Better be late than never! Late-print issues to keep an eye on!

In the comic world, the general perspective is to always the grab first print of an issue. Firstly, the first print is available for a fan to read and store away. In addition, it is also perceived that the first print garners the most value overall. Times have change and publishers are looking to cash as much as they can in comics, specifically in later printings. This change has been shown mainly in modern age books. We're going to talk about books from Venom, Star Wars, and Strange Academy in this blog.

Venom #3

One example is issue #3 of the well-written series of Venom by Donny Cates. Venom #3 details the first appearance of Knull and it produced many late printings of this issue. Though, the first print is not the most sought after or most valuable copy to own. The third print owns that honor due to the character being on the cover of the issue. As you can see, there is value to later print issues and below are some modern books that collectors should keep their eye on going forward. The issues I will be referencing were pulled from comicheathingup.net, where it details ten issues that have sold very well in the last week.

Star Wars Top Performers

There is no denying that the Star Wars brand is a hot commodity these days. Many issues related to their movie universe and television shows have been heating up due to speculated appearances and such. One later print issue of this franchise is also catching the heat. Star Wars Darth Vader #6 2nd Print is the latest issue to a spike in the last seven days. This issue, along with the first print, details the first appearance of Ochi Sith Assasin. In contrast, the second print has a detail different from the first print. The second print also details the first cover appearance of the character. This is important and the main reason why the book has been soaring lately. Combo details like this produce good resale value for comics.

The seven-day trend for this second print is doing very well. It had a seven-day trend of 154% while selling 26 copies during this time. In addition, it had a high raw sale of $16.95. Please note that is about 4x the price of cover for this issue.  Rumors of Disney trying to expand their television and movie universe for this property have made collectors and fans jump in grabbing issues like these.

Strange Academy

It appears anything with the words Strange Academy catches fire these days. This fire also includes the latest fifth print of issue #1. The issue is a duplication of the first cover and print of this series. The difference is this print has a black and white background all over the issue. Collectors are responding well to the series and any later prints of this issue, especially this fifth print.

The issue itself has produced an amazing trend in the last seven days. The print sold 26 copies and a 7-day trend of 180%. In addition, the resale value of the issue is going so much higher than the cover price. The issue had a high sale of $16 for a raw copy. Lower print run and high demand for this issue have clearly produced these results. I expect more of the same if a 6th print is announced and expect a similar trend as well. I would be on the lookout for it and hold it for the future. To be safe, if a sixth print is announced, I would recommend contacting your local comic shop to hold or subscribe to a copy of the later print.