How do you collect your comics?
- Thread starter NinjaspiT
- Start date
If you're going to collect. Understand that it's probably going to be for fun and not for $.
The back issue market is dead. Some may argue this but right now all stores are trying to sell their back issues for change and as fast as possible.
This is how I collect now, mind you I've been collecting since I was 6.
I buy 3 books a month in single issue format. As news of the TPB (Trade Paperbacks) come out in "Previews", I then sell those single issues back to other collectors for cover price (Craigslist, Local stores and Book Hunters) if not I donate them for end of the year tax write offs. Sometimes I sell for a little more then cover or less depending on how the market is at the time. I then find those TPBs for cheap during conventions, trade shows, book fairs, retail store mark downs and NYC library sales.
Outside of a handful of issues that were either given to me as a gift by friends and family along with books that will never be collected in TPB, those are the only books I have store in single issue format with back and boarded bags in a display box in my living for others to read or see when they come over.
Blade and Black Panther can be found for pennies at comic stores. The problem will be getting complete runs...You may find Black Panther # 1 to 14, 16 to 18 for $1 each but issue 15 will be $25 because it crossed over with so and so. If you're into hunting books down online or in RL than that's the route to go. Personally, I like this method because I get to extend my network and meet new people as well as discover books I never heard of.
If you're not into that then you should check out TPBs. They run from $9.99 to as high as $75.00 sometimes. But you get the complete run and sometimes they even include extra info, stories, artwork and more.
90% of my collection is TPB. The rest is single issues and 5% is 100% pure web comics that are free from the jump anyway.
The problems you will face when you start collecting single issues are storage, incomplete runs and protection/maintenance. After a few years of that...I got real tired of it. I use to have 140 long boxes (usually hold 300) of comics...I liquidated it down to 1 1/2 box that only holds about 150.
The back issue market is dead. Some may argue this but right now all stores are trying to sell their back issues for change and as fast as possible.
This is how I collect now, mind you I've been collecting since I was 6.
I buy 3 books a month in single issue format. As news of the TPB (Trade Paperbacks) come out in "Previews", I then sell those single issues back to other collectors for cover price (Craigslist, Local stores and Book Hunters) if not I donate them for end of the year tax write offs. Sometimes I sell for a little more then cover or less depending on how the market is at the time. I then find those TPBs for cheap during conventions, trade shows, book fairs, retail store mark downs and NYC library sales.
Outside of a handful of issues that were either given to me as a gift by friends and family along with books that will never be collected in TPB, those are the only books I have store in single issue format with back and boarded bags in a display box in my living for others to read or see when they come over.
Blade and Black Panther can be found for pennies at comic stores. The problem will be getting complete runs...You may find Black Panther # 1 to 14, 16 to 18 for $1 each but issue 15 will be $25 because it crossed over with so and so. If you're into hunting books down online or in RL than that's the route to go. Personally, I like this method because I get to extend my network and meet new people as well as discover books I never heard of.
If you're not into that then you should check out TPBs. They run from $9.99 to as high as $75.00 sometimes. But you get the complete run and sometimes they even include extra info, stories, artwork and more.
90% of my collection is TPB. The rest is single issues and 5% is 100% pure web comics that are free from the jump anyway.
The problems you will face when you start collecting single issues are storage, incomplete runs and protection/maintenance. After a few years of that...I got real tired of it. I use to have 140 long boxes (usually hold 300) of comics...I liquidated it down to 1 1/2 box that only holds about 150.
I started the old fashioned way ... I got plenty of them as a kid. My grandfather bought my first ones. As I got older and had my own money, I started collecting the two Bruces (Wayne and Banner). I searched out any story that was of meaning, then I started collecting writers or artists (my Peter David scifi paperback collection is getting deep). Today's collectors are in it for the fun of it. The 90's boom of over pricing is done. Now is a good time because of all the resources to look into. You have your characters that you want to collect, but you will learn to like a writer's/artist's style. As for looking for back issues... some of my first road trips to Alabama and Tennessee... good times.
Hardcover + Amazon = 