Amazing Spider-Man #361

Marvel - April 1992

Key Issue Notes
First full appearance of Carnage

The other day, I was scrolling through my Facebook news feed and came across an article that stated the AMC show "Better Call Saul" tweeted out a not too subtle hint that actor Michael Mando will be playing Carnage in Spider-Man: Homecoming. I personally don't think that is going to happen. I have a feeling that we might see Cletus Kasady in the movie, and set up the character for a future Spider-Man film.


Regardless of whether Carnage will be in the new movie, I figured we'd knock this key issue out anyway.

Psychopath and serial killer, Cletus Kasady was a prison cellmate of Eddie Brock's. As most of the people reading this know, Eddie Brock was the second host of the alien symbiote, after Peter Parker, that would become  the super villain Venom.

The alien symbiote finds Eddie in prison, and bonds with him, once again becoming Venom. In his escape, a part of the alien symbiote is left behind and eventually bonds itself with Kasady, thus creating the Spawn of Venom, known to all as Carnage.

So, as I've stated in the key issue notes, this is the first full appearance of Carnage. In the previous issue, Amazing Spider-Man #360, Carnage makes himself known to the world in a one page cameo, but I'll get to that issue at a later date.

There is a second printing of this issue out there. It is easily distinguishable from the first printing from its silver background. I've included a picture of it for reference. It's said that the second print had a much lower print run and is far more rare that the first print. I don't have any numbers for either printing, so it's just a matter of taking others word for it. However, there are currently only 231 copies of the second printing listed on the CGC census.

Like a lot of comics printed in the early 90's, there are a lot of copies of this comic on the market, and you'll have no problem finding one. As we look at the census information for the first printing, there are 5,032 copies listed. If you count in CBCS and PGX graded copies, I'm sure the number is much much higher. Anyway, most of the copies taht are on the CGC census are in a very nice high grade. Two thirds of the comics are between 9.6 NM+ and 9.9 M. 

Click to enlarge

So, with so many copies out there, what has that done for sales? Most grades have seen a small rise in value over the last year or so. 9.8 NM/M copies are nearing the $300 mark over the last couple of weeks, while 9.6 NM+ copies have started to consistently drop for over the $100 mark. There are a couple of weird sales for 9.8's that went for $1,000 each. I guess there's some "double cover" issues that made their way into stores. Those two sales are skewing the averages for 9.8's on GoCollect, but it seems like it didn't skew it too much.

Values for Amazing Spider-Man #361
on GoCollect

Lower grades have seen a little rise or stayed fairly even. They could be good investments, but for the most investment potential, the higher grades are the way to go, especially since prices for these comics aren't through the roof. I'm not sure if they ever really will be with the potential amount of copies that are out there, but I've seen stranger things happen.

This isn't the first time there were rumors circulating that Carnage would make an appearance on the big screen. Before the fiasco that was The Amazing Spider-Man 2 made its way to theaters, Sony Pictures announced that they had a Venom / Carnage movie in the works. That announcement gave this comic a nice little boost in demand and value. I have a feeling that as this rumor spreads, and more people find out about it, we could see another one of those jumps in demand.

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Brave and the Bold #25

DC Comics - Aug./Sept. 1959

Key Issue Notes
First appearance of Suicide Squad
First appearance of Dr. Hugh Evans
First appearance of Jess Bright
First appearance of Karin Grace
First appearance of Rick Flag Jr.

Before there was a Justice League, DC introduced us to a little group of heroes known as Task Force X, who's also known as The Suicide Squad. The team that appears in this issue isn't the same as the one that is going to appear in the new Suicide Squad movie that's only a couple months away from being released.

Created by Robert Kanigher and Ross Andru, the original Suicide Squad consisted of four team members, none of which had any super powers at all, but were put into extraordinary circumstances. The team members included Rick Flag Jr., Karin Grace, Dr. Hugh Evans and Jess Bright.

Rick Flag Jr

The leader of this little group of heroes is Rick Flag Jr. His parents were Rick Flag Sr., obviously, and Sharon Race. They were tragically killed when he was young and was he then raised by a friend of his fathers, Jeb Stuart. After a stint in the military, he was asked by Stuart to become a member of Task Force X.

While Flag was training to be an astronaut, he met space medicine expert Karin Grace. She and Rick Flag bonded over their tragic pasts and eventually fell in love . Rick used his influence with Jeb Stuart to get her on the team.

