Did you know that contrary to popular belief, 1990s pop-rapper Vanilla Ice isn’t broke? The word is on the streets, or should I say in the divorce courts, that the Ice Ice Baby star is still turning over $800,000 per annum and is worth around $9 million.
Contemporary rivals of Vanilla Ice such as MC Hammer are long broke and bankrupt, but the former flat-top wearer is still blinged-up to the max and doing quite well for himself.
Vanilla Ice Gets a Bad Rap
Vanilla Ice gets a bad rap (excuse the pun). People naturally assume that Ice, real name Rob Van Winkle, was some kind of fake middle-class suburban rapper that was used by the record industry because of his snow-like complexion and his appeal to the white American mainstream. Like the Elvis Presley of modern times, but without the hip-gyrations and talent. Not true on all accounts.
Rob was actually a street kid who grew up in Southern Texas, and also had some skills by all accounts. However, the lure of pop fame encouraged Ice to water down his sound in favor of a more palatable and marketable approach that saw the rapper sell more than 160 million units since in his career.
Rumors of Rob being broke or being dangled off a building by Death Row Records Suge Knight to sign over publishing rights might well be legendary music industry stories, but it seems that the former is definitely not true. The latter? Sounds about right!
Divorce Settlement Reveals Vanilla Ice’s Worth
It has recently come to the surface that Rob Van Winkle is doing pretty well. The details of his divorce settlement with former wife Laura Van Winkle were recently unearthed by the Daily Mail newspaper and hold some interesting facts in regards to Vanilla Ice’s financial situation.
Rob is still raking in a fortune even 30-years after first hitting the scene. An official affidavit revealed that Ice is still making $68,000 per month income and has liquid assets, which are mostly cash, of nearly $3 million.
The ‘Play That Funky Music White Boy’ white boy owns 15 properties, a boat and a load of other assets that total just over $5 million.
Although Ice is still wealthy, he can expect his funds to drop a couple of decimals as he is now ordered to pay his former wife $10,000 a month, plus a further $110,000 to make up for failed payments over the past 11 months.
The entry process to top private schools in China is so competitive that five-year-olds have 15-page resumes.
Recent reporting highlights how one child’s resume, longer than most top executives, went viral on a Chinese social media network.
One five-year-old’s resume. Source: The Telegraph
The unnamed Chinese boy, according to his resume, had read over 10,000 English and Chinese books, traveled the world, and had numerous hobbies many teens would be envious of. It said:
“I write three English essays per week to express my feelings.”
Another resume of a six-year-old from China went viral earlier in 2018 revealing the child could talk at three months old, and by six, could carry out basic computer programming. That child beat 8,000 other applicants to gain a place at an elite private primary school in China.
It’s no secret that Chinese kids are driven, both by their own desire to succeed and their aptly described “tiger parents,” who are keen for their children to do well.
Parents In China Are Assessed Too
Template resumes for children are available widely online in China and even parents are often vetted for their intelligence and achievements by top schools.
In Shanghai, students can freely attend public primary schools near to them, but places at Shanghai’s private junior schools are fiercely coveted. There are often 70 applications for each place.
Two private primary schools in Shanghai were accused in May 2017 of vetting both parents and grandparents’ qualifications and abilities. Another school was accused of discriminating against children whose parents were overweight.
Yangpu Primary School made parents do a timed math test, and Qingpu World Foreign Language School quizzed parents on their education. Both were subsequently contacted by the Shanghai Education Commission which ordered the tests to be removed and said:
“What they did violated the compulsory education law. It has violated principles in promoting educational fairness and students’ rights in education.”
The Yangpu Primary School issued a statement explaining the test was for parent’s “entertainment” and for research.
Though Shanghai’s private schools still conduct admissions tests and interviews for their selection processes, resumes and parent assessments were banned earlier this year.
China’s parents certainly aren’t alone in pushing their kids to do well or creating elaborate CV’s based on early-age and extra-curricular activities. It’s a similar story in the UK and indeed around the world, but not for every parent. Many others believe that children should be allowed to be children for as long as possible.
