Welcome to the first post of a new semi-regular column called Overvalued Overstreet. This column will feature one or two books per post that the writer feels is currently overvalued in the Overstreet price guide. I say “the writer” as it is my most fervent hope that this column will evolve into a Comic Book Daily community affair with current CBD writers and readers getting involved by writing or sending in posts of some of their pet peeves in terms of the price of individual comics in the Overstreet guide.
First off, this column is not about slamming Overstreet. As we often say here “the guide is just a guide”. With the vast number of books in todays price guide, getting them all right is pretty much an impossible task. The traditional criteria for determining the value of a comic book – demand, scarcity, condition, and importance now have an additional speculative component to contend with in movies and character appearances. That said, it doesn’t mean we can’t offer up our opinion and tell them we think they have got it wrong.
Second, this column is an opinion piece only. You may agree or disagree, however there are no rights or wrongs here. Last year I posted an Overvalued Overstreet post (prototype post – very valuable) in Arcs & Runs concerning the X-Men #67-93 run of reprints. Some people agreed with me, but the majority of people that read it collectors and dealers a like didn’t, and it made for some fun debate. You can defend your picks anyway you like, just don’t expect everyone to agree with your choice. Most of all respect everyone’s opinion and have fun with it.
Amazing Spider-Man #41, October 1966
| 6.0 | 8.0 | 9.0 | 9.2 | |
| Amazing Spider-Man 39-41 | $111 | $274 | $612 | $950 |
| Amazing Spider-Man 42 | $63 | $147 | $324 | $500 |
| Amazing Spider-Man 43 | $48 | $112 | $249 | $385 |
Something else I forgot to mention was you can still love your choice but think it is out of wack in the Overstreet price guide. That is the case today with Amazing Spider-Man #41 which lands in the middle of my favourite run of Spider-Man comics of all time.
I have never “gotten” this book. The Rhino is a “B” grade villain, and yet his first appearance commands the same price as two of the best Spider-Man comics of all-time (issues #39 & 40). Something is very wrong with that.
I would argue the two books that follow it issues #42 & #43 are both better books and have more significance than the Rhino’s first appearance. Amazing Spider-Man #42 finally puts a face on Mary Jane Watson one of the most important characters in Spider-Man’s life. J. Jonah Jameson’s son John takes his first step towards becoming the future Man-Wolf in this book as well. Amazing Spider-Man #43 features the first full appearance of Mary Jane Watson and the origin of the Rhino. Both of these books are a fraction of the price Amazing Spider-Man #41 as you can see above.
The Rhino himself disappears from the pages of the Amazing Spider-Man after issue #43 and doesn’t return until Amazing Spider-Man #280 (Sept.1986) nearly twenty years later!! He makes more appearances in Spider-Man’s Saturday morning TV shows than his comics!
The Rhino does move over to the pages of the Incredible Hulk (a brain power match) and spends the majority of his silver and bronze age comic life there as a Hulk antagonist, and sometimes Abomination partner. I wonder what his value would have been had he made his first appearance in this title.
The movie speculation that drove the price up on Amazing Spider-Man #41 should have passed with the bombing of the second movie in the Amazing Spider-Man reboot, but hasn’t. You almost never see a price decline in Overstreet. One of 30-40% is overdue on this book, and would restore some of the credibility to the guide in my eyes anyway.
I like this concept–overvalued books. I’ve long been following your “undervalued spotlights”, so it’s interesting to hear reasons to support a book being dropped in value in the guide. Lots of good arguments here for dropping the value of the first Rhino.
Ha… I love this column already. It’s funny you call Rhino a “B” character. As a kid who grew up watching those Saturday morning cartoons, I always believed that he was on the same level as the Lizard, Doc Ock and Sandman. It wasn’t until many years later I realized he was never as popular… at least in print. My daughters are currently watching the Justice League series and they know all about Hawk Girl, Wally West and the Martian Manhunter. Likewise, their knowledge of super heroes is being shaped by these TV shows…
I don’t follow Overstreet as closely as you do but watching these types of books online, I get the sense that many of Spidey’s “B” grade villains have benefited from being so cheap relative to the “A” list-ers. Speculators are mining all the first appearances causing many to rise in value. The question is, can or will the current values hold? I suppose it can if the Rhino can be made to play a bigger roll in the Marvel Universe.
