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A Word on Comic Book Pricing
Author: Dave Gieber
The going worth of individual comic books can range all over the board. Some issues
have been know to bring in monetary value of six figures, while other issues aren't even
worth the price you paid for them. Action Comics #1 (the introduction of Superman) in
mint condition has been quoted at being worth $650,000. A pretty tidy piece of change.
Then Weird Science, issue #13, in near mint condition can command a respectable price
tag of $5,750. There are also multitudes of back issues purchased at a newsstand price of
around 5 bucks, that are now worth even less than that.

So how does one go about determining the actual value of their individual collections?
This is not an easy task or one to be taken lightly. Comic book worth is a highly
perceived value and will vary quite greatly, depending on which opinion you choose to
follow. By all means, if there is a reputable comic book dealer in your local area that you
are comfortable dealing with, get his or her opinion. But in all my research so far, it
seems that "The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide" is the bible of most active comic
book collectors.

I have my copy in electronic format, reachable from my desktop. It is very handy. If you
truly want to understand what your magazines are worth, the first thing you need to do is
to determine the physical condition of each comic book. Is it raggady ass poor with pages
missing and in need of a paper clip to hold it together or has it never been opened since
purchased and appears to be in mint condition? Even brand new comic books may not
make the grade of mint or perfect condition.

Overstreet gives a very detailed description of all the grades and sub-grades used in the
0.5 to 10.0 scale, generally acceptable by all comic book aficionados. If you follow his
physical condition explanations and grading scale, you will get a pretty good feel for the
conditions of your own collection.

The next step in your pricing exercise is to then go through the myriad of pages to find
your particular issues. Along with your now determined physical and grade conditions,
you can find your issue's current assumed value.

This guide also has tips on collecting, preserving and storing your comic books. And it
defines the various ages (Golden Age, Silver Age, etc.) that comic book history has
moved through.

I guess if I had to mention a drawback to this guide, it would be the fact that there is soo
much information to go through, it could take you quit a while to devour the whole book.
Once you get well acquainted and comfortable with the guide though, you could consider
yourself an expert in your own right and help your friends out with their collecting and
pricing questions.

I do believe this guide to be an invaluable and inexpensive resource to have and I don't
think you will be disappointed with it. You can visit Heritage Comics at
http://www.comic-book-collection-made-easy.com/CBPG to learn more about the guide.
While you are there, you may want to surf around Heritage's site. There are some very
interesting subjects there. If you have never seen Heritage Comics' site before and you
really enjoy it, just remember where you heard about it at (ha, ha). Of course if you
would rather have a hard copy of the Overstreet Guide, I an sure your local comic book
store would have a copy and I hope this little review has helped you with your pricing questions.

About the Author

Dave Gieber, a former rocket engineer, has decided to take up residency on the Internet.
He is the owner and editor of several websites, one of which was built around one of his
childhood passions; www.comic-book-collection-made-easy.com . You can visit here to
keep up to date on the world of comic books and comic book collecting. Feel free to sign
up for my comic book ezine at www.comic-book-collection-made-easy.com/comic-book-ezine.html

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comicbooks-11

Comic Books
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What is Anime?
Author: Rosana Hart

Anime is a word that needs no definition to millions of young people around the world -- but here's a description anyway, since you may be one of the millions who isn't familiar with the term. Anime is Japanese animation, and is hugely popular in Japan, a part of everyday life. The word is used to include quite a variety of animated TV series and films.

Often anime characters are drawn with large eyes and smallish noses. The animation uses sharp lines and may use less detail than Hollywood-style animation. Video games and mangas (Japanese comic books) are drawn in this style as well. Plots are often more complex and mature than Western-style cartoons or comic books, including violence and characters dying. Fantasy adventures and romance are part of the mix as well. There are so many different types of anime that there is something for everyone.

Youth culture cuts across national boundaries more and more nowadays, and anime products are a good example. From Japan to the United States, from China to Sweden, their popularity only increases. There are many fan events going on worldwide. In the U.S. in 2004, over one hundred thousand people attended Katsucon, Otakon, Anime Expo and similar events -- many of them in full costume. Now, anime is being created in places other than Japan.

Of course, not all anime fans are young. People of all ages enjoy this unique art form.

