Another year is coming to a close and with it another crop of impressive auction results. Scoop spoke to ComicLink founder and CEO Josh Nathanson and Consignment Director and VP Douglas Gillock about their 2016 sales results, trends, and what to expect in 2017.

Scoop: How many auctions did you hold in 2016?
Josh Nathanson and Douglas Gillock (JN and DG): ComicLink had 11 auctions for comic books and related original art in 2016 and we will be doing the same in 2017. Plus, remember that ComicLink also has the Comic Book Exchange and Comic Art Exchange where thousands of comics and art pieces are available for direct purchase 365 days a year.

Scoop: What was your sell-through rate?
JN and DG: On comic books we are looking at around a 99.98% sell through and on comic art it comes in at about 98%.

Scoop: Let’s talk about pricing trends of the year for comics. Which titles excelled in 2016?
JN and DG: It would be difficult to name everything that excelled in 2016; there were just so many strong segments in the hobby. The most obvious one would be anything related to the movie and television series which have taken over large and small screens all over the world. First appearances of characters whose visibility has been greatly increased by wider media exposure have risen sharply. This not only includes increased interest in characters who had established followings before a film or television series was announced (such as Doctor Strange), but also more obscure characters who get thrust into the mainstream suddenly with an internet leak or press release (Squirrel Girl). Keeping up with all of those is a big challenge for dealers and collectors now.

But that is just one specific segment of collecting – there is a lot of other material that has risen sharply in 2016: classic cover Golden Age comics, especially those dealing with WWII are up, first appearance issues of major heroes both of the Golden and Silver Ages continue to thrive, pre-code horror and pre-hero Marvel-Atlas books are widely sought after especially in the higher grades, there are numerous Silver and Bronze keys that continue to go up, setting new bars year after year. There are even now dozens of comics from the 1980s through the early 2000s that are commanding $1,000 to $2,000 and more in top grade. It has been a very active few years in the market and 2016 was the biggest year we’ve ever seen for our auction division. Aggressive buyers scooped up many thousands of certified comic books and original artwork to enhance their collections, setting hundreds, if not thousands, of sales records. We see this growth trend continuing for years to come.

Scoop: Which first appearances saw the biggest draw?
JN and DG: Some of it was driven by the wider media. So, you had books like Strange Tales #110 (first Doctor Strange) and Hero for Hire #1 (first Luke Cage), getting very strong attention from buyers in 2016 and you also see heroes like Spider-Man or Captain America getting a fresh shot in the arm with a new project announced or released. But, I think it is also important to point out the virtually all major first appearances saw a rise in 2016. Whether you are talking about major, “mega-key” Golden Age books like Batman #1 and Captain America Comics #1, or major Silver and Bronze premieres like Amazing Fantasy #15, X-Men #1, and Incredible Hulk #181, eager buyers far outnumbered the available examples this year. We saw high prices realized for even more widely available Modern firsts such as Batman Adventures #12 (first Harley Quinn in comics), New Mutants #98 (first Deadpool), and Walking Dead #1.

Scoop: What were the high sellers by age – Golden, Silver, Bronze, Modern?
JN and DG: Golden Age top sales for ComicLink this year included Action Comics #7 (second Superman cover) CGC 6.0 for $175,000 and CGC 2.0 for $71,000, More Fun Comics #73 CGC 6.5 for $67,000, All Star Comics #8 (first Wonder Woman) CGC 2.0 for $32,000, Batman #1 (first Joker and first Catwoman) CGC 2.5 for $64,000, Captain America Comics #1 (first Captain America, Bucky, and Red Skull) CGC 2.0 for $45,000, Detective Comics #33 CGC 6.5 for $51,133, #35 (fifth Batman cover) CGC 3.5 for $34,333, More Fun Comics #52 (first Spectre) CGC 3.0 for $39,500, Pep Comics #22 (first Archie, Betty, and Jughead) CBCS 2.0 for $31,249, Sensation Comics #1 (second Wonder Woman appearance and first cover) CBCS 5.5 for $35,000 and CGC 5.0 for $31,555, Superman #14 (classic patriotic cover) CGC 9.2 for $45,000, and Wonder Woman #1 CGC 6.5 for $59,500, just to name a few.

