c/comic-book-fans

Had a talk with a silver age collector that shifted my whole view

I was at my local shop last Saturday and this older guy named Dave who's been collecting since the 60s overheard me complaining about variant covers. He asked why I even care about the cover when the story is what lasts. Said he's got Amazing Fantasy #15 but doesn't even display it because the pages matter more. It hit different because I realized I've been treating comics like baseball cards lately just flipping through to check condition. Now I'm actually reading a whole run of Tomb of Dracula from a dollar bin and it's way more fun. Anyone else have a talk with an old school collector that made you rethink your habits?

Warning: That guy at the comic shop who talks over everyone during new release day

Last Wednesday at Midtown Comics I watched a dude in a Deadpool hoodie spend 45 minutes telling anyone nearby why his take on the X-Men Krakoa era was the only valid one. He literally cut off a kid trying to ask about a first issue and said "you wouldn't get it." Has anyone else noticed these gatekeeper types getting worse since the big movie boom?

Got a tip about bagging comics from a guy at the Dallas fan expo

I was at the Dallas Fan Expo last month and this older collector showed me how he bags his silver age books. He puts a piece of cardstock behind the comic before sliding it in the bag. Keeps the spine from creasing over time. Never thought of that before. Any of yall do something similar with your collection?

That $40 omnibus I bought on eBay had the binding fall apart on page 50

Ended up spending another $25 at a local book bindery to get it fixed, but now I'm nervous to even open it too wide has anyone else had luck with those older collected editions holding up?

Changed my mind on modern comics after seeing that Batman '89 series

Honestly I used to think new comic runs were all just reboots and cash grabs, but I picked up the Batman '89 series at my local shop last month and the art style hooked me right away. Over three weeks of reading, I saw how the writer actually respected the old movie while building something fresh, which totally flipped my view. Has anyone else had a specific series change their stance on modern comics?

My local shop's owner had a weird rule about bagging comics

I stopped by a place called 'The Comic Vault' downtown last week and the owner told me I had to use their special bags if I wanted any variant cover. I asked why since my bags are just as good and he said 'because I say so.' It was a 20 minute debate over something that costs like 10 cents a bag. Has anyone else run into shop owners with strange rules like this?

Guy at the shop argued Batman could beat Iron Man in a fight for 20 minutes straight

I was at my local comic shop last Saturday grabbing the new X-Men issue. This dude in his 40s in a faded Punisher shirt just comes up to me out of nowhere. He starts going on about how Batman with prep time could take down Iron Man in any armor. I just nodded but he kept going. He pulled out his phone to show me some Reddit thread he saved. Went into this whole thing about Batman using some EMP gadget from an old comic. I stood there for like 15 minutes holding my coffee. Finally I just said "cool man" and walked to the counter. Dude followed me and kept talking about the Hellbat armor. Has anyone else had a random debate like this that just would not end?

Hit Issue 1000 in my collection and realized I have a Problem

I was just counting my longboxes last night and found out I'm sitting at exactly 1,032 comic books after 12 years of collecting. That number hit me hard because I've never actually added them up before and now I'm wondering how much money I've thrown at variant covers and back issues. How do you guys keep your collection from taking over your whole apartment?

That comic convention in Cleveland last weekend was a letdown for me

Everyone raves about the guest panels, but I spent 30 minutes in a room where the host couldn't stop talking about his own collection. Has anyone else noticed the Q&A sessions just turn into fanboy monologues?

Overheard a kid at the comic shop say 'who reads these anyway?' about a Bronze Age Avengers issue

I was flipping through a beat up copy of Avengers #57 and some teenager behind me asked his friend why anyone would bother with old comics. It just hit me that they don't have the same connection to those newsprint pages and the whole experience of finding a back issue in a dusty bin.

Random comic shop guy told me to stop bagging modern issues and I actually listened

Guy at a shop in Austin said poly bags trap moisture and ruin the grade on newer books over time, so I pulled the bags off all my post-2000 comics. Anyone else ditch bags on modern stuff or is that just a Texas thing?

That buddy who swore reading DC vs Marvel in release order was the only way

My friend Mark told me I had to read every DC and Marvel comic from 1985 in release order to 'get' the crossovers, so I spent 3 months tracking down 200 issues for just that year. Turned out half the tie-ins were filler and I could have just read the main event books for the full story. Has anyone else fallen for a 'completionist' reading order that was way overkill?

Had to choose between a statue of Spider-Man or a stack of actual Spider-Man comics

At a convention in Dallas last weekend, I had $80 to spend and it came down to a really nice McFarlane-era Spidey statue or grabbing about 12 random back issues from the $1 bins. I went with the comics because I figured I could actually read them, but now the statue is haunting me on eBay for triple the price. Anyone else regret not grabbing the physical collectible over the reading material?

