c/comic-book-fans

That comic shop owner told me to skip the big hero events and I should have listened

Old guy who runs Cosmic Collectibles on 5th Street told me last summer to stop buying the big crossover event books like Absolute Power. He said they'd be worth pennies in a year and to focus on indie titles instead. I laughed it off and dropped $80 on the whole event run. Now those issues are sitting in a dollar bin at the same shop and the indie books he pointed out went up 3x. Anyone else get burned by ignoring an old timer's advice at their local shop?

That dollar bin at the 2015 Baltimore Comic Con sold me a beat-up copy of Swamp Thing #37 that completely changed how I hunt for back issues.

I was just digging through boxes to kill time before a panel, and that one beat-up cover made me realize I'd been ignoring the weird, unloved books that actually have great stories inside, has anyone else found a hidden gem in the junk pile like that?

Back in 1992 I figured out a cheap way to bag long boxes

Used to spend crazy money on those official comic bags for long boxes. Then a buddy at a con in San Diego told me to try the 2.5 mil contractor bags from Home Depot. Costs like $8 for a box of 50. Has anyone else found a better hack for storing issues?

Tried telling new readers to start with a specific Spider-Man run and got roasted for it

Was at a local con last Saturday and this kid asks me where to jump into Spider-Man. I told him to start with Ultimate Spider-Man by Bendis since it's a clean start and self-contained. Some guy behind me in a Deadpool hoodie goes "nah that's not even canon bro, tell him to read Amazing Fantasy #15 like a real fan." Kid looked confused and walked off. Both of us just stood there awkwardly. I get there's old school purists but why make it hard for new people? Anyone else run into this gatekeeping nonsense at cons?

Watch out for the comic shops that rebag and board everything

Ngl, I went to this shop near Austin that used to have a decent back issue bin, but now they slap a $3 premium on every single book even if it's a common 90s run. Has anyone else noticed their local store start overpricing dollar bin stuff just because it's in a fresh bag?

Rant: Pulling the trigger on a longbox over a shortbox for my collection

Back in like 2019, I had to pick between a standard shortbox or one of those big longboxes for my growing stack. I went with the longbox since I figured it'd hold more issues, maybe 300 or so. Man, that thing is a pain to move around my apartment, and lifting it to get at the bottom books is rough on my back. Now I'm thinking I should have just grabbed two shortboxes that I could stack and grab easier. Has anyone else dealt with box regret or found a better way to organize?

Ran across a 1986 Wizard magazine that claimed Wolverine would never get a solo series

I was digging through a box of old comics my uncle left me and found a Wizard from 1986. There's an interview right in there where some Marvel editor says Wolverine works best as a team character and a solo book would flop. We all know how that turned out with the 1988 series. Anybody else run into old predictions from fan magazines that were way off?

Shoutout to the comic shop guy who changed how I see Silver Age books

For years I thought Silver Age comics were overrated and just nostalgia bait. Last month at a show in Portland, a dealer let me flip through a raw Amazing Spider-Man #50 and explained how the stories actually reflected real 60s issues. It hit me that I was judging old books without understanding their context. Has anyone else had their mind changed by a shop employee just talking through a book?

Unpopular opinion: I used to think DC events were way better than Marvel events

After reading through house of X and powers of x last month i finally saw what everyone meant about smaller focused stories being stronger than the big crossovers, and now i actually get why my buddy has been pushing Hickman books on me for years, anyone else switch sides after a specific run?

Hot take: Found out Jim Lee drew like 50 variants for one Batman issue in 2022

I was digging through the DC database last night and saw the number. 50 different covers for The Joker #1. Not a special anniversary edition or anything. Why do they need that many for one comic?

The debate: do variant covers matter or are they just cash grabs?

Vent: That comic book store in Denver that changed my whole reading routine

I was at Mile High Comics in Denver last month digging through their dollar bins and the guy behind the counter told me to stop judging books by their covers. He said half the best stories I was skipping had terrible art on the front. Has anyone else had a shop owner totally flip how you pick what to read?

Had to choose between a golden age Superman or a first print Walking Dead #1 at a con last month

I went with the Superman because the seller gave me a weird look when I asked to flip through the Walking Dead (you know, to check the pages). Did I mess up or is that a solid pick for a long term collection?

Stopped by Midtown Comics last weekend and noticed something weird about the longboxes

I was digging through the back issue bins at Midtown Comics on Saturday and realized the older longboxes near the register had way better deals than the new ones up front. Like I found a Detective Comics #650 for 5 bucks in one of those beat-up boxes while the newer sections had the same issue marked at 12. My theory is the staff just tosss stuff in there without checking prices as much. Has anyone else found hidden gems by hitting the older storage boxes first?

