Undervalued & Overlooked Copper Age Comics 9/23/23

It’s time for extra Undervalued and Overlooked Comics, the place we determine a number of points every week that could possibly be ignored, undervalued, or each and could also be value contemplating to your assortment. This time, we’re Copper Age comics. Let’s get began.

Big Green Lantern Anniversary Issue

In 1994, DC made their greatest change to Green Lantern for the reason that launch of the Silver Age. Not solely did Ron Marz and Darryl Banks introduce us to Kyle Rayner, however they prompted Hal Jordan to go fully insane, turning into Parallax. Hal went on a rampage, destroying the Guardians of the Universe and killing Sinestro and Killowog.

It all occurred within the extra-sized anniversary concern, Green Lantern #50, full with a glow-in-the-dark cowl. This was clearly a 50^th concern like no different. And collectors have practically fully forgotten about it.

While there are 1,307 graded copies of Green Lantern #50, it’s laborious to think about that many copies are nonetheless being despatched in for grading. Once upon a time, this comedian mattered an awesome deal to collectors, thus the excessive variety of graded copies. Now, nevertheless, costs have dropped significantly. The 30-day worth of a 9.8 has dropped to $77, decrease than its practically $100 peaks in 2016 and 2017.

That’s a disgrace. Love it or hate it, Green Lantern #50 was an vital comedian within the Nineteen Nineties. While it’s chock filled with lots of the excesses of the period, the difficulty has turn out to be an vital a part of comedian historical past. At the present costs, possibly now’s the time to contemplate including it to your assortment.

The Return of an Original X-Man

One of the largest adjustments you can also make to a personality is to convey them again from the useless, and that’s precisely what Marvel did with Jean Grey in 1986. The multi-part story that may result in the eventual launch of X-Factor #1 started in Avengers #263 when the crew discovered a cocoon on the backside of Jamaica Bay, a cocoon that held the still-living physique of the long-thought-deceased former X-Man.

However, of the three points within the storyline – together with Fantastic Four #286 – Avengers #263 is the one most overlooked by collectors.

There are 326 graded copies of this concern within the CGC census, with practically half (153) within the 9.8 grade. During the latest increase, copies on this grade have been going for as a lot as $185. The most up-to-date 90-day common value paid is now down 58% from that peak.

That’s proper, you will get a 9.8 of the return of Jean Grey for simply $77, making this not simply an ignored Copper Age gem however an undervalued one as effectively.

Speaking of the Avengers…

In 1994, simply because the comedian increase of the Nineteen Nineties was coming to its finish, Marvel produced Ultraforce/Avengers #1. While the duvet could include the Malibu brand as effectively it was revealed whereas Marvel was within the course of of buying Malibu. Marvel’s buy of Malibu is an fascinating story in its personal proper.

Suffice it to say that the said purpose on the time was that Marvel wished Malibu’s state-of-the-art coloring course of. The likelier purpose is that Marvel didn’t need Malibu falling into DC’s arms, which might have doubtlessly pushed them previous Marvel by way of market share.

This could be the start of the top for Malibu’s Ultraverse characters. Within two years, Ultraforce and the remainder of Malibu’s characters would by no means once more grace a comic book web page, though Night Man managed to have his personal TV collection that lasted till 1999.

Perhaps as a result of the characters by no means made it into the brand new millennium, Ultraforce/Avengers #1 is an extremely ignored comedian e-book. There are solely 24 graded copies within the CGC census and solely 9 recorded gross sales. While there have been some comparatively excessive gross sales in 2022 – together with a 9.4 going for the height value of $153, $3 greater than the highest 9.8 sale – the one sale this yr was a 9.6 promoting for simply $40 on July 8.

For all-time low costs like this, it’s value contemplating including this one to your assortment. You need to determine that in some unspecified time in the future Marvel will convey these characters again, if solely to protect the trademark.