I'm uploading this on the first day of a comic-con where I will be buying a lot of comic books. the only opinions worth having are ones that don't actually matter.
Here's another reason to continue with comic books. I am a 70 year old fan, with that white beard, and I have mostly given up on new comics. I do believe in giving back to the industry I have loved for decades. In 2010 I bought a group of well loved Gold Key comics from the 1970s and 1980s at a tag sale, and I enjoyed reading them and revisiting some characters from my past. Reading comics at a young age helped me learn to read and draw, skills I use to this day. I decided to offer the comics to the kids that came to my door on Halloween. I was surprised that only a half dozen took the comics. Most had no idea what they were about, but word got around and I now get 40-50 kids (and a few parents) looking for the comics every year. Some may not continue to read them, but if I can add to the next generation of fans it is worth the search to restock with all ages books for the next holiday. It always gives me a good feeling to see a young kid excited about comics. Try it in your area.
Thats great that you got the word out, on Halloween, and helped young people and even older parents RE CONNECT with the comic book hobby and discover the older comic books!
Recognizable. I haven't bought floppies since 2007 I guess. For a while trades but avoiding the superhero stuff. And since 2015 rarely trades either (a bunch recently though, to complete some series).......American comics I'm done with in the era of the woke....total garbage and I'm not returning. Totally invested in Manga now. And European comics have never been away, but I'm concentrating now at getting series complete instead of picking up new stuff. Other than comics I like books (without pictures), movies/tv series on bluray/dvd, music on cd and games. Games are a bit on hold too as woke crept into them too and new games are just not as cool anymore, older games are waaaaaay more imaginiative and fun. So it's lots of manga now and movies/tv series I'm mostly busy with, especially Anime/other animated stuff and older movies, because new movies suck (again....woke) and stupid people dump all physical stuff you can buy cheap 🤣. I already had a lot but been scooping up piles for a while now. Again, completing things here, also subpar stuff, for 1 euro I think that's ok instead of spending full price. Which brings me to having some 54000 comics, 4000 dvd/blurays, 4000 music cd's, 1400 books and 2000 games in physical form. I'm never bored. 😁 Oh...and I read everything, I care zilch about cgc or any graded comics, such nonsense 🤣. And none of my comics are boarded. That takes up space man...for other comics 🤣. Oh, another reason to not busy myself with the superhero stuff anymore is because they are neverending stories. It just keeps going, rebooted, retconned and whatnot. Almost all Manga have a finite point and you'll have a complete series, much better. European comics tend to be standalone albums anyway, even in a series that has been going for decades.
I wish comic collectors were more like you and less like speculators. I wanted to get into comics a few years ago after discovering my granddads collection which I never knew he had til he passed; but RUclips is dominated by speculator channels instead of collectors which scared me because of the price estimated to get into the back issues and lore of the oldies. Got into manga instead which I think is a good thing cause they have great stories there too and also light on the wallet.
I appreciate the support! And yes I totally agree with you. It's gotten really tough for new collectors to get into the hobby just for the love of it when things are so focused on flipping and predicting the next hot book to sell. I'm interested to see how the market changes over the next few years tho, as things seem to be ever-so-slightly cooling down
i view it as cultural art, and ignore most books after 1990, and REALLY focus on golden and silver age. For stuff post 1975 i focus on indie stuff i enjoy. the only modern books i have are pure love like evil ernie and horror books in general. I think comic collecting is neat because there are so many ways to do it.
It is and will always be the definitive for me. His art is amazing. Never has a drawing style so defined a character. I always feel something is "off" when I see Thanos drawn by other artists
I agree with you about the "process". I love collecting comic books. BUT...the "process" or the hobby has started to become irritating, discouraging and expensive. AND THERE ARE A lot of hucksters who don't care about old comic books OR KNOW NOTHING about the older and original culture of comic book collecting. Way too much speculation and price changing and many comic books which should never be expensive are expensive, even though they are only 2 years old. Bullshit. Also, a lot of the younger generation of collectors have no appreciation for the great artwork and artists of the 70s or 80s. They sometimes care about the cover artwork but most of the time the sellers or hucksters and even the young buyers, only care about getting that Key issue or that "famous issue". they don't even know or care WHAT'S INSIDE the comic book , or the art or the letters page or the ads. they don't collect for that reason. Also, its hard to find the comic books you want. The sellers at conventions only sell "whats popular" or what is in "demand". You really have to depend on Ebay or Flea markets or Garage sales. You have to go to comic shops and dig through boxes.
My comic books were stolen by a neighbor when I was a kid in the nineties. I haven't collected the same way since. I have comics, but only about a hundred or so. I read online for free. That theft changed my entire perspective on life. Since then, I've learned to let go and not get too attached to anything, especially the material. I started an action figure collection in 2013. I questioned my financial choices because I was buying toys every week. I asked my girlfriend at the time what she thinks I should do. She said to do what makes me happy. I took that to heart. I did exactly what she told me. We broke up about a year later. We argued about my toys. She was upset that I spent so much money on toys and not much money on her. I never got her a good gift, but I was buying awesome things for myself constantly. That was the advice she gave me. I looked for an excuse to go wild and her advice was my go-ahead. I told her that I i was doing what she told me to do, "what makes me happy," and that's what I did. We broke up, I lost my job and I had to sell the toys because I'm not financially stable anymore. What am I going to bring my huge collection of toys with me on the street? "Look! Theres the homeless guy with all the action figures!" They had to go and I sold them at a discount to get rid of them faster. Now, I'm a forty-one year old man who lives with his mom. No collections. No toys. No comic books. No money. The old girlfriend has a girlfriend of her own. She looks like a gorilla. Ladies, I'm single if youre looking to be a provider to a worthless POS.
For me, I love the hunting and the reading. I stopped buying new in the early 2000's, (writers breaking continuity, endless events & cover price were the main factors) now I focus solely on pre 1980, mainly Silver and early Bronze. A lot of good affordable stuff I haven't read. Trying to finish the Space Family Robinson series, not easy to find.
I stopped buying issues a few years ago, and I'm glad I did. I still get graphic novels, but mostly old stuff I missed over the last few decades. They look so much nicer on a bookshelf too, as opposed to ugly long boxes I never even open anymore.
Once again I agree bro, I've gotten all the comics i need and want especially from the 80's and 90's and a few silver, bronze and golden age comics so I'm good with that. Nowadays comics suck idc the art is weak, the storyline goes nowhere and the characters have no flavor so I'm more tan satisfied with what I've gotten 👍
About 130 issues monthly at my peak, now zero. I may pick up the new Titan Comics Conan though. 1. The community told me I was too old, and that comics were no longer for me. 2. Most new comics are trash. 3. The price has gotten out of hand for said trash. I have more comics than I could read probably for the rest of my life, if I decided to re-read them. I did however recently buy X-Men, Conan and Savage Sword Omni collections so that I don't have to open up the individual issues. I'll still give Marvel my money for that as a parting gift.
I'm at the end as well. No more space, and the fact that comic prices have gone up so much, and the constant re-numbering of issues to start over and over again is becoming tiresome. Oh well it's been a great run, many years of collecting, my massive collection is safe for now, and I look forward to revisting it again in 20 years or so.
Okay, so you don't collect anymore. BUT..Herrister1024....do you bother to rummage through your old collection AND RE READ the great stories and great science fiction stories or the old superheroe stories and look at the GREAT ART, like Neil Adams and Kirby and Jim STarlin? You have all those old comic books to re read when you get bored and think of all the great old ads you have in those comic books!!