Karin Grace

Jess Bright and Dr. Hugh Evans are both physicists, and close friends. They were the only two surviving members of their science team after a nuclear bomb test went horribly wrong. They then dedicated their lives to helping others, in honor of those that died.

Right now, there aren't a lot of copies registered in the CGC census. There are only 125 registered. Surprisingly, only 4 of those are Restored copies. Even though there aren't too many already graded copies, it's not too hard to find one on the online market. However, find a high grade copy is a little different. According to the census, there are only two copies graded at 9.2 NM-. That is the highest grade for this issue to date. 

As I stated at the beginning, this isn't the same team that we'll be seeing on the big screen, but that hasn't stopped it from becoming a hot book after the movie was announced. Because there are so few high grade copies out there, find sales data for them is kinda hard to do. The only sales data I could find is from GoCollect, and they only have data for low to mid grade copies.

Values for Brave and the Bold #25 on GoCollect

The best example I can find to show you how much this comic increased in value after the movie was announced is for a 5.0 VG/F copy. The latest sale for a Brave and the Bold #25 dropped for $1,200 on April 25 of this year. When we go all the way back to Oct. 15, 2012, a 5.0 VG/F copy sold for a measly $100. Talk about a jump in value. The reason for this huge jump is easy, no one cared about the Suicide Squad before the movie announcement.

If you were lucky enough to snag one before all the hype, then I congratulate you. If you're looking to snag a copy for yourself, you might want to wait until the hype dies down a little before you do, prices are sure to drop a little.

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Silver Surfer #3

Marvel - Dec. 1968

Key Issue Notes
First appearance of Mephisto

The latest buzz going around at the moment has to do with the upcoming Netflix show The Defenders. There's a rumor going around that the big baddie in the show is going to be none other than Mephisto. I have no idea how credible this rumor is, but it's being said that Marvel wants to expand the supernatural element to their shows, eventually making way for Ghost Rider, Blade and Moon Knight to have series' of their own, or at least make some appearances.

Mephisto is yet another of a long line of creations by Stan "the man" Lee and John Buscema. They based the character on Mephistopheles, a demon character from the Faust legend.

In this issue of The Silver Surfer, Mephisto feels the power of the Sentinel of the Spaceways purity and kindness, and seeks him out to destroy him. He finds the Shalla Bal, the long lost love of Norrin Radd, and imprisons her in his dark realm. Norrin Radd is the true name of the Silver Surfer.

The Silver Surfer follows them to Mephisto's lair to rescue her. Little does he know that Mephisto used Shalla Bal to lure him there. While there, Mephisto tries to entice the Silver Surfer to become his servant by offering him unimaginable wealth and power, but, of course, that fails so Mephisto then tries to destroy him.

In the battle between the two, we get to see how powerful Mephisto really is, but he's no match against the power and goodness of The Silver Surfer, and in the end he defeats Mephisto, but not before Shalla Bal is sent back across the universe and far out of the reach of the Silver Surfer, leaving him alone and heart broken.

There is also a backup story featuring The Watcher. It's a recreation of the story "Why won't the believe me?" that was originally printed in Amazing Adult Fantasy #7.

Most of the copies that you will find online are going to be raw copies, but there are a few slabbers thrown in there too. As of right now, there have been 775 copies graded by CGC. That's a pretty good amount, but it's far from a lot. Hopefully CBCS will have a census soon so I can get a little more of an accurate number of graded copies out there, but for now, the CGC census will have to do.

There are quite a few high grade copies between 8.0 VF through 9.8 NM/M according to the census, but only three are graded at the highest 9.8 NM/M. The most abundant grade at this point is an 8.5 VF+ with 98 copies.

Values of Silver Surfer #3 on GoCollect

Sales for this issue have been inconsistent over the past two years. Some grades have seen an nice increase in value, mostly higher grades, while some other grades have seen a decrease. Obviously, if you can afford a higher grade, then that's what you should focus on. Higher grade comics will have a better chance of rising in value over their lower grade counterparts, and who doesn't want a nice looking copy in their collections.

Buying a high grade copy of The Silver Surfer #3 won't break the bank either. The latest sale of a 9.6 MN+ graded book sold for $958, just under the $1,000 mark. You should be able pick up a nice 9.0 VF/NM copy for less than $500, and probably less if you can find it for auction as opposed to a buy it now. If you have a budget of around $200, you should be looking at copies around the 7.5 VF- or 8.0 VF range.

Even though it's only a whisper of a rumor, and not even close to being confirmed in any way, this comic could see a boost in value. Every little whisper of a character appearing in a T.V. show or movie has some comic values shooting through the roof. Will it happen to this comic too? I guess we'll have to wait and see.

