Redartz: For most of us, our years of comics fandom involved the accumulation of stacks and stacks of those four color wonders. And rightfully so; for much of that time reprints were only sporadically available, the books were less expensive, and in our collective youth we had more disposable funds. But nowadays, as many comments from many of you can attest, the tide has turned. Quite a few of us are dispensing with our collections, or at least 'trimming down'. And before we go any further, I know we've dealt with this topic previously from time to time. The difference: today, as is often the case in "Adventures in Comics", I'd like to get personal. Personal, as in 'what books were the most difficult for you to actually part with?'. Personal, as in 'how did you come to make this decision?'. Personal, as in 'if there was one book you could go back and keep, what would it be, and why?'.
And we don't want to shut out the continuing collectors among us (after all, I'm one of that group- certainly reducing the collection, but not eliminating it; I still hunt down back issues and pick up some new books too). If you're still collecting, what keeps you going? Have you made any particular adjustments to accommodate our, ahem, increasing birthday tallies?
In short, let's share our outlook on 'staying in vs. getting out'. If you have any specific stories of 'getting rid of some comics',by all means relate. To start off, here's a few of my own thoughts and experiences...
I'll start by repeating something I've said before: I love comics. That is, the medium of comics- the art, the stories, the diversity of content and approach, the element of nostalgia in a special back issue, the novelty of something new and unexpected. So, although the size of my collection is dwindling, it likely will not disappear until I do as well.
The first time I 'got rid of comics' was shortly after I started collecting Marvels. I'd been buying Archies for the preceding couple of years, and at that point lost interest in them totally. I actually threw all those Archie books away, thinking them worthless and unwanted (I was 13, and thought them 'kid stuff') . Fool that I was; little did I know then that I'd spend later years buying them back up again...
In more recent years, I've passed many books on to sons and grandkids, nephews and friends. It's good to see those books find new homes with someone to enjoy them. Especially if it's a specific item for someone; for example a good friend of mine got a vintage Flintstones comic from my collection- it was dated from his birth month, so it had a special significance. One grandson likes Spidey, so he got several issues, old and newer...
Many others have been sold on ebay or at yard sales. And of course, most went years ago as part of young parenthood. And that's okay; nowadays one doesn't need a bunch of 'stuff' accumulating around the house. And at the time, pressing financial issues made it a fairly easy decision. But to answer one of the questions from above, if I could have just one book back: it would be Daredevil #7 (the classic Sub-Mariner battle by Wally Wood). I had more valuable books, scarcer books, older books. Yet that one was a special favorite: for the story, the art, the cover. Maybe I'll pick up another copy someday.
Incidentally, for the flip side of that question: one book I didn't sell and am glad I kept: the Gold Key Jonny Quest one-shot. Very hard book to find, in any condition. Mine isn't great, but it's a classic.
As for today and the days to come, I plan to continue reducing the size of my collection. Many books have already been replaced by tpb's. Eventually, a modest collection of a few hundred favorite books would be ideal (down from about 2000 today). Kind of like I did a few years back with a bunch of vintage Hot Wheels cars (I had about a hundred, sold all but 6 favorites- kept for sentimental reasons). You understand, no doubt- just a few to hold, leaf through and enjoy...
20 comments:
I had about 3000 comics when I was first married. We had a two bedroom apartment and it soon became apparent I would have no place to store them. My bride was supportive of my collecting but I decided the time had come to let go. I loaded them up and went to a comic book store in the area. I remember how disappointed I was when I found out how little they were worth. The guy told me “We all thought we were going to get rich off of comic books, but it never happened.” He then informed me that he had twice as many comics downstairs in his basement as he did in his store. Nonetheless, he made me an offer - $100 for the whole lot or $200 in merchandise. We negotiated back and forth and I ended up trading my comic collection for a nearly complete collection of the Marvel Famous Covers action figures. They took up a lot less room in the apartment and they were a cool novelty to show my non-comic book friends. I still have everyone of them today - nearly twenty years later. And I still enjoy reading comics from time to time. I have an annual subscription to Marvel Unlimited and still purchase the occasional digital comic from DC. For me it was always about the reading and enjoying the comics. That’s probably why my collection wasn’t worth much to anyone but me - because I actually read my comic books. But truth be told - I still have about 500 Superman comics from the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s stashed in the attic of a friends house.