I'm trying to stop buying comic books just because they arenteresting and good price. Its hard. Btw I'm 56 and no kids. You wonder were will your end. Plus the task of selling them again. Meanwhile, enjoy your collection.😊
I am coming to the end of the road when it comes to collecting Marvel and DC. Maybe invest in more 1960s DC. Dynamite are doing some great stuff of late with the Lone ranger and Green Lantern and James Bond. I don't care to grade my comic books. The type of comic books I read date back to the 1930s. Some would push comic books back even further with, say, The Yellow Kid but the only book I have come across when it comes to that character was a 1901 hard cover. Not my idea of a comic book. Comic strips in newspapers and magazines have been around a lot longer. I don't know how long comic papers have been in existence. They're British and some of them are good but not my interest in collecting.
I've been collecting Golden Age back issues since the late 1980's (eleven boxes in all right now) and I'm not about to stop, but I have completed my run of early Carl Barks Donald Duck issues of Walt Disney Comics and Stories (Issues 31-63) and I'm pretty content there and feel pretty good having finished the hunt for one of my all time favorite artists. Not that I'm going to quit hunting for other GA back issues if they're affordable, GA comics are constantly going up in price and the hunt for them is key, at least until they're priced out of existence.
Very true! I am a younger man but I love Uncle Scrooge. I have actively been working on collection every uncle scrooge book until the end of the Whitman run of books. I only have about 70 more to go before I have them all. I am also working on collection every issue of shadow comics from 1940-1949. Out of the 101 issues i have about 35+. I don't think I will ever stop fully collecting, not only because I enjoy the hunt but also because there is so much I am interested in. It does not hurt either that they are a great investment opportunity. I am very thankful that I am only 32. If i keep my current pace maybe by the time I'm in my 70's I could be close to collecting everything I enjoy from comics.
How much is too much?? I tell people that my collection of 10,000+ is small. When their eyes widen at either the statement or the number of books I have, I explain that I know many collectors that have (minimum) 3-4x as many comics as I have. And from my years in the hobby, as well as the internet, I've come across people that have well over 100,000 books. As well as, what may be a legend, of at least one person who has a copy of every or nearly every comic book that's been published, pushing the total in that collection to some 150,000 to 200,000 issues. How much is too much?? That's what my wife keeps asking me... For now, I don't have an answer. There is another 500 or more comics that I am active looking for. And that number will probably grow when I finally look at the gaps in the collection. When I finally get all the comics that I want... Who knows? Though, like others have mentioned, the way the industry is going at this point, I find myself less and less interested in what's coming out, and expect, eventually, I will stop buying completely and bask in completing my collection.
I know the feeling cause but once I get my few grail books AMS#129,TMNT#1, Hulk#181,Cerebus#1, Detective Comics#168, X-Men#1,and Amazing Fantasy#15 then I am done with my collection but odds are I willnt be able to fork out that much cash but I always by any Key books I can get cheap and this hobby is very addictive.
Reading is the main reason for me to collect comics as well. At the moment I'm not buying new books because I want to catch up with the pile I haven't read yet. I wonder how this will last though before I buy a couple of trades I 'really' need :)
I started collecting just for key books and series i thought would be worth something some day, then i continued because of the artwork i wasn't even reading them anymore, i stopped collecting but now i buy a book or two when i see a deal or just feel like revisiting my old hobby.
I found your video interesting and I respect your right to feel the way you do. That said I love collecting comic books and finding issues I either need to complete a run of a much loved series or finding new things I didn't know about. I do love the fact that you want to share what's special to you with the next generation of comic book readers. Now that's really cool.
thanks for the comment! Yeah, I'm very glad to share this art form with new readers - and I love hearing the different ways people collect and what they love to buy
These “ key” collectors, condition queens and slab-investors are gross imo. Not to judge the people as a whole or their character, it’s just distasteful and making these books far too expensive for those that love comics and want them to read and enjoy
My problem is I enjoy buying and then putting them on a pile that I'll never get to. I've bought the stuff I really like, the stuff I think I'll like but then comes buys cause the artist is cool or it has some element I kind of like. Could be I bought a lot of mediocre stuff. I stopped getting new comics, I just look up who did what in the past. I don't have a nice display, I'm going to start giving stuff away as my kids aren't interested and I don't want my wife to deal with it once I'm gone. I need that app, I re-buy the stuff issue over and over.
It's not the destination, its the journey, yes. I configure emulation with programs like Yuzu. I spend days setting up computers with free Nintendo, PlayStation, Xbox games, and it is frustrating. Its not that easy. I dont like doing it. Once the setup is complete, its time to play. Thats when i realize, I HATE PLAYING VIDEO GAMES. I need to be really, REALLY stoned to enjoy a video game. So, thats why I've been smoking so much. I want to enjoy my games that I stole, downloaded and configured. Im Captain Jack Sparrow. Oh, yeah, the point is I enjoyed the journey about as much as the destination. I didn't like either one, but its what do for fun.
This is one of my favorite comic book videos, and I friggin’ salute you on your perspective. I took an interest in comic books back in the mid-‘60s as a little kid and though my interest in comics has waxed and waned, I find myself also planning to stop acquiring additional comics and related material, and instead focus on reading and researching the stuff I already possess. My primary interests are 1. Marvel stuff from the ‘60s, 2. EC comics, 3. Wallace Wood material, 4. A couple dozen other artists from the ‘50s and ‘60s. My collection consists mostly of reprints and collected editions, plus a large helping of beat-up originals. Maybe 3,000 floppies and 500 paperback and hardcover books. “Not worth much financially but with incalculable entertainment value.” I’ve realized that it really makes no sense for me to go on acquiring material because every moment spent seeking out comic books is a moment that could have been spent reading something I already own. And right now money’s tighter than it’s been in years. So, kudos for an excellent discussion focused on “what am I trying to accomplish” and I wish you many decades of enjoyment yet to come.
I A Bit..JUST A BIT ..disagree with your beginning comments at .50 to 1.04. MOST COLLECTORS collect "how much is enough" [in size of collection ] not because it looks cool, but because ITS RE READABLE. Keep in mind, many of these comic books HAD GREAT STORIES. Not trying to insult your or be personal, BUT I FEEL YOU HAVE actually NEVER READ the complete stories of these older comic books. How old are you, 19? I mean, I don't think you really understand the greatness and value of the comic books of old, and their stories and EVEN THE IMPORTANT old ads that REFLECT A CULTURE GONE BY. Did you know that some of the older comic books, especially Spiderman, HAVE HUGE PAGES or half pages with a drawn colored view OF NEW YORK CITY..with.....WITH THE TWIN TOWERS still intact?? That was from the 70s. Its things like that that modern young collectors like yourself FORGET. Also, some of the ads for toys and candy bars are FAMOUS..because those toys and candy bars CANNOT BE FOUND anymore and were important in those days. It reflects our childhood. I listened to your video but I DIDN'T GET THE FEEL that you understood the importance of old memories of being young. You just didn't get it!!
I too gave a happy farewell to comic books a couple years ago, despite doing the hunt/collect/occasional restart and selling of everything to restart with my series focus elsewhere. I’ve had awesome keys like ASM annual #1 in hand, the appearance and run of Johnny Blaze as Ghost Rider, etc. lots of cool stuff. But never interacting with anybody who felt like they just loved comics or the history of it…only ever interacting with/or seeing people be into comics for the speculation market and then the companies going super fucking hard on variants…it all killed the love for me. My friends had also bowed out of collecting before me and with them not writing very good stories in my opinion anymore, I just let it all go for good. I can’t justify paying crazy prices for every older book if I don’t want a beater copy, and modern books really blow. And frankly I was sick of seeing ASM#300 getting shitty homage covers. Let that cover die! In short - Speculation market ruined back issue collecting and even made it comically difficult to grab variant copies from cover artists we actually like and seek out. Taking most of the fun out of it.
