He's Only Mostly Dead

You may have heard that the fine folks at Marvel Comics killed their iconic superhero Captain America (depicted here socking Hitler) in the issue which hit stands today.

On eBay right now, copies of the issue are going for $75-$100 bucks.

In 1993, DC Comics killed their iconic superhero Superman (depicted here giving Hitler a stern look), and that issue was the hottest thing going. Sold out almost instantly. Went back to press four times. In the fall and winter of '93/'94, you couldn't find a copy of the first printing in any nerdstore in the land for less than a hundred bones.

Comics fans wanted the issue, of course. And the general public, operating under the completely bizarre premise that the Man of Steel's death was going to be permanent, thought they needed to get their hands on the Valuable Collector's Item Last-Ever Issue of Superman. Superman, as every comics fan knew he would, returned to life the following summer. In the nearly 70-year history of superhero comics, exactly three characters have stayed dead for good: Batman's parents and Spider-man's Uncle Ben. Of course Superman was coming back!

Are you getting the point here? Of course - Captain America is going to be "dead" for three months, tops. And those issues that collectors and speculators are snapping up for $75 on eBay right now?

Well, put it this way: ComicsPriceGuide.com lists Superman #75 at $8.00 near mint, $16 graded 9.6 by the Comics Guarantee Corporation. It can be had on eBay in VF/NM condition for three or four bucks. Quite a collector's item.

Also...

CAPTAIN AMERICA STILL NEEDS YOUR HELP!

ETA: As of this addition, mid-afternoon 3/08, there's an eBay auction with both the regular cover and the variant cover ending in half an hour with a current bid of $200. Estimated worth of said books in ten years: $20. Nice investment.