I am preparing already for my schedules for conventions, live auctions, and comic book store coverage next year. Going out and getting field research is exciting. I plan on once again going to Motor City Comic Con November 14-16 because the staff is great and the fans are outstanding. If you are in the area you should attend because some of the comic book and collectible offerings are second to none and priced right. The venue has also provided great insights into what is selling and what is not. Many an article has been born from my time there and this article is another in that series. Nicole ("MadTV") Sullivan was just announced to appear for the entire run and it made me realize the subject matter for this article.
Not Royalty, but Essential
Many people know Nicole from her work on The King of Queens as Holly the dog walker. She was a character that could have been a bit player that was there one minute and gone the next but she brought something special to the plots. Sometimes she was the Abbott to Jerry Stiller's Costello. Other times she was the mixed up Costello to the rest of the cast. The importance of her character was that she could deliver many elements needed for a good story. Then she was gone for a bit ultimately to come back for episodes to remind you from her absence of how much better the show was with her. This made me think of how comic book writers use the same types of characters in their stories to bring life to their stories that are forgotten some time later.
A Moment in the Sun
Many characters bring something to stories that make it better. Actors (never call them supporting) can take something small and make it great without needing to be the focus of the story. Comic characters can do much the same thing. Some come in with a blaze of glory but fizzle when writers and artists lose interest. Others come in Brady-esque with no fanfare but could deliver if but given an opportunity. All they need is for someone to realize they still can produce if put in the right story and allowed to flourish. They are the Guardians of the Galaxy before the 2012 San Diego Comic Con. Here are ten characters that could bring something to the table if given but a chance either as the focus or additional character in a film, television show or featured comic story. Their keys are priced well below their true values.
GoCollect has this listed as a key because it is the third team up of Green Lantern and Green Arrow. This book also has a nice Mike Grell cover. The last thing mentioned is the first appearance of Saarek. This is not Spock's father, but a Green Lantern with the ability to communicate with the dead. In comics he is currently deceased but that does not preclude his resurrection because no one stays dead in comics. A Lantern like this could be very interesting in Gunn's world. Imagine touching on the past in a way never really thought of before now. A 9.8 currently has an FMV of $475. A 9.8 with a great cover and a first appearance is always a wise bet, so see the light on this book before others do.
Uber in space? Space Cabby is an every day working man whose travels brings him in the lives of heroes and villains alike. Get stranded and he is there to bring you to where you need to go. Who better to provide intel than a person who is ignored by so many but sees it all. Many of history's great spies were hidden in plan sight. Space Cabby has already been seen on television. Ironically he was voiced by Sullivan's peer on The King of Queens, Patton Oswalt. Only 18 total graded copies exist in the CGC census with the highest grade of 9.0 having an FMV of $1,100. This first appearance is from a run that does not get much love so the price is still fare (taxi joke).
Small companies that went belly up in the past never really thought they had anything left. Intellectual property rights were not important so they rarely were protected. Forgotten characters soon entered the public domain. One such character was Lady Luck. A rich socialite who traveled the world solving crime with a comedic flare. Picture Marvel's Domino but with laughs. GotG had several characters that fit that bill combining action with humor. DC or Marvel could use this version as a feature or additional character that could end up stealing the show. She kind of already appeared in Phantom Stranger #6 (2013) so it is not that far fetched an idea. Lady Luck also has that Will Eisner creation pedigree going for her as well. A 5.5 had a one year average of $380 but the 6.0 was only $360. The reason is so few copies exist of her first issue so people will buy it quickly and worry about the price later. Finding her first appearance is next to impossible. It is also difficult to find any issues from her series but maybe luck will be on your side.
Featured in the MCU? Check. Appeared in cartoon on Disney+? Check. Steve Gerber involved in the creation of this character? Check. Starred in a film that had George Lucas tied to it as executive producer? Check. Oh, it was also a box office bomb but people still believe in... Howard the Duck! He has demonstrated that he was not the awful character many believe him to be after that one film. In a world where turtles can carry a film why not a duck? A 9.6 has an FMV of $775. Who knows he may even crossover into a different universe and meet a look alike named Donald... I mean what the duck!
Freddy Krueger beware, the dream police are here!. An alien tricked into the body of a human who now must both exist together. Sleepwalker has all these extraordinary superhero powers combined with that dream world aspect. This makes him an enemy of Nightmare, who is a regular adversary of Dr. Strange. He also can withstand a punch from Hercules. So much power and potential and yet look at his first appearance in Sleepwalker #1. Less than 1500 copies in the CGC census and yet a 9.8 still has an FMV of $70. Subtract grading fees and that makes this book too cheap to ignore. People should not sleep on this book.
