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

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

2 comments

2 Comments

holly6329d ago

Doesn't it feel good to have someone in your corner like that, even when you don't realize you need it? Logan is spot on about that dragon hoarding comparison, I've seen so many new collectors fall into that trap. The thing is, those first issues you bought thinking they'd be retirement money, most of them end up in the quarter bin or in some discount box a year later. The market is just flooded with them now because everyone had the same idea. Mike did you a real solid by being honest instead of letting you keep chasing that false promise. Now you get to actually enjoy the stories and the art, which is what this hobby is really about in the first place.

logan_white5929d ago

Oh man, Mike basically did a financial intervention on you and I'm here for it. Yeah nothing screams "I love comics" like a pile of unread #1s you bought because you thought they'd pay for your retirement someday. I swear those books are gonna be worth exactly what you paid for them if you're lucky, maybe a little less because you broke the seal and then let them collect dust. Good on Mike for being honest instead of just watching you burn cash on books you'd never crack open. Now you can actually enjoy the hobby instead of hoarding cardboard like some kind of comic book dragon.