Hot take: I paid $200 for a graded Amazing Spider-Man #300 and it was a complete ripoff

Everyone raves about CGC slabs but my copy came back with a 9.8 and the plastic case cracked two months later from normal shelf storage. Anyone else think grading fees are a scam for modern books?

Worst comic convention day I ever had was last Saturday in Chicago

I drove 4 hours to get to C2E2 and spent 2 hours waiting in line outside in the cold. When I finally got in, the one vendor I really wanted to see had already sold his complete run of The Walking Dead #1-50. Has anyone else had a con day go that bad?

Switched from poly bags to Mylar and it saved my Silver Age books

I used to keep my old ASM issues in regular poly bags. About 6 months ago I noticed the covers on my #39 and #40 were starting to curl at the edges. A guy at the local shop in Austin told me to switch to Mylar with full back boards. Now those same books lay flat as the day I got them. Has anyone else seen this difference with Mylar or is it just me?

That comic fan who only reads Marvel from the 80s and nothing else

I met a guy at a small con in Portland last month who said he hasn't bought a new comic since 1987. He just collects back issues of X-Men and Daredevil from that era and won't touch anything modern. He told me he thinks anything after the 90s is just 'marketing garbage.' I get liking what you like, but how do you even stay in a hobby if you cut off 35 years of stories? Has anyone else run into fans who refuse to read anything past a certain year?

Noticed something Strange at the Local Comic Shop's Back Issue Bins

I swung by Cosmic Comics in Austin last Saturday to dig through their dollar bins. What caught my eye was a stack of 90s X-Men issues that looked like someone had run them through a car wash. Every single copy had this weird water damage pattern along the bottom edge, but the rest of the bin was fine. Has anyone else seen a vendor mess up a whole run of books with bad storage like that?

Why does nobody talk about how gatekeeping kills new readers?

I was at my local shop in Portland last Saturday and this kid maybe 12 years old picks up a new Spider-Man issue. The guy behind the counter starts grilling him about what runs he's read and who the current writer is. Kid just wanted to start somewhere. I stepped in and told the guy to chill but it bugged me all day. This is why comic shops are dying. Has anyone else seen clerks do this?

That time I laughed at a guy for collecting silver age X-Men covers and now I'm knee deep in back issues

I used to think people who dropped serious cash on old comic books were just fooling themselves. Like, you're paying 50 bucks for a beat up copy of Giant-Size X-Men #1 with a crease down the middle? No way. Then my buddy Jake brought over his Uncanny X-Men #129 from 1980 last Tuesday. He just let me flip through it. I didn't even know who Dazzler was at that point. But holding that book, seeing the old ads for candy cigarettes and Sea Monkeys, I felt something click. Now I'm hunting for a decent copy of New Mutants #98 for around 20 bucks. Anyone else get hooked on a specific run after swearing you'd never pay over cover price?

Can we talk about how many comic fans collect but never actually read?

I found a stat last month from a Diamond Distributor report that said around 40% of collectors never open their bags. It surprised me because I always thought people bought books to read them, not just to sit in a box. I remember talking to a guy at a local shop in Portland who admitted he had 2,000 issues sealed since 2015. Makes me wonder how many of us are really here for the stories versus just the hunt.

I finally blew $60 on a graded copy of X-Men #1 from 1991 and the cert was fake

Sent it to CGC myself after buying it from a booth at a Nashville con last March and they told me the case was a knockoff so now I'm out the cash plus grading fees, has anyone else gotten burned on slabbed books from smaller shows?

Dropped $60 on a golden age Flash comic at a garage sale

Found this beat up Flash Comics #1 from the 40s hidden in a box at a sale in Akron last weekend. Guy wanted $80 but I talked him down to $60 because the cover is almost detached. Brought it home and realized it's actually a 5th printing but still worth maybe $150 on a good day. Felt like a win until my buddy pointed out the spine is taped and now I'm not sure if I overpaid. Anyone else ever buy a key issue with major defects and regret it later?

Finally switched from Marvel to DC after 15 years of thinking it was lame

I always dumped on DC for being too dark and serious compared to Marvel. Then last month my buddy lent me his copy of Batman Year One and I read it in one sitting. The art by David Mazzucchelli is just clean and the story feels grounded in a way I didn't expect. Then I picked up All Star Superman and that completely flipped my view. Anyone else have a run that made you switch sides?