I've left floppies & started getting trades & omni's. Especially of the older runs i have. A lot of new stuff from disney & DC are pretty woke. I agree with the Ron Lim stuff or titles like symbiont spider-man or Maestro.
You want to read comic books, which is perfectly fine. Collecting comic books is totally different. Collecting anything is pretty much an obsession. The hunt is the best part. I read a few titles still, but I'm a collector at heart. And my collection is ever changing. I'll always have some keepers, but many of them change as well. Simply sell the rest, make some money, and/or upgrade to the books you currently desire.
I don't try just to "get good deals". I occasionally read those old comic books. Don't you?? IF not, why did you collect them? Just to re decorate your room? That is NOT WHAT the old collectors were doing. It sounds like you don't know how to enjoy your hobby. AGAIN, ITS NOT YOUR FAULT. You are barely 20 years old, man!
I go hot and cold with collecting comics. I have now gotten to a point where I am only curating and buying books I know I will re-read. I don’t feel the need to collect to just collect. I will admit that i have lost a lot of love for mainstream comics. The books that come out today are not connecting with me at all.
I'm done collecting but mainly because I have thousands and I read my comic books and want the enjoyment of it, so I'm not that long journey of reading a lot of backlog.
I collect Omnibus, really easy to store, practical for the story's continuity and the reading comfort is incredible! Some TPbs... I've maybe only 300 issues in total, only the ones with beautiful covers and the ones I kept when I was a child : 100% 90's. I almost don't buy any modern comics, too woke and not fan of the art / colors.
I buy only collected editions, Omnis, Absolutes and for like Darkhorse Image etc deluxe hardcovers. The only thing I get individual issues of is Saga because I've collected since the first issue
Maybe you're just collecting the wrong way. If you're in it for the reading material, then just buy the trades. They're cheaper than collecting single issues. Also you're viewing this as some sort of treasure hunt, when in fact you should probably focus on following artists and/or writers you enjoy (as you're apparently doing). You don't come off as a flipper or a speculator so I feel this would be best for you. Don't buy books for your hypothetical future offspring, that's just an excuse. Personally, I only buy from indie publishers or underground labels, no DC or Marvel on my pull list. I note down the names of artists and/or writers I thoroughly enjoyed and subscribe to their Insta and their newsletter if they have one so that I can catch whatever they're working on. My enjoyment of the hobby is far greater than if I went in looking for mainstream appeal.
I stopped back in 2015 when Marvel started going 100% WOKE. I now started getting back into collecting comics with *#RIPPAVERSE**.* His *Code of Ethics'* is a must-read! I stopped "impulse buying" old comic books with simply buying Bitcoin every year.
What pisses me off is the comicbook stores (weather its brick and mortar or internet stores think their Ebay and price them as if they are. So the customer/collector doesnt get the advantage of know they can make money off the comics gaining ground and going up in price. I was a subscriber to a few of these channels and cancelled them all. Greedy AF these people are. When you get people pricing 1:10/1:25:1:50 & so on @ double or triple the cover cost : that is 🐂💩. Then some of them hold off on releaseing covers until after main distribution sales are due (playin games) and you miss out due to this trickery. Im over it as a comic lover and straight disappointed the industry has come to this.
Nice perspecitive and very interesting to think about the way I collect. I've often thought "where does this end?" Once I own a copy of each grail I've always wanted? Maybe, but that just takes time and money. I've also found a lot of value in digital comics and being able to read runs or events that peak my interest, but don't want to by the single issues or TPBs. This is becoming much easier for newer release too. So that leaves the old stuff and like you said, displaying them is a very fun way to collect. I love comics as an art medium so I like to pair them with other collectibles I own around my office. Finally, I totally agree with buying for new fans/friends/kids. My own kids have been hit or miss over the years and that's ok. I love pulling out a TPB of a MCU movie we just watched to help them connect the dots or discover the real origin of their favorite characters on screen. Great video and you really encouraged me to read the books I own, or why else am I collecting them? Keep it up!
This is pretty much why I switched 100% to digital once every publisher I had an interest in reading had their material in a low cost/free app. I'll still buy some stuff in trade if its a significant enough book I don't have and/or the deal is good enough and there are some issues I would probably pick up if the price was right for nostalgia purposes. I also buy a lot at cons, though I don't go to cons a lot these days. My threshold for a pro I don't want a signature from is pretty low and I don't feel right going to someone's booth and not buying something, especially if its creator owned. The best thing to buy at cons though is the weird stuff from the indie artists who you would never stumble across in a million years through normal channels. Alot of the time its crap but there are some hidden gems to be found.
Good luck Peter, U sound desperate for direction, I have the answers, but not the space or time to tell you, I will say this to U, comics are not for kids anymore at 5&10dollers each their for investors. Your's truly, Jim🤗
I collected comics from 1986-1992 , after I collected manga, graphic novels, and digital versions of older stuff and omnibus hard back books(older stuff I never read before. I still collect stuff today if it has my interest !!!
Interesting how so many commenters here think that "comicbooks" simply means US superhero stuff (ie: Marvel and DC and maybe a few "indies"). If that is all they see of comicbooks, then, yeah, no wonder they're quitting. In fact, there is a huge range of manga, BD, US indies and small press, UK weeklies and small press, the UK's 2000AD weekly etc etc. Comicbook creators such as Tardi, Crepax, Manara, John Wagner, Pat Mills, Druillet, Schuten, Kevin O'Neill, Hugo Pratt, Toppi, Osterheld, Christin, etc are far superior to all except a small handful of US writers and artists.
Hey I'm European (Dutch) and have access to all.....American comics (not so interested anymore), Manga (definitely interested where decades ago I loathed it) and European comics I grew up on even before the superheroes came along and these are still going strong and I just HAVE to read to have some balance. Also when buying American comics, Indies were 1/3 of my comics, 2/3 was Marvel and DC, with Marvel the absolute favorite, which shifted in the 00's where I enjoyed DC more than Marvel.
I switched over from a collector to a reader a few years ago. After coming to the realization that my comics were hidden away in multiple boxes in a back closet rarely to ever be seen or read again, I switched to buying graphic novels and placed them on a bookshelf in the open. I found this to be a much more rewarding experience (not to mention much cheaper). I kept around 10 short boxes of stuff that have high nostalgia value but offloaded the rest of my rather large collection. I do occasionally buy monthly comics but I treat them as the periodicals (BLASPHEMY!) that they are. No bags and boards and toss the ones I don't ultimately think have reread value.
I also love to give comics to anyone I meet that seems interested. Personally I somehow found (like 18 years ago) that my collection would work as my own curated (super cheap) ART collection lol. So, I focus on artists and oddities more than characters, companies or writers. It's purely on books with unique art and vision be it Eastern, European or Western it's from all around the world. I even saw to it that when I die they'll be donated to the Toronto Public Library and have it displayed as a collection with my name on it so future generations stumble upon the coolest markings of the oddest humans. It's an endless pursuit because there's always something out there that will catch my eye as worth it to collect. Very nice video
Hey great perspective. I have learned that things are better when you focus on the process and not the destination and I was able to apply it to my work which really helped me reduce stress, had more time to myself and kept my bosses happy. I do have a hoarding tendencies even though I can be a miser in many ways. The point I have to ask myself is why I buy these comic books in the first place, I have never sold anything online and living in Hawaii the shipping out will probably be a hassle. I have started to read comic books and what I find useful is paying for Marvel Unlimited which gives me access to a lot of comic books digitally. This helps with space and overall it's cheaper than buying the omnibus editions for reading purposes.
If you have an old comic form the golden age you are set. They will go for a lot in the future. If you have a comic from this era you might aswell use it for toilet paper. No one knows about it and no one will want it in the future. Its the main reason collectors are moving into retro games.
