With superhero movies putting a stranglehold on the box office these days, movie goers tend to think comic books are only filled with superheroes.
Granted, Marvel and DC’s costumed heroes bring in the most money, and their key issues drive the collectors’ market, but if you aren’t reading some of the independent series on the market, you are depriving yourself of quality stories.
For those who need an occasional break from the standard costumed vigilante tale, I implore you to pick up titles like God Country, Saga, and the newest addition to the market, Stabbity Bunny. As a collector, you’ll want to go after these because they tend to have lower print runs, which makes for rare editions and higher collectibility.
The Little Stabbity Bunny That Could
On the independent publishers market, Stabbity Bunny is all the rage.
What began as a Kickstarter campaign back in 2015 has resulted in an ongoing series being published by Scout Comics, and collectors are jockeying for the first issue variants. SB #1 only premiered this month, and already ungraded (“raw,” as it were) copies of the shadow variant are priced in the $50 neighborhood. Much of this is a combination of word of mouth and a low print run, but critic reviews are positive so far.
There’s only been one recorded sale of a graded Stabbity Bunny #1, and it was for the 2015 convention edition. That CGC 9.6 happened to sell for $275 on January 1. Unless you can get your hands on those rare variants offered as incentives for Kickstarter contributors, you’re not likely to see that price on your SB #1. However, as the series gets more popular, getting these early issues now could make for a solid investment in the future.
Supposedly, Kill the Minotaur has been optioned by a production company, which means that company has the rights to turn it into a movie or television show in the future. While that’s not as major an announcement as casting and director news, it still is an indicator that it’s getting attention in the entertainment world, which could translate into dollars for collectors.
Although the mini-series debuted just last year, a CGC 9.8 Skybound Megabox variant already sold for $115 back in November. The higher-print run standard cover at a 9.8 saw more sales - nine total - in 2017, and sold for a high of $60 in October.
My personal favorite on today’s list, I hated to see this series come to an end. I was hooked on Greg Rucka’s compelling characters from the first issue up until the last, and I am ready for the Old Guard’s return, which is touted for this year. Judging by the prices some of these issues are bringing (and the fact that it went to a third printing), I’m not alone in that.
On the collecting side of things, issue number one has been selling well. A standard edition #1 CGC 9.8 sold for as much as $70 last year, but the big bucks went toward the gold foil dealer incentive variant, which averaged $97 and brought a high of $130 in April.