One study of its popularity projected that the worldwide market is approaching $100 billion, in US funds. That's a lot! This includes films, television, DVDs, tshirts, trading cards, and other merchandise.

Anime posters are among the merchandise that is growing in popularity. Inexpensive, easy to ship, and creating an environment in whatever space is available, they offer fans a way to immerse themselves in the realm of imagination.

Rosana Hart writes about many popular poster categories at her website http://www.infoandhelp.com/posters/ " http://www.infoandhelp.com/posters/ and a selection of anime posters can be seen there.

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comicbooks-10

Comic Books
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Comic Book Collectors; Nerdy Geeks or Shrewd Investors?
Author: Comics Galore
When one says, yeah, I collect comic books, what is the general public response? Oh no, a slightly off the wall geek. Here is someone who has lost touch with reality. Or someone that is in his or her own little world. I think not. Yes, comic book collectors may sometimes march to the beat of a different drummer, but who says we all have to be cut from the same mold. Comic books are big business.

Back in the days of my youth (what, several millennia ago?), I loved reading comic books. And so did a lot of my friends. Whenever we had an extra dime or sometimes a quarter, we could run up to the local small town grocery and spend some very happy times at the comic book rack.

We would even go out and find small odds jobs for pocket change, which was enough then to purchase 2 or 3 good flights of adventure and fantasy. I can even remember crawling under our house to retrieve a cat that had the misfortune of dying there. My Dad couldn't stomach the smell and enticed my friend and I to accomplish the chore for ample pocket change. We braved the spiders and other crawly creatures to retrieve and bury the unfortunate cat. Not long after that, we were the proud owners of yet, several more intriguing comic books. Even the local bully (who was really a pretty good guy) would purchase our worn out or unwanted magazines for far more than they were worth, so we could purchase new ones.

I didn't know much about collecting then. I just liked saving what I enjoyed. I had a large cardboard box that I kept under my bed, filled with all my little treasures. I didn't realize that I had the beginnings of what could have been something very lucrative. In later years when I headed off to college, I dragged my large cardboard box with me. At one point in time, I left most of my belongings in the charge of what I thought were trusted friends. When I returned from my forest firefighting adventures, my box full of magazines were no where to be found. And needless to say, were my trusted friends either. Others had seen the value in what I had and wanted it for themselves. Oh well, live and learn. That limited collection of comic books and other magazines would have been worth a small fortune today.

Are there big bucks in the comic book genre? Just look at what Hollywood has been up to for the last few decades. As far as I can tell, the really big blockbusters started back in 1978 with the release of Superman, The Movie. And since then there has been comic book hero after comic book hero to hit the silver screen. And they all make tons of money. The Hollywood moguls may or may not be "into" the genre, but the can smell large profits. And these kinds of profits aren't harvested from a small out of touch with reality niche. It take large numbers of individuals forking out 5 to 10 dollars a pop, to accumulate the astronomical profits that Hollywood is seeing these days. Individuals who may or may not want to admit their avid interest in comic book characters. I will stand up and say, I enjoy watching these movies and have even started my own collection of comic book character DVDs. Who knows, maybe some day my DVDs will become as valuable as comic books. Probably not.

Although, not every individual's collection has magazines worth thousands of dollars, there are a sizable amount of collections that can be worth hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars. These are not people that have lost touch with reality. A while back, the actor, Nicholas Cage, put his comic book collection of about 400 magazines up for auction. Word was that he might have realized a value into seven figures. That ain't chicken feed.

It is not uncommon for single additions to be worth several hundred to several thousand dollars. Some comic books can enter the realm of several hundred thousand dollars for one magazine. Now the owners have to be some pretty rich economically savvy geeks. Are these the types of small niche individuals who have lost touch with reality or don't want to confess they like comic books? So the next time you hear someone profess, yeah I collect comic books, you may want to look inside yourself and say, how do I release my hidden passion and start collecting myself?

Dave Gieber, a former rocket engineer, has decided to take up residency on the Internet. He is the owner and editor of several websites, one of which was built around one of his childhood passions; www.comic-book-collection-made-easy.com . You can visit here to keep up to date on the world of comic books and comic book collecting. Feel free to sign up for my comic book ezine.

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