Interesting perspective! There's definitely a lot less value in modern comics financially right now. I do wonder, though, if people during the Silver Age were saying the same about their "modern" books, which ended up becoming very valuable.
After I got all the Deadpool appearances, and volumes, I stopped at The Danial Way run. I started to collect the John Bryan SheHulk, but now the prices are getting too high. I may get some more Jim Lee X-men. Other than that I'm done with comics. I'm focusing on more Usagi Yojimbo volumes, and manga.
I have over 20,000 comics and I buy comics every Wednesday. I went to 3 conventions every month before covid. I have put all my marvel comics in chronological reading order starting with the origin of galactus at the big bang to today. I live near Ron Lim and he's signed 100 com8cs for me over the years. I will never quit collecting.
I been collecting records and comics for more than 30 years, my records are my main passion, I have over 3 thousand in my collection, records/ music has generated 80% of my social life, I have only about 500 comics, Nevertheless I am a collector in a way, I do have some key silver age comics, fantastic four #48,49. & 50, 1st & 2nd Sabertooth, I love specific artists, Kirby, Buscema,, John Romita, Todd McFarlane, probably a dozen favourites, I cherish them. I don’t think I’ll ever stop collecting, but I do put the Brakes on every now and then. I can go a full year without buying a comic, mabey a few months or so now with records? The day I decide to get rid of them will mean a part of who I am is dying, walking in and out of these shops for so many years is has been a big part of my life for decades, I live in Australia, and also had so much fun traveling buying comics and records in New York City and other cities! It’s been a part of my holiday memories as well, bringing a few Gems back to your hotel while traveling is a crazy buzz! I’ll be living in denial if I completely stopped and (Sold Off) what Ive enjoyed and built over the years, enjoyed your show Thank You
This is pretty much where I am now. Stopped buying individual issues a while back and no longer read anything from DC and little to nothing from Marvel. The only things I buy now are omnibi and OHCs and even they are few and far between. I have a definite end point once Mark Waids Flash is completed In Omnibus format along with the Man of Steel, triangle, New Krypton and Busik era of Superman and The first volume of the Exiles. Once I have all of those I'm done. Given how crappy DC has been with Superman Omnis however, I can see that I am in for a long wait. That's fine, I'm a patient bunny.
My greatest joy is going bin diving looking for those key comics that I can press and clean to a 9.0 or better grade. I keep some and sell the rest 25% to 40% below current FMV. I also donate comics to someone I know who offers them as give aways. I do this because I wish to give back to the comic community and treat others who collect with respect and dignity.
I have a big collection, mostly marvel and I read and reread them all, I love alot of the stories, characters and art, to me that's the joy of collecting is enjoying them, I only collect from 50s to early 2000s, I quit buying new books after Hickman secret wars
Interest’s change and evolve. Draw the line when/where you need to. Collect however you collect. I buy cheap horror and movie adaptations. Nothing that I’m not genuinely interested in, will read and enjoy the art of. Nothing I don’t find in person at local shops. I could totally just order everything I’m interested in but the hunt is therapeutic for me.
My thoughts exactly. I began reading comics at an early age. My father first introduced them to me to keep me off the streets. He'd buy those 3 for 25 cents packs with the tops cut off. I wasn't collecting comics for profit. In those days, you'd read books out of sequence. Hoping that someday Fantastic Four #50 would magically appear and you could finally read the ending. It's the only reason I buy Omnibus editions. Finally, I can read complete series of issues missed during the '60's -'80's. Now even those are being overpriced *(Wolverine Omnibus 1).* So, I'm waiting until they're in reprint. So glad I waited before paying over double the cover price for *Avengers Omnibus #4.*
Every key point you made is exactly why I collect comics. I’ve been recently buying facsimile comics. Fir my Son, Nephew and godson. Once I get everything from iron fist, and Shng Chi, I will be done with that. I’ve read all the X-Men I need to read, and most Spider-Man. Good points for true collecting.
I just started collecting 2 days ago, I have no local store so I rely on live auctions and such, I'm greatly enjoying this hobby and cant wait to see what comes. ill be buying some doubles for reading and keeping another mint, as of now I will not be grading and keeping stuff raw and also I'm collecting covers based off of the great cover art! but this is me and I hope to see you continue collect but only collect what you'd like and want to read! at least that's how I'm going about this :)
Great hobby to get into. JUST got back into it 2 months ago. My advice-collect what you initially like first, be it a team, single character, or publisher.
Just watch out for the overhyped channels when collecting ( comics Tom for one). There are channels that tell you simply what is coming out... and pre-ordering from some online sites can save you a ton of money if you don't have a local store. Things from Another World have good discounts for early orders on a lot of stuff... earlier the order, the bigger the discount... shipping will add to the cost... but if you get books shipped once a month.. and you have 10 or more books... its about 10% of cost of the books ( but you most likely saved 15 to 20% overall)
I collect Todd Mcfarlane covers.... boy, was that an expensive choice I wasn't aware of when I started this undertaking... I have 100s of Todd cover but still nowhere close to owning an ASM 316..... I often wonder "why carry on if you may never complete it?"
You've just in a blasé period right now. You've most likely collect a lot in a short period and it's sense overload. Once you back off you'll want to collected again. It happens to a lot I'd collectors. Since I lost most of my collection I get to start over. It's all about the hunt and getting the best condition for me.
Here's another reason to continue with comic books. I am a 70 year old fan, with that white beard, and I have mostly given up on new comics. I do believe in giving back to the industry I have loved for decades. In 2010 I bought a group of well loved Gold Key comics from the 1970s and 1980s at a tag sale, and I enjoyed reading them and revisiting some characters from my past. Reading comics at a young age helped me learn to read and draw, skills I use to this day. I decided to offer the comics to the kids that came to my door on Halloween. I was surprised that only a half dozen took the comics. Most had no idea what they were about, but word got around and I now get 40-50 kids (and a few parents) looking for the comics every year. Some may not continue to read them, but if I can add to the next generation of fans it is worth the search to restock with all ages books for the next holiday. It always gives me a good feeling to see a young kid excited about comics. Try it in your area.
That's a great idea! And so good to hear that there were kids excited about it. Very cool!
great idea!
I wouldn't waste any more of my time.
@@drmidnight680-kz2leor money lmao
Thats great that you got the word out, on Halloween, and helped young people and even older parents RE CONNECT with the comic book hobby and discover the older comic books!
Just buy collect what you LOVE
Just buy the omnibus 's of the character 's you want. $80.00 usually for years of comic book history. 📖
THIS IS THE WAY!!!
Recognizable.
I haven't bought floppies since 2007 I guess. For a while trades but avoiding the superhero stuff. And since 2015 rarely trades either (a bunch recently though, to complete some series).......American comics I'm done with in the era of the woke....total garbage and I'm not returning.
Totally invested in Manga now. And European comics have never been away, but I'm concentrating now at getting series complete instead of picking up new stuff.
Other than comics I like books (without pictures), movies/tv series on bluray/dvd, music on cd and games. Games are a bit on hold too as woke crept into them too and new games are just not as cool anymore, older games are waaaaaay more imaginiative and fun.
So it's lots of manga now and movies/tv series I'm mostly busy with, especially Anime/other animated stuff and older movies, because new movies suck (again....woke) and stupid people dump all physical stuff you can buy cheap 🤣. I already had a lot but been scooping up piles for a while now. Again, completing things here, also subpar stuff, for 1 euro I think that's ok instead of spending full price.
Which brings me to having some 54000 comics, 4000 dvd/blurays, 4000 music cd's, 1400 books and 2000 games in physical form.
I'm never bored. 😁
Oh...and I read everything, I care zilch about cgc or any graded comics, such nonsense 🤣. And none of my comics are boarded. That takes up space man...for other comics 🤣.