As I have probably mentioned more than once on here and over on the ole Bronze Age Babies blog, I got rid of the vast majority of my collection in the 90s.
While back then I did not keep a close count (and didn't even have short or long boxes to keep them in, so I can't even guesstimate based on that), I probably had in the neighborhood of 750 comics. In the mid-90s I began clearing out stuff I wasn't that interested in (having stopped buying comics by 1989) by giving them to my mom to sell at her frequent yard sales (we'd split the profit). And then once I discovered eBay I sold the more "valuable stuff" including all the X-Men I owned in various lots.
The comics I kept were the ones that had the most sentimental value at the time. My ROMs (which rather than get rid of I used quarter boxes to complete the run) and my various Spider-Man and Fantastic Four comics.
The collection stayed static until about 2002 when I started buying handfuls of new comics every week again, but even then I usually cycled through them, gave a bunch away or sold them on eBay - so the collection stayed about the same size (I'd say about 300 comics), two short boxes. But then once I was in grad school comics became one of my central areas of scholarship and that was when I started going crazy buying back issues. It just ramped up and up - until I found myself re-collecting all my X-Men again.
In fact, my 5th anniversary post over at The Middle Spaces is about my re-acquiring of my X-Men comics (plus filling the gaps). Look for it on Tuesday (maybe I will come back here and add the link to a later comment).
As for the pros and cons. . . well, if you love comics and have the room and can afford it, collecting can be a lot of fun. I just enjoy hunting, reading, organizing, writing about comics. I don't have a lot of room, and have recently slowed down again, but I have acquired more comics in the last five years than I ever owned in my self-styled "heyday." I just did a quick count using my detailed spreadsheet and I have 2532 comics, not including magazine size comics or any trades.
You can see a pic of my short boxes here.
That is not a lot compared to some people's collections, but it is a lot for me. I am not that concerned with having "a lot" just having what interests me.
I have a similar story to the above posts. I got married in the early 1990's and I had around 14 long boxes full of comics, of which 5 were all various Spider-Man titles. The other 9 boxes were a mix of many different titles like X-Men, FF, DD, Avengers, Batman, Superman, Justice League, and etc. etc. I had full runs of Frank Miller's Daredevil, Byrne/Claremont X-Men, Byrne Fantastic Four, and many others, including some very nice Silver Age books like FF #18, 36, and 73, X-Men #10-17, and several Silver-Age issues of DD, and many others.
I was going to school, and money was tight, and I decided I would sell off all of my comics except for my Spider-Man books. So, I loaded up the car and drove all 9 boxes over to my local comic store, and the owner offered me a whopping $300 for the whole lot. I was pretty disappointed to say the least. So, I politely declined the offer and decided to sell them myself at yard sales and at the local flea market. And I must say I did much better than I would have if I'd sold them to my LCS. I remember clearing over $1000.00 in one weekend once. I don't really regret selling most of the comics, because I have a lot of in TPB collections, so I can still read them.
I do however kind of regret selling off all of my Star Wars toys for pretty cheap. I had two figures cases full of original Star Wars action figures, (around 40 or so) as well as many of the main space ships, and I sold the whole lot to a guy for around $100.00. That turned out to be a bad decision in the long run, but at the time to stuff wasn't going for what it does today. (This was about 10 years before the Star Wars prequels came out and renewed interest in the old figures and other toys). Plus everything was well played with as I had had them since I was 10 or 11.
I also eventually sold off my entire Spider-Man collection in 2013, and while I didn't get as much for it as I'd hoped I would, I got enough for a down payment on my house. So, I guess it was worth it in the end.
During my original comic purge, I ended up keeping a lot of my Silver-Age Daredevil books for some reason. So, I still have my DD #4, 7, 8, 10, 11, 15-17, and 19-21. I also kept my X-Men #35 (which guest starred Spider-Man). That's pretty much the entirety of my Silver-Age books now. I also kept my Marvel Team-Up #1 (but that's a Bronze-Ager).
Ugh, Mike! While I still have my Star Wars action figures in a closet, I put like four of the ships in the garbage in 2009 during a move! I really regret that. A millenium falcon, X-Wing, Cloud City pod ship and one other. I don't know what I was thinking! :(
I don't know why I wrote "Mike." I meant William. My bad! :/
Great topic.
I topped out somewhere around 4-5 thousand single issues, used to keep them organized with the comic collector's software...but have not updated in many years.
