Someone asked me recently, what comic authors should they be grabbing? As comic collectors, while we read for fun and entertainment, it's also an investment in some cases. It can be hard to tell if a book is going to accumulate value until it's too late and suddenly it's $50 on eBay and now you're SOL (shit outta luck, for those who don't know the term). At the same time, you don't just want to grab every #1 you see because that is going to get expensive. I mean, if you plan on reading it for yourself, then yeah totally grab that, but if you're grabbing it because it's a #1 and you think it will be worth something one day, maybe take a minute to do your research first. To save you a bit of time, I have compiled a list of ten authors who consistently have produced hot selling titles.
1. Alan Moore
Alan Moore is pretty much a given. He has produced some of the most popular and widely known comic series, such as V for Vendetta, Watchmen, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Batman: The Killing Joke, and many more. He began releasing his latest series, Providence in March of 2015 and it's already hard to find a first print, issue 1 for less than $15. Alan Moore also announced that he will be retiring from comics, stating he only has “about 250 pages of left in me”. So I imagine most of his books will be growing in value once his retirement officially begins.
2. Rick Remender
Rick Remender is the creator of Low, Deadly Class, and Seven to Eternity, as well as a co-creator and author of Black Science and Tokyo Ghost. He has been the author of a number of titles for Marvel comics as well, including Uncanny X-Force, Venom, Uncanny Avengers, and Captain America. (Unrelated, he was a writer on the game series, Dead Space, which is a phenomenal game and you should play it. This further proves how amazing he is). His independent comics tend to become incredibly popular and sell fast. For instance, Deadly Class is going to be getting a TV series, that's how great it is, and Seven to Eternity issue 1, which was released in September, is super hard to find for a decent price.
3. Brian K. Vaughan
Brian K. Vaughan is an award-winning writer and has produced award-winning comics like Saga, Y: The Last Man, and Paper Girls. I'm pretty sure the only independent story he's written that hasn't won an award yet is, We Stand on Guard, so basically he consistently produces award-winning material. He also co-created the Marvel series and characters in, Runaways, which, of course, has won and was nominated for a number of awards. But that's not all! He has done work on other Marvel titles like What If...?, Doctor Strange, Logan, and X-Men. He's solid across the board.
4. Matt Fraction
Matt Fraction (who I'm super jealous of because he's married to Kelly Sue DeConnick, who is also amazing) is the creator of Casanova, ODY-C, Satellite Sam, and Sex Criminals. He has written a number of titles for Marvel, such as X-Men, Invincible Iron Man, Thor, Defenders, Fantastic Four, the list can go on, but he is most well-known for his work on Hawkeye. Seriously, I never read Hawkeye until Matt Fraction was on it and my mind was blown. His comic, Sex Criminals, is going to be getting a TV series. It's honestly a great story, the title may sound off-putting to some, but it's not a booby-book and it's worth reading.
5. Robert Kirkman
Robert Kirkman is the creator of a bunch of comic series that we have watched sky-rocket. He created titles such as Invincible, Haunt, Thief of Thieves, Birthright, Ghosted, Manifest Destiny, and, drum roll, please....The Walking Dead, a comic I'm pretty sure everyone in the world has heard of at this point. Although I kind of lost interesting in the show, the comic is still going strong. Plus, I mean, it got adapted into a TV show, so it's definitely popular. Thief of Thieves seems to be following suit of gaining more popularity and Outcast isn't far behind, they even released little action figures for Outcast! More things to collect!
6. Jonathan Hickman
Jonathan Hickman has done some great work for Marvel. He was a writer for Infinity, Secret Wars, New Avengers, Ultimate Comics, S.H.I.E.L.D., Avengers vs. X-Men, and more. Personally, I think his independent works are where he shines the brightest, though. He is the creator of East of West and The Dying & The Dead and is the co-creator of The Manhattan Projects. While The Dying & The Dead didn't make a huge splash, East of West and The Manhattan Projects have seen great success and are still high sellers. Plus, his latest comic, Black Monday Murders, is only 5 issues out and issue 1 is already a hot commodity (Side note, I've read it and it's really good).
7. Ed Brubaker
Ed Brubaker is one of the creative minds behind several series that, if you haven't read, you've probably at least heard of. He and Sean Phillips created Fatale, The Fade Out, and Criminal. Ed Brubaker is also the creator of the series Velvet and a character you may know, the Winter Soldier. Although he is not the creator of Bucky, the identity of the Winter Solider, he is the one who turned Bucky into the Winter Soldier. Needless to say, he has done a lot of work with Marvel, particularly on Captain America, but others as well. He also worked with DC Comics on Batman and Catwoman, he and Darwyn Cooke are actually the ones who gave her the short and black costume that has become her staple look. Ed Brubaker has won 5 awards as “best writer” (and he has won 10 in total), that's pretty freaking impressive. He and Sean Phillips (basically the perfect comic creating duo) recently launched a new series in August, Kill or Be Killed, it's received high praise and issue 1 is rising in price.
8. Scott Snyder
Scott Snyder is the creator of Wytches, American Vampire, The Wake, and Severed. He and artist, Jeff Lemire, recently published their newest series, A.D.: After Death, in November, it was a long-awaited comic so I do recommend grabbing that if you see it. Scott Snyder has also done some of DC's best-selling titles such as Batman New52, Superman: Unchained, Swamp Thing New52 and is currently writing All-Star Batman. Despite writing Batman, his independent titles tend to be much more along the lines of the horror genre, he's even worked with Stephen King! So I especially recommend him if you're a horror fan.
9. Mark Millar
Mark Millar is the creator of two incredible comics: Wanted and Kick-Ass. Those aren't his only comics, they're just the ones that got big-budget movie deals. He is also known for his work with Marvel on The Authority, The Ultimates, Ultimate Fantastic Four, Civil War, and Marvel Knights Spider-Man. He is also the writer of one of the best Superman stories ever (in my opinion at least), Superman: Red Son. He is also the creator of two other well-known Image titles, Jupiter's Circle and Jupiter's Legacy, and another not-so-well-known one, Huck, but you should absolutely get to know Huck. I LOVED it. Go read it. And while you're at it, you should pick up Reborn, his most recent series that debuted October 2016. Last I checked issue 1 was still on some shelves, but might not be for long!
10. Jason Aaron
Finally, we have Jason Aaron. Jason Aaron really took off once Vietnam War series, The Other Side, was published by Vertigo. Following the end of The Other Side, Jason Aaron struck Vertigo with another hit, Scalped. After the success of those titles, he began working for Marvel on titles such as Ghost Rider, Wolverine, PunisherMAX, The Mighty Thor, and Doctor Strange. His independent works have not suffered in the least, though. Despite being on several Marvel titles, Southern Bastards and The Goddamned, though they see an occasional delay in release, are still packed with great content and popular sellers.
Ok, readers and collectors, I hope you found this helpful. Next time you're checking out the latest new series, be sure to check for these names and subscribe to them at your local comic store! Happy reading!
