The Ice Cream Man cometh...and he bringeth a debut issue with ever-increasing value.
WHAT IS ICE CREAM MAN?
In all honesty, I have not read this series, but I hear the rumblings and see stellar reviews basically in unison.
In essence, it is an anthology series that echoes the days of the Crypt Keeper from Tales from the Crypt. The Ice Cream Man is a godlike being with the power to change destinies from his ice cream truck (hence the title). He laps up the misery and pandemonium and serves as the host for these isolated tales.
WE ALL SCREAM FOR ICE CREAM (MAN)
From the first issue published in 2018, this has been one of Image Comics’ hotter series. When it comes to Image, there are always millings of what new series will take the place of The Walking Dead. That entails being brought to life on the screen, and there’s no shortage of live-action appeal for Ice Cream Man. Nothing has come of it as of yet, but there was news that Universal Cable Prods. had optioned the series for a television series. Since that 2018 rumor, there has not been much else said. However, this title seems destined for the small screen.
THE CURRENT MARKET
ICE CREAM MAN #1 (STANDARD COVER)
If you’re like me, you’re kicking yourself for not buying this when you saw it on your local comic shop shelves. Right out of the gate in 2018, the 9.8 averaged $118. The fair market value stayed virtually the same last year, but things have been picking up in recent months.
The 90-day fair market value for the standard cover is currently at $177, but that is only part of the story. Since July 25, only one copy sold for less than $215 with a high of $230. To put it into perspective, that is only $20 from 2018’s record sale.
The variant cover has done well. Considering it had a lower print run than the standard cover and had to be special ordered, it makes sense that collectors would put a high value on it.
We do not see as many 9.8s trading hands compared to the standard cover, but the fact remains that it has not sold for less than $150 since the middle of June. Both sales in August were for that even $150. It still has not matched the 2019 record-high $206 sale, but it could be in the ballpark if Ice Cream Man continues gaining popularity.
ICE CREAM MAN #1 (SECOND PRINT)
Second prints have become big business in the collecting world (which infuriates some traditionalists, but such is comic collecting). For those on the lookout for the next speculation issue, you cannot take for granted any of the subsequent printings on key issues, like the first in a brand new series with new characters.
In this case, the second print has been holding its own. In 2018, the 9.8 averaged a respectable $44. Since then, there have been four sales in 2020, giving it an FMV of $89. However, the last sale on August 10 was for $120. That could be nothing more than an outlier, or it could be the start of a new trend. Either way, it’s worth getting this second print if you can find it for a bargain.