A guy at my LCS told me to stop buying every #1 issue

I used to grab every first issue that came out because I thought they would be worth something someday. This older collector named Mike at my local shop in Portland saw my stack and told me I was wasting my money on stuff I would never even read. He said to only buy series where I actually care about the writer or the artist, not just because of FOMO. I thought he was just being a hater at first but I looked at my long boxes and realized he was right. I had like 40 first issues I never opened and probably never would. Now I only grab #1s from creators I already follow or from publishers I trust like Image or Boom. My wallet is way happier and I actually read what I buy now. Has anyone else had a regular at their shop give them advice that totally changed how they collect?

Overheard a dude at my LCS say he's been reading the same issue of X-Men #1 for 2 months

Dropped $40 on a Silver Age key issue that turned out to be a reprint from the 90s

Bought what I thought was an Amazing Spider-Man #50 from a seller at a tiny convention outside Phoenix, didn't check the inside cover for the reprint marking, and now I'm stuck with a book that's worth maybe 3 bucks has anyone else gotten burned by those glossy reprints that look exactly like the originals?

Spent 4 hours trying to organize my long boxes by publisher and gave up

I was sorting my collection last Saturday and got stuck on what to do with all the Image comics from the 90s. Figured I'd separate Marvel, DC, and everything else but my 1992 Spawn run took forever to find a spot. Ended up just alphabetizing everything after 3 hours and calling it done. Has anyone else wasted a whole afternoon on a system that totally backfired?

Switched from Marvel Unlimited to DC Universe Infinite after 3 years

I was a hardcore Marvel guy since forever, but last month I gave DC Universe Infinite a try because a buddy at the comic shop in Portland kept pushing me. Honestly, the curated reading lists made jumping into big events like Crisis on Infinite Earths way less confusing, and I actually finished a run without getting lost. Has anyone else made the jump between the two and found one totally changed their reading habits?

Heads up about the comic shop in Oakwood Plaza

I stopped by Comic Kingdom in Oakwood Plaza last Saturday and something felt off. There were about 15 back issue bins but half of them were mixed with random toys and trading cards. I spent 20 minutes digging through one bin and found three books with ripped covers hidden in the middle. The guy at the counter said they changed their sorting system 2 months ago and it's been chaos since. Just a warning if you're planning to hunt for specific issues there. Has anyone else noticed the bins getting worse lately?

A kid at my local shop changed how I look at back issues

I used to think buying old comics was just about grabbing keys or rare variants, you know? Then this kid maybe 12 years old walks into my shop in Austin last Saturday and starts digging through the dollar bin. He pulled out a beat-up copy of New Mutants 98 and said 'this one's got a good story even without Deadpool being famous.' That really stuck with me because I'd only ever seen that issue as a price tag before. Has anyone else had a moment where a fan younger than you made you rethink your whole collecting style?

My entire long box gave out on me last Tuesday

Honestly, it was a cheap one I've had since high school, and the bottom just split open in my closet. I had to spend an hour carefully moving about 300 books into a new bin without messing up the bags and boards. Has anyone else had a storage fail like that and found a better way to organize?

Spent three hours trying to explain the Clone Saga to my cousin at a cookout

He asked a simple question about Spider-Man, and I thought I could give a quick answer. Two hot dogs and a plate of potato salad later, I was still drawing timelines on a napkin with a ketchup packet. I had to explain Ben Reilly, the Jackal, the 'real' Peter Parker thing, and why it all got undone. The worst part was when his eyes glazed over and he just said, 'So it was all a dream?' I lost a whole afternoon and a perfectly good napkin. Has anyone else ever gotten stuck in a comic book plot hole so deep you forget what day it is?

Pro tip: don't try to explain a comic book event to your barber

Honestly, I was just trying to make small talk during a haircut last week. My barber asked what I was into, and I mentioned comics. He said he saw a Marvel movie once, so I figured I'd try to explain the whole 'Secret Wars' thing from 2015, you know, where Battleworld is made from pieces of other universes. Tbh, I got about three sentences in about Doctor Doom being God-Emperor before his eyes just glazed over. He kept nodding while cutting my hair, and then just said, 'So it's like a big fight?' Ngl, I spent the next 15 minutes getting a trim in total silence, feeling like I'd just given a college lecture to a brick wall. I learned that some stories are just too inside baseball for a quick chat. Has anyone else had a totally normal conversation go off the rails because you started talking comics?

Hit 50 longboxes in my collection and had a minor panic attack

It happened after I finally sorted my '90s X-Men books and realized I have three full boxes of just that era. Anyone else hit a number that made them question their life choices?

Walked into my old comic shop in Portland and the vibe is totally different now

It's all movie posters and Funko Pops, the longboxes of back issues are shoved in a corner. When did collecting become more about merch than the actual books?