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Ultimate Fallout #4

Marvel - Oct. 2011

Key Issue Notes
First appearance of Miles Morales (Spider-Man)
First appearance of The Maker (Reed Richards)
First appearance of The Children of Tomorrow

When if was confirmed a few days ago that Donald Glover was signed on to play a part in Spider-Man: Homecoming, the first character that came to mind was Miles Morales. Could it be that this Ultimate Universe counterpart of Peter Parker is going to make his way to the big screen? I know that Glover is older than Miles is supposed to be in the comics, but it's still a definite possibility. After all, Donald Glover was a

This wouldn't be the first time that a character from this alternate universe has made it's way into a Marvel movie. The Chitauri from the original Avengers flick were also taken from the Ultimate Universe, also known as Earth-1610.

On Earth-1610, Peter Parker is killed by Norman Osborn and The Six while protecting his Aunt May and other loved ones. After his death, Miles Morales is bitten by a spider, and gains super human strength and spider like abilities, just like Peter did, eventually taking up the mantle of Spider-Man where Peter Parker left off.

In the Ultimate Universe, Reed Richards is a bit off of his rocker. He winds up faking his own death, and starts calling himself The Maker. After the Fantastic Four disbanded, Richards' view of the world becomes a bit skewed. He recruits several people, who's aim was to evolve, and formed The Children of Tomorrow. Their goal is to conquer the world and mold it into The Makers vision.

Ultimate Fallout #4 isn't a hard comic to find if you're in the market for an ungraded copy. According to Comichron.com, it has a print run of 73,764 copies. I know there are some people might say that isn't a high print run, but it was the fifth most printed comic in the month that it was released, so, to me, that's pretty high.

Finding already graded copies might be a little more of a challenge than finding raw copies. According to the CGC census, there are only 803 copies graded by them so far. But, a quick search on eBay, and you can see that there quite a few of those 803 listed, so I guess it won't be too much of a challenge after all. As you can probably guess, since this comic came out in late 2011, most of the copies are in high grade. Of the 803 copies listed, 647 of those are graded between a 9.2 NM- and 9.8 NM/M.

Values of Ultimate Fallout #4 on GoCollect

Sales for high grade copies of this issue have seen a small bump in value over the last few months. In the beginning of this year, a 9.8 NM/M copy would have cost you about $100, give or take a few bucks. The latest sale on eBay was a nickle under $275. Most other grades haven't seen the same demand, at least not yet. Most other grades have had a small rise or been holding steady, and a few have seen a drop in value. I doubt that trend will continue if it does turn out that Miles Morales will make an appearance in the new Spidey flick.

There is a variant cover and a second print of this comic out there too. I have no idea what the print numbers are on either one of these, but if you're a variant hunter, I want you to be aware that they exist.

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Doc Savage #1

Marvel  - Oct. 1972

Key Issue Notes
First appearance of Doc Savage (in Marvel comics)

Clark Savage Jr., often referred to as the first superhero, had a long history before he ever made his way into the pages of Marvel Comics. He was in magazines, trade paperbacks and even had a radio show long before that ever happened.

Obviously, this issue of Doc Savage isn't the true first appearance of The Man of Bronze. His true first appearance in any medium was way back in March 1933, when he appeared in Doc Savage Magazine #1. 

This isn't the first appearance of Doc Savage in comics either, even though it's implied on the cover. Gold Key released one issue in Nov. 1966, that retold the story of "The Thousand Headed Man". That comic was supposed to lead into a movie starring Chuck Connors, but because of legal issues, that movie never saw the light of day. Now, a new movie Doc Savage has recently been announced by Sony Pictures, and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is the latest actor has been confirmed to play the lead.

Doc Savage

Doc Savage gets his nickname, The Man of Bronze, from the color of his hair and skin. I guess he has a perpetual tan. He was trained at a very early age by a team of scientists. Because of this training, Clark Savage Jr. has a high strength and endurance, a photographic memory, a martial arts master and he has a great scientific mind. Oh, did I mention that he's also a master if disguise?

Doc Savage also has his "companions", who are known as The Fabulous Five. His five fellow adventurers comprise of Andrew Blodgett "Monk" Mayfair, Theodore Marley "Ham" Brooks, John "Renny" Renwick, Thomas J. "Long Tom" Roberts, and Willian Harper "Johnny" Littlejohn.

