c/comic-book-fans

Went from back-issue bins to reading orders and my pull list changed big time

I used to just wander into my shop every Wednesday and grab whatever cover caught my eye, usually based on the art or a cool variant. But last March I finally started following a proper reading order for a crossover event, the 2019 War of the Realms one, and it completely flipped how I see collecting. Before, I had random issues 3 and 7 of a run and got lost halfway through, so I'd drop the series out of frustration. Now I keep a spreadsheet on my phone with release dates and story arcs, and I actually hunt down the missing numbers in order. It took me about 4 months to fix gaps in my X-Men shelf from 2015 to 2018, and that old thrill of just grabbing something shiny is gone. Has anyone else felt like reading orders make you enjoy the story more even if you miss the surprise of a random find, or am I just getting too organized?

Took me 3 hours to find a single back issue I needed for my collection

I was trying to complete my run of New Mutants from the 80s and needed issue 87. I remembered I had it packed away somewhere in my parents' basement from when I moved out 10 years ago. So I drove over there thinking I'd grab it in 20 minutes tops. Three hours later I had gone through 12 boxes of comics sorted by publisher and then by year but somehow they got mixed up. I found two copies of issue 86 and three of issue 88 but no 87. Finally I checked a random tote under the stairs and there it was wedged between some old issues of Groo. Has anyone else spent way longer than expected hunting down one specific issue?

The guy at my local comic shop said I was reading Marvel wrong and it got me thinking

He told me I skip too many tie-in issues and miss the whole point of the story arcs. Has anyone else had a comic nerd completely rewrite how you approach a series?

The one time I cosplayed as a maintenance worker at a con

Went to a local comic con last month in Denver and threw together a quick costume as a back alley mechanic from some cyberpunk comic. People kept coming up to me asking if I could fix their prop weapons or broken cosplay bits. By hour three I was legitimately fixing a guys LED lightsaber with a paperclip and some tape. Learned that if you look the part and have the tools, you'll be way more popular than the guy dressed as Spider-Man.

Just learned that the first comic book fan convention was in 1964, not the 70s like I always thought

I was reading an article about the history of comic book fandom last night and it surprised me. The first real convention was in Detroit back in 1964, put on by a guy named Dave Szewczul. I always figured the big comic cons started in the late 70s or early 80s with stuff like Comic-Con International. But nope, fans were getting together to trade and talk comics way earlier than that. Anyone else run into a fact like this that changed how you think about the hobby?

Found out 73% of comic fans at conventions never actually open their graded books - a dealer showed me his sales records from Pittsburgh last March

Comparing old school Wednesday pull lists vs. digital subscriptions for indie books

I used to be all about my pull list at the shop near my route in Brighton. Felt loyal, you know? But after I missed issue 3 of a mini series three times because the shop just didn't order enough, I switched to digital subs for the smaller press stuff. Being able to just click and have it show up on my tablet that morning is way less stress. Has anyone else dropped their pull list for certain books just to avoid missing issues?

Spent 4 hours hunting down a variant cover that doesn't exist

So I saw this post on Instagram about a rare variant cover for issue #87 of a popular series. Claimed it was a limited print run from a con in 2019. I spent 4 hours digging through eBay, comic shops, and forums only to find out it was a fan-made mockup someone photoshopped. The original post had zero disclaimers and like 500 shares. I'm still annoyed I wasted a whole evening on a fake listing. Has anyone else gotten tricked by these fake variant announcements?

Pro tip: Skipping variant covers saved me $80 this month

I used to grab every variant cover that dropped at my shop on Wednesdays, thinking I had to have them for my collection. Last month, I decided to only buy the standard A covers for my pull list titles like Batman and Amazing Spider-Man. I saved $80 in one month, and honestly, my shelf looks cleaner without all those extra copies. Has anyone else tried cutting variants and found it made reading more enjoyable?

That time I disagreed with everyone about the Walking Dead comics

So I was at a local comic shop last Saturday in Portland and this whole group was raving about how the Walking Dead comics got better after issue 100. I told them I actually thought it broke down after the prison arc ended around issue 48. A couple people got pretty defensive and said I was missing the point. Has anyone else felt like the series lost its edge way earlier than most fans admit?

Am I the only one who thinks buying graded comics is a gamble?

I dropped $350 on a CGC 9.8 copy of Ultimate Fallout #4 a few years back, thinking it was a safe investment. Now the market's cooled off and I'm seeing raw copies sell for way less than what I paid after grading fees. On the other hand, my buddy bought a graded New Mutants #98 for $200 and flipped it for $600 last year. Which side are you on - is grading worth the premium or a trap for collectors?

Talked to a guy at my local shop who collects graded keys and it bothered me more than I expected

I was at Golden Age Comics in Portland last Saturday picking up this week's pulls and this dude maybe 25 years old starts telling me how he only buys CGC 9.8 copies of major first appearances like ASM 300 or New Mutants 98. He said he's never actually read a single issue he owns because opening the slab would drop the value by 40 percent minimum. I asked him what his favorite story arc was and he just shrugged and said he doesn't follow plots just values. It hit me that a whole generation of collectors treats these books like stock certificates instead of art. Has anyone else run into people who treat comics purely as investments with zero interest in the actual stories?

Used to defend every single comic book movie adaptation online. Now I just roll my eyes and move on.

