I know that we'll all get caught in the marketing flurry but try to remember a few things:
-The Iron Man by Design covers will eventually show up in lots on eBay, probably cheaper than cover price for a while
-The Iron Man toy line will sell out with its first few peg releases, but eventually you'll see them commonly on the shelves, and occasionally you'll see them discounted. Try to identify the ones that will be peg warmers and wait to buy them cheaply
-The Iron Man Movie 2 card sets will make their way onto ebay and you'll be able to buy a set and all of the insert cards cheaper than if you compiled them through packs. The only cards that will run you big bucks are the
sketch and auto cards. Note that even the sketch cards from the first movie are still incredibly inflated price-wise on eBay right now. The Iron Man 2 set will have more sketch cards than the Iron Man one set did though, and that might make them cheaper on the aftermarket. Imagine all of the cards you could be with a grand off the bay as opposed to all of wasted packs you'll buy for that money by ordering cases.
-Marvel is cutting a ton of titles and I'll be restructuring my monthly purchases dramatically. Most of you probably will too... It won't be a problem buying the Iron Man books if you are ordering online through DCBS or Mail Order Comics. And, let's be honest, okay? We all know that the second Iron Man book that is coming out will be cancelled somehow within a year, so it's a short term investment.
-Iron Man knick knacks. This is the kind of stuff that I love because it makes for a very in-depth collection. But remember that you shouldn't go buying Iron Man Kids Party Plates when you see them because you'll find them at clearance for .99 eventually. Only a few items from the Iron Man 2 marketing blitz will be truly sought after over time - this even applies to statues. It was nearly inconceivable many years back that statues would decline in value, but it happens all the time today. Keep that in mind when buying new statues.
Try to budget for what you really want! Until I see something incredibly cool to take its place, my first priority for this collection will be to nab the new figs. They have the best display value, and we'll be getting several pieces that we never had before! Inversely, I've completely let the Hot Toys line go as I wasn't on the ground floor with those, and they are simply too expensive
even for me to complete a set. With this much merchandise coming out, it has to be this way.
