Star Reach #1, Star Reach Publ. April 1974
Publisher Mike Friedrich was way ahead of the curve with his independently published Star Reach. Coming three and a half years before Cerebus, Star Reach was a little too early to enjoy true success since the direct market was still underdeveloped at the time of its publication. Star Reach was the first independent to actually have serious distribution though and it served notice of things to come.
The Overstreet Price Guide shows a $13/$18/$22 split at the 8.0/9.0/9.2 grades.
Strengths that make this comic book a good long term investment are:
– Historically significant comic that foresaw the future of the direct market
– Art contributions by legends like Jim Starlin, Walt Simonson and Howard Chaykin
– Early 1974 puts this book in the thick of the Bronze Age – a very collectible age
– Should eventually be collected as a key much like Cerebus and even Zap
– Low current cost leaves lots of room for growth
Walter Durajlija is an Overstreet Advisor and Shuster Award winner. He owns Big B Comics in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
