c/comic-book-fans

My longbox fell apart mid-sort last night and comics went everywhere

I was reorganizing my Marvel run from the 80s and the bottom just gave out. Must have had the box since 2005. Lost the order I had them in too. Spent 2 hours putting everything back by issue number. Anyone have a brand of longbox that actually holds up more than a few years?

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eric723•9d ago

Don't get me started on people who call every comic store a 'comic book shop'

I was at my local shop, Comic King in Austin, last Saturday and overheard a guy telling his friend he was going to 'the comic book shop' for some back issues. It's just 'comic shop' or 'comic store,' dude! A real fan knows the difference and it bugs me when people add the extra word. Is it just me or does that sound like someone who's only seen the movies?

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grace_allen•10d ago

Debate: Are variant covers just a money grab or do they matter?

I grabbed the store exclusive variant for issue #5 of that new indie series thinking it would feel special, but the art was actually worse than the standard cover. Now I'm wondering if we're just paying extra for hype or if rare covers actually add value to collecting. What's your take on variants?

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samjohnson•11d ago

Back when I swore by plastic bags and boards for my comics

I used to just toss issues in a poly bag with a cardboard backer and call it a day, until I found one of my old 1991 X-Men books with a bent corner after 10 years in storage. Now I use Mylite2 sleeves and full backs for anything from the mid-90s or earlier. Anyone else switch after a bad storage surprise?

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miles72•11d ago

Found a trick for sorting out the real fans from the gatekeepers at cons

I was at a booth last weekend and this guy started lecturing me about a minor character's backstory being wrong. I just asked him if he knew about the first appearance printing error and he went quiet. Has anyone else found a quick question that shuts down the know-it-alls without starting a fight?

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morgan.logan•12d ago

Found a dollar store binder that holds my weekly pulls perfectly

I was using those long cardboard boxes for years but they always got messy when I'd dig through them. Picked up a standard 1-inch binder from Dollar General for $1.25 and some poly sleeves off Amazon. Now I just sort by publisher and alphabetize as I go. Took maybe 20 minutes to set up and I can flip through issues way faster. Anyone else use a simple binder system or am I overthinking storage?

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morganhill•13d ago

Had a box of silver age books almost ruined at a con in Sacramento because someone dropped a drink near them

A guy tripped over a loose cable at the convention center and sent a whole soda spraying across a dealer's long boxes, which is why I now keep my valuable books in plastic sleeves even when they are just sitting on the table, has anyone else had a close call like that at a show?

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caleb_ross12•14d ago

Can we talk about the guy in the back row who reads issues out of order

I spent like 25 minutes trying to follow his explanation of the Death of Superman arc before realizing he skipped issue 76 and started at 78. It made zero sense until I called him out on it. Has anyone else dealt with a fan who jumps around and messes up the whole story?

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aaron884•15d ago

Chose single issues over trades for my Batman collection and now I'm committed

Last year I had to make a call between buying the deluxe hardcovers of Snyder's run or tracking down all the single issues from my local shop. I went with the floppies because I love the feel of individual covers and the ads from 2011. It cost me about $150 to get the first 20 issues in VF condition from 3 different sellers on eBay. But now I'm stuck trying to find issue #33 without paying $40 and it's driving me crazy. The trades would've been easier and cheaper but I just don't get the same joy flipping through a thick book. Has anyone else committed to singles for a whole run and regretted the hunt?

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irismartinez•15d ago

Had a collector swear my 15 year old long boxes were fine - he was dead wrong

Guy at a con in Des Moines told me my cardboard boxes would hold up forever. Well after a basement flood last spring I lost 30 issues because the bottoms disintegrated. Now I'm slowly switching to those plastic bcw short boxes. Anyone else learned that lesson the hard way?

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margaret_gonzalez25•17d ago

I was sure that modern comic book art was all style over substance

Back in the 90s I was heavy into guys like Jim Lee and Rob Liefeld, big muscles and crazy poses. Then a buddy at the shop in Portland handed me a copy of 'Blankets' by Craig Thompson around 2003. I figured it'd be some slow indie nonsense but I couldn't put it down. The way he drew emotion into just a character's hand or a snowfall scene hit me different than any splash page ever did. Has anyone else had that one book that flipped your opinion on an entire art style?

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the_laura•17d ago

Hot take: Spending $45 on silver age Batman issues at a con was either genius or idiotic

I dropped $45 on a stack of mid-grade silver age Batman issues at a local con last month and they either saved my collection's value or completely burned me since half of them had hidden spine ticks I missed in the dim lighting - has anyone else gambled on a bulk deal like that and regretted or celebrated it?

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max_ross•17d ago

Finally hit the comic shop in Portland after 3 months away

Walked into Excalibur Comics yesterday and spotted a whole wall of obscure bronze age runs I'd never seen in person before, has anyone else stumbled into a shop that totally surprised you with their back issue selection?

