Expert: J. Spyder Isaacson - 9/10/2008

Question
I have a few comic books from 1979 and 1981, including Tweety and Sylvester, Super Goof, and one Archie's Pals"n"Gals. They are all like new and I wonder if they are of any value as collectibles or should I give them to my grandkids? Thanks, wish I had kept the ones I had as a kid!

Answer
Thanks for a *very* unique question.

Unfortunately, you are looking at two problems with the value of these comics you've described:

1) They were written specifically for kids. During this time period, most comics companies had started focusing on producing comics intended for adult audiences rather than for children.

2) The creative teams working on them did not do anything to make a make a serious impact on the industry (unlike, for example, artist Carl Barks, who was one of the first to produce certain Disney-themed comics, and is considered a classic comics artist).

So, unfortunately, your best bet is to (as you suggested) give them to your grandkids.  (If they manage to keep them in excellent condition for another decade or so, they might gain value simply because of their age.)  And your comment about wishing you'd kept the ones you had as a kid?  If I only had a dollar for every time I've heard that . . . !

-- Spyder