A comic book's value can be determined by many factors. Interest, supply, and demand are important variables that differentiate a book from being $100 or $1000. For the most part, first prints of issues typically have the highest value due to the factors I stated in the beginning. Collectors and fans tend to jump on first prints of issues on the standard release days for comics. The rush in getting these comics creates that buzz and demand for these books. For the most part, that is still the general case for comics. Recently, especially during the "Modern Age" of comics, the rise in value in second prints are gaining popularity. Below is one independent comic book where the second print is easily more valuable than its first print counterpart. Let's take a look at Monstress.
The Monstress Mash
Monstress is a fantasy comic series written by Marjorie Liu and drawn by Sana Takeda. The series is published by Image Comics and has been ongoing since 2015. It is very well-received by critics and fans. It has won five Eisner Awards, four Hugo Awards, the Harvey Book of the year in 2018. These awards coincide with the overall incredible literature done by the duo of Liu and Takeda. The series has gained popularity as the first issues of the series are valued way above cover.
Monstress #1 is the most coveted and valuable issue of the series. Monstress #1 first print is reached a very good value for independent comics. Issue #1 denotes the first appearance of Maika, Tuya, llsa, and Zamora. It has a Fair Market Value (FMV) for a 9.8 graded copy of $200. Unfortunately, the first print is not the most coveted. The title belongs to the second print. Monstress #1 (2nd print) has an FMV for a 9.8 graded copy of $700! There is also a third print as well, but being it has a similar cover to the second print, it does not create the same demand or value.
Calling All the Monstress
There is no confirmation on the print run on the 2nd print, but it being lower than the first print could play a factor. The second print has an estimated print of 10,000 issues. The reason for the difference is mainly due to the cover. The second print has a completely different cover. It sports a white background that makes finding this book in high grades very difficult. As with many modern books, very distinct and beautiful artwork can create very high price values for books. In this case, the second print is showing this as it is almost 4x the price of the first print.
All in all, in the speculation world of independent comics, the option treatment is very high for this series. The speculation of this series being optioned for a tv show or movie has also raised the price of the first issue. This series has garnered many rumors of it being linked to becoming a tv show, but nothing has been officially confirmed. Thus, there is a still chance to grab this book before the value of it reaches greater highs. Lastly, some people do not know that the second print is worth the most, so it is always worth checking at your local comic shop!
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