There is certainly plenty of inspiration to gain a good education here–China currently has nearly 2,000 “super-rich” and over 600 billionaires–perhaps explaining why five-year-olds have 15-page resumes.
Another day, another mid-term political rally–another blatant misuse of popular culture from the president and his team. This time around, the slip-up was using Rihanna’s music. The superstar singer took to Twitter in protest of the fact that her hit song “Don’t Stop the Music” was played at a Republican campaign rally on Sunday in Tenessee.
Rihanna was adverted to the fact that her music was being played by the White House bureau chief Philip Rucker, who said enthusiastically:
“Trump’s rallies are unlike anything else in politics. Currently, Rihanna’s “Don’t Stop the Music is blaring in Chattanooga”… It’s like a ball game. Everyone’s loving it.”
To which she replied:
“Not for much longer… Me nor my people would ever be at or around one of those tragic rallies, so thanks for the heads up philip!”
Not for much longer…me nor my people would ever be at or around one of those tragic rallies, so thanks for the heads up philip! https://t.co/dRgRi06GrJ
Rihanna’s music is often used during campaigns, and the singer is quick to speak out on social injustice. But the star draws the line at representing Trump and his brand of politics.
Earlier yesterday, Rihanna took to the social media platform Instagram to display her support for the Democratic party, and to endorse Andrew Gillum as Florida’s governor. She wrote:
“The US has only had four black Governors in its entire history, and we can help make #AndrewGillum the next one and Florida’s first!”
Rihanna is far from the first singer and star to reject Trump and the use of their work at his rallies. Pharrell Williams also objected to the president playing his hit song “Happy” at a rally in Murphysboro, Illinois–just hours after the deadly synagogue shooting in Pittsborough which killed eleven people.
Aerosmith’s Steve Tyler also sent a cease and desist letter to the White House after the administration used his “Livin’ on the Edge” song at a rally in West Virginia without permission.
And on Friday, HBO, the producer of hit TV series Game Of Thrones announced their dislike of the meme that caused a tweetstorm on Twitter using their branding to announce that “Sanctions Are Coming” to Iran.
Gone are the times when actors were only interested in making movies, and Indian celebrities are no exception. Bollywood stars that invest in startups are common, with over 20 mega-stars investing in startups and backing million-dollar projects with their money and fame.
Here are 10 of the most successful Indian startups and the actors who helped to make them to market.
1. Ziddu and Amitabh Bachchan
In 2015, the Bollywood star Amitabh Bachchan and his son invested $250,000 in Meridian Tech Pte Ltd, a company based in Singapore. The startup owned Ziddu, which was described as a platform that provided free cloud storage, social commerce, and social gaming, among other services.
In less than three years and after two acquisitions, Bachchan’s investment has grown more than 70 times, thanks to Ziddu.com starting to use blockchain technology to improve its services and develop new products.
The platform’s worth continued to grow, together with investors’ increasing interest in cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology.
However, the market wasn’t stable for too long, and the actor saw his $100 million-worth investment wiped out soon after the peak, although the stock in his portfolio is still worth almost $40 million.
The online furniture rental platform Furlenco received $300,000 from Aamir Khan, in December 2017. The actor, who had previously had an endorsement agreement with the e-commerce store Snapdeal, got non-convertible debentures from this deal–which means he can’t convert the bonds into company equity or stock.
Furlenco, based in Bengaluru, is owned by Kieraya Furnishing Solutions Pvt. Ltd. The company has more than 4,000 monthly consumers that purchase furniture rental subscriptions.
In 2015, the startup raised $6 million from Lightbox Ventures in a Series A round. One year later, the company raised other $30 million.
Despite his consistent investment, Khan hasn’t signed a contract as brand ambassador for Furlenco.
3. Stylecracker and Alia Bhatt
Bollywood actress Alia Bhatt became an investor at the end of 2017 when she bought stock in the fashion-tech startup StyleCracker. The amount invested hasn’t been disclosed, according to The Economic Times.
