Market Spotlight!

It seems like about 12 seconds ago I posted the last Market Spotlight entry.  Since then I'm made sales on Secret Six: Depths, and I've made multiple sales on Doom Patrol Vol 2 and Invisibles Vol 2.  Sick of the Grant Morrison phenomenon yet?  Too bad, because here comes another...

Invisibles Vol 4:  Bloody Hell In America

ISBN:  1563894440

SRP:          $12.95

Amazon Min:    $30/$50

Now we're talkin', Gamers!  Invisibles Vol 4 appears to have all the selling strength of Apocalipstick, but your entry cost is 33% lower.  Now that sounds like an opportunity to me!

I've been banging this drum pretty hard lately, but I don't know why we'd stop at this point.  The thesis is golden, and the results (for me, at least) have been brisk and predictable.  As always, you need to exercise a little bit of restraint.  Surely DC cannot possibly let this go much longer, right?  These books will be going back to press sometime soon, at which time the profit faucet shuts off immediately.  But in the now, I certainly advocate picking up copies of this tome for full retail price.

DC Graphic Novel Vol 1:  Hunger Dogs

ISBN:   N/A

SRP:       $5.95

Amazon Min:   $13/$30

I've never tracked the DC graphic novels before, but I saw this one pop for $37 on eBay (listed as 9.2 condition) and the interest instantly perked.  This is Kirby Fourth World stuff, which means it will always have some emotional cache with the Old Guard, and that's a good thing.

Your entry cost is very low, it's difficult to imagine interest drying up.  I mean, they could come out with a new edition of something, but does that seem likely to you?  Even in garbage shape, getting your 3:1 margin doesn't seem too tough.  I actually wouldn't mind paying up for a really nice copy on something like this.  It was produced in 1985, which feels like it's fully inside the modern age, because it is.  It's also more than 25 years old.  Age conspires against condition, so if you find one that's particularly shiny, get yourself one of these.

Spider-Man: India

ISBN:    0785116400

SRP:  $9.99

Amazon Min:   $30/$40

Every once in awhile, I get to tell myself "I told you so".  About three years ago I just had a feeling about this one.  My rational thesis was that it was a Spider-Man book likely to be under-ordered, and eventually the completists would want this weird little collection and not be able to find it.  That was the thesis, but not a particularly strong one.  I just had one of those feelings.

Back then, I could have picked this up all day long in quantity for $2-$5.  It was everywhere.  Slashed prices at every convention I went to.  Remember the Torpedo site?  That was really nice when it was up and running.  You could have bought stacks of that book for $5.  Man, I wish I had done that!

I don't know if my theory proved correct, but I do know that it takes at least $30 to nab one of these on Amazon, $40 if you want it in nice shape.  It should prove to be a nice little earner if you can find one at your LCS or a con, and really, that doesn't seem that unlikely.  It's a really strong property, and the margins are perfect.  They would have been really perfect at $5 a copy - doh!

Atomic Robo Vol 1:  Atomic Robo & The Fightin' Scientist of Tesladyne

ISBN:  0980930200

SRP:      $18.95

Amazon Min:    $47+

I like this book, but you need to tread carefully.  Not long ago I saw a similar feeding frenzy with Atomic Robo Vol 2, and then Red 5 went back to press with due haste.  I got out with a tiny profit on my two copies, but just barely.

The good news is the Clevinger and company have built a very nice niche audience with the property.  Atomic Robo is not a flash in the pan, they've really captured something mixing sci-fi and humor, plus the folks at Red 5 make a really pretty product.  The bad news is that your entry cost on that pretty product is relatively steep, so there's more risk than I'm perfectly comfortable with at full retail.

I'll put a caveat on that, though.  The picture on the right is the cover for the first edition.  If you're looking long term, I wouldn't mind paying full retail for a copy of that, and I wouldn't mind holding on to it, either.  Second or later editions I'm looking to pay 50% of retail and focused on flipping it quick.

- Ryan