Some Silver Age top sellers were traditional keys like X-Men #1 CGC 9.6 for $350,000, Incredible Hulk #1 CGC 9.0 for $275,000 and Tales to Astonish #27 CGC 9.4 for $205,501, as well as some later Silver Age keys such as Fantastic Four #52 (first Black Panther) CGC 9.8 Curator pedigree for $90,000. Other big sellers included Amazing Spider-Man #1 (second appearance, series begins) CGC 9.2 for $75,000, Daredevil #2 (second Daredevil) CGC 9.8 Pacific Coast pedigree for $30,400, Fantastic Four #1 (first Fantastic Four, Marvel Age begins) CGC 7.0 for $20,250, and Flash #123 (Flash of Two Worlds) CGC 9.4 for $21,050. There are many more, of course.

Highlight Bronze Age sales included Amazing Spider-Man #121 (death of Gwen Stacy) CGC 9.8 for $4,544, #129 (first Punisher) CGC 9.8 for $8,900, Avengers #112 (first Mantis) CGC 9.8 for $2,333, Conan the Barbarian #1 (first Conan in comics) CGC 9.8 for $5,265, Detective Comics #411 (first Talia) CGC 9.8 for $8,007, Forever People #1 (first full Darkseid) CGC 9.8 for $3,600, Giant-Size X-Men #1 (first Storm, Colossus, Nightcrawler and second full Wolverine) CGC 9.8 for $7,101, Incredible Hulk #181 (first full Wolverine) CGC 9.8 for $15,000, Marvel Feature #1 (first Defenders) CGC 9.8 for $8,101, Night Nurse #1 CGC 9.8 for $7,700, Shazam! #1 (first return of the original Captain Marvel since the Golden Age) CGC 9.9 for $9,900, and Werewolf By Night #32 (first Moon Knight) CGC 9.6 for $8,700. So many Bronze Age books hit record prices in 2016.

Modern standouts such as Albedo #2 (first Usagi Yojimbo) CGC 9.6 for $2,556, Batman Adventures #12 (first Harley Quinn in comics) CGC 9.8 for $2,156, Batman: Vengeance of Bane Special CGC 9.9 for $2,388, Harbinger #1 CGC 9.8 for $1,000, New Mutants #98 (first Deadpool) CGC 9.9 for $9,201, Primer #2 (first Grendel) CGC 9.8 for $1,500, Star Wars #42 (first Boba Fett and Yoda in comics) CGC 9.9 for $6,600, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1 CGC 9.6 for $15,000, and Walking Dead #1 (first Rick Grimes) CGC 9.8 for $3,500, also sold in 2016 through ComicLink Auctions.

Scoop: How about original art, which covers garnered impressive prices?
JN and DG: Our top cover sales this year included a Dick Sprang WWII themed cover for Batman #30 for $60,000, John Romita Jr.’s Uncanny X-Men #211 cover from the “Mutant Massacre” event for $51,001, Gil Kane’s Giant-Size X-Men #2 cover for $47,000, John Romita’s Amazing Spider-Man #164 cover for $36,556 and Captain America #171 cover for $33,000, Dave Gibbons’ Watchmen #8 cover for $36,001, Jack Kirby’s Black Panther #6 cover for $32,500, Barry Windsor-Smith’s Conan Saga #5 cover from $32,000, Dave Cockrum’s Iron Fist #12 cover for $28,000, Frank Miller’s Absolute Dark Knight cover for $26,199, Todd McFarlane’s Incredible Hulk #343 cover for $23,075, Michael Golden’s Savage She-Hulk #8 cover for $19,350, Frank Brunner’s Fear #16 cover for $19,250, Murphy Anderson’s and Carmine Infantino’s Flash #176 cover for $17,805, and many others.

