Numerous observers connect the expansion of the direct market distribution system and the proliferation of comic book specialty shops to the broader recognition and acceptance of Overstreet's annual guide.
Priced at $5, saddle-stitched and published in a print run of 1000 (a second edition of 800 was released subsequently),[4] the book included 218 pages of listings.
Among other things, Overstreet's guide included inventory lists, and it instantly became an invaluable resource tool for comic book collectors and dealers.
[1] An early decision was made by author to exclude the niche of underground comix, an adult-oriented expression of the art form that Mr. Overstreet had no interest in documenting, for reasons he has never made public,[citation needed] despite the book being promoted by its publisher as "the most complete listing of comics from the 1500s to the present".
In July 2003, Gemstone Publishing made an attempt at a monthly publication called Overstreet's Comic Price Review, which only ran for nineteen issues.
Original artwork for volumes 2 and 3, created by artist A. Kaviraj, is on display at Austin's Ring Museum in Las Cruces, New Mexico.
The Facsimile Edition of the first printing, featuring a white cover, was initially scheduled for release on April 8, 2020.