I have often used eBay to find what I call a "real-time value" for a comic book, in other words, what that comic is going for right now and what you can expect to get if you sell a similar item. Sites like Comic Seeker have gone a step further, giving you the capability to search through many different sites for a comic. These are great resources for the collector and having these kinds of tools will only aide you in selling and buying comic books.

I recently got an email from another company - Terapeak. They do market research data on eBay auctions and offer a plethora of information about the trends of what a superhero is selling for. The first site they sent me to was their superhero widget that shows information on certain superheroes. The main widget in the center wasn't working and I tried it in Firefox and Chrome. The search function at the bottom however, did work.

The real jewel was in clicking one of the comics on the side of the main widget. That took me to the main Terapeak site (this link takes you to a Batman query) where you can run a search about a character on eBay. You can search the last 14 days of listings as well as the last 90 days of purchases if you sign up (it does cost $24.95 a month) but you can search up to 8 days for free. You can see when items of that character were listed, what day, what type, if they used special features, duration, keywords, etc. There is a TON of information that any serious buyer or seller can use to make decisions about their collections. It is a very neat tool that could aide you in your endeavors. I dug a little and Terapeak was one of the first companies to do data licensing from eBay and have grown from a startup company to a worldwide endeavor. They state that people who use Terapeak earn 30% more than people who don't. The cost seems high for everyday sellers, but for serious buyers or sellers, it could be a very useful tool.

I always try to not let my personal bias enter into things like this, but this time I had to. I really dug this cover by Bryan Hitch with Cappy wielding his WW2 shield. It's a classic Cap pose and is a very dynamic cover.

To be fair, there were some other great covers this week. Of special note were X-Men Origins Iceman One Shot, Age of Reptiles The Journey #1, Starstruck #3, and Secret Six #15. All were great covers this week.

Image Copyright Marvel Comics

I found this website in a Google Alert of mine lately. Its called Comic Seeker and it claims to be the place to, "Search the internet for rare collectible comic books." Basically what Comic Seeker does is search through many different sites so you don't have go to each one. It's a pretty cool setup that can not only help you find a comic, but see what your comic is going for right now. Check it out.

Hands down, Arkham Reborn #1 is such a wonderful beauty. Frazer Irving nailed this cover of the puzzled character of Dr. Jeremiah Arkham, with Joker showing through. Who is in control of Arkham?

Image Copyright DC Comics

I love how comics are used to promote other items. It might be a movie, action figure, or even a video game. Meat Boy is a popular flash game that one can play on many online game sites. The developers of the game are apparently going to launch a new game entitled "Super Meat Boy" in the beginning of 2010 and every Friday until the release, if you are a follower of their Twitter account, you could win a comic of Super Meat Boy. They change the parameters of the contest week by week, so go check it out to find out how to win. The cover is obviously an homage to Action Comics #1, and done quite well I might add. The two demo pages on their blog are pretty funny, with an obvious geek chic humor behind them and I plan on trying to acquire a copy of the comic to see what it is all about.

On the one hand, I have not been a real fan of most comic as advertisement plans. Most of the movie comics are only geared to the gotta have em all collectors and aren't a great draw to bring in new comic fans. I have liked the comics that have continued series like Buffy or Angel, or at the very least add something new to the story overall. Its just that they feel more like a gimmick rather than a treat. Maybe Super Meat Boy will prove me wrong.

Image Copyright Team Mic

It would seem that the digital revolution is almost upon us. I saw a blog post over at www.theappleblog.com about a possible alliance between Longbox, the digital downloading initiative brainchild of Rantz Hoseley, and the upcoming Apple reader tablet. I would imagine this deal would include an app for the iPhone as well and could surely put Longbox into a position to make it the download destination for comics. I think for them to really seal the deal, Longbox would need to get a company like DC Comics on board, or at least some of the smaller publishers such as Dark Horse, Image, or IDW. Probably the most frustrating (or is it telling) thing is that Longbox still hasn't launched yet. We are still right in the window for their Fall 2009 reveal, one I am eagerly awaiting. The stars seem to be aligning in Longbox's favor, and if all these things happen the way they are being reported to us, it would surely put Longbox in a position to be the digital king of comics.

With a title like Cowboy Ninja Viking, a comic fan just has to check it out. While this might not be the best cover from a purely art standpoint, it certainly was one of the most striking one, capitalizing on its over the top title.

Image Copyright Image Comics

Jeff Lemire's newest work, Sweet Tooth, has finally come and I had a chance to check out the first couple of issues. I have really like Lemire's previous works with his Tales of Essex County series and have been eagerly anticipating what he would do with a free reign and an ongoing series through Vertigo Comics. While I was dissapointed in some areas, I was delighted in others and would heartily recommend this new work, especially for post apocalyptic fans. Check out this review of Sweet Tooth and see what it has to offer.

Image Copyright Vertigo/DC Comics

Comic book artist George Tuska passed away on October 16th, early in the morning. Tuska was 93 and is survived by his wife Dorothy, three children, and grandchildren. Although not as popular or well known as some comic artists like Will Eisner or Jack Kirby, he was most remembered for his work on Marvel Comics, doing a long run on Iron Man, as well as working on comics like Luke Cage, Captain America, Avengers, Uncanny X-Men and more. Tuska was a work horse in the comic industry and known as a reliable and on time artist. He retired in the 80's, but kept busy with commissions and appearances. His life's work was recently memorialized in The Art of George Tuska, by TwoMorrows Publishing, which came out in 2005. He will be missed.

I really like the art by Tom Scioli in the Godland series. His Kirbyesque art thrills the eye and really shows his talent for making the style his own. I really liked this cover to Godland #29 as it is so over the top that readers will undoubtedly want to know what it is all about.

Image - Godland #29 - Copyright Image Comics