Undervalued Spotlight #100

 Famous Funnies #100, Eastern Color, November 1942

Well here we go, my Undervalued Spotlight #100.

Famous Funnies #100 (November, 1942) represents the first comic to reach #100 and it did so in style. Added bonus points for the run being unbroken since Famous Funnies #1 (some titles cheat by taking over the number sequencing of other titles). Check out the super focused anniversary cover featuring 11 reoccurring characters, including Buck Rogers, sitting around a large 100^th Anniversary cake.

What’s the big deal about a 100^th issue? Well 100^th issues are quite a healthy and active collecting strain. Why wouldn’t it be with the beautifully wide range of 100^th issues available for collecting? There are great 100^th issues in the Golden, Silver, Bronze and Modern age and they occur across all the genres of comics.

I thought I’d add some interesting 100^th issue observations.

Collectors my age will remember Avengers #100 (June, 1972) where Barry Winsdor Smith famously drew all the characters that were ever Avengers on the cover. Is this Smith’s homage to Famous Funnies #100?

The most expensive 100^th issue according to The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide is Flash Comics #100 (October, 1948), the guide lists the 9.2 NM- price at $4600, a close second is Batman #100 (June, 1956) at $4500.

I find it interesting that both Batman #100 (June 1956) and Superman #100 (October, 1955) both out value Detective Comics #100 (June, 1945) and Action Comics #100 (September, 1946), their character’s original title’s. The guide values are about double even though the Detective and Action issues are about a decade older. The only excuse I could come up with is that Batman and Superman flaunted the anniversary while the event went unmentioned in Detective and Action.

Perhaps Action Comics #100 and Detective Comics #100 are undervalued?

By the way More Fun Comics #100 is the first DC comic to hit #100 (December, 1944).

I believe Dell’s Popular Comics #100 (June, 1944) is the 2^nd 100^th issue in comics.

What would be the most important #100, the biggest key? I’ll go with Captain America #100 (April, 1968). It was part of that big Marvel re-launch that that turned Strange Tales, Tales to Astonish and Tales of Suspense into Nick Fury, Dr. Strange, Incredible Hulk, Sub-Mariner, Iron Man and of course Captain America.

Of course being a #100 doesn’t mean you keep going up in value. Case in point Four Color #100 which boasts the 1^st Gene Autry photo cover and is embedded in a very collectible title like Four Color still lost value last year. The 40^th Overstreet had the 8.0/9.0/9.2 grade splits valued at $206/$371/$535 while this year’s 41^st Overstreet edition pegs the values at $181/$336/$490. That’s an 8.5% drop! Almost as bad as the stock markets! Maybe this post will help the book for next year.

You should have put your money into Justice League #100 (August, 1972), the 9.2 guide price went from $55 to $70 which is a sweet 27% increase.

Alphabetically Ace Comics #100 (July, 1945) comes first while Young Romance Comics  (July, 1959) is last but because it has that weird Volume numbering system and does not have the issue # on the cover I’m giving DC’s Young Love #100 (October, 1972) the distinction of being last.

 Straining my brain I recalled that Marvel Two in One ended with #100 (June, 1983) and I quickly found that DC’s 1982 Firestorm series also ended with issue #100 (August, 1990).

The 1^st Marvel to reach #100 from #1 was Fantastic Four (July, 1970) though there were of course much earlier Marvel #100s. I think Strange Tales #100 (September, 1962) was Marvel’s first Marvel Age #100 (post November 1961 when Fantastic Four #1 was published). I’m not counting stuff like Kid Colt Outlaw #100 (September, 1961) since I’m considering it a pre Marvel Atlas.

As you can see 100^th issue have a great and colorful history. This spotlight exposes the need to treat with much more reverence the very first 100^th issue comic book.

Only 5 Famous Funnies #100′s have been graded by CGC, a 9.6, 9.2 and 8.0 are the best out here as of this post. The CGC 8.0 sold for a piddly $80 a year ago and the CGC 9.2 just sold for only $165! Clearly people have not yet seen the light.

If I’ve made any errors with my claims above please post corrections in the comments field.

Actually please post your favorite #100 issue and feel free to add any cool 100th issue tidbit of any kind while you’re at it.

The 41^st edition of The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide shows $117/$189/$260 as the splits at the 8.0/9.0/9.2 grades.

Strengths that make this comic book a good long-term investment are:

• 1^st comic book to reach issue #100, a feat noted by The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide
• Cheap guide prices for this historically significant book
• Batman was only at issue #13 in November of 1942