Monk

Andrew "Monk" Mayfair also has incredible strength that rivals that of Doc Savage's and is an industrial chemist. He gets his nickname because his long arms and low forehead make him resemble a monkey.

Theo "Ham" Brooks is a very well dressed attorney, who carries around a sword cane that has it's blade coated in an anesthetic. Monk framed Brooks for stealing hams from a commissary. That's how he got the nickname Ham.

Ham

John "Renny" Renwick is a beast of a man who had huge fists and a grimace on his. It's said that he would punch his way through doors. He is also a construction engineer and held the rank of Colonel in the military.

Thomas "Long Tom" Roberts is a thin sickly looking man, but he is a master when it comes to electricity. It is said that, while serving in WWI, he used an ancient cannon known as a Long Tom to help defend a European city, hence the nickname.

And the final member of the Fabulous Five is William "Johnny" Littlejohn. He is the worlds greatest archaeologist. He would accompany Doc Savage when his knowledge of ancient countries and ruins was essential.

The Fabulous Five

It's listed on the Marvel Wiki that the first appearance of these characters is in this issue of Doc Savage #1 as well, but since the all of the comics in the eight issue volume one series are reprints of previous stories, I'm going to assume that they are not, so I'm not going to list them on the key issue notes above. Any one of these characters, if not all could show up on the big screen when the Doc Savage movie is released. As of now there is no release date set.

There are not a lot of copies of Doc Savage #1 that are already graded out there right now, but I'm sure that's going to change really soon. As I'm writing, there are only 47 copies in the CGC census. Of those, there are 4 that are graded 9.6 NM+. Most of the available copies fall between an 8.5 VF+ and 9.0 VF/NM. I don't know where the picture at the beginning of this post came from, but there aren't any 9.8 NM/M copies listed in the census.

Values of Doc Savage #1 on GoCollect

Sales for Doc Savage #1 have seen really nice bump in value over the last two months since the announcement was made. Between May 2 to May 30 we've seen sales shoot up from $78 all the way up to $260. There  were some sales previous to that, that were hovering around the $100 mark. Even the mid grade copies have seen a nice boost.

I have no idea whether Sony will decide to use stories from this series of from the many stories that came before it. Either way, in my opinion, this could be a good book to pick up now, while prices are still somewhat low. If you decide to buy a raw copy, you might want to have it slabbed, and try and flip it. But that is, like I said, just my opinion.

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Amazing Spider-Man #2

Marvel - May 1963

Key Issue Notes
Third appearance of Spider-Man
First appearance of The Vulture
First appearance of The Terrible Tinkerer
First appearance of Quentin Beck (not named)

The rumored on again, off again talks between Michael Keaton and MCU are back in the news. Keaton is said to be in talks to play a villain in the new Spider Man: Homecoming movie set to be released in 2017. One of the rumor is that Keaton will be playing the part of the high flying Vulture, although nothing has been confirmed. I'm sure that speculators are going crazy.

This is one comic that doesn't need any speculation to drive up it's values. It's a very early Spider-Man appearance, third to be exact, and it has the first appearance of one of his most iconic foes. That alone drives up it's value.

The Vulture is another creation of the power duo of the Silver Age, Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. Before he was known as The Vulture, people knew him as Adrian Toomes. Toomes was somewhat of a genius and became an electrical engineer. He, along with a partner, opened up a small electronics firm. Eventually Toomes was swindled out of his share of the company and was left with nothing. He devoted his time to creating a pair of electromagnetic wings that would allow him to fly. After completing them, he discovered that exposure to the harness gave him super human strength.

The next brilliant madman to make his first appearance in the pages of Amazing Spider-Man #2 is The Terrible Tinkerer. His given name is Phineas Mason, and he'ss kinda like a MacGuyver of the super-villain world. He can create weapons and machinery from the most basic of materials. He often sell his wares to other villains and crime bosses, but on an occasion or two, he'll take on a job of his own.

Although he's not mentioned by name in this comic, Quentin Beck supposedly makes his first appearance in this book. Quentin Beck will become better known as the special effects and illusion master, Mysterio. He didn't originally start out appearing in this issue, but he was retconned to be part of The Terrible Tinkerers gang in an issue that was written sometime after his original first appearance in Amazing Spider-Man #13.

C

Finding a graded copy for sale shouldn't be too hard to do. At the time of this writing, there are 1,454 copies registered in the CGC census. Finding a high grade copy will prove to be a little bit harder. There is one copy graded at a very high Universal 9.8, and three for Universal 9.6 NM+ copies. I have no idea whether any of these copies have gone up for sale or not, since I can't find any sales data for them. They will probably cost you an arm and a leg though. As for sales data I could find, the latest CGC graded 9.0 VF/NM copy sold last Nov. for $5,000, which was significantly less that the previous sale before that, which was $6,400.

