c/comic-book-fans

Serious question, is it worth spending 4 hours to find a single missing issue to complete a 50-issue run?

I just spent an entire Saturday afternoon digging through boxes at three different shops in Phoenix to find Amazing Spider-Man #347, and I'm starting to think the hunt is more fun than actually having the complete set.

Warning: I thought the new 'Spider-Man' writer was gonna ruin the book

When they announced the new creative team for Amazing Spider-Man, I was ready to drop it. The last writer's run was a mess, and I figured this was just more of the same. But after reading the first three issues, I gotta admit, the character voices are spot on and the art is killer. They actually made me care about Peter's daily grind again, which I haven't felt in like 5 years. What finally sold me was issue #2, where he has that quiet talk with MJ on the fire escape. Anyone else get totally blindsided by a comic they were sure they'd hate?

Met a guy at a con in Atlanta who collects just one panel from every comic he reads

He was at a booth showing off a binder full of single pages, each in its own sleeve. He told me he started doing it after his first comic, Amazing Spider-Man #300, because he loved the art so much. Now he has over 400 panels from different books, and he said it makes him appreciate the artists more than the stories. Has anyone else met a collector with a super specific focus like that?

I thought the whole 'collecting for investment' thing was a total scam.

Then I saw a guy at a con in Chicago sell a raw copy of Ultimate Fallout 4 for over two grand because of the first Miles Morales. It wasn't graded, just in a nice bag and board. What's the most you've seen a modern book actually sell for?

Had a guy at the Denver Comic Con try to correct my entire reading order for $50.

He got mad when I said I just read what looks fun, and now I skip the 'expert' panels. Anyone else just read for fun and get grief for it?

PSA: I spent almost $200 on a 'rare' variant cover that turned out to be a fake.

I bought it from a seller at a con in Atlanta last year, and he swore it was a legit misprint. I got it graded and the company flagged it as a reprint right away. Has anyone else been burned by a fake comic they bought in person?

Appreciation post: Finally found that one missing issue after a year of looking

My Amazing Spider-Man #252 had a small tear on the cover. Wanted a better copy. Checked every shop and con in a three hour radius for a full year. Found a clean one at a small shop in Akron last Saturday. Paid $40, which felt fair. Anyone else hunt that long for a specific book?

Spent $80 on a custom frame for a signed comic and it completely saved the cover

The cheap backing I had before was starting to bend the pages, but this UV-protected one keeps it flat and safe. Anyone have a good source for affordable acid-free boards?

My entire long box of X-Men comics got soaked in a basement flood back in 2012.

I was moving apartments and had them stored at my parents' place in Cleveland, and a pipe burst right over the closet. I spent two days carefully separating every single page with wax paper, which saved about 80% of them. Has anyone else had a major comic rescue mission, and what was your method?

Appreciation post: My local shop's owner just gave my kid his first free comic

Last Saturday at 'The Final Page' in Springfield, he handed my 7-year-old a copy of 'Super Dinosaur' after seeing him stare at the cover. Has your local store ever done something that simple to hook a new fan?

I thought bagging and boarding every comic was overkill until a pipe burst.

My collection in the basement got soaked, but the ones I had in Mylar bags and backing boards from 2 years ago were completely fine. The rest were a total loss. What's the most unexpected thing that saved your collection?

Showerthought: A new collector at my shop in Toledo said my grading talk was gatekeeping new fans.

I realized I was making comics sound like a test you had to pass, so now I just show people my favorite page from a book first and talk about why the art hits me, which actually gets them to pick it up and read it.

Walked into my old comic shop in Akron and the vibe was totally different

I was back in my hometown last weekend and stopped by the place I used to hang out at every Saturday. Instead of longboxes and posters, half the floor space is now Funko Pops and those fancy statue cases. I heard a dad tell his kid, 'Pick one thing,' which hit me because we used to dig for cheap back issues for hours. Does anyone else's local spot feel more like a collectibles store now?

So I just realized I've been that annoying 'well actually' guy at my local shop for like 3 years, and it took a kid asking me a simple question to see it.