Dhiman Shah and Archana Walavalkar founded StyleCracker in 2013, as the first online personal styling platform. The concept behind the startup is bringing platform users closer to their favorite designers.
StyleCracker reunites over 100,000 users with more than 200 brands. It also provides access to fashion catalogs and tips on how to manage your wardrobe.
The fashion startup has raised $1 million in seed funding.
4. CureFit and Hrithik Roshan
Bollywood star Hrithik Roshan invested $878,200 in CureFit, for which he is also a brand ambassador. The value of the endorsement contract is estimated at $14.6 million.
Founded in 2016 by Flipkart executives Mukesh Bansal and Ankit Nagori, CureFit is a startup that provides fitness and health products divided into four categories–gyms (called Cult.Fit), yoga and meditation centers (Mind.Fit), food (Eat.Fit), and primary care (Care.fit).
This summer, the company has raised $120 million in a series C round of funding. The leading investors were Kalaari Capital, IDG Ventures, and Accel Partners.
Jacqueline Fernandez is no stranger to startups, making a deal with the startup Rakyan Beverages. The company that makes juices under the Raw Pressery brand captured public attention when it raised close to $4.5 million in series B funding from investors like DSG Consumer Partners, Saama Capital Management, and Sequoia Capital.
Jacqueline invested the equivalent of $480,000 and became the first Indian celebrity to finance a part of a consumer products firm. Thanks to her increasing popularity (the actress has 22.6 million followers on Instagram), the company believes that the association will help drive sales for good.
6. Ketto and Kunal Kapoor
Kunal Kapoor is a co-founder at Ketto, a crowdfunding startup that supports social causes. The actor initiated the project in 2012, together with his business partners Varun Sheth and Zaheer Adenwala. According to the company’s website, Ketto has raised over $40 million from 2.5 million supporters for 80,000 fundraisers.
In 2015, Ketto Online Ventures Pvt Ltd, the company that owns the Ketto platform, raised $700,000 in an angel round from investors like Indus Age Ventures, Anthill Ventures, India Internet Fund, and Ah Ventures.
7. Holberton School and Priyanka Chopra
By Wikipedia
After being successful in Bollywood, Priyanka Chopra started her investor career with the tech startup Holberton School. It’s a coding education company that trains people to become software engineers with no upfront payment.
Chopra’s investment is part of an $8.2 million round of funding that closed in April 2018. Through her undisclosed investment, the actress wants to contribute to minimizing the tech industry’s gender disparity.
She’s also decided to build herself a substantial portfolio by investing in multiple companies. Last month, she announced her collaboration with Bumble, a tech startup that wants to launch a localized version of its dating and social media app in India.
8. Flickbay and Farhan Akhtar
Actor and movie director Farhan Akhtar backs the Indian startup Flickbay. It’s Bollywood’s official app, which allows its users to personalize content, from news and trailers to songs and box office collections. Other famous actors that support Flickbay are Anil Kapoor, Sayani Gupta, Anushka Sharma, Ritesh Sidhwani, and Sidharth Malhotra.
The app aims to gather data about the way its users consume content and deliver it to movie-makers, who can use the information to make educated decisions.
Flickbay was founded in 2015 by Trishant Sidhwani and Vishal Ramachandran. One year later, the startup raised $890,000 in seed funding.
9. What’s Up Life and Rannvijay Singh
Rannvijay Singh is a brand ambassador and investor for What’s Up Life (WUL), a local lifestyle app that can help users to find events, parties, and places for dining-out, among other things.
The app is currently available in Gurugram, New Delhi, Kolkata, Noida, and Hyderabad. With Rannvijay Singh’s help, founder Gaurav Luthra hopes to expand his business to other five cities, including Mumbai and Bengaluru.
WUL isn’t the first startup that captured Singh’s attention. The actor had invested in two other apps, one that allows car and bike pooling, called Liftiee, and the fashion app IStyleYou.
