It’s time for more Undervalued and Overlooked Comics, where we identify a few issues each week that could be overlooked, undervalued, or both and may be worth considering for your collection. This week, we’re looking at comics from the Copper Age.  Let’s get started.

Frank Miller’s First Post-Daredevil Work

On the cusp between the Bronze Age and the Copper Age, Frank Miller quit his storied tenure on Daredevil and Marvel all together. When he returned in print six months later it was on a book that was like nothing American audiences had seen before, and would divide fandom – those who wanted the Miller they had seen and read in Daredevil and those who saw a writer and artist experimenting with the medium.

Owing a great debt of gratitude to Manga, Ronin #1 marks a distinct turning point in Miller’s career. Collectors, however, have ignored Ronin in favor of Miller’s work before on Daredevil and after on Batman: The Dark Knight Returns.

There are 857 graded copies of Ronin #1 in the CGC census. Of these, nearly 95% are graded 9.0 or higher. The value for a 9.8 graded copy has hovered between $90 and $125 for a few years now. On average, you’ll see three or four 9.8 graded copies sell each month, usually within that price range.

This isn’t one of those books that saw a peak in the 2021 to early 2022 boom. Instead, the top price paid was for a signed copy back in May 2016 that sold on eBay for $675. When you consider that Ronin Book II will be released in about a month by Frank Miller Presents, and that this is now a classic piece by a writer/artist still experimenting with his storytelling within the comic medium, this is definitely an undervalued and overlooked comic book.

Avengers Expand!

Regardless of MCU rumors, West Coast Avengers #1 should be an interesting comic for collectors and investors. The Avengers name – something now synonymous with Marvel – hadn’t really moved past the primary Avengers comic in two decades until the release of this mini-series in 1984. Think about it – this is the second Avengers series ever. And for the most part, it’s been fairly well ignored by collectors.

There are just 376 graded copies in the CGC census, a low number for a fairly modern key. The high price paid was $402 in the peak of the recent comic boom. This 9.8 graded copy sold in a fixed price eBay sale in July 2021. The most recent sale? $295 for a 9.8 in an eBay auction on October 8, representing a drop in value of nearly 27%.

While I find it hard to look at the prices paid for West Coast Avengers #1 and think, “this is an undervalued comic,” its CGC census numbers point toward it being an overlooked comic.

Rebirth of an Archer

I’ve written before about the DC renaissance occurring in the mid-80s. Many of these books are undervalued and/or overlooked. A perfect example is the prestige format Green Arrow: The Longbow Hunters #1 by Mike Grell. Rejuvenating the moribund Green Arrow character and giving him a new look that would serve as the basis for the Arrow CW show, this was a big hit at the time. Like so many other books of this era, it has been overlooked and undervalued as time has progressed.

There are a meager 272 graded copies in the CGC census, and no universal graded copy has sold for more than $202. That sale was in June 2021. The most recent sale of a 9.8 came on July 29, when it sold for a pittance - $90. This is a great book that would look fantastic in any collection. The covers alone are amazing. For less than three figures, you can likely have a 9.8 graded copy of this extremely overlooked and undervalued comic.

Next Week: Golden Age Undervalued & Overlooked

Well, that’s all we have time for this week.  Join us next week as we take a look at some undervalued and overlooked Golden Age comics.

Want more Undervalued and Overlooked?

Do you think Ronin #1, West Coast Avengers #1, and Green Arrow: The Longbow Hunters #1 are undervalued, overlooked, or both?  Let us know below.

*Any perceived investment advice is that of the freelance blogger and does not represent advice on behalf of GoCollect.