-ordered.  But it doesn't excite me as a Gamer.

The Flashpoint minis are a slightly different story.  The problem is that I need facts in order to build a thesis, and I just don't have anything solid to Game with.  It seems likely that some of the characters from these minis are going to carry over into the "real" DC universe come September.  Issues featuring those characters that "stick" are due for a serious spike.

But which to choose?  Canterbury Cricket, Secret Seven, Abin Sur?  If I were to try to beat this, I would focus on those titles featuring more high profile creators, on the theory that DC would put their best talent on properties they know will be "important" to the Next Big Thing.

Take a chance with me?

The problem with that strategy is figuring out which of these creators constitute "high profile" talent, and the fact that it's a fairly flimsy assumption on my part.  A handful of these issues are going to go nuclear due to the print runs, I mean, is any shop out there loading up on Wonder Woman and the Furies?  It wouldn't surprise me if DC used this as a way to yet again reduce WW to scrap and rebuild her given the Straczynski fiasco.  If the new Wonder Woman, the one we get in September is born in that mini I'd say we have an earner on our hands.

The whole thing is a giant crapshoot, though.  I'm not a gambler, I'm a whore.  I'd say Booster Gold # 44 is way better than a crapshoot.  I think a conservative estimate is $20, and I could see as high as $50 if people are really excited about the new DC.  There simply won't be enough copies out there to soak up any kind of a rush, particularly if the herd smells history on the horizon. 

- Ryan