This is going to be a great column Mike, thanks for setting it up and launching it. Ten books just popped into my head that belong on this column!!
I think what saves #41 is the cover, whenever you get a first appearance so prominent on the cover it helps the book. Compare to say ASM #31 or #37.
And Charlie is right, its a first appearance and that more than anything draws out the speculators.
Being an eternal optimist I feel we’re I “Kraven’s Last Hunt” quality Rhino story arc away from redemption..
Hi Greg,
I’m not going to hold my breath waiting for Overstreet to drop prices, especially a significant decrease like I am suggesting here. It is not in Overstreet;s style. If anything they do tend to lag the market a bit in terms of large price hikes (FF#45 & 52 being recent exceptions). I still like ASM #41 just not at these price levels.
Hi Charlie,
Glad you like this Charlie. It will make it easier for me when I ask you to write a couple of these yourself LOL
It will be interesting to see if books like Amazing Spider-Man #20 (first Scorpion) or Amazing Spider-Man #46 (1st Shocker) do to get a bump. Even issues #2, 15, and 25 could draw interest. I personally think it is a bit overdone, but it is hard to argue why you wouldn’t want to cover your bets given the potential upside. How much downside is there to buying early Spider-Man?
The movie I am waiting for the most this year is the Suicide Squad, and its effect on Harley Quinn and the Batman Adventures #12 comic book.
PS – PM me I may have found a home for your Hulk#141.
Thanks Walt – I have the next two OV Spotlights lined up and then you can have at it!
I like the ASM #41 cover too. I must be the only Spider-Man collector who thinks the cover of issue #31 is cool. Issues #36-38 all feature pretty bland covers. Maybe a reflection of Steve Ditko’s feelings at the time.
It’s too late to save this Rhino.
I love the concept, Mike. You and Walter will make a great tag team! With Walt’s Undervalued column, and your “Overvalued” column, you will bring balance to the Force. You’ll be the Yin to Walter’s Undervalued Yang!
All kidding aside, I also feel the same about the Rhino. He was always a ridiculous villain and I didn’t see the appeal.
Another overvalued comic is Uncanny X-Men #94. Low grade copies of #94 have been dropping steadily in value in the last few years of the Overstreet Guide. I feel this happened because the low grade copies of #94 had gotten out of hand and were almost equal in value to Giant Size X-Men #1 at one point. The price of low grade copies of #94 dropped because they finally reflected the market reality that this is a second appearance issue, but the HIGH GRADE COPIES (near mint) of #94 will probably remain high because of that dark cover.
Hi Peter,
Good call on the X-Men 94. We sometimes focus on the high grade component of books and forget “in demand” books move up in all grades. When a book overheats the pull back is usually low grade first. I know Amazing Fantasy #15 is an example of low grade books getting crazy prices right now.
Don’t feel shy about being a guest spotlight writer on this post someday Peter. We would welcome it.
Ah, the long-awaited, oft mentioned “overvalued” column. Glad to see it is finally here! Well done. Great first choice. Your opinions and facts about this comic, especially that the Rhino didn’t appear from issues 44 to 279, are spot-on.
I’m sure you’ll see a LOT of comments and future contributions to this topic. Everyone has their own personal beef with price guides and values, and they’re usually anxious to share those viewpoints!
Best of luck. Have fun with it.
Thanks Eric,
I will be looking forward to seeing some of your personal beefs here as well if I don’t address them.
I also wanted to add a thank-you for your recent post about Charlie’s Nut Shell column.
The joy of collecting is near and dear to me and your post inspired me to finally get off my a** and finish a couple of half-done stories about my early days of comic reading in the late sixties. It sure brought back a lot of good memories.
