New Era for New Mutants
Beginning with New Mutants #18, Bill Sienkiewicz began his tenure on the series, collaborating with writer Chris Claremont to create a fresh take on the characters – and introduce new ones – that is considered the gold standard and reflected in the treatment of the New Mutants even to this day, some forty years later.
There are 1,284 graded copies in the CGC census, so it’s not a drastically overlooked comic. However, current values are far below what you would expect for a seminal work. The price paid for a 9.8 graded copy has ranged over the past year from a high of $218 to a low of $79.
The most recent sale occurred on November 19 when one sold in an eBay auction for $125, right around the one-year average. A Hake’s auction on September 21 saw a 9.8 sell for that low price of $79.
If you’re able to get a hand on a copy for $125 or lower, you’ll have on your hands one of the great works by one of the Copper Age’s most incredible artists. It’ll look fantastic on your wall as well.
First Booster Gold
It’s been a while since there have been any rumors of a Booster Gold movie, but the character’s first appearance in Booster Gold #1 is very much worth considering for your collection. The CGC census count of 1,807 graded copies means it’s hardly overlooked. However, many of those copies were sent in for grading around the time of movie rumors in the 2017 to 2018 time period.
This comic reached its peak in July and August 2021, with prices for the 9.8 grade in the $600 to $700 range. Prices have since absolutely cratered. Sales over the past two months have been in the $230 to $300 range.
With no current film rumors, prices could continue to tumble, marking an excellent buying opportunity for a character who certainly has the potential to become part of a James Gunn-led DCU.
Paul Chadwick’s Concrete
One of the longest-running independent publishers is Dark Horse Comics. They began publication in 1986 with Dark Horse Presents #1. One of the characters featured in that first Dark Horse Comic was Paul Chadwick’s amazing creation, Concrete.
Chadwick would go on to receive multiple Eisner and Harvey awards for his work on the character.
Despite Dark Horse Presents #1 being Concrete’s first appearance, the comic suffers from the lack of inclusion of this character on the cover. As a result, it’s an easily overlooked book as evidenced by the low CGC census of 300 graded copies.
Recent prices in the 9.8 grade have bounced between a low of $212 and a high of $350. In grades lower than 9.8, copies can often be found for less than $100. This is an important comic work, one very much worth reading and investing in, and is most definitely an 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.
Do you think New Mutants #18, Booster Gold #1, and Dark Horse Presents #1 are undervalued, overlooked, or both? Let us know below.
