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?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_hugo25d agoTop Commenter

Yeah, that bit about his fandom being about the story and not the object really got me. I used to think digital was just for convenience, but maybe the stuff we hold onto is the real point.

tylermason25d ago

What if the story is the only thing that lasts, not the object? I've lost hard drives and broken phones, but the memories stuck around. That's the part @the_hugo is onto, the real stuff isn't on a shelf.