10. Innsaei Ventures and Sushant Singh Rajput
Sushant Singh Rajput is another Bollywood star that wants to expand his activities outside the movie industry. Thanks to his passion for technology, he founded Innsaei Ventures, a company that performs in fields like education and healthcare using emerging technologies.
Rajput is a co-founder of the startup, together with partner Varun Mathur. The actor invested more than $400 million in Innsaei, for projects that include augmented reality, artificial intelligence, and 3D printing.
10 Bollywood Stars That Invest in Startups
The digital evolution has conquered Bollywood. Even if a few years ago actors were tempted to invest in real estate or e-commerce, the trend today is investing in tech startups.
Most Bollywood superstars that decide to become investors prefer technology-driven business to traditional companies. They also become brand ambassadors and promote these apps or platforms through social media to increase brand awareness and drive sales. In most cases, it’s worth more than all the millions they paid during the fundraising series.
When Blizzard Entertainment announced that fans would receive news regarding the upcoming Diablo project in BlizzCon 2018, everyone expected them to debut Diablo 4. However, Blizzard revealed Diablo Immortal on Friday, the first day of the convention, instead.
BlizzCon 2018 – Day One
Diablo, a role-playing game (RPG) where players fight demons led by Lord of Terror Diablo, was first released in 1996. Its sequel, Diablo 2, was launched in 2000, followed by Diablo 3 in 2012.
Diablo Immortal is specifically built for mobile devices–the story will take place between Diablo 2 and Diablo 3. It will unveil the events that happened after archangel Tyrael broke the Worldstone in order to save humanity. Pre-registration for the game is currently live.
Players will be able to play in eight unique zones, with the chance to fight alongside other demon-slayers. Some of the demons available in the game include Herald of Terror, Skarn, and Vile Mothers.
Fans Express Disappointment on Social Media
Diablo fans were extremely upset with the news announced on the first day of BlizzCon. Some users said that no gamer would want to play a video game on their mobile while others pointed out that Blizzard should have known that this decision was completely distasteful.
I preffer to play video games on my cellular device instead of on my computer.
After waiting for a new game for six years, some users have stated that Blizzard should have canceled the game series instead of introducing Diablo Immortal.
The official cinematic trailer of Diablo Immortal had received 216,000 dislikes and only 7,200 likes in the last 24 hours. A Reddit user also pointed out that Blizzard has been deleting negative comments on YouTube. As a result, fans have been encouraging each other to downvote, dislike, and comment on the posts again.
A video has also surfaced on Twitter which shows a fan asking Diablo Immortal developers in the Q/A session whether the game is an April fools’ joke.
Some fans have come forward to support Diablo developers by explaining that Blizzard had already mentioned they wouldn’t be releasing Diablo 4 in BlizzCon 2018.
‘We can only say that “good things come to those who wait,” but evil things often take longer’
which indirectly means that Diablo 4 was never planned to be released in this event. Meanwhile, Blizzard also revealed trailers for Heroes of the Storm, World of Warcraft and Overwatch yesterday.
The latest Hurun Report from China on Friday revealed the number of Chinese startups worth $1 billion has overtaken the number of US startups worth the same amount.
China has added 34 “unicorns” in Q3 of 2018, taking China’s total to 181 compared to 138 in the US, according to the South China Morning Post. The country’s 181 thriving new enterprises are worth a combined 4.8 trillion yuan, the equivalent to $696 billion.
Rupert Hoogewer, chief researcher of the Hurun report said of China’s startups:
“These unicorns, mostly in the new economy, are the fastest-growing companies with the most potential to grow big against a slowing economy.”
Despite this, China’s overall growth is slowing, Q3 saw its slowest quarterly growth as a country since the economic crisis which began a decade ago. Its stock markets have also tumbled with the Shenzhen and Shanghai declining over 25% this year alone.
Many of these “unicorn” companies in the US and China are technology startups, with China’s new companies innovating in anything from fintech to e-commerce and artificial intelligence.
