c/comic-book-fans

Unpopular opinion: hunting for a specific comic book variant is a huge waste of time

I spent over 8 months trying to find a clean copy of the 1:100 variant for Immortal Hulk #25 without paying a crazy markup. I checked every shop within 50 miles of Chicago and scoured online auctions constantly. Some fans say the hunt is half the fun, but others think paying a bit extra to just get the book is smarter. What's your limit for hunting a book versus just buying it?

I remember buying every single issue of a crossover event, but now I just wait for the trade paperback.

The shift happened around 2015 for me, when I realized I was spending over $4 a month on floppies I'd just bag and box. Has anyone else completely switched their buying habits like this?

My sister, who doesn't read comics, asked me why I keep buying the same stories over and over.

She saw my shelf with three different versions of 'The Dark Knight Returns' and just said, 'Isn't that the same Batman story? Why do you need it again?' I gave my usual spiel about covers and paper quality, but she just shrugged. It made me stop and actually think about it. I realized a lot of my collecting is just habit, buying what I'm told is a 'key issue' or a 'definitive edition' without really asking myself if I want it. Maybe I just like having it. Do other fans ever feel that pressure to collect a certain run or character, even when you already have the story?

DAE think the $100+ for a CGC graded book is a total rip or actually worth it?

I dropped like $120 on a graded copy of a key issue, and idk, maybe it's just me but it feels like paying for a plastic case. Has anyone else felt burned or did it actually save you from buying a raw copy in worse shape?

Why does nobody talk about how the 'collector' mindset can ruin the fun?

Last week at the Portland comic shop, I saw a guy refuse to buy a great issue because the cover had a tiny crease. Three years ago, I would have done the same, but now I just buy what I enjoy reading. Does anyone else feel the grading obsession has gone too far?

Warning: I was gatekeeping my own collection from my nephew for no reason

He asked to read my old X-Men #129 and I almost said no, but then I remembered my uncle letting me hold his copy of Amazing Fantasy #15 when I was 8. How do you decide what's too valuable to actually share?

Found out the first comic book ever sold for 10 cents and it's worth millions now

I was watching a documentary on comic history last night and they dropped this fact. The first Superman comic from 1938, Action Comics #1, originally cost a dime. A copy in good shape sold at auction for over $3 million a few years back. My brain just broke thinking about a 10 cent thing being worth that much. Has anyone else stumbled on a comic fact that just seems totally wild?

My cousin insisted I start with 'The Dark Knight Returns' to get into Batman

I read it last year and honestly, it made the modern stuff feel kinda flat for a while. Anyone else have a 'starter' comic that totally reset their expectations?

My sister said comic fans gatekeep too much and it stuck with me

We were at a cafe last Thursday and she saw me reading a new Ms. Marvel. She asked if it was any good. I started explaining the whole run, the artist change, everything. She just listened and then said, 'You know, you guys make it sound like a test. Like I need to know all that just to like a book.' It hit different because she's right. I was doing the thing. I wasn't just talking about a cool story. I was listing credentials. Why do we do that? It pushes people away. I've been guilty of it for years. Makes me wonder if we care more about being experts than sharing the fun. Has anyone else caught themselves doing this?

Hot take: A friend told me my collection was just a bunch of 'key issues' in plastic coffins, which made me sell half of it and actually read the books.

I used to focus on buying slabbed #1s and first appearances, but after that comment I sold about 40 books, bought a cheap reader copy of 'Daredevil: Born Again', and finally understood why people love the stories, not just the grades.

Pro tip: I tried two ways to get my friend into comics last month

First, I gave him a huge list of classic storylines and told him to start at the beginning... he got overwhelmed and quit. Then, I just handed him a single trade paperback, 'Hawkeye: My Life as a Weapon', and said 'read this'. He finished it in a weekend and asked for more. The difference was giving him one complete, fun story instead of homework. How do you guys introduce new people to comics?

I just hit 1000 issues in my collection and it made me think.

I was updating my spreadsheet last night and the total came to 1003. I started collecting in 2005, so it took nearly twenty years. The number itself is just a figure, but seeing it made me realize how much space and money it represents. More than that, it made me question if I'm a fan of the stories or just the habit of collecting. Has anyone else hit a big number that made them pause and rethink their approach?

Dropped $400 on a full run of a 90s comic and it's just... sitting there.

