In the days leading up to San Diego Comic-Con we spoke to industry professionals who work in the field of auctioning and brokering sales of comic books, original art, and related collectibles. They shared their opinions on the state of the comic market and expectations for the 2022 San Diego Comic-Con. Here are Pedigree Comics CEO & President Doug Schmell’s thoughts:

Scoop: Do the present inflation worries have you concerned, and do you think it’ll have any impact on comics?
Doug Schmell (DS): It is a concern and has to be a concern because inflation is real and affects all markets. That being said, prices are still very strong overall in comics, although I’ve seen a leveling off on Silver Age and, to a lesser extent, on Bronze Age books (primarily Marvel). Golden Age seems stronger than ever, and Dell (plus Gold Key) are hotter than they ever were right now (and have been for the past six-plus months).

Scoop: How do you see the marketplace at the moment?
DS: Still strong but buyers are being careful and picky, not rushing into anything just because of its title or issue number. There probably are less new collectors/investors with money entering the hobby than there were since before January/February. That’s a fact.

Scoop: What are your personal expectations for Comic-Con?
DS: There will be plenty of dealers with high end CGC-certified books and I don’t expect there to be any sort of discounting or lower expectations for sales just because of the current economic conditions. I expect business as usual (i.e., a lot of buying and selling for strong prices between dealers during set-up and strong prices realized from customers at the show). I don’t see dealers lowering their prices at all due to the current inflation.