Values of Amazing Spider-Man #2
on GoCollect

If those numbers are out of your price range, like they are for me, then have no fear. There are a fairly abundant amount of lower grade copies to choose from. If you're looking for something in the under $1,000 range, you'll probably have to start looking at 5.0 VF/F copies. The last sale for a copy at that grade went for $940 in April. Anything less than $500 and you're looking at a very low grade 1.8 G- to a 2.0 G.

Whatever grade you decide to get, or that your budget will allow, this is a good investment comic to get, regardless of any kind of movie announcement hype or big screen appearance. This is a very early Spider-Man appearance and the first appearances of one very popular Spidey villain, and one not as popular. If you have this one on your want list like I do, then I wish you luck on your hunt.

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New Mutants #87

Marvel - March 1990


Key Issue Notes
First full appearance of Cable
First full appearance of Mutant Liberation Front
First full appearance of Stryfe
First full appearance of Wildside
First full appearance of Forearm
First full appearance of Reaper
First full appearance of Thumbelina
First full appearance of Strobe
First full appearance of Tempo
First full appearance of Zero
Skids leaves team
Rusty Collins leaves team

The New Mutants #87 is the second most valuable comic from the volume one series. It's ultimately know for having the first full appearance of Cable, but as you can see from the key issue notes, there's a lot more to it than that.

Let's start out with the most obvious appearance. As a lot of people that watched the Deadpool movie know by now, Cable will be making his big screen debut in the upcoming sequel. When said sequel will be released is still unknown at this time, but with San Diego Comic Con right around the corner, I'm sure we'll be hearing some news about it soon.

Cable is a time traveling mutant that has telepathy and telekinesis powers. His real name is Nathan Summers. He's the son of Scott Summers and Madelyne Pryor. Scott Summers is better known as Cyclops from the X-Men.  At an early age, Nathan was infected with the Techno-Organic Virus, which caused his body to be partially consumed by metal. There was nothing that could be done to save him in the present, so he was sent to the future to be cured. 

Cable

The Mutant Liberation Front is a super mutant group that commits acts of terror in the name of mutant rights. In this issue, the MLF is trying to rescue Skids and Rusty Collins. They were being help captive in a hospital by the government. Skids and Rusty end up leaving the New Mutants and joining the MLF after they are rescued.

This comic also has the first full appearance of Stryfe. He is the leader of the MLF. Stryfe is the clone of Nathan Summers. He was created by Mother Askani in case the Techno-Organic Virus completely comsumed Nathan Summers, and he died. Stryfe was later kidnapped and raised by Apocalypse.

Stryfe

Richard Gill, also know as Wildside, is a particularly crazy kind of villain. He has the power to cause hallucination in others, but prefers to scratch, claw, maim and kill using is long sharp nails and teeth.

Forearm, aka Michael McCain, is the brute of the MLF. He has an extra set of arms (haha... four arms.... get it?) and has super human strength.

Reapers real name is Pantu Hurageb. He is an Mutant Liberation Front member the the power to slow the movements of and paralyze people. Not to be confused with slowing down time.

Thumbelina's powers are pretty obvious. She has the ability to shrink down to small sizes, but as she gets smaller, she gets stronger. Her real name is Kristina Anderson.

Zero

Juliana Worthing is also known as Strobe. Yet another member of the MLF, she has the ability to project blasts of light that can blind and kill her opponents. 

Here's the MLF member that can slow down or speed up time. Her name is Heather Tucker, or the aptly named Tempo.

Zero is an android created my the Askani. He has the ability to open a portal for teleportation. However, he can't teleport to a location that he hasn't visited yet.

Whew, that was quite the list of characters. All of the characters listed, with the exception of Skids and Rusty Collins, make their first full appearance in the pages of this comic. They all make a cameo appearance in The New Mutants #86. On a side note, all of the characters and the Mutant Liberation Front were created by Rob Liefeld and Louise Simonson.

I know what you're going to ask next, are there a lot of graded copies of The New Mutants #87 out there, and the answer is, you betcha,  For some reason the CGC website is down right now, but fortunately there are other place on the WWW that have that information. GoCollect has the CGC census listings on their website. I have no idea how up to date it is, as it says that that part of their site is "currently under construction", so who knows.