China’s determined technology focus has been rewarded with much early investment capital sourced both nationally and internationally. More specifically, 45 of China’s unicorns are internet services related businesses and 21 are in internet finance.
That said, China’s peer-to-peer lending business, much of it internet based, is under severe regulatory pressure and has declined rapidly over the last 12 months.
15 of China’s billion-dollar startups surpassed their $1-billion thresholds within three years of their creation.
The latest Hurun list doesn’t include the 20 Chinese companies that have become publicly listed already and 2018, and three which had merged.
China’s Biggest Unicorns
Jack Ma, image from Forbes
China’s largest unicorn is, no surprise, Ant Financial an affiliate to Alibaba and the world’s most valuable unicorn with a valuation surpassing $150 billion and 1 trillion yuan. Alibaba and Ant Financial founder Jack Ma, at 54, is China’s richest man with a net worth of $39 billion.
Ma founded Ant Financial, which rebranded from Alipay in 2014. In 2017 Ant Financial handled more payments than Mastercard and its online payments platform completed more than $8 trillion worth of transactions.
It controls the world’s largest money-market fund, has made loans to tens of millions of people and is now the world’s biggest fintech firm.
The second-largest Chinese startup is Jinri Toutiao, a news aggregation application owned by Bytedance Technology and with a value of over $75 billion or around 500 billion Chinese yuan.
The word ‘sanctions’ is hardly something to joke about. Less so when imposed upon a struggling country like Iran. Everyday people will suffer greatly from the next wave of restrictions and clampdowns coming from the White House, the toughest ever against the regime. And yet Trump, the most powerful man on the planet right now, seems to think it’s funny using Game Of Thrones to create a meme saying “Sanctions Are Coming.”
HBO Less Than Impressed
Trump Instagram
HBO was less than impressed. Without diving deeply into the implications that the latest US sanctions (removed under the 2015 nuclear deal) against Iran will have, the US network behind hit series Game Of Thrones simply commented:
“We were not aware of this messaging and would prefer our trademark not be misappropriated for political purposes.”
It seems that the White House has lowered its standards once again in an attempt to win over populist opinion. Using the power of the Game Of Thrones series to win support for the clampdown on Iran that will see millions of people struggle to feed their families and fund their livings.
By creating a meme referencing the popular TV series, even those who are unaware of the political agenda behind it began to share, like and retweet… And also use it as an opportunity to express their discontent with the powers that be in the White House.
The result? A veritable Instagram and tweetstorm that only the likes of influential people in power can create. Some users took the chance to run with the joke, saying:
“How do you say trademark abuse in Dothraki?”
This was a reference to one of the fictional languages the series uses. Others made their own memes, one of which involved Robert Mueller, former FBI chief who was leading the 2016 inquiry over the controversial elections and the much-speculated relationship with Russia, saying:
And other memes in the same vein, suggesting that indictments were coming, attacking the president and his policies and outpouring their general frustration with the White House. One said:
Members of the Game Of Thrones cast were also opposed to the White House’s little joke, with one just saying “Ew,” while other actors implied that using a meme to promote a controversial policy that would affect millions of lives was not appropriate behavior.
Then, of course, there were the supporters in favor, with one Instagram user saying:
“That’s my President! We love u! Keep making America great!”
Humble Thai-Chinese billionaire, Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, was killed when his helicopter crashed last week. Srivaddhanaprabha regularly used the helicopter to attend matches at the British football club, Leicester City, which he purchased in 2010.
Today sees the start of his funeral in Thailand, and the Leicester City players were due to fly out from the UK to attend when their game against Cardiff City ended.
Most sports teams invite investment from billionaire owners, and the supporters of Leicester City welcomed him with open arms. Just before his investment, the team was in the third tier of the UK’s national game. They were promoted as Champions of League One in the 2008-09 season.
Why Was Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha Revered by Leicester City Fans?
As a lower league club, with sizeable debts, he was able to snap up the team for a very modest sum. His investment skyrocketed as they went on to win the League Championship in 2013-14.
