c/comic-book-fans

Appreciation post: The dollar bin at my local shop in Cleveland

I spent $12 on a stack of 90s X-Men issues nobody wanted and found a full backup story by a writer I never heard of. It was actually better than the main plot that month. Has anyone else struck gold digging through the cheap boxes?

One guy at a con actually quoted my favorite Silver Age panel back to me

I was browsing dollar bins at a small show in Toledo, and this older dude pointed at my shirt and said, 'That's from Flash #123, right?' Nobody I know gets that specific. Has anyone else bonded with a stranger over an obscure issue?

Spent $60 on a slab of raw comics at a flea market last weekend and got burned bad

There was a guy selling a giant box of 80s/90s comics for $60 near the back of the flea market off Route 9. Looked like a solid deal at first. Turns out the whole box was water damaged and moldy. Like, pages stuck together and smelling like a basement. I tried to salvage maybe 3 issues but the rest went straight in the trash. Anyone else get tricked by those bulk comic bins at flea markets?

Found out some comic fans actually dress up to read at home alone

I was browsing a collector forum last night and stumbled onto this thread where people admitted they put on their full cosplay just to sit and read a new issue at home. Not for a convention, not for a photoshoot, just for themselves in their living room. One guy said he does it every Wednesday with his favorite superhero outfit and reads the whole stack that way. Another person mentioned they light candles and set up a special reading corner just for that experience. It honestly surprised me because I always thought cosplay was for events and crowds. But after thinking about it, I kind of get the appeal. It's like getting immersed in the story on a whole other level. Has anyone else here ever tried reading a comic in costume just for fun?

Finally gave in and read that Alan Moore essay from 2003

I always brushed off the idea that comic movies were hurting the medium. Seemed like gatekeeping from old guys. But I tracked down that essay where he breaks down how Hollywood treats comics as just IP farms. He talked about how Watchmen was instantly turned into a pitch for a movie, not a story. That hit me hard because I work at a shop in Portland and see kids come in only asking about what's on screen. It made me rethink how I talk about comics with new readers. Anyone else find their views on the movie-comic connection shifting after reading that?

Unpopular opinion: spending $80 on a graded modern comic is a trap

I bought a 9.8 copy of a 2021 book for $80 thinking it would hold value, but the market flooded and now it's worth maybe $20. Anyone else notice how graded modern stuff is just a gamble?

Used to chase every variant cover like a maniac, now I only buy first prints

Back in 2019 I was spending $60 a week on variant covers from my shop in Denver, filling up a closet with books I barely flipped through. Then I realized I was buying hype, not stories, after a buddy called me out for having 8 copies of the same X-Men issue. Now I just grab the first print when a new arc drops, and I actually read the stuff. Has anyone else cut back on the variant addiction or am I the only one who got burned out?

The moment I realized comic fans love the villain more than the hero

It happened at a small con in Portland last year during a panel on Batman. A guy stood up and said 'Joker's just more interesting because he's unpredictable,' and half the room nodded. Has anyone else noticed fans getting way more into villains than the actual main characters?

Tried Marvel Unlimited vs. single issues for a month and the digital won by a mile

I’ve been collecting single issues for like 10 years, but last month I got the $10 Marvel Unlimited trial to catch up on stuff I missed. Reading through Hickman’s whole X-Men run without digging through longboxes was just so much easier. The downside is I miss the cover art and that new book smell, but I saved around $60 just on that one arc. Has anyone else switched to digital for the back issues and found it worth it?

Vent: My buddy called my comic collection 'just old paper' and I'm still mad about it

I was showing my friend Dave my signed copy of Amazing Spider-Man #300 last weekend and he just shrugged and said 'its just old paper, man.' That hit me HARD because Dave is the guy who spent like $400 on a Funko Pop last month. He literally has a whole shelf of those things in boxes. I tried explaining the Stan Lee signature and the history behind it but he just didn't get it. Has anyone else had a friend who collects stuff but totally disses comic books for no reason?

Just realized the guy who mocked my foil comic books was right all along

I've been collecting those cheap foil cover variants for years, thought they were the smart buy... you know, shiny and limited. Some dude at my local shop, Middletown Comics, told me they'd never hold value. I blew him off, figured he was just bitter about missing out. Fast forward 5 years and I tried to sell a stack of 50 of them at a show in Harrisburg. Couldn't get $2 each for any of them. Meanwhile his beat-up copy of Uncanny X-Men #266 went for $350. So yeah, I guess experience beats flash every time. Has anyone else had a comic they thought was gold turn out to be worthless?

Rant: That guy who told me Deadpool is just a joke character

I was at a comic shop in Philly last month flipping through back issues and this dude next to me starts going on about how Deadpool is nothing but slapstick and fourth wall gags. He said the character has zero depth and only appeals to teenagers who think memes are storytelling. Have you ever had someone dismiss a whole run of a character because they only saw the movie version?

Just realized I've got over 1,200 single issues in my long boxes

I was reorganizing my basement last weekend and decided to actually count everything. Hit 1,237 books total, mostly 90s X-Men and random indie stuff. Has anyone else ever tallied up their collection and gotten a number that surprised them?

