Captain America #25 and a speculative chronology of events.

Captain America #25 and a speculative chronology of events.

Mar 09

So, after a conversation with my local comic shop dude, in which he filled me in on the general situation surrounding the ordering of copies of Captain America #25, I would like to present the following timeline.

– Comic shops have no idea that Captain America will die in issue #25 of his titular book. This means they buy normal amounts.

– The news of Captain America’s death hits before stores are even open to offer the comic. Accounts get their copy at cover price, but by the time most stores put it out on the shelves, it’s worth $20. Wizard is offering both covers for $34.99. Speaking of Wizard…

– Comic shops immeadiately put in orders for more. They are told there are none. Wizard has bought the rest. The two cover versions are put with a third, Wizard variant, given the 9.8 CGC treatment, and offered as part of Wizard’s Death of a Dream package deal to Wizard’s World LA next week.

– Within 24 hours, anybody with copies of the comic are selling them on Ebay. A few who thought to get the CGC treatment are offering them at 9.9 for a grand and up. There are, incidentally, nine pages of just Captain America #25 for sale. Nine. Pages. Meanwhile, Wizard announces a limit on ticket purchases, so “all fans have a chance to get their copy of this once in a lifetime issue.” Apparently, according to them, demand has “skyrocketed.” No shit.

– Meanwhile, Marvel, who sold Wizard all the remaining first printings isn’t telling Diamond, who in turn isn’t telling retailers, when there will be a second printing. Marvel, it seems, doesn’t give a shit if everyone has a chance to read this… at least not right now, when it’s hot and generating more and more buzz all the time.

Joe Quesada apparently doesn’t remember that the makers of the Star Wars toys got in on the market tinkering action, releasing one Boba Fett for every million R2-D2s, only to release him en mass later, equally pissing off both fanboy collectors with poor impulse control and every small child that just wants to play in the backyard. And it didn’t go well.

Oh well. I’m with Stephen Colbert. “First they came for the X-men…”