The 1990's were an odd time for comics. Comic shops and the collecting phenomenon had gone more mainstream. The competition for the attention span of youths was being overrun by Pogs, The Macarena, and Pokemon. Meanwhile, artists from the era were busy making the muscles bigger, weapons badder, and the outfits skimpier. As Bronze Age titles continue to grow in value and become rarer on the marketplace, Modern Age comics are hit or miss. Why are some of the great 90's titles not valued more than they should be?
One of the comics from the 90's that I love the most, and was one of the first in my collection, was Iron Man #282. Based on the picture and title, I believe you can gather that this is the first appearance of War Machine. The War Machine armor was a suit that helped James Rhodes transition from part time Iron Man to full time stand-alone hero. Where Iron Man was cool, War Machine became another level of cool. He had an arsenal of giant mounted guns and the smooth black and grey finish that made Iron Man seem clownish...it was as easy as trying to determine who was cooler in Pulp Fiction between Vincent and Jules.
The statistics on Iron Man #282 are what you would expect from a comic with a high number of 9.8 copies on the census at over 400. Fair Market Value (FMV) for this book has slowly moved up over the past year to $170...much of that momentum coming in the past few months. A year ago, you could find a copy readily available on any auction site and priced below $150. Now they have become a little more rare and only come up for sale occasionally and closer to the $200 mark. 9.8 copies are up an amazing 118% and that trend should continue as more copies hit the market and are quickly scooped up.
But why isn't this comic worth more? Lets compare it to a book from a similar time-frame in Marvel Super Heroes Winter Special #8 which features the first appearance of Squirrel Girl. Why does Squirrel Girl have two times the FMV ($325) of War Machine? Is she cooler? No. Is she more rare as a comic? Yes, but not in any meaningful may...there are still 173 graded 9.8 copies on the census. War Machine is also in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and prominently featured in Avengers movies...that should give his first appearance comic a bump on the marketplace? Right? Movies equal money?
Wrong. For some reason, Squirrel Girl outpaces War Machine and will probably always do so. There is even a bunch of potential in Marvel Super Heroes Winter Special #8 due to the fact that we have not seen Squirrel Girl in the MCU yet. All of this speculation and comparison still makes me feel that Iron Man #282 is a value play on the market and may make some steady gains going forward. War Machine is not done in the MCU and he will be a beloved character for many generations of fans. Remember that both of these books have a Newsstand equivalent which could boost the FMV on your book. Always try to snag a Newsstand at a Direct edition price and you can see an instant boost in value.
Do you feel like the War Machine is undervalued as a comic? Are there any other 1990's comics that you feel will have tremendous gains over time? Drop your comments and join in the conversation!