Followed by the pinnacle of British soccer, the English Premier League in 2015-16, Leicester City started the Premier league winning season as rank outsiders at 5000-1 with almost nobody expecting what they went on to achieve.
Local Leicester lad, BBC TV pundit and former England captain Gary Lineker, started his illustrious career at Leicester City. Prior to Srivaddhanaprabha’s investment, the club had endured decades without anything remotely close to success.
Lineker was ecstatic at the achievements of his former club, primarily due to Srivaddhanaprabha taking an interest in the club.
Some wealthy sports club owners are more interested in the money the club can make for them than what the club can achieve for their supporters. Some owners don’t even attend the games, but Srivaddhanaprabha was very different. He was considered humble and generous to those that knew him. Even though he was quite a reserved individual he always had time for the fans.
An Emotional Day for Leicester City Fans and Players
The club’s home ground was renamed the King Power Stadium after Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha bought the club. As a continuation of the generosity shown by him towards the Leicester City fans, the club provided free breakfast to fans arriving at the stadium today, before the journey to the match against Cardiff City.
Tributes were held around the grounds before the English Premier League games. None more poignant than the giant banner at the Cardiff City game which read “R.I.P. Vichai.”
Keeper, Kasper Schmeichel was visibly shaken during the tribute and was one of the first people on the scene of the tragic accident at the stadium last week. Fortunately, he held it together during the game and “The Foxes” came out on top 1-0.
It’s never easy to play a match under such circumstances with emotions running high. Vichai would have been proud of his boys.
Spending money doesn’t necessarily have to be about extravagant tastes. Sure, there are plenty of billionaires who splurge on a private jet, a hideaway island or dress exclusively in Chanel.
But there are plenty of others who realize that a watch is just a watch, or that a simple black shirt is still made in China even if it comes wrapped up in pink tissue paper and delivered in a box with a bow.
Most of the people I know who have money are positively stingy with it, which is probably how they amassed their fortunes in the first place.
But whether you’re wealthy or not, there are certain occasions where it’s worth digging a little deeper into your pockets and paying the extra cash.
Money can’t buy you happiness. But it can buy you decent health care, a more comfortable bed, convenience, and a better education. And all these things naturally lead to a happier life and, ultimately, a return on your investment.
So, whether you’re positively frugal or used to spending money like it’s going out of style, here are five expensive things in life that are totally worth the splurge.
1. Education
Spending money isn’t always about parting with your cash and not seeing the returns. This is particularly key when it comes to your education. Return on investment is especially apparent here, as a good education is something that will yield dividends throughout your life.
However, with the rising expense of tuition fees in many countries, students often graduate up to their necks in debt. In fact, according to a study, some 70% of students graduate with debt, leading to debates over whether it’s really worth the spend.
But then again, most college grads earn more over the course of their lives. And even if you can’t afford an Ivy league education, you can still choose to invest in yourself.
There are plenty of local college courses, online classes, and specialist programming certifications that are worth the money.
Since most millionaires will tell you continued learning is key, this is one case where you need to put down money to make money.
2. Travel
One of the ironies with travel is that usually, the more money you make, the less time you have to enjoy it. So, if you’re short on vacation time, that’s when you should particularly invest in travel.
Take those four-day trips, spend money on a decent hotel with space inside and a big jacuzzi. Studies repeatedly find that people are happier when they spend money on experiences rather than physical objects.
Travel opens the mind, allows you to recoup and get new ideas for your business or personal life. Spending money on travel is never a waste due to the number of good things you get back.
3. A Good Bed
I remember my grandmother always used to say, if there are two things in life worth spending money on, it’s a good pair of shoes and a good mattress, because if you’re not in one you’re in the other.
Think about it. Approximately one-third of your life is spent sleeping. Even if you’re a raging insomniac, chances are your mind’s spinning around as you lie on your mattress.
An uncomfortable one with springs that hang out and cause you to wake up feeling like you’ve done 10 rounds with Mike Tyson is detrimental to your health as you go through your life. So don’t scrimp on this important item.