I got really into this old Spider-Man story arc from '94, Maximum Carnage, and decided I needed every single tie-in issue. Found a guy online selling the whole set, bagged and boarded, for about four hundred bucks. It felt like a big win at the time, like I'd completed something. But now the long box is just in my closet. I haven't opened it in months. I think I liked the idea of having it more than actually reading the floppy copies, you know? I could have just gotten the trade paperback for thirty dollars and been done with it. Has anyone else ever spent a bunch of cash on a grail or a full run, only to realize the hunt was more fun than the prize?

Vent: My friend spilled soda all over my mint copy of The Killing Joke at our local shop

We were at the back table of Comic Cave in Denver, and he knocked over a full Dr. Pepper right onto the open pages. I grabbed a bunch of napkins and tried to blot it, but the colors ran and the pages are stuck together. What's the best way to try and save a book after a spill like this?

Be careful with your grails at a crowded con, I almost lost my Amazing Fantasy #15

At Emerald City Comic Con, a guy bumped my display case and my slab nearly slid off the table. I caught it with my elbow, but my heart stopped for a second. Anyone else have a close call with a high-value book in a busy place?

Unpopular opinion: I started reading comics out of order and it actually helped

I got totally lost trying to follow the main X-Men run from the start, so I just grabbed a random trade paperback from the library, 'X-Men: God Loves, Man Kills', with no context. I understood the characters and themes way better than when I was trying to track every single issue in order. Does anyone else find that jumping into a famous story arc first makes you want to go back and fill in the gaps later?

Remember when we'd all meet up at the local shop on Wednesday?

Comparing that to just reading a digital pull list now, the old way built real friendships over a shared new issue. Anyone else miss the smell of fresh newsprint and the actual arguments over who got the last copy?

Finally found a way to get my non-reader friend into comics without the usual superhero stuff.

I lent her the first volume of 'Saga' last month, and she texted me yesterday asking where to buy the next one. Anyone have other good entry points for people who think comics are just capes?

I used to think comic book grading was a total scam, but then I saw a graded copy of Amazing Fantasy #15 sell for $3.6 million.

Am I the only one who noticed the vibe at my local shop completely shift after the new Spider-Man movie?

Before it came out, the Wednesday crowd was mostly older guys debating continuity, but now there's a ton of new faces asking where to start with Miles Morales. Has your LCS changed like this too?

My cousin's kid in Toledo got me to read a Spider-Man comic for the first time in 15 years.

He was over last weekend and asked me to explain why Peter Parker is always broke, which led to a two-hour talk about the character's history. I dug out my old long box and we read the first issue of Ultimate Spider-Man together, and I forgot how much fun the actual stories are. Do you have a go-to comic you use to get someone back into reading them?

I always thought reading comics online was just as good as the real thing...

I was reading the new 'Daredevil' run on my tablet for a year, but then my friend in Chicago gave me his old physical issue #3. Holding the book, seeing the colors on the actual paper, it just hit different. The whole experience felt more real, like I was part of the story instead of just scrolling past it. Anyone else switch back to physical copies after a long time with digital?

I keep seeing people call any comic fan a 'nerd' and it's missing the point

I was at a local con in Austin and overheard a guy telling his friend, 'Oh, you read comics? Total nerd.' It hit me that a lot of folks use 'nerd' as a lazy catch-all for anyone who likes the medium. But being a fan isn't just one thing. Some people only watch the movies, some collect vintage issues, some just love the art. I've got a friend who can tell you every writer on a Daredevil run but doesn't know a thing about physics. Calling everyone the same name ignores what actually makes comic fandom interesting, which is all the different ways people connect with the stories. How do you explain the difference to someone who doesn't get it?

I thought the 'Superman vs. The Amazing Spider-Man' comic was just a weird joke until I found a copy

For years, I heard people talk about that 1976 crossover where Superman and Spider-Man meet, and I was sure they were pulling my leg. It sounded like a fan-made idea, not a real book. Then, about three months ago, I was digging through a long box at a shop in Tacoma and there it was, priced at $60. The cover alone, with them shaking hands, made me laugh out loud. I bought it on a whim, took it home, and read the whole thing. The plot is completely wild, with Lex Luthor and Doctor Octopus teaming up, and the art is this great mix of styles. It's now one of my favorite weird pieces in my collection. Has anyone else been totally wrong about a comic's existence until they held it?

Just learned how many issues the original 'X-Men' run actually had before it got canceled

I was reading an old blog post about comic history and found out the first X-Men series only lasted 66 issues before it got axed in 1970. I always assumed it was a huge hit from the start, but nope, it was actually kind of a flop for years. The blog said sales were so low they almost didn't bring the team back at all. It's wild to think about now, with how massive the X-Men are. Did anyone else think the original run was way longer?