If you're reading this, it means you probably read quite a few posts here at GoCollect. But who's to tell the fact from fiction? The good speculation from the bad? The Black and the Red? Only you.

Taking Heed

Fortunately, GoCollect offers a variety of perspectives on comic book speculation. It can be a great way to learn about comics, the basics of collecting and investing, as well as some hot books that have been under the radar. The only issue is this: Everyone else reading GoCollect has that very same information.

What to Do

If you're here for the spec game, then you need to be critical. You need to analyze the arguments of the authors and decide for yourself if they make sense. Do you want to bank everything on the possibility of a movie coming out with a previously unheard-of character? Or do you want a tried and true comic that will steadily rise throughout the years regardless of an upcoming movie? Unless you have a huge amount of disposable income, at which point you would probably have a financial advisor doing all this for you, then you can't buy everything. If three new posts a day on GoCollect highlight key comics worth an average of $200, you'll be spending your life's fortune in no time.

Be Patient

The savvy speculator is a skeptical speculator and most of all, she's a patient one. You can guarantee when movie buzz floods about a new MCU character the associated comics are going to rise. Strangely, however, people tend to have short term memories. If news pops of a possible guest appearance of so and so in so and so film, everyone's looking for it. So don't. Wait a couple months when everyone is onto the next thing. Then you can go back and comb through the posts that are 3-4 months old and find yourself a comic that's been forgotten. Go through the old posts and see how accurate the authors were back then.

Be Critical

And just because someone says "This comic is going to be hot because..." don't trust them. You can't take everyone's word on this stuff and you have to remember that not all speculators or authors of speculation are putting their money where the mouth is. They too would spend their life savings very quickly if they bought everything they thought was a good spec investment.

It's no fault of ours: We just like to do some wishing sometimes. (I certainly wish I would have bought that Very Fine Marvel Spotlight #5 back in the day for $150)

Don't Rely on Movies

If you're in it for the quick turn around, then prepare for volatility. But if you're looking at the long term, if you're looking for something to pass down to your progeny, ignore film buzz. It can be fun finding that unreasonably hot comic for cheap, but it's not a long-term investment. The whole film comic market could just be all of us speculating that the film is going to increase the popularity of the character where really it's driving demand of other speculators thinking the same thing. (An odd feedback loop.) Is it actually the young-somethings being turned onto new characters in theaters that are buying up all the thousand dollar first appearances? Or is it speculators speculating that other speculators will speculate and thus buying speculation comics for them to speculate on?

So, ya, speculate skeptically.