A character that has been given a few chances to anchor a comic book company, on which he has mostly delivered. The only problem has been that is all he has achieved. Where many of his compatriots have moved on to the small and big screen, Magnus has never done so. In a world where AI is the talk of the town, it might be nice to give this forgotten hero a chance. Taught by the first robot under the 3 laws of robotics, he was humanities savior from their metallic overlords. An 8.5 has an FMV of $1300, but that is a key over 60 years old with less than 300 books in the CGC census. In a time where robots may one day rule our future it might be nice to give people some hope. Not me any AI program that may be reading this article. I am loyal to the cause. Go Robot U!!!
Imagine an immortal antihero with a healing factor akin to Wolverine. The difference is he replaces his wounded organs or limbs by grafting those from other beings onto himself. Throughout the process he gains their memories and emotions. Terror is a being that has been introduced into the mainstream Marvel universe so he is not an unknown entity. That makes his first appearance in this issue so confusing. There is no real GoCollect sales data to chart on this issue. A lot probably are taking up box space in dollar bins or forgotten in basements. Sad because this type of character could be a welcome inclusion to Marvel's horror universe. Tremble in Terror people because this book needs to be on your want lists.
Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen #29
This is a sneaky pick. A boy and his dog yes, but many people do not realize this is the first time Krypto interacted with grown Superman. Krypto stole the show in Superman. He could probably do so in a live action solo series as well. "Good Boy" will soon tell a horror story from a dog's perspective so it is not out of the realm of possibilities. Gunn brought us Cosmo in the MCU so who knows. What is nice is a 7.5 has only an FMV of $400. What is truly shocking is that many books in this series can be found in the raw for a couple of $20s. One may be able to find this book in those boxes as well. Buying Krypto's first appearance would be the wiser option but we cannot all afford that book so this is a nice alternative. Go fetch this book before others bury it in their backyards.
Second tier creations from Kirby were mined for their unfulfilled potential. The Eternals and various DC Fourth World characters have leaped from his pages onto the big and small screen. These characters have stayed active in comics, but never realizing the potential the King saw in them. Another writer who created one such character for DC Comics later in his career was Steve Ditko. The character he created was Shade, the Changing Man. His powers are from a vest he wears that creates a force field he uses to battle enemies. The field also has a psychological component in that it makes him appear larger and more menacing to add to his physical powers. That power alone could be interesting to develop with today's special effect capabilities or a comic artist's vision. Ditko's Spider-Man issues are very valuable in high grade, but a 9.8 copy of this book will set you back around $120. That is not bad for a book that is approaching its 50th birthday. Get out of the supposed hot books and find a hidden treasure in the Shade!
Scooby-Doo? He has been done to death so not really a character that needs a chance. Instead, this book is on the list because it has the the first appearances of Dynomutt, the Dog Wonder and the Blue Falcon. These characters have appeared in various projects as bit players but never really given anything more to do. Even when Mark Wahlberg voiced the Blue Falcon and Ken Jeong Dynomutt, the characters were not the main focus of the story. Imagine what a live action story could do for his comic status. A new comic book series will be coming out, but if done right the character could eclipse what has been done before in cartoons. Think Ferrell and Reilly buffoonery in Step Brothers or even the cartoon brought to real life with actual horror or evil threats. The potential is there and $625 for a 9.8 copy of this issue is a good key to have in one's collection. It should also be mentioned that a recent copy sold for only $480 at Heritage. While some may be selling this issue at a discount now may be a good time to buy, otherwise you may be the one saying Ruh-roh when the mystery on this book is solved.
King of the World
Sometimes taking a chance on books and people pays off. Everyone knows Batman, Superman, and Spider-Man but they never really were introduced in their own titles. People realized their potential and used them to achieve that possibility. There are many characters that languish now but put in the right situations can take off. All they need is that one moment to deliver. Characters like these can make good stories better much like Nicole did in her The King of Queens' appearances. In the proper ensemble they could be the next Guardians of the Galaxy where the whole is greater than the sum of parts. Others could one day rise to levels never before dreamed. The world is full of Wolverines, The Fonz, and Steve Urkels who were meant to be part of the cast but rose to icon status. The aforementioned books all have that potential, but even if they never rise to it the prices are small enough that reaching for the stars will not leave you that far to fall.