Oh, another reason to not busy myself with the superhero stuff anymore is because they are neverending stories. It just keeps going, rebooted, retconned and whatnot. Almost all Manga have a finite point and you'll have a complete series, much better. European comics tend to be standalone albums anyway, even in a series that has been going for decades.
I wish comic collectors were more like you and less like speculators. I wanted to get into comics a few years ago after discovering my granddads collection which I never knew he had til he passed; but RUclips is dominated by speculator channels instead of collectors which scared me because of the price estimated to get into the back issues and lore of the oldies. Got into manga instead which I think is a good thing cause they have great stories there too and also light on the wallet.
I appreciate the support! And yes I totally agree with you. It's gotten really tough for new collectors to get into the hobby just for the love of it when things are so focused on flipping and predicting the next hot book to sell. I'm interested to see how the market changes over the next few years tho, as things seem to be ever-so-slightly cooling down
@@peterdaremedia just collect what you love and if it’s rarity go for rarity. If it’s covers or artists go for those. Enjoy and fun.
I went the manga route as well.
i view it as cultural art, and ignore most books after 1990, and REALLY focus on golden and silver age. For stuff post 1975 i focus on indie stuff i enjoy. the only modern books i have are pure love like evil ernie and horror books in general. I think comic collecting is neat because there are so many ways to do it.
@@horvathsogranfume658 the older comics are scarce and rare. They aren’t producing anymore and are like treasures 👍
Shout out to a fellow Rom Lim fan. His run on the 90’s Silver Surfer was stupendous!
He's great! I met him at a con last year, such a cool dude.
It is and will always be the definitive for me. His art is amazing. Never has a drawing style so defined a character. I always feel something is "off" when I see Thanos drawn by other artists
I agree with you about the "process". I love collecting comic books. BUT...the "process" or the hobby has started to become irritating, discouraging and expensive. AND THERE ARE A lot of hucksters who don't care about old comic books OR KNOW NOTHING about the older and original culture of comic book collecting. Way too much speculation and price changing and many comic books which should never be expensive are expensive, even though they are only 2 years old. Bullshit. Also, a lot of the younger generation of collectors have no appreciation for the great artwork and artists of the 70s or 80s. They sometimes care about the cover artwork but most of the time the sellers or hucksters and even the young buyers, only care about getting that Key issue or that "famous issue". they don't even know or care WHAT'S INSIDE the comic book , or the art or the letters page or the ads. they don't collect for that reason. Also, its hard to find the comic books you want. The sellers at conventions only sell "whats popular" or what is in "demand". You really have to depend on Ebay or Flea markets or Garage sales. You have to go to comic shops and dig through boxes.
My comic books were stolen by a neighbor when I was a kid in the nineties. I haven't collected the same way since. I have comics, but only about a hundred or so. I read online for free. That theft changed my entire perspective on life. Since then, I've learned to let go and not get too attached to anything, especially the material.
I started an action figure collection in 2013. I questioned my financial choices because I was buying toys every week. I asked my girlfriend at the time what she thinks I should do. She said to do what makes me happy. I took that to heart. I did exactly what she told me.
We broke up about a year later. We argued about my toys. She was upset that I spent so much money on toys and not much money on her. I never got her a good gift, but I was buying awesome things for myself constantly. That was the advice she gave me. I looked for an excuse to go wild and her advice was my go-ahead. I told her that I i was doing what she told me to do, "what makes me happy," and that's what I did.
We broke up, I lost my job and I had to sell the toys because I'm not financially stable anymore. What am I going to bring my huge collection of toys with me on the street? "Look! Theres the homeless guy with all the action figures!" They had to go and I sold them at a discount to get rid of them faster.
Now, I'm a forty-one year old man who lives with his mom. No collections. No toys. No comic books. No money. The old girlfriend has a girlfriend of her own. She looks like a gorilla. Ladies, I'm single if youre looking to be a provider to a worthless POS.
Somebody stealing your comic books over 3 decades ago really derailed your life that hard?🤔
For me, I love the hunting and the reading. I stopped buying new in the early 2000's, (writers breaking continuity, endless events & cover price were the main factors) now I focus solely on pre 1980, mainly Silver and early Bronze. A lot of good affordable stuff I haven't read. Trying to finish the Space Family Robinson series, not easy to find.
I stopped buying issues a few years ago, and I'm glad I did. I still get graphic novels, but mostly old stuff I missed over the last few decades. They look so much nicer on a bookshelf too, as opposed to ugly long boxes I never even open anymore.
Once again I agree bro, I've gotten all the comics i need and want especially from the 80's and 90's and a few silver, bronze and golden age comics so I'm good with that. Nowadays comics suck idc the art is weak, the storyline goes nowhere and the characters have no flavor so I'm more tan satisfied with what I've gotten 👍
They’re also race swapped! Who wants a new character? “Put a different colored person in whatever suit, it’ll probably sell for a bit!”
About 130 issues monthly at my peak, now zero. I may pick up the new Titan Comics Conan though.
1. The community told me I was too old, and that comics were no longer for me.
2. Most new comics are trash.
3. The price has gotten out of hand for said trash.
I have more comics than I could read probably for the rest of my life, if I decided to re-read them. I did however recently buy X-Men, Conan and Savage Sword Omni collections so that I don't have to open up the individual issues. I'll still give Marvel my money for that as a parting gift.
Why I’M done collecting comics; gender/race/sexuality swapping. It’s lazy af. Done with the big 2 for going full woke
Wokeness is destroying everything
this sounds like a YOU problem, and fwiw gender swapping sci fi stories were happening in the 1940s Weird Tales and a ton of other golden age books...
@@horvathsogranfume658 you're right, it's better to burn all comic books, buy and burn.
@@drmidnight680-kz2le🤣🤣🤣
I'm at the end as well. No more space, and the fact that comic prices have gone up so much, and the constant re-numbering of issues to start over and over again is becoming tiresome. Oh well it's been a great run, many years of collecting, my massive collection is safe for now, and I look forward to revisting it again in 20 years or so.
Okay, so you don't collect anymore. BUT..Herrister1024....do you bother to rummage through your old collection AND RE READ the great stories and great science fiction stories or the old superheroe stories and look at the GREAT ART, like Neil Adams and Kirby and Jim STarlin? You have all those old comic books to re read when you get bored and think of all the great old ads you have in those comic books!!
I'm trying to stop buying comic books just because they arenteresting and good price. Its hard. Btw I'm 56 and no kids. You wonder were will your end. Plus the task of selling them again. Meanwhile, enjoy your collection.😊
Next step is to start making new stories and comics yourself. I think more people should.
I am coming to the end of the road when it comes to collecting Marvel and DC. Maybe invest in more 1960s DC. Dynamite are doing some great stuff of late with the Lone ranger and Green Lantern and James Bond. I don't care to grade my comic books. The type of comic books I read date back to the 1930s. Some would push comic books back even further with, say, The Yellow Kid but the only book I have come across when it comes to that character was a 1901 hard cover. Not my idea of a comic book. Comic strips in newspapers and magazines have been around a lot longer. I don't know how long comic papers have been in existence. They're British and some of them are good but not my interest in collecting.
Maybe stop buying mainstream comics and start getting indie comics which are worth ur money.
I've been collecting Golden Age back issues since the late 1980's (eleven boxes in all right now) and I'm not about to stop,
but I have completed my run of early Carl Barks Donald Duck issues of Walt Disney Comics and Stories (Issues 31-63) and I'm pretty content there and feel pretty good having finished the hunt for one of my all time favorite artists.
Not that I'm going to quit hunting for other GA back issues if they're affordable, GA comics are constantly going up in price and the hunt for them is key,
at least until they're priced out of existence.