Scoop: What about interior pages?
JN and DG: Notable interior page sales included a Steve Ditko panel page from Amazing Spider-Man #10 for $68,000, a Jack Kirby Fantastic Four Annual #1 panel page for $42,000, a John Romita Amazing Spider-Man #50 panel page for $37,000, Gene Colan’s Iron Man #1 title splash for $31,500, a John Byrne X-Men #141 “Days of Future Past” half splash for $31,000 and an X-Men #139 panel page for $30,000, a Dan Jurgens Superman #74 panel page from the “Death of Superman” saga for $17,150, a Tony Moore panel page from The Walking Dead #1 for $17,015, an Alex Ross painted Galactus and the Silver Surfer splash from Marvels #3 for $16,902, a Jim Starlin Captain Marvel #29 page 1 title splash for $15,570, a Don Heck Tales of Suspense #52 panel page for $15,438, a George Tuska Iron Man #8 title splash for $15,251, and more.  

Scoop: Did any particular artists draw more bidders than others?
JN and DG: Mainstays like Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, John Romita, Frank Frazetta and Gil Kane are always top draws for collectors. You also see esteemed Bronze and Modern creators such as Todd McFarlane, Frank Miller, Jim Lee, Bruce Timm, Jim Starlin, Barry Windsor-Smith, and others with ever-expanding buyer bases. We have also seen a big increase in interest in the work of artists whose contributions to some of the most popular characters in the comics may have been overlooked in decades past. These include artists such as Frank Brunner, Rich Buckler, Gene Colan, Herb Trimpe, Keith Pollard, Don Newton, and many more. The market for original comic art has exploded in the past decade and with the broad increase in the number of collectors in the market, we have also seen a widening of interests. Even more than in comics, tastes in original art are very personalized and collectors are always finding new artists, characters, and subjects as focuses of their buying.

Scoop: What prices surprised you this year?
JN and DG: The fact that books like Amazing Fantasy #15, Batman #1, or Incredible Hulk #181 would be sought-after and valuable doesn’t come as that much a surprise. More interesting is when you see an obscure genre-title Golden Age book or a Silver/Bronze Age run issue in top condition go for a staggering number. A book like Guns Against Gangsters #6 (L.B. Cole cover) CGC 9.2 selling for $3,300 (near nine times the Guide price) or a CGC 9.6 copy of X-Men #76 going for $3,400 (top of Guide is $140) really demonstrates just how aggressive some bidders can get in our auctions even for material that many might not be on the radar of many other collectors. It is a good argument for why the auction format can be such a powerful selling tool not just for the major, well-known keys, but also for rarely-seen material.

This can be even more acute with original art where each piece is unique and collectors are often obsessed with a particular issue or even page from a particular book. This can result in sales such as an Herb Trimpe Incredible Hulk #172 panel page for $7,300 or a Dick Dillin Justice League of America #142 page for $4,544. Price discovery on some of this material can be very challenging even for an experienced collector, especially on the upside. In private deals, there is always a risk that an owner can under-sell a piece through lack of exposure. That is why many sellers are choosing the auction route for selling art, where they take full advantage of the potential competitive bidding offers.

Scoop: What were the highlights of the year – be it record prices or notable/interesting sales?
JN and DG: Record sales are always fun to achieve and report and the fact that 2016 was the biggest year ever in our auction segment was certainly notable. Another highlight of 2016 was the fact that it was ComicLink’s 20th year in business serving the collector community as a consignment-based firm. Working so closely with our sellers to maximize their returns and with our buyers to fulfill their collecting dreams is the best part of every year. Big books, works by iconic creators, and major new collections come and go and of course it is always exciting to be able to handle them.

