Comic Book Investing: A Guide to Growing Your Portfolio with Collectibles

While investing is generally thought of as something that involves the stock market or real estate, it can also include adding pop culture collectibles, like comic books, to your portfolio. If you’re a comic book fan, it might sound very enticing to invest in Wolverine, Venom, or The Avengers.

However, when you invest in comic books, it’s important to understand the market and what to expect. Investing in comic books — or any collectible item — can be very subjective and potentially expensive.

Here’s what you need to know about how to invest in comic books.

In this article

• What investing in comic books means
• How to invest in comic books
• How to find the best comic books
• How to resell your comic books
• An easier way to invest in comic books
• FAQs
• Bottom line

What investing in comic books means

They might seem like strange things to invest in, but comic books are reasonably popular when it comes to alternative assets.

Comic books have been around since 1837 when the earliest known comic book — The Adventures of Obadiah Oldbuck — was published. However, when many people think of comic books they think of superheroes, and the arrival of superheroes to the graphic page marks the dawn of the so-called Golden Age of comic books.

The Golden Age of comics is generally thought to have started in 1938 when Action Comics #1 introduced Superman, a creation of Jerry Siegel and Joe Schuster. Other superheroes who appeared for the first time during the Golden Age are still some of our favorites today, including Batman, Wonder Woman, and Captain America. After World War II, there was a decline in comic book popularity, as well as concerns about how comic books impacted children, which led to cancelations of favorite series. The Golden Age of comics ended around 1950.

Today, vintage comic books from the Golden Age in mint condition are highly prized by comic book collectors. However, comic books from the Silver Age, which historians generally place between 1956 and 1970, also have some pull in the comic book market. This is the era that saw team-up comics become popular and introduced us to Thor, Spider-Man, and the Hulk, as well as Iron Man and the X-Men.

Over time comic books have been elevated to an art form. Even though they aren’t from the Golden or Silver Age, the somewhat darker aesthetic of Frank Miller’s work is highly sought after. His artwork from The Dark Knight Returns sold for $478,000 at auction in 2013.

How big is the comic book industry?

Since 2001, more than 3 million comic books have been bought and sold with more than $1 billion trading hands, according to GP Analysis (Grade Price Analysis), a company that analyzes the collectibles market. As of this writing, GP Analysis reports that nearly 56,000 comic books have been traded in just the last 30 days, with a top price of $59,500.

When it comes to comic book investments, those likely to provide the best return are from the Golden Age and Silver Age of comics, plus the artwork of Frank Miller. Additionally, there are some issues of popular characters or artwork from different eras that also sell well.

Golden Age Action Comics are the most likely to be in high demand, with a pristine condition Action Comics #1 — featuring the first appearance of Superman — selling for $3.2 million on Ebay. On the other hand, in 2020 it was more common to see popular issues in good condition selling in the range of $55,000 to $83,000. There are also stories of comic book investors selling entire collections, with a mish-mash of issues across years, for as much as $3.5 million.

In general, comic books are likely to go up in value if the characters are popular and issues are scarce. As a result, the older comics, which are harder to find in good condition, are more likely to increase in value over time. Depending on the comic book involved, it could be possible for comic book speculators to beat the average market return by quite a lot. But, much like investing in artwork, comic books can be illiquid (hard to sell) and you often have to get lucky to see market-beating returns.

Pros of comic book investing

• Potential to see big returns if you choose the right comics
• An enjoyable way to add to your investment portfolio
• Alternative assets that aren’t connected to the traditional financial markets
• Tangible items that you can keep for a long period of time

Cons of comic book investing

• Value of comic books is subjective, so it depends on demand
• More people are saving comic books, so it’s harder to make money with newer editions
• Buying more valuable comic books can be expensive and the returns might be harder to realize

How to invest in comic books

If you want to invest in comic books, it’s important to have a strategy and be realistic about the situation. Depending on your goals, comic books could be an intriguing option as you determine how to diversify your portfolio.

How to find the best comic books

When looking for the best comic books for investing, it’s important to have an idea of what makes a comic book valuable. In general, your best bet is to pick up comics that were published before 1985, although looking for new comics could pay off down the road. It’s also worth noting that individual pages from comic books and artwork related to comic books could also provide you with a valuable return on your investment.

