At the 2019 Emerald City Comic Con, a guy in line said something that made me rethink collecting...

I was waiting to get a comic signed, holding a stack of maybe 15 books in plastic sleeves. This older guy behind me just said, 'You know, you're gonna spend more on bags and boards than you will on some of those stories.' I'd never really thought about it that way... I was so focused on keeping them mint. Now I sometimes just buy a cheap reader copy to actually enjoy the story first. Has anyone else had a moment like that, where you shifted from being a collector to more of a reader?

3 comments

3 Comments

river_adams253mo ago

Protecting the art is part of the fun for me, though.

smith.anna3mo ago

Protecting the art is part of the fun" makes sense. I read an interview with a comic book artist who said the same thing. He spent more time picking the right plastic sleeve and backing board than he did finding some issues, just for the peace of mind.

foster.dylan2mo ago

That's kind of where I'm at too, honestly. There's something weirdly satisfying about matching the right bag to a book, especially if it's a variant cover or a first print. I spent like half an hour once just deciding between a half-back board and a full back for a particular issue because the spine was slightly bent. My wife thought I was losing it, but it just feels right when everything fits snug and flat. It's not just storage, it's like you're finishing the job of preserving it for down the road.