This guy at the Portland comic shop said collecting for value is the only real way to be a fan

I was in Cosmic Monkey Comics about a year ago, looking at some old X-Factor issues. A man next to me, holding a sealed Spider-Man #300, said, 'If you're not buying keys, you're just wasting shelf space.' He told me my reading copies were 'worthless' and that real fans focus on investment. It really stuck with me because I just love the stories. Does anyone else feel like this view misses the point of being a fan?

Just found out how many people actually read comics on their phones now

I was reading an article on a comic news site yesterday, and it said a survey showed over 60% of new readers use digital apps as their main way to read. I mean, I still buy physical floppies, so that stat really threw me. I guess it makes sense with how easy it is to carry your whole collection now. Has anyone else switched to mostly reading on a tablet or phone, or are you still holding out for paper?

Just found out how many people at my local con were first-timers

I was talking to the organizer of the Emerald City Comic Con after the event, and he told me over 40% of attendees this year had never been to a con before. That blew my mind because the energy felt so different, way more mainstream. Are other people seeing this huge shift at their local cons too?

Looking through some old comics I found a price tag that stopped me

I was sorting a box of my old X-Men comics from the early 90s and found a copy of Uncanny X-Men #282. The original price sticker from my local shop, Comics Plus in Akron, was still on it. It was $1.25. I checked online and a decent copy goes for over $75 now. I knew prices went up, but seeing that exact number from my childhood really hit home. Does anyone else have a specific comic that makes you realize how much the hobby has changed?

Showerthought: I found a way to get my non-reader friends into comics that actually worked

Instead of pushing big events, I gave my friend a single, self-contained graphic novel, 'The Underwater Welder' by Jeff Lemire, and he finished it in one sitting and asked for more.

Appreciation post: Overheard a guy at the convention in Atlanta say 'collecting is about the story, not the slab' and it really stuck with me.

Honestly, I was in line for a signature and this older collector was telling a younger kid that he'd rather have a beat-up copy of Amazing Fantasy #15 he could actually read than a perfect 9.8 sealed in plastic, which made me think about why I got into comics in the first place.

I keep seeing people mix up the original Secret Wars with the 2015 version

I was at the Portland comic shop last week and heard three different folks refer to the 2015 'Secret Wars' event as the one where Spider-Man got the black suit. That was the 1984 series by Jim Shooter. The 2015 one by Jonathan Hickman is a completely different story about Battleworld. It matters because they're foundational events with very different impacts on Marvel continuity. Has anyone else noticed this mix-up happening more often?

TIL most people think comic fans only care about the movies now

I was at a local shop in Cincinnati last week and overheard a guy telling his friend that 'nobody reads the books anymore, they just watch the films.' That's just not true. Our weekly pull list at that same shop is still over 200 books, same as it was five years back. The movies brought in new people, sure, but the core fans are still here for the monthly stories. We talk about Hickman's X-Men run or what's happening in 'Daredevil' way more than we debate the latest CGI fight scene. It matters because it writes off a whole, active part of the hobby. Makes me wonder, what's one thing you've seen people get totally wrong about comic fans lately?

That time a comic shop owner in Denver let me hold a first print of Amazing Fantasy #15

I was visiting a small shop off Colfax Avenue about six months ago, just browsing the back issue bins. The owner, an older guy named Frank, saw me looking at some early Spider-Man stuff and asked if I was a real fan. We got talking, and next thing I know, he's pulling out a slabbed copy of Amazing Fantasy #15 from his personal safe. He actually took it out and let me hold it, gloves on of course. The debate I want to start is about shop culture. On one side, that kind of trust and shared passion is what makes comic fandom special. On the other, some might say it was a huge risk with a book worth over a million dollars. That moment, just holding that piece of history, made my whole trip. Do you think most shop owners would ever do something like that, or is that level of trust totally gone now?

Appreciation post: That time I found a 1990s comic in a dollar bin because of a weird spine trick

Used to hunt for old X-Men issues at flea markets. A dealer in Akron told me to look for a specific printing error on the spine glue. Found a copy of Uncanny X-Men #281 for a buck last month because of it. Anyone else have a weird physical detail they always check for?

Had to pick between a mint Amazing Fantasy 15 or a down payment on my first house back in 2010

The comic was $50,000 at a convention in San Diego, and the house was a fixer-upper in Cleveland. I picked the house, obviously, but man, I still think about that book sometimes when I'm fixing a leaky faucet. Anyone else ever pass on a grail for a real-world reason?