Honestly it was around 2019 when I got into a 3 hour argument on a forum about the Batman suit in the Snyder cut. I was typing paragraphs at 2am defending every little detail. Then I realized none of these people are gonna change their minds and I was just wasting my energy. Now when I see someone hating on a casting choice or a costume change I just close the tab. Has anyone else just hit a wall with caring about this stuff?

Facebook comic group drama made me realize gatekeeping is worse than I thought

I joined a local comic fan group on Facebook last month to trade old issues. I posted a photo of my Black Panther collection and someone immediately commented that I wasn't a 'real fan' because I didn't know the issue numbers by heart. It got heated fast with 40 people arguing over what makes someone a true fan. Now I'm wondering: does that kind of gatekeeping push away new readers or does it actually keep the community strong? What's your take on this?

TIL a comic book shop employee changed how I look at variant covers

I was at Third Eye Comics in Annapolis last Saturday and this dude named Dave behind the counter asked why I was grabbing like 4 variants of the same issue. He said 'you're paying $12 each for cover art you could just screenshot for free.' At first I was annoyed but then he showed me his pull box with zero variants and just one copy of each main story. It stuck with me because I realized I was chasing FOMO not the actual story. Has anyone else had a shop employee call them out like that?

Drove 2 hours to a comic con in Nebraska and every booth had the same 3 boxes of 90s X-Men

I went to the Omaha Comic Expo last Saturday and walked past 12 different vendors who all had the exact same long boxes filled with issue #1 of X-Force and 4 copies of Age of Apocalypse. The guy next to me was trying to sell a scratched Wizard magazine for $20 like it was gold. Has anyone else noticed how every small con just has the same stuff now?

My buddy's comic storage 'expert' advice nearly wrecked my collection

A guy at my local shop in Cleveland told me to store my key issues in poly bags but sealed tight with no breathing room. I followed his tip for about 6 months until I pulled out my Amazing Spider-Man #300 and found the cover starting to ripple from trapped moisture. Turns out if you seal them too tight without any air circulation or those silica packs, the paper can warp. Has anyone else gotten bad storage advice that almost ruined a valuable book?

A buddy told me my comic collection was just "stuff in bags" and it stung until I realized he had a point.

I spent a whole weekend actually reading through my longboxes instead of just filing them away, and now I'm actually trading the duplicates instead of hoarding them like some dragon sitting on a pile of 90s foil covers.

The guy at my local shop told me to stop pressing so hard on my brush pens

I went into East Side Comics last month to grab the new issue of Saga, and the owner Jeff saw me hulking over my sketchbook. He walked over and said, 'You're trying to carve the page with that thing, just let the nib do the work.' I had been digging into the paper so hard my lines looked like scratched concrete. He showed me how he barely touches the paper and lets the ink flow natural, and now I use like 70% less pressure. My crosshatching actually looks clean now instead of a muddy mess. Has anyone else had an old pro change your whole approach with one simple tip?

Warning: Don't let your buddy 'help' organize your long boxes unless you want to play find-the-issue for two hours

Handed my collection to a friend who alphabetized by publisher and then by character name, so issue #3 of Firestorm ended up between Fantastic Four and Flashpoint, and now I'm triple-checking every box for a random Wolverine appearance I swore I owned.

Update: That collector who corrected my grading at a show in Portland

He quietly pointed out a color-breaking crease on a Silver Surfer #4 that I'd graded at 9.0 myself, then spent 10 minutes showing me how to spot misprints on the spine, and I left the table with a whole new respect for how much I still don't know.

That time a collector at my LGS tried to trade a beat-up copy of Amazing Spider-Man #300 for 3 brand new omnibuses

Last Saturday I was at Comic Quest in Anaheim and this guy walks up to the counter with a rough copy of ASM #300. I'm talking spine damage, a big crease across the cover, and some stains. He wanted to swap it straight up for three brand new omnibuses that were like $75 each. The owner, Mike, politely explained the condition knocked its value way down and offered him $40 store credit instead. The guy got pretty upset and stormed out. Has anyone else seen people overvalue their personal comics based on cover price or raw eBay listings?

Last Wednesday a guy came into my local shop and traded an entire long box of 90s Image comics for store credit.

He told me he was just tired of hauling them around and I flipped through and found a near mint copy of Spawn #1 and a Savage Dragon #1 that paid for my whole grocery trip that week, have any of you ever gotten a surprise score like that from someone just unloading their old collection?

Appreciation post: The comic book rack at Half Price Books in Austin

I used to think digging through a messy longbox was the only real way to find deals on old floppies. But last weekend I visited the Half Price Books on Lamar and they had a whole spinning rack of 50 cent comics sorted by character. It was so easy to flip through and grab a stack of 90s X-Men issues for 5 bucks total. Has anyone else found a spot that makes browsing actually fun instead of a chore?

My local comic shop had a 'mint condition' back issue sale... I learned what that really means

So I went to this shop downtown, Comic Kingdom, for their big back issue sale last Saturday. They had a stack of old X-Men #266s from 1990 marked as 'near mint' for $40 each. I grabbed one, took it home, and noticed the spine had this weird crease I missed in the store. Turns out 'near mint' to them means 'looks okay from three feet away in bad lighting.' I went back the next day to complain and the guy behind the counter just shrugged and said 'that's how we grade 'em, pal.' So I learned to bring a magnifying glass and a bright flashlight to any sale now. Has anyone else dealt with shops that have their own weird grading system that doesn't match the official scale?