Posted in: Comics | Tagged: Comics, elephantmen, image

The Thrill Of The Hunt – Richard Starkings' Elephantmen

Published Tue, 28 Aug 2012 09:00:55 -0500

Last updated Tue, 28 Aug 2012 19:29:41 -0500

Brock Dickinson writes for Bleeding Cool;

Ever since Image's Walking Dead turned the back issue market on its head, modern collectors have been driven by (perceived) scarcity. In today's market, there are a lot of titles with low print runs – and when an issue catches fandom's attention, lots of collectors chasing a small number of copies can drive prices sky high in a heartbeat.

One of the recent books to see its value skyrocket as a result of this process is Image's Elephantmen #18. Launched in July of 2006, Richard Starkings' Elephantmen tells the stories of a group of genetically-engineered human/animal hybrids created as soldiers for an evil North African corporation. Liberated by a bloody and violent conflict with the United Nations, the series focuses on the elephantmen's attempts to fit into human society

While the series has been praised for its art and production values, it hasn't exactly been a hit – sales hover in the range of 3,000-4,000 copies per issue. Overall, this has meant that although putting a set together can be challenging, aftermarket values are generally around cover price. Recently, though, the July 2009 issue (Elephantmen #18, with an estimated print run of 4,085 copies) has spiked in value.

Mirroring the low print run, recent ebay sales are few and far between; three recent sales closed at $41.11, $46.25 and $85.00. A sketch variant also sells well (most recently at $67.99), though prices vary more widely. The CGC census shows only 5 copies of the regular edition graded, and 11 copies of the sketch cover.

This book has a number of factors driving price… The low print run is a starting point, but the particular "hook" for this issue is a provocative cover by resurgent 90's superstar artist J. Scott Campbell. This has spurred interest from many non-Elephantmen fans, with demand far outstripping supply. The possibility of an Elephantmen movie also hasn't hurt matters: the property was optioned in 2010 by Zucker Productions, with director Ridley Scott – perhaps rather fancifully – rumoured to be interested.

Thrill of the Hunt is a new weekly column tracking trends and spikes in the values of modern comics. It's written by Overstreet Comic Price Guide Advisor Brock Dickinson.

Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!