Welcome to the world of foreign comics!
I first came across some foreign comics nearly 4 years ago, and within a few short months I had fallen in love with them and completely shifted my focus to foreign comics. I discovered an entire new world of comic books with some beautiful original art and amazing variants, giving me new versions of some of my favorite covers at some really affordable prices.
This Italian edition of Amazing Spider-Man 300 is a great example with a full black background! Italy also used a blue title with white shadow to highlight the blue and white in the main art, which really gives this key issue a whole new look.
Rare Breeds: The Unique Rarity of Foreign Comics
When it comes to rarity, nothing else even comes close to foreign comics. Do you want a CGC 9.8 ASM 300? There's over 2,000 graded copies on the CGC census and over 37,000 total graded copies. This Italian edition is arguably the most collected foreign comic there is, and yet there are no 9.8s on the CGC census, and there's only 3 9.6s, with only 157 total copies on the CGC census across all grades. When it comes to true rarity, those numbers don't even compare, and that comic isn't even in the conversation when it comes to really rare foreign comics.
When it comes to true ghosts, there are many foreign comics out there with only single digit copies known to exist across the entire foreign comic community. Sourcing these comics can be like a worldwide scavenger hunt, which can provide an unparalleled sense of accomplishment when your hunt finally pays off, like this South African Fantastic Four #1 gave to @comics_i_gathered on Instagram, when he was finally ready to add it to his collection!
We have a saying with foreign comics that mid grade is high grade, and it really is true, especially the farther back you go. While more recent foreign comics from Panini and others are produced as collectibles, that is not the case with older ones, especially when you get into the 1980s and earlier.
This factor, along with much smaller populations in other countries which led to very small print runs, adds a lot to the rarity aspect of foreign comics. This scarcity can also lead to some really wild swings in the foreign comic market, and that is one of the most important things to consider with foreign comics: pricing.
Pricing foreign comics really can be like the wild west. Every country has their own comic market within that country, then there is the US market, along with another market of people acting as middle men between American dealers and their contacts in other countries.
This can lead to some very big price differences in sales of the same foreign comic, sometimes only a few days apart. When someone finds a deal from someone who just doesn't know what they have and they are able to buy a $500+ foreign comic for $60, that doesn't mean the market is down on the $500+ key, it just means someone found a deal really worth celebrating.
This aspect can lead to some really amazing wins in the foreign market, especially if you are brave enough to use auction sites in other countries. Those sites can have very different risks from country to country, with many not offering buyer protections that many of us are used to, so always do your due diligence if you decide to use those sites. Winning a big key for under $100 doesn't mean anything if they don't ship to the USA and refuse to provide a refund.
This Greek Amazing Spider-Man 129 is another ghost that you will probably only ever see in a picture. Finding one of these is better than any score you've ever had digging through long boxes, and the long term potential on grails like this is as good as it gets for speculation, in my humble opinion. Special thanks to @comics_i_gathered on Instagram for letting me use pictures of some of his ghosts!
Panels Across the World: The Global Collecting Adventure
When it comes to potential future market gains, I don't think anything else even comes close to foreign comics. I do want to state that I am in no way a professional financial adviser, and you should always consult with a professional before making financial decisions. These opinions are just my own.
I see a lot of similarities between foreign comics and newsstand editions. Newsstands were ignored for decades and could be bought at significant discounts compared to their direct edition counterpart, until just recently. All it took for newsstands to take off in value like they did was really just an increase in awareness around their rarity.
Foreign comics are in a nearly identical situation, currently positioned right where newsstands were just before they saw large increases in value. Foreign comics have also been largely ignored for decades and they are even rarer than newsstands in almost every instance. They can be bought for significant discounts compared to their American counterparts, and now they are starting to see an increase in their awareness.
This has led to some huge sales in the last couple years, particularly around some big keys like Incredible Hulk 1, Detective Comics 27, and Action Comics 1. These have all seen sales for several thousand dollars each at multiple major auction houses as more people become aware of them and start to add them to their collections.
I believe there is still a lot of room for them to grow, especially on the ghost keys. When there's only 5 known copies of a key in the entire community and suddenly 20-25 big collectors want it, you can imagine what that is going to do to the market, especially if those 5 copies aren't for sale. It's not unreasonable to think they could eventually even surpass the American comic prices in many cases, just like newsstands did to their direct counterparts. Some foreign comics already have done so at times on smaller key issues.
The Future & Feeling of Foreign Comic Collecting
Many collectors who get into foreign comics describe it as a breath of fresh air, and chasing these ghosts has reignited the passion of collecting for a lot of people. Foreign comics also have an amazing community around them, with many people who truly love these comics and who just enjoy helping others find their grails.
There is also an entire world of new artists to discover, from the golden age all the way to modern, with many countries having their own versions of Ditko, Kirby and Lee for you to find and fall in love with. Foreign comics really are the wild west of the comic and collectibles world, and one of the best parts of that wild west aspect is the discovery part.
Almost everything is known about American comics and their production, but foreign comics are almost the complete opposite. We rarely know what any print runs are, many of these publishers are no longer in business and left no real records, and most foreign comic collectors really don't care that much about green and purple labels, especially on the ghosts.
This also means that many times, we just don't know what is inside a foreign comic until we have it in our hands. The joy of flipping though one you just got and discovering panels from key issues you didn't know were in there is something completely unique to foreign comics.
Foreign comics can also provide some really great stories to share around the community, like the collector who walked into an LCS about a year ago and found a graded foreign key worth around $5,000 priced at under $1,000. There are still many stories out there like this just waiting to be discovered. You might be surprised what you find next time you walk in your LCS if you just ask if they have any foreign comics.
Whether it is for the love of the art or the love of the speculation, foreign comics are a great option to consider for any collector. If you are a collector who has found themselves feeling a little burned out on collecting American comics, or if you really enjoy chasing scarce comic books, or if you are just looking for a nice alternative to diversify your collection a little - foreign comics are definitely worth a look.
Given all of this, I only have one question for you:
Have you started collecting foreign comics yet?