The day I had to choose between Amazing Spider-Man 300 or a full set of McFarlane Spawn

At a con in Sacramento last month, I had $350 in my pocket and two dealers both wanting my cash. One had a beat up but complete ASM 300 for $300, the other offered all 9 issues of the original Spawn run for $320. I went with the Spawn set because my buddy kept saying McFarlane stuff is gonna blow up again. So far the value hasn't moved much, but honestly flipping through those old issues brings back more memories than one key book would. Anybody else ever pass on a grail for a full run and regret it later?

That one con weekend where a collector tried to fence stolen comics in the dealer room

I was tabling at a mid-sized show in Columbus a few years back, and this guy walks up with a beat-up short box full of silver age keys. He was asking way below market (like $50 for a run of early X-Men) and had zero story about where he got them. I tipped off the show organizer, and it turned out half the books were reported stolen from a shop three states over. Has anyone else dealt with suspicious sellers trying to move hot books at a con?

Hit 100 issues in my run tonight and it just clicked

PSA: Check your long boxes before you buy them used

I grabbed a stack of long boxes from a guy on Craigslist last Saturday for like $15 each. Thought I was getting a steal until I got home and noticed the bottoms were all warped from moisture. Opened one up and smelled musty right away, had to toss a whole batch of old 90s Valiant issues cuz they had mold spots on the covers. I talked to a guy at my local shop and he said never buy used boxes unless you flip them over and check the cardboard for soft spots or stains first. Now I just buy new ones from the shop for $8 each and save myself the headache. Anyone else get burned on used storage gear like this?

Last Wednesday was the worst comic shop day I've had in 5 years

I went to grab the new issue of my pull list and some dude in a Deadpool hoodie spent 20 minutes arguing with the cashier about variant cover prices, holding up the whole line. Has anyone else had their weekly trip ruined by someone turning a simple pickup into a whole debate?

Found out that only 7% of comic fans actually read physical issues anymore

Tbh I was scrolling through Diamond's 2024 sales report the other day and it floored me. Digital sales now make up 58% of all comic purchases, but the real shocker was that physical floppy buyers dropped to just 7% of the fanbase. I thought trade paperbacks would be higher, but they only account for 35%. That means the Wednesday crowd I grew up with is basically a niche inside a niche. Has anyone else noticed their local shop shifting to more graphic novels and statues instead of single issues?

My local shop's pull list changed completely after 3 years away

I moved back to my hometown last month after living in Denver for 3 years. Stopped by my old comic shop (Collector's Corner on Main Street) and the whole vibe of the pull list wall had shifted. It used to be like 80% Marvel and DC stuff with some Image thrown in. Now I saw more indie titles like Something is Killing the Children and Saga holds than X-Men or Batman issues. The owner told me he started ordering based on what younger customers were asking for on TikTok (of all places). Has anyone else noticed their local shop's inventory shift this drastically in the last few years?

My worst comic book convention week ever

Last year I volunteered at a small con in Ohio and got stuck running the 'damaged book' table for three days. Some kid spilled grape soda on a first printing of Saga #1 I had just pulled from a dollar bin. Then a grown man argued with me for 20 minutes about whether a spine tick counts as 'minor damage' because he wanted half off. By Sunday I had sold exactly three books and got chewed out by the organizer for not pushing the 'collector grade' ones harder. Has anyone else had a convention gig go this sideways?

Shoutout to the comic shop guy who saved my pull list

I was at Cosmic Comics on Broadway last Saturday just flipping through some back issues, not really looking for anything. The owner, this older dude named Jerry, saw me holding a copy of a run I'd been trying to piece together for a while now. He just walked over and said "you know you can set up a pull list for key issues right, not just monthly releases?" I never even thought of that... I've been digging through bins for three years like a chump. He showed me how they keep a binder of collector requests and even added me to the system on the spot. Now I got an alert for the next big variant that drops in April. I saved like 15 bucks in shipping fees just from not having to hunt online after. Has anyone else ever slept on a simple service like that at your local shop?

Had to choose between a $40 omnibus and a $10 trade paperback at the shop today

Stood in my local shop for a good 15 minutes holding both. The omnibus had all the issues and looked nice on the shelf. But the trade was cheaper and easier to carry around. I went with the trade. Read it on the bus ride home and finished it in two sittings. No regrets but now I wonder if I missed out on the extra material. Anyone else struggle with this choice when you're on a budget?

Paid $40 for a signed Todd McFarlane issue and the autograph smudged on the bus ride home

Picked up a Spawn #1 signed by Todd at a local shop in Portland last Saturday. Grabbed it in a rush to catch the bus and had it in my backpack with no sleeve. By the time I got home the sharpie signature was completely blurred. Felt like a total idiot. Anyone roast themselves by ruining a grail this bad?

PSA: that 'rare' Spider-Man #1 variant you saw at a con is probably a reprint

Bought what I thought was a legit Miles Morales first appearance variant at a shop in Austin for $120. Got home and checked the paper quality under a light - thin and glossy instead of the matte newsprint. Learn to check the date codes on the inside cover before you pull out your wallet.