Scoop: Did you see a lot of growth in your customer base throughout 2016?
JN and DG: ComicLink was an innovator in using the internet as a method of buying and selling comics starting back in 1996 and we remain the largest consignment service focusing primarily on comic books and comic art. We have grown so much already and it is hard to imagine that any hobbyist paying attention isn’t utilizing our services. However, we do have an ever expanding client base. New buyers are always coming into the market. Some of them are a younger group who came of age in the '80s and '90s who now have the sort of expendable income available to them and would either like to start a collection or pursue higher dollar material. 

Scoop: What are your expectations for next year? Can you forecast any titles, characters, or artists that will be big sellers in 2017?
JN and DG: Predicting the future is always a tricky business. A few years ago, not many people would have guessed that collectors would be clamoring for comics featuring Rocket Raccoon and that Ron Lim Infinity Gauntlet pages would be selling for thousands of dollars. A lot of gains that we have seen recently have been based on unexpected and unpredictable news creating newfound interest in characters, titles, and artists. With Marvel Studios and DC Entertainment as well as numerous other producers having comic-related projects in the works for years to come, it seems like there are likely to be many more surprises in store for 2017 and beyond. Superhero movies are now the #1 most popular form of entertainment in the world with the build-up and release of each film capturing massive attention from millions of fans. 2017 will be the biggest year yet for Hollywood movies and TV shows devoted to our beloved characters and the attention from the mainstream world will continue to create new collectors for decades to come who will be interested in the vintage appearances of their favorites.

Scoop: Can you give us a preview now of art and comics you’ll offer next year?
JN and DG: There is some tremendous material already lined up for our auctions in early 2017. Just a few examples of the comic books already scheduled to hit the auction block include a complete Marvel Mystery Comics run of #2-92, an incredible collection of Sensation Comics featuring Wonder Woman, including 30 high grade examples between issue 44 and 106, and a large set of rare Canadian White Golden Age comics. Also, starting in February, we will be offering the John G. Fantucchio Collection – a newly coined pedigree collection stretching back to the early Silver Age that has been consigned to ComicLink. We will be starting with the Amazing Spider-Man run, which includes highlights such as issue #1 CGC 9.0, #10 CGC 9.8, #11 CGC 9.6, and #50 CGC 9.4, which should give you a sense of the quality of the Silver Age examples in the collection. There are also stand out individual comic book highlights coming up ranging from Action Comics #76 CGC 9.6 Mile High (single highest, classic WWII cover), to House of Secrets #92 CGC 9.6 (first Swamp Thing), and Incredible Hulk #181 CGC 9.8 (first full Wolverine). It is lining up to be a strong start to the year.

We have also booked some very impressive original art highlights for the start of the year. Recently we received the complete 20-page interior art to Conan the Barbarian #6 by Barry Windsor-Smith, which will be offered as a single lot. This is a very rare, perhaps unique opportunity to acquire a complete story from this iconic 1970s run. It is certainly going to be one of the most watched auction offerings of 2017. We have also taken in material such as a significant John Romita Daredevil #16 page from his very first work on Spider-Man, featuring both Spidey and Daredevil, Frank Miller art from Batman: The Dark Knight Returns #4 and Daredevil #158, a loaded Todd McFarlane Spawn page, an elusive early Tony Moore Walking Dead page, a Norman Mingo Alfred E. Newman portrait painting, and a whole lot more.

Both for comics and art, interested buyers and sellers should check out the still growing auction previews on the ComicLink site to keep up with the new additions to upcoming auctions.

Scoop: Have you set dates for upcoming auctions?
JN and DG: We sure have. Our Focused Auction launched on January 11 and our Winter Featured Auction starts on February 15. Then our next Focused Auction starts on March 9. The January Focused Auction is our largest offering of comic books and original art ever! There are even some comic book related hobby cards and movie posters within the auction. The Winter Featured Auction is lining up to be another blockbuster with some very impressive material already posted to the still growing preview. After that we will commence Featured Auctions in May, August and November, and Focused Auctions in March, April, June, July, September, and October. It is going to be a very busy and productive year for ComicLink and our clients!