Some of the things to consider when evaluating comic books include:

• Issue significance: First issues are generally considered more desirable and are more likely to offer a return. However, issues that feature a turnover in writer or artist, or mark a significant story arc, could also become more valuable over time.
• Popularity of the artist or writer: If a writer or artist is well-known and popular, the comic books that contain their artistry can be valuable. Frank Miller is a good example of a popular artist. Similarly, the rising profile of Neil Gaiman has helped increase the value of the Sandman comic books, which he wrote.
• Rarity of the comic book: One of the reasons older comics are more valuable is due to their rarity. There are fewer of them around. More recent comic books, especially those from the modern era, are more likely to be saved, so they aren’t as rare and may not be as valuable.
• Comic book condition: The condition of the comic book matters. A comic book in good condition is more valuable than one in poor condition.

If you’re trying to get an idea of what the fair market value of a comic book might be, one resource is GoCollect. GoCollect is a comic book price guide that aggregates data on recent sales and comes up with a fair market value for comic books.

For example, I bought a copy of Sandman #1 several years ago for $50. Today, the fair market value is $625, according to GoCollect. It’s not as dramatic as selling for thousands of dollars, but that’s a pretty decent return. At the end of 2020, I bought a copy of Batman: Three Jokers #1 for $15. Even though it’s a new release, if you have the right cover variant, it could already be worth more. My version has a fair market value of $44 right now, according to GoCollect.

One thing to keep in mind is comic book grading. Two comic book grading services are Certified Guaranty Company (CGC) and Comic Book Certification Service (CBCS). These services review comic books and generally grade them on a scale of 0.5 to 10.

When purchasing comic books for investment, your best bet is to look for purchases that are rated very fine, near mint, or mint. While you can sometimes see a good return for comic books that are fine or very good, they usually need to be rarer in order to make a good investment.

In the end, though, a comic book is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it.

How to resell your comic books

There are a number of places to resell your comic books, including in-person and online. Here are a few suggestions for selling your comic books:

• eBay: If you have a large collection of comic books that aren’t particularly valuable, or if you have individual issues that aren’t in mint condition or very popular, eBay can be a good choice.
• Heritage Auctions: One of the go-to places to sell more valuable comic books. If you have Golden Age or Silver Age comics, this could be one of your best choices. Do note, you should have an idea of your actual grade and the value of the book before heading to a site like this.
• Local comic book store: Some comic book and game shops will buy used comic books. You might also be able to sell them at pawn shops and other places that resell collectibles.

When selling a comic book that you believe is valuable, it might be worth the time and cost to have it properly graded and certified. Consider doing a cursory search at GoCollect to get a feel for the potential fair market value. Grading can cost up to $1,000, depending on the value of the item in question. However, if you can get an “official” grade, you might be able to sell your item for more.

If you decide to list a comic book online, make sure you take good pictures that show the condition of the comic book, and be accurate in your description. When shipping the comic book, be sure to carefully package the book to avoid damage. Expect that selling on a site like eBay or Craigslist will mean you might not get as much as you’d like.

Finally, it’s also possible to donate your comic books for a tax deduction. If you itemize your deductions, Comix Relief and Superheroes for Hospice will take your comic books and issue you a receipt with the value. You can then claim that value as a tax deduction.

An easier way to invest in comic books

If you don’t want to go through the trouble of putting together a tangible comic book collection, you can actually buy shares in famous comic books through the investment platform Otis Wealth.¹

You can read our Otis Wealth review for all the details, but here's a concise explanation. Otis allows you to buy an interest in culturally significant items, ranging from sneakers to comic books. Rather than having to buy an expensive item in its entirety, you can purchase a share of the item, similar to buying fractional shares of stock. Later, if you want to sell your interest, you can do so by accepting an offer from someone else.

For example, Daredevil #1 from Marvel is currently available as an IPO for $10 a share (as of March 15, 2021). If you buy shares now, you could then sell them to other Otis members once trading opens up on the item.

You can get started with Otis by downloading the app and connecting your Otis account with your bank account. You can put money in your Otis cash account to expedite share purchases or buy with money in your linked bank account.

Otis could be a smart option for those who like the idea of investing in comic books, but can’t afford thousands of dollars to purchase Golden or Silver Age editions.