The Four Color Media Monitor

The CBC reported about a specialty store in Moncton, New Brunswick, that's trying to sell a rare back issue of Amazing Fantasy #15, the debut of Spider-Man from late 1962, clearly hoping the usual speculator crowd will fulfill their goals:

A Moncton comic book shop is selling one of the most valuable comic books in existence.

The Comic Hunter in Moncton is looking for nearly $60,000 for a copy of Amazing Fantasy #15.

"It's up there with the first Superman, the first Batman of the most valuable comics that exist," said Rémi Vienneau LeClair, manager of the store in Moncton.

[...] The value of the specific issue has fluctuated over the years, but one copy in great condition sold for $3.6 million US in 2021.

According to CGC Comics, that puts Amazing Fantasy #15 as the second most expensive comic book ever. Superman #1 sold for $5.3 million US in 2022.

Vienneau LeClair says the comic at The Comic Hunter isn't in nearly as good condition as the copy in 2021, but it still fetches a pretty penny.

"It's always wild, you hope it's the real thing," said Vienneau LeClair. "When someone calls, most of the time, people think they're sitting on a gold mine and 99 times out of 100, they're not."

Vienneau LeClair says when the store bought the book it was already graded, so he knew it was legitimate. Now it's kept under lock and key, and he only shows it to people who are serious about purchasing it.

Yet another example of an artifact kept concealed from view, instead of put on display at museums where it could be seen by everybody. It's insulting to the intellect. At the end:

"I always tell people, like, if you want to invest, go to the bank. But if you're going to invest in comics, buy Spider-Man," said Vienneau LeClair. "In the 18 years that I've been running the shop, it's been continuously the bestseller for new and old comics."

He says Spider-Man comics have a broad appeal and balance serious story lines with funny quips.

"Spider-Man [has] sort of always been number one as long as I've been reading comics."

Has this guy paid attention to the last 2 decades or so? How about the Clone Saga, and come to think of it, how about J. Michael Stracyznski's overrated run, which certainly derailed with Sins Past and One More Day? Over at CTV News:

“Everybody knows who Spider-Man is, even if you’re not into comic books,” said Lewis.

Now that could actually be disputable, certainly in the forseeable future, as to whether many people know Spidey, and the part about not knowing comics sadly makes more sense than one would like to think. Why, now that I think of it, does anybody know Mary Jane Watson? Well, if the above line is to be considered, alas, there's bound to be quite a few who not only don't know her, the worst part is they surely don't care about the harm Joe Quesada led to when he invalidated the Spider-marriage in 2007, all for the sake of his pointless agendas.

Spider-Man comics are one of the stores top sellers and the lovable teenaged crime fighter remains one of the most popular superheroes of all time.

“I think it’s just because he’s your every day kind of guy. He’s a nerdy guy. He’s not someone who stands out that gets to be special,” said Lewis. “The other thing is he gets to wear a full mask, so anybody can pretend to be Spider-Man.”

The problem with that is how it later led to all the ridiculous diversity pandering we've seen in the past decade, with Mile Morales just the beginning. And putting only so many different characters, male, female and different races in the same costume that originated with a white guy does not a talented story automatically make. Also note the articles make no mention of sales figures, so this is yet another example of merchants virtue-signaling, instead of making clear sales have long sunk into the abyss.

And the refusal to complain how bad Quesada and company made the situation is honestly disgraceful on the part of the store managers. How does that failure add up to fandom for Spidey, or even Superman? I just don't comprehend it.

Labels: history, marvel comics, misogyny and racism, msm propaganda, sales, Spider-Man, women of marvel