I finally stopped buying new monthlies (I was ordering monthly online, which beat running to my local shop every Wednesday) somewhere around 5 years ago--ending the Fantastic Four was the final nail in the coffin for me, and the last monthlies I bought. I was very much a marvel man, with the occasional DC or image if it was a creator I liked. But when Marvel started changing characters I had grown up with, I finally realized it was over for me. I still grab an occasional trade or graphic novel, and love the marvel omnibus editions of large runs.
But I digress....lol. On to the topic.
I still have most of my collection, and only ever sold off two portions. The first was the Uncanny X-Men issues from claremont and company....the Dark Phoenix saga up to around 240...not the complete run, but some great issues...That was dipping my toes in the selling aspect, and I really regret that sale. The money was ok, not great, but the money is now spent...and the books are gone.
It still stings when I think about the Paul Smith issues, and all those early JR,jr. issues when he was still developing his style. I had a lot of the Byrne issues reprinted in Classic X-men, so I did not have as much anxiety over those. But those Paul Smith issues, when he took over the Brood story line, it still hurts to think I sold those off.
My second sale was much easier. I sold Bendis and Bagley's Ultimate Spider-man 1-12 when they were still pretty hot. I think it was $150-200 for the 12 issues that cost me around $30. No problem selling those, I rarely think about. I have most of the rest of the run, but have not touched it in years....
Overall, I realized that I probably won't ever sell any more...even though the majority of my collection is worthless (full run of Quasar anyone?) I still enjoy having them "on hand".
Adam
@Dr. O: Maybe you were anticipating me being here later :) I feel your pain on the Star Wars stuff; I used to have an X-Wing and a Twin-Pod Cloud Car too. I still have most of my action figures, but someone stole my Boba Fett.
As for comics, I still have a lot of mine, though not many from when I was a kid ... they were victims of the perennial comic collector's nemesis, over-tidy parents. I mostly content myself with reprints, TPBs, and digital stuff these days, though for certain comics (like Warlord, All-Star Squadron, or MOKF) I definitely try to get originals if at all possible.
I'm in the process of selling and just listed a bunch.
I've thought of condensing things with the TBPs like others have mentioned. My problem is I dig the whole experience... the nostalgic smell of old paper, the ads, the letters, Stan's Soap Box, the full page ads with other comic book covers...
The nice thing about the sell off is I discovered I actually owned some bronze age comics from the 80s which I never recalled owning / purchasing I pretty much opted out of comcis around 1976ish). I think this may include on of Red's or Marti's fave of ASM called "The Kid who would be Spider Man" or something like that.
Ciao!
Well, I stopped collecting by mid 1980 and by 1983 they were all gone.
At first I planned on keeping them but the combined pressure from my dad to make space and the need for funds for my senior trip had made my decision.
Originally I was letting people pick thru as I sold them piece meal. I couldn't stand to see that happen any longer so I let it be known it was all or nothing. I sold off the rest for $200.
Like many I have bought back some favorite runs either thru the dollar bins or TPB's.
It's been fun getting reaquainted after 30 plus years.
Thanks for the fine commenting, everyone!
Allen- Your experienced disappointment with selling to a dealer is not uncommon. When I sold off my collection in 1990, it went to a couple of dealers. I cringe to think how much more I could have gotten. But hey, you have some cool figures to show for it! Oh, and a 'comic reader' is a great thing; collecting is fun, but reading is funner (as my son would say).
Dr. O- by all means, come back with a link. I look forward to reading your upcoming article! By the way, your comment about not being concerned with having 'a lot', but rather what interests you, really cuts to the heart of the whole discussion! That's what it's all about. And your pile of boxes is impressive enough, I'd like to rummage through your "Brand X" box...
William- glad to hear you kept those Silver Age gems you mentioned. Nice to have a few to hold and admire. I envy you that DD 7. One of these days (actually, I had a shot at one at a recent flea market: rough shape, but only 20 dollars. I'd have given in, but found out it was missing pages, including story pages; that's a killer).
Adam- you're right, those Omnibus editions are wonderful. Love the extras like original art pages and house ads. And no collection is 'worthless', if it's owned by someone who enjoys it! But say, do you have any "Team America"? Edo might be interested...lol!