Very true! I am a younger man but I love Uncle Scrooge. I have actively been working on collection every uncle scrooge book until the end of the Whitman run of books. I only have about 70 more to go before I have them all. I am also working on collection every issue of shadow comics from 1940-1949. Out of the 101 issues i have about 35+.
I don't think I will ever stop fully collecting, not only because I enjoy the hunt but also because there is so much I am interested in. It does not hurt either that they are a great investment opportunity. I am very thankful that I am only 32. If i keep my current pace maybe by the time I'm in my 70's I could be close to collecting everything I enjoy from comics.
How much is too much??
I tell people that my collection of 10,000+ is small. When their eyes widen at either the statement or the number of books I have, I explain that I know many collectors that have (minimum) 3-4x as many comics as I have. And from my years in the hobby, as well as the internet, I've come across people that have well over 100,000 books. As well as, what may be a legend, of at least one person who has a copy of every or nearly every comic book that's been published, pushing the total in that collection to some 150,000 to 200,000 issues.
How much is too much?? That's what my wife keeps asking me... For now, I don't have an answer. There is another 500 or more comics that I am active looking for. And that number will probably grow when I finally look at the gaps in the collection. When I finally get all the comics that I want... Who knows? Though, like others have mentioned, the way the industry is going at this point, I find myself less and less interested in what's coming out, and expect, eventually, I will stop buying completely and bask in completing my collection.
A very refreshing take on comics in the RUclips world. Thanks for sharing.
I know the feeling cause but once I get my few grail books AMS#129,TMNT#1, Hulk#181,Cerebus#1, Detective Comics#168, X-Men#1,and Amazing Fantasy#15 then I am done with my collection but odds are I willnt be able to fork out that much cash but I always by any Key books I can get cheap and this hobby is very addictive.
I can see you are really tortured by this dilemma. You've distilled the hobby down into a really sterilized viewpoint. No wonder you want to quit.
Reading is the main reason for me to collect comics as well. At the moment I'm not buying new books because I want to catch up with the pile I haven't read yet. I wonder how this will last though before I buy a couple of trades I 'really' need :)
I started collecting just for key books and series i thought would be worth something some day, then i continued because of the artwork i wasn't even reading them anymore, i stopped collecting but now i buy a book or two when i see a deal or just feel like revisiting my old hobby.
I found your video interesting and I respect your right to feel the way you do. That said I love collecting comic books and finding issues I either need to complete a run of a much loved series or finding new things I didn't know about. I do love the fact that you want to share what's special to you with the next generation of comic book readers. Now that's really cool.
thanks for the comment! Yeah, I'm very glad to share this art form with new readers - and I love hearing the different ways people collect and what they love to buy
Crossing out Stan Lee, really?
What's the app that you use for the Comic Database wishlist?
I use CLZ! They’re awesome
@@peterdaremedia Thank you!
These “ key” collectors, condition queens and slab-investors are gross imo. Not to judge the people as a whole or their character, it’s just distasteful and making these books far too expensive for those that love comics and want them to read and enjoy
Hear hear!
I have always hated that aspect of it.
My problem is I enjoy buying and then putting them on a pile that I'll never get to. I've bought the stuff I really like, the stuff I think I'll like but then comes buys cause the artist is cool or it has some element I kind of like. Could be I bought a lot of mediocre stuff. I stopped getting new comics, I just look up who did what in the past. I don't have a nice display, I'm going to start giving stuff away as my kids aren't interested and I don't want my wife to deal with it once I'm gone. I need that app, I re-buy the stuff issue over and over.
It's not the destination, its the journey, yes. I configure emulation with programs like Yuzu. I spend days setting up computers with free Nintendo, PlayStation, Xbox games, and it is frustrating. Its not that easy. I dont like doing it.
Once the setup is complete, its time to play. Thats when i realize, I HATE PLAYING VIDEO GAMES. I need to be really, REALLY stoned to enjoy a video game. So, thats why I've been smoking so much. I want to enjoy my games that I stole, downloaded and configured. Im Captain Jack Sparrow.
Oh, yeah, the point is I enjoyed the journey about as much as the destination. I didn't like either one, but its what do for fun.
This is one of my favorite comic book videos, and I friggin’ salute you on your perspective. I took an interest in comic books back in the mid-‘60s as a little kid and though my interest in comics has waxed and waned, I find myself also planning to stop acquiring additional comics and related material, and instead focus on reading and researching the stuff I already possess.
My primary interests are 1. Marvel stuff from the ‘60s, 2. EC comics, 3. Wallace Wood material, 4. A couple dozen other artists from the ‘50s and ‘60s.
My collection consists mostly of reprints and collected editions, plus a large helping of beat-up originals. Maybe 3,000 floppies and 500 paperback and hardcover books. “Not worth much financially but with incalculable entertainment value.”
I’ve realized that it really makes no sense for me to go on acquiring material because every moment spent seeking out comic books is a moment that could have been spent reading something I already own. And right now money’s tighter than it’s been in years.
So, kudos for an excellent discussion focused on “what am I trying to accomplish” and I wish you many decades of enjoyment yet to come.
I A Bit..JUST A BIT ..disagree with your beginning comments at .50 to 1.04. MOST COLLECTORS collect "how much is enough" [in size of collection ] not because it looks cool, but because ITS RE READABLE. Keep in mind, many of these comic books HAD GREAT STORIES. Not trying to insult your or be personal, BUT I FEEL YOU HAVE actually NEVER READ the complete stories of these older comic books. How old are you, 19? I mean, I don't think you really understand the greatness and value of the comic books of old, and their stories and EVEN THE IMPORTANT old ads that REFLECT A CULTURE GONE BY. Did you know that some of the older comic books, especially Spiderman, HAVE HUGE PAGES or half pages with a drawn colored view OF NEW YORK CITY..with.....WITH THE TWIN TOWERS still intact?? That was from the 70s. Its things like that that modern young collectors like yourself FORGET. Also, some of the ads for toys and candy bars are FAMOUS..because those toys and candy bars CANNOT BE FOUND anymore and were important in those days. It reflects our childhood. I listened to your video but I DIDN'T GET THE FEEL that you understood the importance of old memories of being young. You just didn't get it!!
I too gave a happy farewell to comic books a couple years ago, despite doing the hunt/collect/occasional restart and selling of everything to restart with my series focus elsewhere. I’ve had awesome keys like ASM annual #1 in hand, the appearance and run of Johnny Blaze as Ghost Rider, etc. lots of cool stuff. But never interacting with anybody who felt like they just loved comics or the history of it…only ever interacting with/or seeing people be into comics for the speculation market and then the companies going super fucking hard on variants…it all killed the love for me. My friends had also bowed out of collecting before me and with them not writing very good stories in my opinion anymore, I just let it all go for good. I can’t justify paying crazy prices for every older book if I don’t want a beater copy, and modern books really blow. And frankly I was sick of seeing ASM#300 getting shitty homage covers. Let that cover die!
In short - Speculation market ruined back issue collecting and even made it comically difficult to grab variant copies from cover artists we actually like and seek out. Taking most of the fun out of it.
I've left floppies & started getting trades & omni's. Especially of the older runs i have. A lot of new stuff from disney & DC are pretty woke. I agree with the Ron Lim stuff or titles like symbiont spider-man or Maestro.
I haven’t read Maestro but I’ve heard good things, is it worth checking out?
New sub here. Definitely enjoyed the conversation. I guess it’s a personal decision and based on budget. Let’s #growtogether my friend and stay tuned.
You want to read comic books, which is perfectly fine. Collecting comic books is totally different. Collecting anything is pretty much an obsession. The hunt is the best part.
I read a few titles still, but I'm a collector at heart. And my collection is ever changing. I'll always have some keepers, but many of them change as well. Simply sell the rest, make some money, and/or upgrade to the books you currently desire.