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derekjenkins•18d ago

Hot take: My buddy who said Silver Age comics are overrated was totally wrong

My friend Mark from the shop on 42nd Street kept telling me that Silver Age stuff isn't worth the hype, that the stories are too wordy and the art is dated. I finally read a run of Fantastic Four from issue 45 to 50 that he loaned me as a joke. Turned out I loved every single page and now I'm hunting for back issues at every con I hit. Has anyone else had a friend steer you away from something only to find out they were way off base?

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maryt62•18d ago

Sorted my floppy long boxes into magazine holders for $3 each at a thrift store

I grabbed a stack of those plastic magazine holders from Goodwill last weekend for $3 a pop and slid my old long boxes full of X-Men comics into them. The books stay upright way better and I can pull a title without the whole row flopping over. Has anyone else tried a cheaper storage fix that actually worked better than the fancy comic boxes?

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felix_lane99•20d ago

Took me 45 minutes to find a single back issue in my binders last night

I've been collecting for like 15 years now. Organized everything by publisher then alphabetical. But my old binders from 2010 are a mess. Sloppy labels, some bags have shifted, a few books are just loose. I spent almost an hour digging through four different binders for Secret Wars #8. Found it in the last binder I checked, sandwiched between two copies of some Spider-Man annual. Totally my fault for not staying on top of the system. Now I'm thinking of switching to numbered boxes instead. Has anyone else hit that wall where their old filing method just stops working?

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alexc93•20d ago

A collector at the shop told me to bag my silver age books differently, and he was right

I've been bagging my comics with the flap on the top for years. This older guy at my local shop in Portland said I was doing it all wrong, that dust settles in through the top opening. He showed me his collection and every single book had the seal at the bottom. I switched over my 40 key silver age issues last month and already notice less dust buildup near the staples. Has anyone else found a better way to store their older books that I might be missing?

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annas87•20d ago

Found a trick for organizing my pull list that saved me 20 minutes every Wednesday

I kept losing track of which issues I had preordered at my local shop in Portland, so I started sorting them by release date in a spreadsheet with color codes. Turns out the shop guy saw my messy stack and showed me how to set up email reminders from their online system. Has anyone else found a way to streamline their weekly pickup routine without just showing up and hoping for the best?

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wilson.sam•20d ago

I stopped going to the local comic shop after the Wednesday morning crowd ruined it for me

Used to hit up Cosmic Comics in Brooklyn every Wednesday at 11am sharp. But the regulars there would grab 3 or 4 copies of every hot book just to flip, and they'd argue with the owner Jack about discount codes for 20 minutes. It killed the fun of just grabbing a new issue and chatting. Am I the only one who stopped going somewhere because the other fans made it exhausting?

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robinj29•20d ago

Tried reading the new Ultimate Spider-Man run and actually got bored

Everyone keeps raving about Hickman's reboot but I forced myself through 12 issues and just couldn't get into it. The pacing felt super slow with all the family drama and nothing big happening for like 8 issues straight. Am I missing something or did anyone else hit a wall with that series?

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dianal94•23d ago

That time I scoffed at 'digital comics' but now I'm hooked after a snowstorm

I used to roll my eyes at folks reading comics on tablets. Seemed like cheating somehow, you know? Then a blizzard hit Buffalo last February and I couldn't get to my shop for two weeks. Out of desperation I downloaded a few issues on my phone and ended up reading four story arcs in one weekend. Now I'm split: do you prefer the feel of paper or the convenience of digital? What side are you on?

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cooper.phoenix•24d ago

Just realized I was bagging my teacher's pull box wrong for 2 years

Was working on a collection at a shop near Portland and kept getting my pull box fills all tangled. Turns out I was overlapping the bags instead of sealing them flat on the board. Guy named Mark showed me this trick where you press the air out from bottom to top and tape it flush. Has anyone else dealt with a weird packing habit that messed up your whole storage system?

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mila_flores8•24d ago

Caught myself bagging comics wrong for 8 years at a shop in Austin

I always slid the comic into the bag with the opening at the top, but a guy at the register showed me how the flap goes down to keep dust out. Anyone else learn they had a basic habit backwards after way too long?

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paige86•25d ago

TIL the hard way: do NOT bring up Frank Miller's Holy Terror at a comic convention panel

Was at Rose City Comic Con last September and during a Q&A I asked about the book's politics. Guy running the panel actually walked off stage for 2 minutes. Audience just stared at me like I'd kicked a puppy. Has anyone else accidentally hit a comic fan third rail like that?

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reesea49•25d ago

My LCS pulled the wrong variant for my pull list and it threw off my whole week

So I go in last Tuesday to pick up my stuff and they grabbed a different cover for the new Batman. I had #158 on my list and they gave me the A cover instead of the B cover I asked for months ago. $4.99 vs $7.99 but it's not even about the money. I was really looking forward to that Jim Lee variant. The guy at the counter said they "ran out" even though I preordered it back in January. Has anyone else had a shop mess up their pull like this and what did you do about it?

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