Welcome back to this week's top pics from Heritage's weekly comic book auctions! Heritage holds weekly funny book auctions that feature key issues, overlooked comics, oddball memorabilia items, and more. These auctions are a must if you want to beef up your collection! Here are my top picks for you to watch.
The history of manga and anime in North America is something that has fascinated me since I was old enough to grasp the concept. We have certainly come a long way since the art form started to gain traction over here. Growing up, I was a huge fan of Speed Racer, Robotech, and eventually Sailor Moon, so naturally, I was drawn to the manga section at my local comic shop. When I was growing up, publishers would release manga in a 32-page floppy form to blend in with their American counterparts. Occasionally, I'd be lucky to get a graphic novel of any given manga series, but at the time, the price tag on those books would range from $20 to $40.
You could find floppies of a number of popular titles, including Ranma 1/2, Oh My Goddess, Gunsmith Cats, and Akira. Akira made a splash in North America in the late 1980s due to special showings of the movie in select theaters. For many of my older friends, they first witnessed Akira on college campuses on VHS or LaserDisc. The movie would have a profound impact on anime in the West. To this day, Akira is still regarded as one of the best anime to date - and rightfully so!
The original manga did get an English translation, thanks to Epic Comics, an imprint of Marvel. The first issue was released in September of 1988 with a cover price of $3.50, a hefty price for a comic at that time. Yet unlike the American counterparts, this issue was 68 pages. While Akira was not the first manga to see an English translation, it did help pave the way for manga to become a staple in American pop culture.
This CGC Universal label 9.6 features white pages and a cover that gives a feeling of dread. To date, CGC has graded 1,675 copies of Akira #1. Despite this being a key book with a strong history, the current fair market value for books in this grade is $150. If you are looking to build a manga collection of your own, I would start with this comic.
Pop's Chock'lit Shoppe of Horrors #1 CGC 9.8
I have to hand it to Archie Comics. In the past ten years, they have really upped the ante with variant covers. The company has truly come a long way from the Bob Montana days, and I love it. The stories and art continue to grow and challenge what readers consider Archie, which has led to some in fandom fighting! The Archie horror universe is arguably my favorite. It works so well for these characters and has helped make Archie relevant again.
Pop's Chock'lit Shoppe of Horrors #1 features a ton of amazing variant covers, including this cover for Stadium Comics. Drawn by Nuno Pereira, this "virgin" cover features an unhinged Veronica holding a monstrous shake. This pop art cover is stunning. This is a CGC Universal label 9.8 with white pages, so if you love high-grade Archie, look no further!
Amazing Fantasy #15 Page 4 CGC Universal Label
When it comes to grail books, Amazing Fantasy #15 ranks in the top most sought-after books. The introduction of Spider-Man during the Silver Age of comics defined a generation, and the web-slinger himself is one of the most iconic superheroes ever created. Steve Ditko's art for his introduction is always a delight to see. I absolutely love this page, which features Spider-Man showing off his powers. The attention to detail on his costume is my favorite part of this page. Ditko was no stranger to bringing Marvel's iconic heroes to life, but I am biased for his work on Spider-Man.
While a complete copy of Amazing Fantasy #15 could potentially run you into the millions (depending on the grade), pages have the potential to be much cheaper. However, this page does feature the suit, so it would not surprise me if this page broke the $1K mark. This page has no grade since it is just a single page, but it is cream to off-white.
