I know what you’re here for.  To read about that “what the @*&%#” moment that happened today in comic book history.  A comic book that has seen a rise as of late, but another bump up, wow!  From one of the leading online selling platforms nonetheless, so you know this auction garnered much interest from collectors; worldwide!  A comic book that is on everybody’s want list no matter if you are a Marvel fan or not.  This article will focus on those comic book sales, such as this, that we see in our hobby every week.  If anything, consider this a short news brief, an FYI, or heads-up type of moment on the comic books you are watching each and every day.  The “what the @*&%#” moment happens when we see an auction end at an ebullient price, and you wonder what just happened.  Believe it or not, it happens all the time. This time, we're chatting Batman.

In case you missed any of my past “what the @*&%#” articles you can go here and do a search and archive them.  The comic book I about to talk about was a graded CGC 9.8 copy with white pages, it presented well.  But what separated it from another similar example was that it was a coveted newsstand copy.  You must admit, newsstand comic books have amassed a lot of attention as of late compared to the alternative direct edition copy.  I’ll leave the validity of that attention for another day.  Needless to say, this was one of those sales, an auction sale that makes you go hmm.  It happened on eBay as it was a legitimate auction type sale with multiple bids.  The final sales price will leave you bewildered.

THE ONE: BATMAN ADVENTURES #12

Batman Adventures #12 (1993) CGC 9.8 Newsstand – There have been many discussions about newsstand comics and I’ll leave the newsstand vs direct desirability for another day.  But truth be told, according to the graph to the right, comic books in the 1994 timeframe roughly accounted for 9% of the total comic book distribution.  Take that to the bank.

Batman Adventures #12 was published by DC Comics in September 1993. It is the 1st appearance of Harley Quinn in comics (out of DC continuity).  Even though this is a comic book from the 1990s it had a low print run, figuratively speaking, compared to other titles from that era that easily broke the 100k mark.  I've seen estimates from 40,000 to 60,000 copies for BA12. You figure 9% of that are newsstands making a mere print run between 3,600-5400 copies in existence.

Arguably the most sought-after Modern Age comic book in existence along with Walking Dead #1, New Mutants #98, and Spawn #1 to name a few.  When a newsstand copy pops up for sale, collectors are hammering to the auction so they can place their bids.  There is no distinction in the CGC census between newsstand & direct copies graded.  According to CGC, there are 6,298 graded copies of Batman Adventure #12 with 928 being 9.8 graded copies.  Surprisingly this comic book has not slowed down any interest as of late especially with Suicide Squad and Birds of Prey movies being something of the past in movie theatres.  The anticipation for Suicide Squad 2 and other subsequent movies featuring Harley Quinn has sustained interest for this character in comics, newsstand, or not. Harley Quinn is a fan favorite.

SOLD!

Now back to the auction.  There was a sale that ended a couple of days ago for a graded CGC 9.8 Batman Adventures #12 and the final sales price will leave you mesmerized.  It was on eBay, probably the world’s greatest selling platform and it sold for $3,450.  Can you say, “what the @*&%#”!  There was a total of 15 bidders with 27 bids placed for this auction.

For the record, GoCollect does separate sales between newsstand and direct copies which can be helpful for many collectors.  The Fair Market Value (FMV) for a graded newsstand CGC 9.8 states pending but check out the attached chart and you will see the last four sales in both newsstand and direct.  Definitely a difference between the two.  As you can see, the last CGC 9.8 newsstand copy sold on 10/2020 for $2,850, which ironically is the lowest sale so far in 2020.  At the time of this writing, there only 2 CGC 9.8s newsstands listed on eBay.  One for $4,750 OBO and the other for $4,500 OBO.  Good luck negotiating that deal!

CONCLUSION

Somebody pinch me.  Just one of those comic book sales that make you scratch your head.  Who would have thought there would be an approximate 1k -/+ price disparity between a newsstand and direct copy?  But that is what it seems to be. So, one last time, “what the @*&%#” indeed.  If anything, this should tell you that there are hard-core collectors who focus on newsstand copies. Thus, they will pay a premium for them.

No telling what will happen when Suicide Squad 2 comes out or any other DC movie that features Harley Quinn. For all we know this could be just the beginning of “another” rise for Batman Adventures #12.  So much more potential for this character as she has become hugely popular, fan-favorite character and is often cosplayed at conventions around the country.  Only time will tell.  Get your bids in now.  Stay tuned for the next installment of the “What the #$%*&: Those Amazing Comic Sales? as I dig deeper into the crazy sales that are happening in our hobby.  Until next time you comic book junkies……….

Please share your thoughts and comments you have about newsstand vs direct edition comics?  Are you a newsstand comic book collector?  Are you a fan of Harley Quinn?  What are some of those rare newsstand comic books on your watch list that you are waiting to pop up for auction?  Are you a proud owner of Batman Adventures #12?

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