Everyone watches the hottest books, however, is it equally important to watch the fallen heroes of yesteryear a.k.a. books purged from the Top 100 GoCollect.com rankings? The five Modern Age books I have picked for review have fallen drastically out of the rankings of the Top 100. The list of fallen heroes and villains consists of five primary characters: Apocolypse,  Spidey, Ghost Rider, Preacher, and even the Universe killer himself Thanos.

Interestingly two of the covers are gimmick driven one a lenticular and the other a glow in the dark cover. This list of purged books is in some ways more valuable than the list of the top five comics for the Modern Age. What declines have we seen and how many ranks have these poor ephemera fallen? Also, how has this decline affected their percentage returns?

GoCollect.com Live Updates

The ranking on GoCollect represents a running ranking; what I mean by this is they are updated on a daily basis. Unlike some of the other ranking systems which cannot really effectively dictate trend, GoCollect.com can certainly give a live update and almost current status. This is a huge advantage over other tracking and pricing systems and one of the reasons I use GoCollect.com as my primary source.

Purged Rankings

These books have been purged from the TOP 100 Modern Age books. The decline in popularity is precipitous and drastic. I did my best to choose only the largest ranking drops. This will provide buyers and sellers another list of possible books to avoid or purge from their own collections or inventory.

Ranking Title Grade Last Sale Return
#111 X-Factor #6 9.6 $149 +0.7%
#120 Amazing Spider-Man #301 8.5 $37 -58.9%
#135 Ghost Rider #15 9.6 $38 -21.4%
#154 Preacher #1 9.6 $99 -6%
#193 Thanos #13 (Lenticular Cover) 9.8 $51.50 -21.1%

 

McFarlane Magic

The comic book Amazing Spider-Man #301 has dropped  89 ranks to #120. "Warning Will Robinson! Warning!" This book has lost negative -58% of its value over the last 60 days. It is considered a key Todd McFarlane cover. It was created in 1988 by David Michelinie and Todd McFarlane. This is the second book in his recreation of the Spidey franchise artistically.  The impact of McFarlane's art on the Spider-Man character is cross-generational and has impacted many of the artists who grew up with the McFarlane version of Spidey. There is something to be said for being the first to redesign the biggest character in Marvel.

 

 

 

Glow in the Dark Cover

Another artist that really wows the fanbase and has made Ghost Rider his own is Mark Texeira. His positive impact on this character is notable and he also has a big fanbase.  Ghost Rider #15 is that 1991 glow in the dark cover that everyone was probably in love with back in the day, but now seems pretty trite.  That said Texeira draws Ghost Rider in some very interesting ways, though my personal favorite is the artist Clayton Crain for the Rider. This book has taken a beating over the last 60 days falling in popularity 99 ranks to #135 and losing about -21.4% of its value as the return goes negative.

 

 

 

Custer's Last Stand

The first full appearance of Jesse Custer and a host of other characters in the Preacher saga in Preacher #1 has also taken a big hit. Currently ranked #154 this book has fallen 112 spots and shows a smaller decline in value than the previously mentioned books in this listing.

Thanos #13 (Lenticular Cover) has fallen so far so fast it is almost in the 200-300 rankings. Should this trend continue we won't see this book rise for some time.

 

 

 

Conclusion

The silly season is upon us, that silliness seems to have impacted the books above. Many of which were darlings just a few years ago, but now not so much. I find it interesting that the McFarlane book has fallen. It is the best pick of the bunch and has the greatest likelihood to regain its lost value. Furthermore, as a long-term investor, this is a key book that is being discounted this holiday season. From a long-term investment perspective, it might be worthy of purchase, especially at a -60% discount. Are you truly a long-term investor? If that is true; then this book should get purchased on the cheap, even if you have to mutter, "Bah humbug" under your breath, hmm?

Keep an eye on your collection and turn over some as it is not good to just hoard comics, especially ones declining in value. Don't be afraid to purge the collection of these fallen "heroes and villains" once in a while. Remember to always have fun with collecting and investing in comics and stay safe during this pandemic holiday season.