Comic books used to cost a measly .15 cents. For less than a quarter, you could bring home Spiderman, Batman, the Hulk, and all your favorite comic book characters. For twenty bucks, you could start one heck of a comic book collection. Times have changed. Sometimes comic books that are new off the shelf are 5 bucks or more, and that is for the new ones. The old comics that have collectible value can actually run into the thousands of dollars. With that said, it makes it nearly impossible for a comic book collector to collect everything.
In response to this expensive trend in comics, many collector’s have moved to only collecting comics that debut a new character. That is what is commonly called “first appearances” in comic book circles. These comics are usually some of the more valuable comics in a run, and they tend to hold their value a bit better because of the special event. Later, you may have a character that did not initially catch on to catch fire with comic book collectors. That is when first appearance back issues get hot and can provide a nice return on your investment.
When you first begin collecting first appearance comic books, it is tough to get started. First appearance books tend to be more expensive, and you have to really search to find the bargains. There are new characters coming and going all the time in the world of comic books, and finding the ones that will catch on is not very easy. For this reason, many collectors will grab one of each new character that comes out.
Keep in mind that first appearance comic books are not the same thing as first issues. Sometimes you will see the first appearance of a character in a comic book’s first issue. Usually, however, it will be a guest appearance in another hotter comic book. This is how they gauge whether a comic book hero or villain is worthy of having their own title.
For example, in Incredible Hulk 181, Wolverine made his first appearance. He then got a mini-series and then got his own title. This was only after many appearances with the X-Men and other red hot titles of the day. Wolverine is now one of the hottest comic book characters of all time, and having ten or twenty of that first appearance in great condition could be a gold mine for someone.
You may not find a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, but collecting first appearances in comic books is a rewarding and fun pastime. In the world of comic books, the characters and the artists are the driving forces. Seeing them for the first time is always special, and capturing that special moment in print is a good feeling.
