Marvel and DC Comics Are a Collectible Asset Class Now, and ComicBook.com Is Bringing Them Onchain

Web3 after FTX

Maurice Chalfin says Web3 never reached the mainstream. "Web three didn't really happen," he says, adding that SocialFi never became a thing. In his view, FTX burned the bridge with brands to such an extent that they never came back.

Why media needs commerce

Maurice Chalfin says advertising-driven media "just doesn't work anymore" and has not for a long time. He says many media companies are still around only because of a decade of zero-interest debt. Citing AI and structural changes to the Internet, he says media companies need commerce touch points that fit their brand and audience.

For ComicBook.com, he describes a full-stack consumer app for the fan economy: discovery through news and editorial, collecting through the gotcha machine and marketplace, and community through events at major industry conferences.

Comics versus Pokemon

Maurice Chalfin says comic books are a much smaller asset class than trading card games, noting that Pokemon alone is maybe 70% of Collector Crypt's volume. He says that leaves more market inefficiencies in comics. He adds that a case can be made that Pokemon is in a bubble, while comics and games have grown steadily and would not drop much in a burst.

He expects a coming Avengers movie and new Star Wars and Superman films to create short-term opportunities. He also argues that Spider-Man assets carry cultural provenance on par with fine art, which he says nothing on chain, especially meme coins, can replicate.

A hedge and a pitch

Maurice Chalfin describes physical collectibles as risk free in terms of AI and quantum, and as privacy tech the NSA cannot track. On inflation he says, "I don't know where to keep my money." He points buyers to comicbookvending.com, where the machines hold Marvel and DC comics and cards.