Jeff Lemire and Dustin Nguyen are a fantastic team. Over five years ago they released the first issue of Descender. That science fiction series, which I usually describe to people as E.T. meets Battlestar Galactica, wrapped up over a year ago, but the team was not quite finished with these characters and their story. Enter the fantasy series Ascender.

What? Science fiction transitioning to fantasy? Exactly. I was a bit skeptical but wow have I enjoyed Ascender so far. One thing I really like, the credits just say Jeff Lemire and Dustin Nguyen, storytellers. How cool is that?

This is a Great Story

I've probably beaten to death the idea that you should collect and/or speculate on what you like. But this is a great example of what I would consider a pretty solid holding. The watercolor art of Nguyen is spectacular in my opinion. I don't think anyone doubts Lemire's ability to tell a story at this point and the two creators together have created something truly special.

After debuting Descender #1with 14 covers(!), the team took a less is more approach with Ascender #1. There was only one cover (I believe) originally. It appears to me that a second print cover and virgin cover arrived later. There is also a black & white Diamond Summit cover.

The series is still ongoing and I would suggest it's not too late to jump onboard from a comic lover perspective. You can also wait for the trades. Descender has a two volume hardcover edition out that collects the entire run and it is just beautiful.

For the Speculator

I have owned nearly all of the Descender #1 covers at one time or another. I sold four of my graded copies back in June when the series got some fresh heat after being picked up by Lark Productions. (The previous option by Sony expired). Prices have come down again since then. I think that gives both the collector and the speculator another opportunity to buy in. Because I love this so much personally, I have quite a number of graded and raw copies and I "trade" around this position. I will be submitting a few more of my raw copies to be graded this winter.

I have three favorites. Cover A (Nguyen), cover B (Lemire, pictured above) and the Sean Murphy cover for the Emerald City convention variant (pictured below). Unless I see a graded copy going for peanuts, I'll ignore the other covers going forward. This will focus my collection on the covers I like and it will narrow my stock of spec books for this series to the covers that should always have a ready market.

I should mention that I have one copy of each series signed by both creators. They are a cherished part of my personal collection.

So good story Dan, what are you telling us? Fair question, I'm attempting to illustrate how I have combined my collection with speculation. This enables me to fund the one side of the hobby from the other.

It also illustrates a point I made in a previous post about how price changes the situation. I can enjoy these amazing comics and have no problem letting a few go when the price is right. Good luck out there!