HOW TO IDENTIFY YOUR COMIC'S TITLE & ISSUE NUMBER
In order you sell a comic book, you must first be able to identify it. The most important criteria is the comic's TITLE and ISSUE NUMBER.
Most of the time, this is easy to do at a passing glance. The big splashy logo at the top of the front cover is usually the Title, and the most prominent number (other than the price) is generally the Issue Number. The indicia "small print" on the first page or inside front cover of most comics also tends to contain the proper Title of the publication, the Issue Number, and other helpful information such as the publisher name and date of publication.
If you get really stuck, you can always email support@comicconnect.com or call 212.895.3999. However, below are examples illustrating some of the trickier nuances of comic books that aren't always so easy to identify. Reading it will help you know what to watch out for, and how to make the correct choice when listing a comic for sale on ComicConnect.
PAY ATTENTION TO THE HEADER
Many publishers printed several series which featured different heoes from one issue to the next. For example, they could use these Titles to introduce audiences to new characters, to see if they "stuck." One such example is the Title called "Marvel Spotlight." At first pass, one might assume the comic pictured below is entitled "Ghost Rider," because the logo is most prominent. However, look closely at all the words in the title area. The comic is actually "Marvel Spotlight" Issue 8. The indicia on the first page confirms that the comic is NOT called "Ghost Rider" at all.
Marvel Spotlight Issue 8
Below is another example. The novice might think this comic is called "Batman" or "Batman and Batgirl". The correct Title is "Detective Comics." Since 1939, even though virtually every issue of "Detective Comics" has been about Batman, the name of the series remains "Detective Comics." However, there does exist another, different title called "Batman." This is because the superhero's popularity has sustained two long-running titles, and readers have been willing to buy both over the course of many decades.
DETECTIVE COMICS ISSUE 415
ANNUALS, SPECIALS, GIANT-SIZES, ETC.
Another area to watch out for are Annuals, Specials, Giant-Sizes and the like. For example, take the superhero team the Avengers. The publisher knew it could sell more than 12 monthly issues of the "Avengers" series each year, so they also released Annuals and Specials. Since these were published less regularly (such as one time a year), the Issue Numbers tend to be in the low single or double-digits like the example below.
AVENGERS SPECIAL ISSUE 2
COMICS PUBLISHED BY DELL
Perhaps the most challenging comics to identify are those published by Dell. For years, these have been a source of bafflement among collectors and sellers alike. Dell published two series called "Four Color." The first series lasted 25 issues, and the second series spanned over 1350 issues. What's most confusing is the fact the series' name was rarely written anywhere on the comics! Not on the cover, nor in the indicia. Instead, each issue had a different logo on the front. In the example below, it was "The Challenge of Zorro." Another month, it might have been "Lassie." The next month: "Elmer Fudd." As a general rule, when you see the publisher is Dell, and you don't get a match from the system that looks right for your comic Title, chances are that Title is actually "Four Color - 2nd Series."
FOUR COLOR 2ND SERIES ISSUE 732
WHAT DO YEARS ON THE END OF TITLES MEAN?
Some of the Title choices presented to sellers from ComicConnect's database have dates appended to them. They represent the year the series began, or sometimes, the range of years the series spanned. For example, let's assume you're listing a "Superman" Issue 94 for sale. You may know from the comic's indicia that it was published in 1955. After entering the Title "Superman," ComicConnect may ask you to choose between the Title names "Superman-1939" and "Superman-1987." The choice "Superman-1939" will be the correct choice, because Issue 94 was part of the first series which began in 1939.
WERE ALL OF YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED?
We hope this section has been of help to you. If you have any questions remaining about how to sell your comic books on ComicConnect, you can email support@comicconnect.com or call 212.895.3999.