Excellent video. You bring up a lot of great points and your reasoning is on point. I myself have been going through much of same for the last year.
I appreciate the kind words! and glad to know others are thinking the same about collecting
I don't try just to "get good deals". I occasionally read those old comic books. Don't you?? IF not, why did you collect them? Just to re decorate your room? That is NOT WHAT the old collectors were doing. It sounds like you don't know how to enjoy your hobby. AGAIN, ITS NOT YOUR FAULT. You are barely 20 years old, man!
I go hot and cold with collecting comics. I have now gotten to a point where I am only curating and buying books I know I will re-read. I don’t feel the need to collect to just collect. I will admit that i have lost a lot of love for mainstream comics. The books that come out today are not connecting with me at all.
I'm done collecting but mainly because I have thousands and I read my comic books and want the enjoyment of it, so I'm not that long journey of reading a lot of backlog.
I collect Omnibus, really easy to store, practical for the story's continuity and the reading comfort is incredible! Some TPbs... I've maybe only 300 issues in total, only the ones with beautiful covers and the ones I kept when I was a child : 100% 90's.
I almost don't buy any modern comics, too woke and not fan of the art / colors.
I buy only collected editions, Omnis, Absolutes and for like Darkhorse Image etc deluxe hardcovers.
The only thing I get individual issues of is Saga because I've collected since the first issue
Maybe you're just collecting the wrong way. If you're in it for the reading material, then just buy the trades. They're cheaper than collecting single issues. Also you're viewing this as some sort of treasure hunt, when in fact you should probably focus on following artists and/or writers you enjoy (as you're apparently doing). You don't come off as a flipper or a speculator so I feel this would be best for you. Don't buy books for your hypothetical future offspring, that's just an excuse.
Personally, I only buy from indie publishers or underground labels, no DC or Marvel on my pull list. I note down the names of artists and/or writers I thoroughly enjoyed and subscribe to their Insta and their newsletter if they have one so that I can catch whatever they're working on. My enjoyment of the hobby is far greater than if I went in looking for mainstream appeal.
I stopped back in 2015 when Marvel started going 100% WOKE. I now started getting back into collecting comics with *#RIPPAVERSE**.* His *Code of Ethics'* is a must-read! I stopped "impulse buying" old comic books with simply buying Bitcoin every year.
What pisses me off is the comicbook stores (weather its brick and mortar or internet stores think their Ebay and price them as if they are.
So the customer/collector doesnt get the advantage of know they can make money off the comics gaining ground and going up in price.
I was a subscriber to a few of these channels and cancelled them all. Greedy AF these people are.
When you get people pricing 1:10/1:25:1:50 & so on @ double or triple the cover cost : that is 🐂💩. Then some of them hold off on releaseing covers until after main distribution sales are due (playin games) and you miss out due to this trickery. Im over it as a comic lover and straight disappointed the industry has come to this.
Unfortunately, future generations are moving towards digital, which would make the floppies and tradepaperbacks obsolete.
Nice perspecitive and very interesting to think about the way I collect. I've often thought "where does this end?" Once I own a copy of each grail I've always wanted? Maybe, but that just takes time and money. I've also found a lot of value in digital comics and being able to read runs or events that peak my interest, but don't want to by the single issues or TPBs. This is becoming much easier for newer release too. So that leaves the old stuff and like you said, displaying them is a very fun way to collect. I love comics as an art medium so I like to pair them with other collectibles I own around my office. Finally, I totally agree with buying for new fans/friends/kids. My own kids have been hit or miss over the years and that's ok. I love pulling out a TPB of a MCU movie we just watched to help them connect the dots or discover the real origin of their favorite characters on screen. Great video and you really encouraged me to read the books I own, or why else am I collecting them? Keep it up!
This is pretty much why I switched 100% to digital once every publisher I had an interest in reading had their material in a low cost/free app. I'll still buy some stuff in trade if its a significant enough book I don't have and/or the deal is good enough and there are some issues I would probably pick up if the price was right for nostalgia purposes.
I also buy a lot at cons, though I don't go to cons a lot these days. My threshold for a pro I don't want a signature from is pretty low and I don't feel right going to someone's booth and not buying something, especially if its creator owned.
The best thing to buy at cons though is the weird stuff from the indie artists who you would never stumble across in a million years through normal channels. Alot of the time its crap but there are some hidden gems to be found.
collecting comic books is like collecting Star Wars ... you're doomed from the start, it's not worth it, you're never done
Good luck Peter, U sound desperate for direction, I have the answers, but not the space or time to tell you, I will say this to U, comics are not for kids anymore at 5&10dollers each their for investors. Your's truly, Jim🤗
I collected comics from 1986-1992 , after I collected manga, graphic novels, and digital versions of older stuff and omnibus hard back books(older stuff I never read before. I still collect stuff today if it has my interest !!!
Buy what u like. It's ALOT of fluff out here. Get what touches your soul.
I, too, look for obscure books.. also, as an Asian American, look for Asian influences.. creators and content.. kids to read, yes!
Try collecting each issue # instead of tpb's. More adventure that way and you earn it.
Try the library. Our library has thousands of graphic novels. And they have modern titles that are from just a year ago. And they are free.
Interesting how so many commenters here think that "comicbooks" simply means US superhero stuff (ie: Marvel and DC and maybe a few "indies"). If that is all they see of comicbooks, then, yeah, no wonder they're quitting. In fact, there is a huge range of manga, BD, US indies and small press, UK weeklies and small press, the UK's 2000AD weekly etc etc. Comicbook creators such as Tardi, Crepax, Manara, John Wagner, Pat Mills, Druillet, Schuten, Kevin O'Neill, Hugo Pratt, Toppi, Osterheld, Christin, etc are far superior to all except a small handful of US writers and artists.
Hey I'm European (Dutch) and have access to all.....American comics (not so interested anymore), Manga (definitely interested where decades ago I loathed it) and European comics I grew up on even before the superheroes came along and these are still going strong and I just HAVE to read to have some balance.
Also when buying American comics, Indies were 1/3 of my comics, 2/3 was Marvel and DC, with Marvel the absolute favorite, which shifted in the 00's where I enjoyed DC more than Marvel.
If you collect comics, collect what you like! If you want to buy books to flip, buy & flip.
🔥🔥🔥🙏🙏🙌🙌🙌🙌👊🏻👊🏻👊🏻
I agree with you and in fact sold my entire collection and am now focusing on actual books and music
I switched over from a collector to a reader a few years ago. After coming to the realization that my comics were hidden away in multiple boxes in a back closet rarely to ever be seen or read again, I switched to buying graphic novels and placed them on a bookshelf in the open. I found this to be a much more rewarding experience (not to mention much cheaper). I kept around 10 short boxes of stuff that have high nostalgia value but offloaded the rest of my rather large collection. I do occasionally buy monthly comics but I treat them as the periodicals (BLASPHEMY!) that they are. No bags and boards and toss the ones I don't ultimately think have reread value.
I Got tired of the monthly reboot/event and zero character development.
i read all my 1000s of my comic books. i buy because of the story i like to read it. or because the art i like.
Read El Diablo by Azzarello, amazing.
Take it from a comic book creator: We LOVE collectors. 😀
I also love to give comics to anyone I meet that seems interested. Personally I somehow found (like 18 years ago) that my collection would work as my own curated (super cheap) ART collection lol. So, I focus on artists and oddities more than characters, companies or writers. It's purely on books with unique art and vision be it Eastern, European or Western it's from all around the world. I even saw to it that when I die they'll be donated to the Toronto Public Library and have it displayed as a collection with my name on it so future generations stumble upon the coolest markings of the oddest humans. It's an endless pursuit because there's always something out there that will catch my eye as worth it to collect. Very nice video
Hey great perspective. I have learned that things are better when you focus on the process and not the destination and I was able to apply it to my work which really helped me reduce stress, had more time to myself and kept my bosses happy. I do have a hoarding tendencies even though I can be a miser in many ways. The point I have to ask myself is why I buy these comic books in the first place, I have never sold anything online and living in Hawaii the shipping out will probably be a hassle. I have started to read comic books and what I find useful is paying for Marvel Unlimited which gives me access to a lot of comic books digitally. This helps with space and overall it's cheaper than buying the omnibus editions for reading purposes.