Values of New Mutants #87 on GoCollect

So according to GoCollect, CGC has 4,198 total copies of New Mutants #87 listed in their census. More than half of them are graded an very respectable 9.6 NM+ or higher. There are 5 copies graded at an ultra high 9.9 M, with two of those being Signature Series. Very few of them are graded a 7.5 or lower. That only means that there are a lot of high grade copies for you to snag.

There isn't a lot of sales data for 9.9 Mint copy sales, which isn't surprising since there are so few graded, but it looks like a copy sold in 2010 for $2,900. There is a 9.9 Mint Signature series copy at Comic Link right now with an asking price of $15,000, but other than that, I don't know how copies at that grade have sold. However, sales for most other grades have started to see a nice rise in value recently. 9.8 NM/M copies have started creeping toward the $600 mark, and 9.6 NM+ copies have started to go above $250.

The confirmation that Cable will be on the big screen is definitely the culprit behind these increases in value. There should be another boost once an actor selected to play the character. There should also be another boost as filming starts, and another as the movie is about to be released. Now might be a good time to snag this comic if #1) your looking to flip it and make a little money or #2) you're a fan of the character and would like to grab a copy while it's at the prices that they're currently at, before they possibly get any higher. You might want to be on the lookout for the second printing on New Mutants #87, as that's also seen a little bump in value.

I took a chance and bought a copy right when it was confirmed that Cable would be in the Deadpool sequel, and so far, it's paid off for me, but I'm gonna hold on to my copy for just a little bit longer and see what happens.

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Batman #28 - CGC 7.0

DC Comics - April 1945

Key Issue Notes
Early Joker appearance

It's that time again where I dig into my vault and share with you a comic from my own personal collection. In fact, this was my latest acquisition.

With everyone trying to buy up the modern comics and hoping that they will become valuable and flip them for a profit, the Golden Age of comics is being grossly overlooked. If you take some time and hunt for them, you can find some nice Golden Age gems for well under guide. However, that's not exactly what I did to get this nice mid grade copy of Batman #28, even though I got it for well below guide, it was more of an impulse buy.

I frequently shop for comics on eBay. In fact, that's where I get most of my comics from. They have the biggest selection of comics than any other place and often times, it's where you can get the best deals from. 

One day, I happened to sign into eBay and checked my messages. There was an email from eBay saying that they were doing an 8% eBay Bucks promotion that ended the next day. I went through the pain staking process of searching and trying to decide what, if any, comic I was going to buy to get the extra eBay Bucks.

As I was searching through the usual Silver and Bronze Age books that were on my want list, I remembered that I wanted to search for an early Golden Age Batman comic, preferably between issues #1 - #30. I didn't think I was going to find anything that was in my price range, and I was right, I didn't find anything in within my $200 budget.

As I was browsing through the Golden age comics, I stumbled upon this copy of Batman, a nice Universal label 7.0. Finding graded copies of early Batman comics aren't easy to find in any grade, never mind in higher grades.

The first thing I did was compare the sellers asking price with the latest Overstreet Price Guide. He was asking well below guide price for it, almost $200 below.

The next thing I did was check out the CGC census. Since rarity plays an important role in the value of a comic, I had to take this into consideration. There were only a little over 100 copies listed on there, so that looked good to me.

Next I had to take into consideration the key issue status. There isn't anything about this comic that screams key issue. CGC lists the key status as "Joker appearance" and "Alfred backup story". That was good to me too. If I were to buy an early Batman comic, I might as well buy one that has an early appearance of the Joker too.

The final thing I had to do was check out some recent sales on GoCollect. The last sale for a copy of Batman #28 at a 7.0 F/VF sold for close to guide price only six months before. However, in March, two 8.0 VF copies sold for less than that one sale that was graded a 7.0 F/VF. That made me think about it a little bit harder. Was this going to be a good future investment? Ultimately I decided that it was and decided to buy it.

Updated 1/03/2018

Now I had the problem of my meager $200 limit. Between having bills to pay and recently sending a bunch of books off to CBCS to be graded, I had to make sure that I had enough cash. I counted up all of my pennies and made a trip to the bank to make sure I could afford it. At the end of the day, I had enough to by this copy of Batman #28 and have some money left over, and I collected over $50 in eBay Bucks to put toward a future investment. 

I received the comic in the mail a few days ago and I must say, I'm really glad that I pulled the trigger on it. I can cross that early Batman book off of my want list, but that doesn't mean I won't be buying another one in the future, if I can get it for a good price that is.

Find a copy here
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