Growing up it would never have occurred to me that the Rhino was second fiddle to other Spider-Man villains, and I always thought he was great. The recent movie version was truly awful, true, but this just means the Rhino is still ripe for a really good movie version, and all Marvel would have to do is make him similar to the way he looks in the comics, as they have just done with the Amazing one himself. So I’d say this book has potential to go up in value, just as all things Spider-Man and Hulk will eventually be where Batman and Superman are today.
Well you might be right Simon. I think a lot of the ” Rhino” effect on Spider-Man fans were in his Saturday morning TV appearances, which were plentiful and he was equal to any of his counterparts in those shows.
I would think another Hollywood version of the Rhino would be a ways off. First they still have lot’s of new villains to choose from in the Spidey stable of bad guys. Second, they would probably want to distance themselves from the failed Spider-Man movie and the Rhino (just awful as you said) played a part in.. The old “once bitten twice shy” effect. The Amazing Spider-Man, like Superman and Batman will always get a second chance at a movie. They are too valuable a franchise not to get another chance.
Another old saying “the in coming tide raises all boats” could also be true for Amazing Spider #41 as I do think Spider-Man comics will continue to rise in the future. Another positive for the book is that the Rhino is John Romita’s first new villain on the title.
Thanks for your input Simon. I won’t solicit you for posts as I have in the previous commenters as I was looked like a guy trying to get out of my own job. You are of course welcome to do so if you wish.
It was certainly my pleasure, as was reading your reply just now. Honestly, that warms my heart.
Back to the topic… The other comments here about Spidey villains in the movies prompted me to look up which ones have and haven’t appeared thus far. Then I just think through the first 100 issues of ASM and there are foes like the Chameleon, Vulture, Mysterio, Scorpion, Molten Man, Meteor Man, Shocker… Those costumes and powers would all seem to translate well to the big screen. I’d love to see a fresh new take on some of those guys. But Rhino… he can just smash into things, right? Without some twist or interesting alter-ego, that wears out somewhat quickly.
My favourite Spider-Man foe growing up, like a lot of Spidey fans, was the Green Goblin. A very close second (don’t laugh) was Mysterio. I loved the guy. With all of the special effects you could use in film today I think you could make a terrific movie with this character.
With all of the unused villains in Spider-Man’s gallery of foes I don’t see the Rhino getting another bite at the apple. He might in a Hulk movie though.
Great site. Been checking in for a few months now. Also love the new semi regular column. Sometimes I think that eBay and other auction sites are a better gauge on the value of certain books. But then again there are some modern books on there that command even more riducueolsy skewed prices than compared to Overstreet! Nevertheless, excellent write up.
Welcome aboard Peter!
I do think auction sites and e-bay probably give the best indications of the value current comic book market.. Nowadays so much can happen in one year that can impact book values,in particular movie related ones.. I also think these sites give a more worldly view of prices. The whole comic collecting planet has a crack at the books up for bid
That said, I do value the Overtreet guide for the complete overview it provides.
Many of the books it covers rarely or never see the internet.
Overstreet has been disconnected from the market for a long time. Too long. The idea that everything goes up 6-8% per annum is ridiculous. When you look at the results from ha,com and overlay that with Overstreet — well that would make for an interesting article. Good call on the overvalued side and adding that objectivity to the site.
Thanks David,
In at least the first three posts in this column some of my favorite books will be on the block. Hard for an old Marvel Zombie like me but fair is fair.
Your comment about ha.com vs Overstreet is a good one and one I will explore in the future.
Great post Mike! It is certainly a stretch to have ASM# 41 linked with the classic #39 and #40 when it comes to the value of the book. However I think that the excitement that was generated with John Romita coming on board is the main reason for the interest in this book .Even with all the tiny panels in this book, the improvement over the last few issues of Ditkos run (Just A Guy Named Joe as an example ) was evident and exciting and the Cold war aspect of the Rhino’s character was a twist that never really was developed fully. Boy, there is no shortage of Overvalued Books for your new column Mike.Have fun!
Thanks Dennis,
Your observation on John Romita’s takeover of the title is well founded. I have read in various John Romita interviews that when he first took on Spider-Man he “swiped Ditko cold” and kept the style of the book the same for quite a while until he felt comfortable and confident with the character. Don’t worry John you did a great job!!