4. Convenience
I had a choice the other day of adding some 35 euros to my low-cost flight to use the airport lounge. That was around 50% of the initial flight price.
In fact, the base price started at some 70 euros. Then I paid 15 extra to get a decent seat and be first on the plane.
I got to the airport, sat in the lounge, plowed through an extra pile of work, got free coffee, snacks, and champagne, and then sauntered passed the minions lining up fighting about getting their suitcases on board.
In short, I paid for convenience and it was worth every cent. Time is money, so paying for things that give you more of it are worth the investment.
The same goes for takeaway food when you need to get a project finished, and someone to outsource your menial tasks to like coordinating your appointments or cleaning your apartment. How much is the extra time worth to you? Pay for it.
5. Your Health
Ironically, even though our health is the most important thing in life, it’s often where we cut the most corners. It might suck spending extra on getting your teeth fixed, your eyes lasered, or simply buying vitamins, but if you look after your health you’ll have a happier and longer life.
Why dress from head to toe in Gucci if you’re miserable as sin because you can’t afford to spend money getting that molar pulled out?
If you’re not sure if something is worth spending money on, ask yourself if it’s going to add value to your life. If the answer is yes, go ahead and get your wallet out.
Investors often find themselves at crossroads between what they view as a safe asset and what is being promoted as a promising asset. The majority of the time, these people tend to choose the safer option by putting their money into real estate, bonds, and stocks. But only a handful of people know that investing in comic books has lower risks and can be slightly more secure.
Comic books attracted the masses as soon as DC published the Action Comics #1 in 1938. Marvel also joined the industry after publishing Marvel Comics #1 in 1939.
We explored the world of these comic book superheroes to make a list of three reasons you should be diversifying your investment portfolio by purchasing rare comic books.
1. DC Superhero Debut Comic Books Are Worth $1 to $5 Million
Action Comics #1introduced Superman to the entire world and was sold for only 10 cents in 1938. Now, only 50 to 100 copies of this comic book are left in the world.
In 2011, famous actor Nicholas Cage sold his copy for $2.11 million. However, the value passed $3 million in 2014, when another near mint (grade 9.0) copy was bought by Vincent Zurzolo of Metropolis Collectibles on eBay for $3.2 million. Last year, the price was recorded to have soared past $5.5 million.
In 1939, Batman made his debut in Detective Comics #27. This copy is currently valued at $2 million, while Superman’s origin story Superman #1 is worth $1 million. It’s worth noting that these values will continue to increase in the coming years.
2. Marvel Comics Will Become More Valuable
Marvel’s fanbase grew after the successful release of Iron Man in 2008. This year, Avengers: Infinity War earned over $2 billion worldwide and became the highest-grossing superhero movie of all time.
Now apart from comic book fans, moviegoers are also trying to purchase the original arcs of these characters, which is why these rare copies are expected to become more expensive.
For instance, a copy ofAmazing Fantasy #15, which introduced Spiderman in 1962, was sold for $1.1 million in 2012. Other comics include X-Men #1 worth over $490,000 and Iron Man’s Tales of Suspense #39 worth more than $375,000.
3. Comics Are More Liquid than Other Investment Assets
It’s important to know which comic book will give you a higher return on your investment. It can be an original superhero story or any other arc which isn’t easily available in the market anymore.
Zurzolo said that around 150,000 to 300,000 people attend comic conventions every year. These individuals have enough money to spend thousands of dollars on rare comics because ‘nowadays it’s cool to be a nerd’.
Furthermore, most of the highly sought-after comic books are limited in numbers. They are not being mass produced, hence, this investment won’t blow up like a bubble.
Apart from Marvel and DC, comics such as The Walking Dead are also immensely famous. Once you start investing in comic books, you will need to keep a track of your collection and make sure that they are in perfect condition. You should also look out for upcoming superhero movies which will help you identify which comics will appreciate in value in the future.
