Light week this week as @sequential_art from the Department of Comics discord server only has ONE pick for this week. He put his rationale for that below. Because of that I added a few things that I personally like this week.
READ NEXT: All new Star Wars comics out next week.
Even if my NCBD picks are not home runs the good news is that they should be available at your LCS or online for cover price so it’s not a huge investment or anything.
Also, if you love comic speculation, and if you’re reading this you probably do, the Department of Comics is a super fun and positive online community for comic fans. If you want to hang out, here’s the join link.
DISCLAIMER: The picks in this post are just opinions and the comics listed are not guaranteed to go up in value. Your money is your money. You work hard for it. Please only buy things you really want or that you agree will go up in value (if that’s your thing).
See last week’s spec picks here.
Let’s do it…
No Book Title | No Publisher
Submitted by sequential_art
In-Store Date: Never
This is actually a really light NCBD week for speculation picks. I don’t see anything that really jumps out at me enough to recommend it to others. I think there are some books that may be very low print that I might buy at the right price if I saw them on a shelf, but I’m not really sure about the market for them, yet.
There are some very big Chuma Hill fans, and his 1:50 for Knight Terrors Zatanna #2 is probably going to be tough to find. Also if you’re a Zatanna fan, The Comic Corner has a pretty cool Ariel Diaz exclusive for Zatanna #16. I don’t think House of Slaughter is getting nearly the ordering volume of Something is Killing the Children, so if you like the long-term prospects of these books, the Peach Momoko 1:75 for House of Slaughter #16 is probably something for which you should keep an eye out (but also be aware, Boom! usually has their own exclusives and sells ratios on their website, so don’t overpay for this on the secondary market). For me, that’s… well, that’s about it.
Children of the Vault | Marvel Comics
Submitted by @drunkwooky
I’m no X-Men expert. Hell, I don’t read many Super Hero comics at all. No clue if there will be first appearances, but on a slow week there’s no harm in scooping up a cover priced first issue that could potentially introduce new Children of the Vault members into the X-Men universe. With the success of the Spiderverse movies I wouldn’t be shocked to see Marvel double dip and tap into another multiverse type story. This would fit the bill. But then again, who knows?
Most of the variants are already sold out at TFAW so there’s a least some interest here.
The first appearance of the Children of the Vault was in X-Men #188 from 2006. There’s also a pretty dope 1:25 sketch variant of that issue by Chris Bachalo.
Pre-order Children of the Vault
Mech Cadets #1 (2023) | Boom! Comics
Submitted by @drunkwooky
In Stories: August 9th
A new comic series by Greg Pack and Takeshi Miyazawa that has it’s first issue coming just one day (August 9th) before the animated Mech Cadets show drops on Netflix. This is far from a sure thing but the IP has already been greenlit, produced, and will 100% be released on the largest streaming platform in the world. Check out the trailer here.
IF the new comic series introduces new characters AND the show ends up being a hit then this could be a big issue down the road. I wouldn’t go nuts though because that’s a lot of “ifs” but I’ll be getting at least the cover A. It could also be worth monitoring the original Mech Cadets #1 from 2017 if the show is well received.
Pre-order Mech Cadets here
FOC
Moon Knight #25 Second Printing Steve McNiven | Marvel Comics
Submitted by sequential_art
FOC Date: 8/7/23
In-Store Date: 9/13/23
This second print isn’t likely to be heavily ordered at all. There’s also a 1:25 ratio. It’s still Layla El-Faouly’s first appearance in comics, so I would at least put the open order on your pull, and then I’d keep an eye out for reasonable prices on the 1:25 on NCBD and after (because second print ratios on a $10 cover are rarely reasonably priced as a FOC presale).
Get your copy of Moon Knight #25 2nd print here
From the World of Minor Threats: The Alternates #1 | Dark Horse Comics
submitted by @drunkwooky
In stores: September 13, 2023
FOC: August 7, 2023
The first issue of the new Minor Threats spinoff by Patton Oswalt & Jordan Blum, From the World of Minor Threats: The Alternates, has its FOC on Monday. It has an all new cast of characters but is in the same “universe” as Minor Threats. There is a FOC variant by Tony Fleecs that I just noticed for the first time the other day.
I still don’t see the cover art in many stores so I believe this variant could go underordered. There’s also a 1:10 variant by Martin Simmonds. Which is notable because the first mini series had a total of ZERO ratio variants.
I’m a huge fan of Minor Threats and am really excited about this. I also can’t think of another comic series that is as likely to get optioned as Minor Threats. Mainly because the creative team behind it all have decades of experience working on massive shows/movies and will 100% be able to get in touch with the right people to make it happen. Also, Dark Horse/Patton Oswalt have promoted the living shit out of it lately. They created a full trailer for the initial series and Patton Oswalt has been on dozens of podcasts this summer hyping it up. Including Conan O’Brien’s podcast a few weeks ago. I just have a hard time thinking all this effort is to promote the TPB that came out this summer or the spin off. Feels like they are trying to build hype to pitch to studios.
Get From the World of Minor Threats: The Alternates #1 here:
Spider-Gwen Annual #1 Jeehyung Lee Virgin 1:100 Incentive | Marvel Comics
Submitted by sequential_art
FOC Date: 8/7/23
In-Store Date: 9/6/23
I’m dropping this here more to put it on your radar than to tell you that you need to order or pull it before FOC. I’m certain there will be exclusives for this book, which will soften the secondary market prices on it a bit. But, these Jeehyung Lee high ratio covers seem to be one of the few exceptions that still hold high, long-term fair market value when there’s an open order trade dress. If this is something you want in your collection, I would patiently wait for a good deal on one if you don’t already have it pre-ordered for a price you like.
Alice Never After #2 Cover D Adam Hughes 1:25 Incentive | Boom! Studios
Submitted by sequential_art
FOC Date: 8/7/23
In-Store Date: 8/30/23
I really debated putting this in my picks this week, but ultimately, I just want to make sure that nobody that wants it misses it – so, that’s why it’s here, because I don’t think it’s a strong speculation pick. I’m guessing this is probably a very low-ordered book, but like we’ve talked about, Boom! often does their own exclusives and sells ratios on their website, so I never really feel like I have to preorder or overpay for a Boom! ratio book that I really want (especially when the book is just a cover buy, and this book is definitely just a cover buy).
The art has been floating around for quite a bit, and I assumed it was going to be used for the 1:25 ratio, but it’s also a FOC variant in a trade dress, and that was sort of a disappointing surprise when I was going over the FOC catalog. This isn’t a book I will chase, and I don’t think you should, either – but, it’s a great Hughes cover, and there probably won’t be a ton of the virgin cover out there since it’s the high ratio, so I will be watching for reasonably-priced pre-orders and/or below-ratio prices on NCBD to pick one up for myself.
Pre-order Alice Never After Here:
