Comic Book Collecting Do's & Don'ts (Mostly Back Issues)
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- Опубликовано: 9 янв 2023
- Many comic book fans are off new comics altogether. Diving into dollar bins, key comics and finishing off their favorite comic runs. Wes and Dok talk comic book collecting do's and don'ts, focusing mostly in back issue collecting. Comic book collecting is a fantastic hobby, but if your new to the back issue comic market this can be treacherous waters. Wes and Dok set you up with the tools to confidently enter the back issue market and keep track of your collection. Comic book collecting do's and don'ts....mostly talking about back issue comics.
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RULE NUMBER 1: don't collect anything you'll never read. I can't stress it enough. Only buy what you enjoy reading. That way, you'll never regret spending your money.
I'll add a RULE NUMBER 2 to compliment your RULE 1. If you really love the character('s) and the cover art really speaks to you, go ahead and take a chance on it. Especially if it's from a bygone era and within your budget. Worst case scenario you'll have awesome eye candy to admire, and it could even gain in value one day. Ya never know.
I used to say something similar to new customers… “Buy what you like, because even if the worst case happens and the value of your book goes down, you will STILL have something that you like.”
Yeah I follow that rule with back issues and I buy modern books with my favorite cover artists just for the covers only because it’s like a piece of art that’s great to look at it, like the Alex Ross Timeless Variants.
@@goldenshark3182 Yeah, I’m getting the Timeless variants too, with no intention of reading the books.
I’d buy those things if they printed them on bags of Wonder Bread (and I can’t eat Wonder bread).
GREAT ADVICE. I see a lot of RUclips videos of people buying runs and inflating their collection, and it's obvious they're buying just to buy and have no intention of reading any of it.
You should always have a budget
Stay within it.
Other than that, collect what you really love and stay there.
In the 80's- 90's I loved collecting first issues because of the origin stories and new hero's and villains are interesting. I don't think I'd do that now because series are rebooted so often first issues no longer mean anything.
Basically everything is a maxi series.
@@chubbbubb6870 cuz they can write long interesting storylines and is easier money grab
This isn’t entirely true but interesting opinion/view. It all depends on character and storyline.
I know Dok misspoke when he said kids riding home on their bikes from the liquor store with comics in their back pocket, lol... but the little market I went to on my bike had a liquor store right next door with the same name so he wasn't technically wrong.
I went with Punisher. 1st appearance and 1st issues. Completed an easy War Zone run.
Also hitting TPBs, like some of the Marvel epic collections. I’m into comics to read good stories. I’ve got plenty of comics with value but I bought them to read
I love buying cheap books. Many of them are good (rarely great, but good), and I enjoy having a massive stockpile of floppies.
Flip side is you can actually get a ton of comics quickly if you buy everything you enjoy this way.
I've been properly collecting since I turned 21. What I've been going for are DC and Marvel's old horror and they odder stuff. Got a complete run of The Human Fly.
Amazing! Love the 70s horror lines from all publishers!
Regarding back issues, I'm definitely in the "just a reader" category, and basically finished off my want list about 10 years ago. Currently I have a long-term project to re-read some of it. At this point it's free entertainment, especially when I can't remember plot details!
Yeah, same for me.... it's like reading those old comics for the first time. LOL
Yeah I read a few issues of Peter David's Hulk run and it was new to me after 30 years.
Yea I remember when I first started collecting back issues years ago I lucked out. For the most part if they weren't priced but they were divided into runs/volumes/years, then they were cover price +$0.25 for the bag and board. It wasn't until recently a "local store", 45 min drive, that I found out started doing auctions and buying up boxes of mixed runs from other stores which they never arranged for at least 2 years. Anyways, so after spending time I put together a full run of FF the guy started to look up the earliest issues I had and was going based off of Ebay. It caught me off guard and when I said ok well then take those out his compromise was he would leave the rest at cover price. Another store who used to sell them at cover+bag & board wanted to add $2 for no reason. There were no signs and she didnt tell me she just started inputting the prices on the register, I voiced up and asked she just said that was the price. So I decided to just not go back unless I was desperate. I've moved on to shopping online at least there they are priced and looking into flee markets.
I collected as a kid, stopped in 1993, had to sell my collection in the mid 2010's due to adulthood and needing to survive and pay rent, and during covid got bored and decided to get back into it. My strategy was basically to try and reconstruct the parts of my childhood collection I really enjoyed. This has led to quite a few incidents of "damn it, I had that as a kid." Case in point: I never really cared about Deadpool, but as a kid I loved Cable and the New Mutants so I set out to recollect that run of books. I still have yet to re-purchase New Mutants 98 because I just can't bring myself to spend $800 for a book I bought for $1 when it was brand new and sold for maybe $50 at a time before it had really exploded and all the movie speculation fueled so much of the current comic bubble. I did replace my childhood copy of Iron Man 55 with a nicer copy than I used to have because, well, I make more money now than I did when I was 12. The movie speculation created many speed bumps for me. I started rebuilding my old set of USAgent appearances right around the time WandaVision came out, so that issue of West Coast Avengers I needed that should have cost $5 suddenly people were asking $30 and up because "wow, first appearance of white Vision, just like in the TV show!" Don't get me started on Hawkworld, where every issue set me back a couple bucks (as they should) except that random issue that features the first appearance of a character no one cares about but he appeared in that John Cena Peacemaker series so of course, let's ask $30 for it. I know everyone needs to make a living, but grumble grumble...
You are talking Hawkworld 27? WhiteDragon or something? Yeah that’s bullshit. I had the same problem. Trying to complete my 90s Hawkman run, which is basically all $1-3 books…. But that one! For some no name throw away character. Or like you said….1st white Vision… who the hell cares about white vision?! Fuck movies and tv shows lol!!!!
Yeah I bought Iron Man 282 as a kid for like 1.25 or so. I wanted to get back into comics and looked it up. Turns out after the movies came out it jumped up over 100 bucks.
Been there myself. Sold my collection off in '09 to Half Price Books ugh. Btw, NEVER sell to them, they will low ball the hell outta you. Anyway, started up again in late 2015 and have re-collected a big chunk of my old issues along with a lot of great new additions to go with them. An ex of mine, who's still a close friend, recently discovered 40 books I'd left with her in '08 and got those back to me. Some Adam Hughes covers and a Justice League of America #0 signed by Michael Turner. Very, very, VERY fortunate there.
you know there is facsimile edition of NM 98 for 4 bucks you can get from LCS. everything is the same except the paper is better and the price is different from the original. even the ads inside are from back in the day.
@@RamManNo1 you gotta pay to play, comic scene is different now. a lot of "investors" are in right.
Ok I wasn't going to share this, But I found a couple of 99 cent store that have comic books two or three in a bag for $1.49 a bag. Must of the 99-cent store are located in the Malls. So far, I completed a lot of 90 or early 2000 books. So, if you're into comic books try your local 99cent store if you have them in the Area. Oh yeah check 5 below stores, Walmart too
I do miss the quarter bins, got a full run of moon knight and west coast avengers from quarter boxes in early 2000s
Could you do a follow up video where you recommend specific titles to collect and why you recommend them?
I'll add to this conversation that your local market really matters: not all shops are the same in terms of bang for your buck--and there are places other than comic shops where you can find comics. Do you have a local used media store that also buys and sells comics? Their comics will probably be significantly overpriced or underpriced, maybe a mix depending on the particular title and age. Some stores have crappy dollar bins, some liquidate relatively new books that way, some intentionally seed their dollar bins with a small number of good books. Some stores haven't repriced their back issues for years and are happy to sell them to you for what they were worth in 2017. And as Dok says, *be very suspicious of* any shop that makes you wait to get to the register to find out the price. I've been to one of these that was ok and actually ended up pricing it quickly for a decent percentage under market, but there are some real horror stories out there.
And a side note: I don't trust Key Collector for values or even identifying "keys." The best starting point to price potentially-valuable issues is mycomicshop (which updates theri prices periodically)--the actual market price will likely be below what they ask, but it at least gives you a ceiling. From there you can check recent sold prices on the 'bay. But bear in mind that it's unreasonable to expect a brick-and-mortar retailer to give you online rock-bottom prices. You're paying a premium to pre-inspect the book for yourself and not run the risk of it getting lost/damaged in shipment.
I like holding a comic, I like the smell of comics, I like having a comic collection, but I'm an average guy so the big key books get bought in trade, facsimile, or reprint. But there is just no feeling like going to the shop or half price books and getting a bunch of comics coming home and sorting them into the long boxes.
I would rather have old, torn up INTACT comics for the feel and smell, God such nostalgia.
@@mckinzie4934 they say smell has the strongest connection to memory of any of our senses. And newsprint is the smell that brings me back to riding my bike to the corner store to pick up X-Men Hulk and Spider-Man.
@@chubbbubb6870 For sure! Heck I also collect old records, that smell is awesome to me as well
I stopped buying Comics for resale value years ago. You will never get what you think they are worth back so just buy what you enjoy. The real value comes from if you enjoyed the book.
I have never bought a comic, because I thought it would be worth something. I buy them because, I like reading comics.
Once I completed my Darkhawk, New Warriors., Sleepwalker, Nightwatch, and NFL Superpro runs I was done with needing to hunt anything.
Except for Nightwatch, I collected all the stuff you just listed. That was a great era to be a kid...
If you're new to comics, don't watch videos on RUclips talking about hot or speculative books. All that's gonna do is cost you money. Always zig when others zag. Don't pay attention to MCU/DCU hype. Post-Crisis Captain Atom is one of my faves and no one talks about it.
I second this. If you're getting "investing" tips on "hot" "keys" from a YT vid, you're already behind the curve. The vast majority of those spec books won't pay off. Buy at a price that makes it worth it to _you_ and if one of your books somehow skyrockets in value a few years from now, well, that's a nice bonus. (And if you want to get into _actual_ key books, there are some very established, not-going-anywhere characters whose first appearances are affordable.)
Those channels make me vomit. "We got some hot spec on the first appearance of a character no one cares about who's rumored to possibly be mentioned in the post-credit scene of an upcoming Disney Plus series, this week it's up 18% in a CGC 9.8!"
Just tryna complete runs that I loved as a child. Not interested in investing or keys. Just the titles that brought me happiness. Even if they were not that popular. Like Master of Kung Fu, Legion of super heroes, Conan the barbarian ,the haunted tank, Wolverine, etc.
Dok is 1010% right, don't get caught up in hype. That is the best advice on offer here. Everything he advised here is solid, but if you only take one thing away today, it should be that.
I don’t know much about collecting. I just buy what I want to read.
I advocate for buying trades, especially for ongoing series, if you can since they can be a bang for your buck. You can have an entire storyline and crossover stories are often collected so you don’t need to buy dozens of single issues. However, I buy the single issues for limited series usually since there’s already a predetermined number but will get the trades of them if it’s convenient.
i'm collecting the complete series of Dazzler, Spider-Woman Jessica Drew, and the original X-Factor (1-149). i'm also picking up random books linked to my favorite character Kitty Pryde starting with her first appearance. i'm totally fine with reprints, like i have with the first appearances of Kitty, Havok, and Jubilee, i like having them and reading them
I have always compromised on collecting as I was a reader first and foremost. If there was a comic that was over the odds expensive, like Wolverine's first appearance in Hulk, then I always sought out the reprint. That's why the Marvel Tales books were my savior when I read Spider-Man.
Don't buy comics of characters that are about to get a tv show or a movie appearance, don't let them fleece you. Bid on auctions, get them cheaper and always be patient, don't overpay.
Yeah, the time of the announcement in recent years (particularly since the MCU started to decline) is the highest the price will ever be, wait a year and it will be a bargain compared to that price. 2022 is quite a stark example... Look at any "2022 MCU spec!" top 10 list from FOMO pump and dump, comics as stocks types, you would have lost your shirt buying into that stuff.
I hear "Just optioned! Hot book!" and I run
@@jbbrolic Fucking Echo's gonna have her own series and Marvel Knights Daredevil #9 is now impossible to find under a 100 dollars, it's insane.
@@dimitrijetucovic1307 Pure insanity. DD 8 is worth $3 really
@@dimitrijetucovic1307 got one a month ago from back issue for 2 bucks just have to look around.
I've been reading Grant Morrisson's Batman, until now a fun read. And Itallian Dylan Dog, it has tons fumetti being published in Brazilian market right now, where I live.
My bro, Dylan Dog for life!
Comic cons can be a good place to get good books for cheaper also
comic cons is good place to find out new vendors you might never heard of. but their price is usually jacked up since they have to cover the table fees. and theres a lot buyers in cons so vendors have more options to pass on your offers.
This was such great advice guys, again! I've never been to a comic shop with non-priced back issues, but now I know better thank you. Me personally, I dig for my fav artists, nostalgia, and specific story lines.
Every time this issue comes up, I gotta comment. The whole “pricing at the counter thing” is so bizarre, I can’t believe ppl put up with it. There is NO WAY I would EVER participate in that business model.
My best advice is see what the comic was going for in 94 to 98 and shoot for that. That's when I think it was a fare price and we weren't in a total hole of a economy
Great video Wes! Makes me really appreciate my comic book shop. Everything is priced and at good prices. Only thing that sucks is he has no good behind the counter comics.
Great video. I'm also collecting back issues trying to finish so runs . CLZ is a good app to keep up with your collection
He's right about valiant. I've got the entire VH-1 run (every book) of the valiant universe for about $500. It took me about a year to find everything but it was well worth it.
I mostly collect stories from trade paperbacks.
As someone who buys comics to read and doesn't care about format as long as it's physical, decent size, in color that's the way to go. The average price on the floppies in the trades and epic collections etc I get is probably well under a dollar, and I mostly get stuff 1970-2010.
@@jbbrolic I can understand that.
About eight months ago I picked up the full Volume 1 run of Jonah Hex, always liked the character and this was a run I had sold back in 1984 with the rest of my collection, anyway I've really enjoyed re-reading this great characters adventures! Along with the 92 issues the guy had a dozen or so issues of Weird Western thrown in, of course I then with my collector head on had to get the rest, which I've now almost done, just All Star Western #10 to get, with the exception of that issue, I've spent about £450 on over 120 books which works out at £3.75 each, a price you would agree is what a new comic book today would cost, there or there about's and I also knew they would be a great read! Still contemplating spending £200+ on the #10? But I have the millennium edition. I already had the following Volumes of Jonah Hex so with the exception of #10 and a few books he had a fleeting appearance in I have an almost complete set, taking eight months and not a lot of money! Thinking about Brave and the Bold next, lol!
Love me some hex I'm always looking for volume 1 and 2 Awesome stuff the way comics should be
Jonah is a certified badass. Love 'im.
@@kellyphillips2239 Michael Fleisher was a phenomenal writer on Jonah Hex, stories you can read and re-read over and over again!
@@jaylucien669 Agreed! Just wish they could bring out a new series, trouble is, what would they do with the character? Dread to think how they would ruin him!
@@Deadman-rt8dq He'd become a member of the alphabet community cause that sells comics like hot cakes 🤣😂😅
I miss going to grocery stores to buy comics... They were the best childhood founds.
Love CLZ for I venturing my comics. Easy to use and one of the best things ever created.
Batman is my favorite fictional character and I only just started collecting so I'm collecting the mainline batman with chip zdarsky I have faith in him, deadly duo, batman vs robin and world's finest, other then that I'm collecting cool batman covers and small compete runs like broken city and war games and war crimes.
That's the way to do it. Your success rate on getting books that will be valuable in the future will probably be as good just buying the new Batman every month as it will if you intentionally chase new "keys." Plus you get to read complete stories!
@@benevolentremnant2949 thanks man, yes, just filling out some runs and buying the good batman stuff now, will be nice if it becomes valuable in the future but am planning to keep all the books unless I have duplicates. Am looking at getting batman 462-464 next as it's the spirit of the beast storyline and it has cool covers and is cheap and I expand my batman knowledge as I have never seen or read it.
@@benevolentremnant2949 do you collect?
@@yashileakduth928 For sure. I'm mainly a DC guy
@@benevolentremnant2949 I'm a dc guy myself. 🙌
When I was a kid I bought comics from the 60s and 70s at flea markets. Yard sales. The biggest finds I found back then was iron fist and powere man. I've got back into collecting but the prices are alot different now.
Been collecting since 1982. Still have them all .
went after kirby and john byrne runs, and i would consider myself blessed if my art ended up between the two (more kirby!!)
I can confirm CLZ is the way to go, I’ve been using it for years
I have CLZ and second the recommendation, but the price mentioned was incorrect. I was just asked to renew for $29.95 for one year, or $2.95 a month. I am a fan of Black Widow, yes probably the only one, and have been collecting the back issues. Have all of Kelly Thompson's run, most of Nathan Edmondson run, and bits and pieces of others. Filing the runs I enjoyed reading first.
I collect Horror Anthology comics. Both Code and Precode.
Magazine and Comic.
Get what you like and enjoy yourself.
What I did was go by arc- I’d test the waters where I was unsure and on others I’d buy the story arc
Its usually best to sell into hype, not buy into it. i look for books / grades that are undervalued and aren't on the top lists currently.
I still have all my books from my childhood, but these days it’s getting harder for me to read comics…so I buy mostly Absolutes and Omninbuses because they are easier to read and easier to store.
I find it hard to believe anybody 60 years from now will have sentimental feelings for the comics being published today like we do for the 60 year old stuff currently. Even normies know a Silver Age 12/15 cent comic has intrinsic value
You don't think the issue where Jon Kent comes out as bi for the 10th time is going to be worth enough to retire on?
@@danielm5473 Future generations will refer to this as the Rainbow Age?
1:09 facts! but i do this on individual book i purchase. some i buy for investment and some for personal keeps. luckily i m not a completionist or i ll be wasting my money on filler issues. i read most of my book online since is more detailed and i dont have to worry bout damaging the books.
I have a collection of all the Crime Syndicate appearances so far.
I also use CLZ and recommend it
I had the opposite experience with a shop that had not priced back issues. This is a toy shop who only deals in back issues. I picked up half the Kraven's last Hunt issues and he didn't even bother to look them up just said "how about 4 bucks each". Whipped out my wallet fast enough to impress the Flash. Edit also I keep a checklist on my phone to prevent buying doubles, color checklist works wonders but you have to number manually.
I just buy stuff i like, that i want to read, that is worth collecting. I love collecting eclipse & first comics, they are great. There are so many good writers there too
I tried the speculator market for comic books. It's crazy and I lost interest.
I ditched the new comics and I'm concentrating on Captain America volume 1. I need about 15 more issues to complete that volume. It's because I love the character and I believe it's attainable financially. After that I may try to get the Tales of Suspense books that Cap appeared in. Also collected Walt Simonson's Thor run and I may go back to those books and upgrade to nicer copies. Most of those books are well read from when I was a teen.
Comic Books ..Hmm...I may try one of those sometime .
I had hundreds of comics - justice League, Superman, Batman Wonder Woman, Aquaman, (ever single Justice League from the early 60's). When I went to college, my mom "gave them away". Yes, I did forgive her. Most cost a dime!!!!
I'm thinking about getting the city of assassins run. $40+ for 4 issues but I really wanna read it after a recent live stream! I also wanna check out Aaron Sparrow's Darkwing Duck!
they go for 5 bucks a piece max at current day price. you can get them for cheaper if you dig in back issue.
@@papi-sauce thanks for the heads up!! Was looking online and it's over priced haha
The thing I'm going for when I go for back issues is the original versions of those old comics. There has been a very sinister revisionist history thing going on where certain old issues of comics from either DC or Marvel, have been edited or changed in order to make them much more Politically Correct. Covers and inside pages are sanitized, with adult themes removed, brief nudity (even though it's not even graphic, with shaded body parts) completely removed or shaded even more than ever before, sexual situations being totally edited out of the story, suggestive dialogue rewritten to be more P.C., and especially scenes of violence where the panels are utter trash, redrawn with bad art. Hell, even the beauty of super-heroines have been changed to make them look less cute or pretty in order to avert the male gaze. Characters that drank alcohol and smoked cigarettes, and did hard, illegal drugs are removed or the beer, liquor, cigars, etc. are removed. This is some really scary Orwellian Ministry of Truth type of shit.
If Communism is this powerful and strong in comics, graphic novels, and super hero characters, even to the point where back issue stories that are no longer in print (or not allowed to be published anymore) are going to be seen as "problematic", then people need to start collecting as much uncensored material as possible when buying back issues. If we, as real fans who want the true versions of comic books and super-heroes, want to continue reading stories unchanged for modern audiences, then this needs to be addressed now or else the genuine past will be erased and totally wiped out of existence for future comic book collectors.
Made up. No such thing.
@@andrewperalta1 You're gullible and naïve.
I so freaking envy US customers, in Iceland I have one shelf with current books. And have to order on my pull list WW because nobody gives a fuck about it. That is with new comics!
Now back bin? Nothing. One old shop with maybe 200 books that change almost never. I would kill for dollar bin, back issues etc.
I went to a comic bookstore in Reykjavik, I can't remember the name, but it had a life size Hulk inside.... you were right, not much in the way of back issues.
@@2OldGeeksTalking now we have live sized Wonder Woman. Deadpool and Spider-Man. For a few years now.
The name was Nexus. Since there is one ;)
Wes, more video about back issues, maybe once a week
A good question is Direct vs Newsstand why one or the other?
Doesn't matter if you just want to read. But if you're a collector, newsstand copies are often marginally (sometimes significantly) more valuable, especially the closer you get to the current day. And then there are Mark Jewelers variants for older books, which are even more valuable proportionally than the average newsstand copy (these have a centerfold insert advertising mail-order jewelery).
I have pretty good luck finding both. A lot of my duplicates are one of each.
Image has great dollar bin books
After a brief 35 year hiatus, I'm getting back into comics. Right now I have more money than knowledge.
I'm slowly trying to get the complete runs for Uncanny X-men and X-men Legacy, the two major books from my childhood. Or at least as close to complete as I can. I am aware of what issues I don't think I will ever be able to afford.
I’m more of a reader so when it comes to reading/collecting, I always go for the tpbs/omnibuses as they will have multiple issues in a single book. That and I tend to skew towards indie so they only have a limited number of issues. And don’t buy scumbag by Rick Remender.
i would read digital and tpb but i like to smell the books
Great advice. I am a dealer. ALWAYS try to haggle. ALWAYS. With me, you'll get 10% off JUST for asking.
I like this video.
Additional comment: My days of spending a lot of time browsing unsorted dollar comic boxes are over due to my back and knees.
Whatever advice you have offered on the basis of Comic Book collecting, can it be applied for collecting Manga as well?
manga series can be bought in on entire set. and they do infinite reprints as long is selling. if u are investing in manage only but first editions.
my strategy is to collect the really popular stories. For Example, out of all the X-Men Stories I'd collect, I'd probably get "The Dark Pheonix Saga" first. And the first Avengers Story I got is "Avengers Under Seige."
Doc, Simonson!
It's so funny to hear these people chasing key books only to throw them in a plastic slab and never be able to experience the ability to flip though and see why the book is key. As someone who learned to read from comics and loves medium I just don't understand taking the best piece of journey away. I'll stick to stocks for my investments and comics for my entertainment.
Smaller publishers are no a brainer IMO. So much of that stuff is out of print, so you're not going to be able to get collections / TPBs anyway. Things like Wildstorm, Valiant V1 & V2, Ultraverse, are all cheap as chips. Personally, I've recently been buying up Crossgen titles. I passed on them at the time, as Marvel and DC were putting out so much good stuff and aside from Ruse and Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang none of them were really my thing and worth taking a chance on. Early days, but I've been enjoying the early issues that I've read so far. And it's a new universe to discover. And here's the clincher - the art. Most of the current art in Marvel, DC and to a lesser extent Image and certainly the smaller indies is, IMO, terrible. With Crossgen you've got top artists like Brandon Peterson, Steve McNiven, Joshua Middleton, Jim Cheung, Greg Land, Aaron Lopresti, Bart Sears, Andy Smith... I could go on. I'd kill to see the Big 2 employing those guys on X-Men, Avengers, Batman etc. Outside of one-shots, it isn't going to happen. They cost too much now to a failing industry trying to do everything on the cheap. Most of those guys haven't done a monthly book in years. Yet, this is like getting new, monthly, art by top talent every time I buy another stack.
Dig deep guys - there are real gems to be found. You don't have to break the bank trying to get a complete run of Detective Comics, Amazing Fantasy #15 etc. You can find that stuff in trades, Omnibus and Epic Collections. Look for the dead universe stuff. There's gold in there I promise.
For heccin sake, i recently noticed the site i was using was getting slower and slower to update things and they didnt let you sumbit anything it might be missing and over the past two months or so have slowly moved over everything to League of Comic Geeks because its easy and you can sumbit things and i didnt hear anyone mention any alternatives and now that im on my last box youre like tne third suggestion of a different service ive never heard of 🤣
“Speculating Tips”
The friendliest and best comic book store in the world is The Golden Age, 1942 in Maryville, Tennessee. Just saying...
I've been there once and they are freaking fantastic. A no-question side trip if you're in the Knoxville area. The most back issues I've ever seen in one place and a ton of trades too. Some of their books don't have prices, but when they did put prices on them for me they were very reasonable.
After getting burned by the comics as investments craze in the 90's, I just buy to read. This means mostly tpbs and omnis. Besides being more convenient, I don't have to worry about creasing the spine, the ink on the cover rubbing off, or other things that will affect the value of the comic, when reading.
if you are a completionist buy all your filler issues in bulk or from collection you will save a lot of money.
Yeah okay try getting that first app zatana cheap
Our two LCS's don't even have bins by price. They have 100,000 back issues at these stores but they all have separate price tags on them and they are literally all priced at like eBay prices. So you can't get a book for under $3.95 give or take a few cents. To me that's sad. Because 95% of them are not worth that much money so now when I go in there, I don't even go through them. There are no diamonds in the rough. There's no cheap way to complete worthless runs, etc..
There is no wrong way to collect comics. Get what makes you happy.
Indie Runs are small I have been hunting indies
I have been buying back issue primarily for last 2 years, because I like good stories and I am not into Manga.
New to collecting. What is a back issue?
Comic book issues released years prior. A lot of shops will have a healthy back-issue inventory.
Marvel has 60 years of great comics, DC also has some decent stuff up to 2010
For sure, STOP collecting DC around 2010/11
1. Don't listen to any of the current RUclips speculator channels. We are in the middle of another market bubble, driven by investors not readers, and you will get burnt when the bubble bursts. Following trends and fads will cost you money. They're claiming almost any back issue is a "key" now, it's BS.
2. Buy what you personally like, ignore what's ostensibly hot. That way, even if your comics never appreciate in dollar value, you still have the enjoyment of them.
3. If appreciation is a goal, original physical back issues are always the best investment, when they're within your budget. Some of the high-end production reprints sometimes appreciate (like 1st printing Ominbuses or Masterworks), but not most of the time.
4. Flea markets and online marketplaces are great to find good deals. Some people are willing to almost give books away to just to get them out of their house. Also, if you're in it for the long haul, make friends with local dealers (comic shop owners and/or convention dealers). I've gotten great deals over the years simply because I consistently buy off the same guys. I trust them, they trust me; they find me books I want and they cut me good deals because they know I'll come back.
5. If you're not rich, not every issue has to be mint. I've put together nice complete runs of many titles because I was willing to buy Fine and Very Good copies when I had to. Yeah, I like Near Mint as much as anyone, but sometimes that rough copy reads just as well and it completes it your run. It depends on how much money you have and how important that particular run is to you.
6. Keep record of your collection and keep it organized. Use an app, use a notebook, or whatever - but know what you've got and what you're looking for. I have a friend who has a huge collection but he has no idea what he owns because it's not organized and he doesn't keep records. Also, if you're ever out somewhere and run into a comic collection being sold then you'll need to know what your collection lacks, and memory doesn't always serve. I simply keep my want list in my wallet, so it's always with me. And, if you ever plan on re-selling, I suggest writing down what you paid for higher priced issues; so you'll know what you need to resell it for, if you want to hopefully turn a profit. But even if you don't ever turn a profit, if you do #2, you'll be fine anyway.
sadly comic collecting is a rich man's hobby right now.
Hmm...Step 1: Invest in Naomi. Step 2: Profit!!
Who the heck is this Naomi?
new book tbh are over priced and have less intrinsic value than the old comics since everything is being sent to cgc of the press now. so nothing is actually rare in current comic book scene, the vendors just creates illusion of it being rare by hording the hell out of key issues. true rare books are the ones you cant even find even when you got the money. that's why i always laugh on the inside when pplz say AF 15 is super rare. u can got on ebay rit now and buy 5 copies of it, if you got the money.
For example, FF 48 is expensive but not rare in comparison to Mask comic. there's alot of FF 44 out there just most are horded by vendors and some collectors. there is enough silver age comics to satisfy all the intermediate collectors. by intermediate collectors i mean pplz who are willing to put up bout 3-5k on a single silver age key issue.
I derive this base on my experience in cons, seeing wall full of "blue chip" books. but the price is soo high only so certain amount can afford it. and from those who can afford it, only certain amount are willing to buy it at that price or buy the book at all. Comic book at the end of the day is only worth as much as the next guy is willing to pay.
Been buying books for 30 years. Never bought back issues. Currently I have over 11k singles.
Fucking hell man 👏
New hair Wes?!?
Buying comics as an investment to make big money is still a very viable option. But the catch is you need to already be filthy rich or, at the very least, pretty well off to have a legit shot at making that happen.
all bout the flips haha, the road of fliping a 2 dollar book into a silver age key is always a fun one.
Hey ya but don’t you think that if the movie is a massive pile of you know what there’s no way the comic is staying at that price? Bloodshot was absolutely terrible.. Wes, I’m like you buddy I absolutely loved the Valiant universe when it started back up, it was killer all of it ya pretty much up to Harbinger Wars 2 .. dude it was Lemire's Bloodshot that I though was one of the best runs I’ve ever read.. the way it came out of The Valiant 1-4 mini .. wow. So good.
The movie is garbage tho. I mean Diesel , come on right there was mistake #1.. that movie in no shape or form could ever boost the cost of any collectible attached to Valiant Comics or the character Bloodshot.
Those issues became less than what they already were BECAUSE of that movie. After that movie was released and destroyed any chance or hope for Valiant to do another movie, every comic store took out of their back issue bins any & every Bloodshot they could find in hopes of saving them selves any embarrassment and ridicule from their customers (that know good taste in movies) and the public in general.
That’s how bad that movie is. In my opinion anyways. 🍻🇨🇦
So, Dok didn’t recommend collecting Image Wildstorm books because he’s trying to hoard them!
When my older brother joined the Army in 1985 he sold his complete run of Uncanny X-Men for Beer Money
Idc how much my comic is worth noone will pay the price. And all my comics are mint condition. If you are interested.
Instead of Amazing Spider-Man, connect Spectacular Spider-Man,v Web of Spider-Man, or Marvel Tales. Instead of Uncanny X-Men, collect Classic X-Men and X-Men The Early Years. Instead of Batman, collect Legends of The Dark Knight
When it comes to marvel new releases, I love how shitty the cover stock is nowadays, good luck collecting the new stuff because it’s already beat to hell. I do find it funny when they do these Mickey Mouse covers homaging Avengers 4 and they really amp up the quality of the paper only proving what they can do for 3.99
The Marvel Previews Catalog is of WAY higher quality than their actual comics, and they give that 112-page thing away for free! Use the good paper for the stuff you're charging people money for, dummies! Save the cheap paper for the flyers!
Shaking... My... Damned... Head... At... Marvel...
Look at sport cards today they have no value.Todd McFarland was going to create a baseball card company.