Charlie- you nailed it with your comment about enjoying the paper, the ads, the "whole experience". That's why it's nice to keep some originals while still scaling down the the tpb's. You get the best of both worlds! Oh, and congratulations on your recent discoveries! Let me know how you like that "Kid Who Collects Spider-Man" tale. It's tops on this reader's ranking.
Killraven- it is indeed fun getting "reacquainted", and you gotta love those dollar bins. Without flea markets, I'd be sunk.
Late to this... lots of basketball has been watched in my house this weekend!
As I told the story back in the Bronze Age Babies days, I sold almost all of my comics (what's left is here not for lack of trying) plus my Megos, original art, some trade paperbacks, and various memorabilia. I still have a ways to go - most likely spring break and summer projects. I moved 13 longboxes of comics, so whatever that math comes out to is what I sold.
When I began I thought it wisest just to take the plunge, so the first auctions I listed were my copies of Avengers 1-20. As I opened the longbox, I was swept with a real feeling of melancholy. But that was quickly alleviated by the returns after sales. Now, some 3 1/2 years later, I'm happy to have created space for my wife to have a crafting area in the comic room. Honestly, the comics in the boxes had not been back out since stored, and I had stacks and stacks of newer unbagged books that I was making no effort to read. Writing was on the wall.
That is not to say that I don't enjoy comics anymore. Couldn't be further from the truth. Between collected editions and my DVD-ROMs, I read approximately 15-18 comics each week. And I love it! There are so many comics from the Silver Age through the Bronze Age that I've either not read or not read recently - it's like a bottomless well. And I take full advantage of the leisure time I have.
As to whether or not I'd buy comics again? Most likely not, although I've always thought it would be cool to use Mike's Amazing World of Comics to see what was on sale in June of 1966 (my birthday) and amass a copy of each comic book. But I most likely will not do that. Instead, I just keep buying trades/hardcovers and living in the past!
Doug
To whomever mentioned Corto Maltese a few weeks ago when we were talking about graphic novels: Thanks!!!
I broke out my copy of "Corto Maltese in Siberia" (French version) last night. Good stuff! Really Good Stuff!
Dr. O - I don't know if it's a graphic novel or not but Wikipedia says it is! Is it?
"Corto Maltese is an Italian adventure comics series, created by Hugo Pratt in 1967. It features an enigmatic sea captain who lives in the first three decades of the 20th century. The comics are highly praised as some of the most artistic and literary graphic novels ever written and have been translated into numerous languages."
Late to this one, as usual of late; as I think I may have mentioned here before, and certainly at the BAB, I purged my big, original collection of comics (including that whole run of the now nearly priceless, fan-favorite series Team America!) at the end of my senior year of high school (mid-1986), when my family moved from Oregon to California and we sold our house. I had stopped reading comics, my first big pause, about a year before, and just wanted to unload them - I basically sold them for peanuts, and even gave some away to a few younger guys at school. Anyway, I think there was someone in the area of a thousand comic books there, as well as digests and - probably my biggest regret - several of the the Fireside books (Son of Origins, Greatest Superhero Battles, etc.).
I drifted back into comics several times, but usually at the end of those phases I again simply unloaded them for next to nothing at the nearest LCS. While I love many aspects about the physical individual issues, they have a tendency to accumulate, and my current house is rather small, and both my partner and I have tons of books, so there would be no room for long-boxes. Currently, the single issues I have easily fit into a single short-box. Everything else I have is in tpbs, HCs or digital.
As promised I have returned to share the link to my latest post, Like a Phoenix: On Selective Completion & Re-Collecting X-Men, which discusses my getting rid of comics and then re-acquiring them.
It killed me to get rid of (sell, OK) my batman annuals and others back in the 80's to pay for grad school, sigh.
My collection is as large now as it ever has been - somewhere north of 10,000 comics and south of 11,000.
I did have a wobble last year and sold some early Avengers issues to 'test the water' as a seller. It wasn't traumatic but I did learn that I wasn't yet ready to become a hardcore seller.
The issue has been more time to read than space to store and I will get more time to read one day...I hope...
Please put me in your will.
Hey libraryguy, I'm a library guy too!
Then definitely put me in your will. Yup, am a faculty librarian at Seminole State College in central Florida.
Mike
Hi Mike - and I am Service Development Manager with Libraries Unlimited in the UK deliveing public libraries in the South West of England. Pleased to meet you - I'll have a word with my daughters about the will.
Post a Comment