The research was written by the people selling the books.
Graded manga went from a niche hobby to a genuine asset class in the space of a couple of years. The prices are real now. The problem is the research.
Almost everything a collector can read about what to buy comes from a dealer — and most dealers only ever talk their book. When the shop telling you a book is undervalued is the same shop that happens to have three for sale — and that never flags the ones you should avoid — that isn't analysis. It's a catalog with footnotes.
First Print does the opposite. We deal — and we disclose it, on every page. Then we publish honest calls anyway: what to avoid, what's overpriced, and which books we hold that you probably shouldn't chase. The research answers to being right, not to moving our stock — because the only thing worth protecting here is whether we were straight with you.
And dealing cuts the other way, too — it gives us skin in the game. When our research says a book is undervalued, we're usually buying it ourselves. A data-based call from First Print isn't a costless opinion; it's one we'll put our own money and our reputation behind. Advice from someone who actually bears the consequences is worth more than advice from someone who doesn't.
Five things we promise, in writing.
- 01We have skin in the game, and we disclose it: when the data says a book is undervalued, we're often holding it ourselves — so every call has our own money behind it.
- 02We take no payment to feature, rate, or recommend any title, dealer, or grader.
- 03We publish honest calls even on books we hold — including "avoid" and "overpriced." The research never bends to the inventory.
- 04We price to real sold comps, not list prices, and we show our work.
- 05We're unaffiliated with any publisher, grader, or rights-holder, and we say so on every page.
Certified independent · Est. 2026
Data first. Judgment second. Both in the open.
What it actually sells for
Real sold data from 130point and PriceCharting — never list prices.
How few exist
Print-run history and graded population — the difference between rare and merely famous.
Who wants it, and why
Fandom size, anime catalysts, and market velocity — the forces that move a price.
A verdict, with a target
Buy, hold, or sell — plus what would prove us wrong, argued in the open.
Free to learn. Paid to go deep.
The cornerstone guides
The buyer's guide, the key-issue watchlist, and the first-print ID guides — everything you need to buy smart.
The biweekly market read
A calm analyst's take on what's moving and why — plus the free book when you join.
The deep research + tools
Full theses, the grading-EV calculators, the sourcing map, and priority calls.
The public track record
Every call, scored over time — the receipts behind the research.
Behind the desk
First Print is written by a collector, not a storefront — someone who got tired of research that was really a sales pitch. We keep the byline on the brand instead of a personality on purpose: in anything that touches money, the record should earn your trust, not a face. Judge us by the calls, not a face. The desk operates independently under Metal Monkey, LLC.