c/comic-book-fans

My entire long box of 90s X-Men comics got water damaged in the basement flood last week. I'm still mad about it.

Spent about $80 on a proper short box for my key issues and it finally stopped the spine roll arguments with my partner

Just realized how much I miss the old comic shop vibe...

Spent about $80 on a slabbed 'key issue' last year, thinking it was a solid investment. It just sits in a box now, and I'd rather have the beat-up copy I could actually read. Anyone else feel like the collecting part has kinda taken over the fun of just being a fan?

I think the obsession with collecting every single variant cover is missing the point of being a fan

Spent $400 last month chasing a 1:100 ratio cover and realized I never even read the story inside. How do you decide what's actually worth collecting for your personal shelf?

Pro tip: Spending $80 on a CGC graded copy of X-Men #101 was a total waste

I thought getting a graded book would be a solid investment, but it just sits in a box. The slab is bulky and you can't even read the thing without breaking the case. Has anyone else felt ripped off by the whole grading hype, or is it just me?

Warning about the 'Dark Phoenix Saga' at my local shop

Three different people this week have called it a 'Jean Grey story', but it's really about the X-Men as a team. How do you guys explain that to new readers?

Rant: I thought the new comic shop in town was just another cash grab

But the owner, Mike, actually knows his stuff and pulled a full run of 'Stray Dogs' for me from the back when I mentioned it once. How do you find good local shops that aren't just selling Funko Pops?

Tried two ways to store my old comics and one was a clear winner

For years, I kept my 80s X-Men run in cardboard boxes in the basement. Last summer, I moved them into a closet with a dehumidifier running. The difference was huge. After just three months, the books in the basement had a musty smell and some spine roll, but the ones in the controlled closet looked the same as the day I moved them. What do you all do for long-term storage in a humid climate?

At the 2019 Emerald City Comic Con, a guy in line said something that made me rethink collecting...

I was waiting to get a comic signed, holding a stack of maybe 15 books in plastic sleeves. This older guy behind me just said, 'You know, you're gonna spend more on bags and boards than you will on some of those stories.' I'd never really thought about it that way... I was so focused on keeping them mint. Now I sometimes just buy a cheap reader copy to actually enjoy the story first. Has anyone else had a moment like that, where you shifted from being a collector to more of a reader?

My comic book board shipment got completely soaked in the rain yesterday

I was waiting for a package of 100 new backing boards to arrive for my collection. The delivery person left it on my front step right before a huge downpour started. When I got home, the whole box was soggy and the boards inside were warped and stuck together. I had to carefully peel them apart and lay them out to dry, but most are ruined. What's the best way you've found to protect your shipments from bad weather?

The week my local comic shop almost closed for good

It was last Tuesday when the owner, Mike, posted on the store's Instagram that rent went up 40% and he had a week to decide. The next day, a regular named Sarah started a GoFundMe, and by Friday we'd raised over $8,000 just from people buying back issues and sharing posts. What stood out was seeing a line of people, some I'd never even seen in there before, all buying something just to help. Has your shop ever faced something like this, and what did the regulars do?

Warning: a guy at the shop kept calling the Fantastic Four 'Marvel's first family'

He's right, but I always thought it was the X-Men because they had more books in the 90s. Anyone else mix that up for a long time?

Update: I was gatekeeping my own comic collection for years without realizing it.

My cousin, who's 14, asked to borrow my old Ultimate Spider-Man run and I almost said no because 'he wouldn't get it'. I caught myself and just handed him the first trade, and he loved it. Do you think being protective of comics is part of being a fan, or does it just keep new people out?

Am I the only one who used to only buy new #1 issues but now I hunt for specific back issues from the 90s?

I switched after my local shop owner in Cleveland showed me a copy of 'X-Force' #1 with the trading card still attached, saying 'the stuff you ignored is what people ask for now.'

Spent $400 on a custom frame for a single issue and I don't even care

It's for a signed copy of Ultimate Fallout #4, and seeing it on my wall makes me smile every day. Anyone else ever splurge on a single piece like that?

Appreciation post: my local shop owner's 'three issue rule' for new readers

I was trying to get into a new run and felt overwhelmed, so he told me to just read the first three issues of any arc before deciding to drop it. That extra bit of patience saved me from bailing on a series I ended up loving.

Remember when you had to hunt for back issues at random shops?

Back in 2010, I was trying to finish a run of a specific X-Men comic. Drove to three different stores in my city, nothing. A guy at the third shop told me to check the online forums for local trade groups. Found a group on a now-dead forum site. Posted my want list. A guy two towns over had every issue I needed. We met at a diner, traded some doubles. That old school networking actually worked. Anyone else find a complete run through a fan trade like that?

Talked to a guy at the shop about collecting habits

He said he only buys comics from the 80s or earlier. Thinks modern stuff is all event comics and crossovers. I've been grabbing new issues every week for years. Made me stop and look at my pull list. How many of you stick to a specific era versus keeping up with current runs?

Question about picking a convention for my first big trip

Last year I had to choose between going to the big New York Comic Con or a smaller local one in Ohio... I picked the Ohio one because it was cheaper and less overwhelming. Honestly, it was a great choice for a first timer, I got to actually talk to artists without huge lines. Has anyone else started with a smaller con before tackling the massive ones?

I finally understood the hype around comic conventions after my first one in Chicago

I used to think collecting was just about the books, but seeing thousands of people in one place, all geeking out together, changed that. A guy in a perfect Spider-Man suit gave me a high-five and said 'welcome to the family.' Do you think the social side of being a fan is more important now than it was 20 years ago?

Our local shop's vibe changed hard in the last year

I've been going to Comics Plus on Main for over a decade. It used to be a chill spot to hang and talk books. Now it feels like a stock market floor. The shift started about 8 months ago. The owner, Dave, put up a huge screen tracking key issue prices in real time. Suddenly half the regulars just talk about FMV and flipping books on eBay. I heard a guy last week tell his kid, 'Don't touch that, it's a 9.8 candidate.' The focus is totally on investment, not the stories. It's sad. Has anyone else's shop gone full speculator mode?

A guy at the Portland Comic Con showed me a better way to pack my books

I was in line for a signing, carrying a short box that was just too heavy. The guy behind me noticed me struggling and said, 'You're gonna wreck your back like that.' He explained he packs his boxes only two-thirds full with backing boards between every single book. I tried it on my next haul, and my boxes are way lighter and my books have zero spine dents now. How do you guys handle moving a big collection without damage?

My nephew asked me why I keep my comics in boxes instead of on my phone

I was showing him my long boxes in the garage last weekend, the ones with my 90s X-Men runs. He's 14 and just said, 'But you can read them all on an app, right?' It hit different because he wasn't being rude, just genuinely confused. I tried to explain the feel of the paper and hunting for a specific issue at a con, but it made me realize my fandom is tied to physical stuff. His is about instant access and story, not the object. Has anyone else had a talk with a younger fan that made you see your own collecting habits in a new light?

I finally gave the 'X-Men: The Animated Series' theme a shot on my old guitar last night.

It was way harder than I expected, but nailing that opening riff after about an hour felt like a real win. Anyone else have a go-to comic book theme they've tried to learn?

Trying to find a specific panel from a 90s X-Men comic took me a full month

I was sure it was from X-Men #30, the one with the Phalanx, but I went through every issue from that year and came up empty. I finally found it in a random What If? one-shot from 1992, after asking three different forums and checking two long boxes. How do you guys even start looking for a single image you only half remember?