1:14 Not much. Experience - Use - keep. Don*t Hoard!
1:41 That looks AMAZING!
WATCHMEN & BATMAN YEAR ONE! I AM WITH YOU BROTHA!
it sounds like you are trying to convince yourself
If you have an old comic form the golden age you are set. They will go for a lot in the future. If you have a comic from this era you might aswell use it for toilet paper. No one knows about it and no one will want it in the future. Its the main reason collectors are moving into retro games.
Interesting perspective! There's definitely a lot less value in modern comics financially right now. I do wonder, though, if people during the Silver Age were saying the same about their "modern" books, which ended up becoming very valuable.
a short box of favorites is the way the rest is noise
Ron Lim-Best Silver Surfer artist ever
I only collect Saga and One Piece only.
I read online😊
What are some other of your favorites? Almost all the ones you mentioned around min 5:00 are some of mine
Too many to count lol! I love the Walking Dead, TMNT The Last Ronin, All-Star Superman, and so much more
After I got all the Deadpool appearances, and volumes, I stopped at The Danial Way run. I started to collect the John Bryan SheHulk, but now the prices are getting too high. I may get some more Jim Lee X-men. Other than that I'm done with comics. I'm focusing on more Usagi Yojimbo volumes, and manga.
I have over 20,000 comics and I buy comics every Wednesday. I went to 3 conventions every month before covid. I have put all my marvel comics in chronological reading order starting with the origin of galactus at the big bang to today. I live near Ron Lim and he's signed 100 com8cs for me over the years. I will never quit collecting.
Man I’m jealous of the Ron Lim connection, such a cool guy
Completely agree
I been collecting records and comics for more than 30 years, my records are my main passion, I have over 3 thousand in my collection, records/ music has generated 80% of my social life, I have only about 500 comics, Nevertheless I am a collector in a way, I do have some key silver age comics, fantastic four #48,49. & 50, 1st & 2nd Sabertooth, I love specific artists, Kirby, Buscema,, John Romita, Todd McFarlane, probably a dozen favourites, I cherish them. I don’t think I’ll ever stop collecting, but I do put the Brakes on every now and then. I can go a full year without buying a comic, mabey a few months or so now with records? The day I decide to get rid of them will mean a part of who I am is dying, walking in and out of these shops for so many years is has been a big part of my life for decades, I live in Australia, and also had so much fun traveling buying comics and records in New York City and other cities! It’s been a part of my holiday memories as well, bringing a few Gems back to your hotel while traveling is a crazy buzz! I’ll be living in denial if I completely stopped and (Sold Off) what Ive enjoyed and built over the years, enjoyed your show Thank You
This is pretty much where I am now. Stopped buying individual issues a while back and no longer read anything from DC and little to nothing from Marvel. The only things I buy now are omnibi and OHCs and even they are few and far between. I have a definite end point once Mark Waids Flash is completed In Omnibus format along with the Man of Steel, triangle, New Krypton and Busik era of Superman and The first volume of the Exiles. Once I have all of those I'm done.
Given how crappy DC has been with Superman Omnis however, I can see that I am in for a long wait. That's fine, I'm a patient bunny.
My greatest joy is going bin diving looking for those key comics that I can press and clean to a 9.0 or better grade. I keep some and sell the rest 25% to 40% below current FMV. I also donate comics to someone I know who offers them as give aways. I do this because I wish to give back to the comic community and treat others who collect with respect and dignity.
I have a big collection, mostly marvel and I read and reread them all, I love alot of the stories, characters and art, to me that's the joy of collecting is enjoying them, I only collect from 50s to early 2000s, I quit buying new books after Hickman secret wars
Interest’s change and evolve. Draw the line when/where you need to. Collect however you collect. I buy cheap horror and movie adaptations. Nothing that I’m not genuinely interested in, will read and enjoy the art of. Nothing I don’t find in person at local shops. I could totally just order everything I’m interested in but the hunt is therapeutic for me.
My thoughts exactly. I began reading comics at an early age. My father first introduced them to me to keep me off the streets. He'd buy those 3 for 25 cents packs with the tops cut off. I wasn't collecting comics for profit. In those days, you'd read books out of sequence. Hoping that someday Fantastic Four #50 would magically appear and you could finally read the ending. It's the only reason I buy Omnibus editions. Finally, I can read complete series of issues missed during the '60's -'80's. Now even those are being overpriced *(Wolverine Omnibus 1).* So, I'm waiting until they're in reprint. So glad I waited before paying over double the cover price for *Avengers Omnibus #4.*
Im almost done buying. But i'll never be donw collecting. As long as those books are still in your possession, you're still a collector.
Every key point you made is exactly why I collect comics. I’ve been recently buying facsimile comics. Fir my Son, Nephew and godson. Once I get everything from iron fist, and Shng Chi, I will be done with that. I’ve read all the X-Men I need to read, and most Spider-Man. Good points for true collecting.
I just started collecting 2 days ago, I have no local store so I rely on live auctions and such, I'm greatly enjoying this hobby and cant wait to see what comes. ill be buying some doubles for reading and keeping another mint, as of now I will not be grading and keeping stuff raw and also I'm collecting covers based off of the great cover art! but this is me and I hope to see you continue collect but only collect what you'd like and want to read! at least that's how I'm going about this :)
Very exciting to hear about you starting your collecting journey! Best of luck with it!
Great hobby to get into. JUST got back into it 2 months ago. My advice-collect what you initially like first, be it a team, single character, or publisher.
Just watch out for the overhyped channels when collecting ( comics Tom for one). There are channels that tell you simply what is coming out... and pre-ordering from some online sites can save you a ton of money if you don't have a local store. Things from Another World have good discounts for early orders on a lot of stuff... earlier the order, the bigger the discount... shipping will add to the cost... but if you get books shipped once a month.. and you have 10 or more books... its about 10% of cost of the books ( but you most likely saved 15 to 20% overall)
yeah right people like you and me will never leave.
haha maybe not
There's a place I go and literally after a month they wont make more of a brand new comic. It sucks.
Nice video, with some good points. But I think there will always be a comic book to read somewhere
Good video. Just subscribed.
Thanks!
The older I get, the more I lean into runs or issues that I read or knew of from friends when I was real young. Nostalgic I guess...
I like to collect anything from the early 90's like x men and spider man, that era was soooo good!
i done, because I am happy what with I have...📚
I collect Todd Mcfarlane covers.... boy, was that an expensive choice I wasn't aware of when I started this undertaking... I have 100s of Todd cover but still nowhere close to owning an ASM 316..... I often wonder "why carry on if you may never complete it?"
The journey is most of the fun, I think. Best of luck getting all those covers! What's your favorite Todd cover so far?
I love a good philosophical comic collecting topic. 🤙🏻
Whats the app
I use an app called CLZ! It’s a great way to track and organize your collection
Why do you only have 43 subs? ( I’m number 43) you have such quailty content
Thanks for the support!
You've just in a blasé period right now. You've most likely collect a lot in a short period and it's sense overload. Once you back off you'll want to collected again. It happens to a lot I'd collectors. Since I lost most of my collection I get to start over. It's all about the hunt and getting the best condition for me.
That might be true...I'll have to make a follow-up video in a year or so
If you collect to flip you better know the market