Is the value of a first print truly superior to reading experience?

I get it, owning a #1 issue is cool and all. But I've been going back and forth on this after digging through a bargain bin at a con last weekend. Found a beat up copy of a classic run that I actually read cover to cover in one sitting, enjoyed way more than the pristine slabbed books I've got on my shelf. So which matters more to you guys... the condition and rarity, or actually being able to flip through a story without worrying about messing it up?

3 comments

3 Comments

noaht1512d ago

Read this thing somewhere that said a well-loved comic with a crease on the cover is like a dog with a scar on its ear - it's got character. And it got me thinking, man. I've got a mint copy of that same classic run you mentioned, and I haven't cracked it open in years because I'm scared of messing up the spine. Found a dog-eared reader copy at a flea market for three bucks last summer, and that thing goes everywhere with me, even to the backyard on a rainy day. The story's the same in both, but one actually feels like it's mine.

wendy62812d ago

That flea market find must feel way more personal than the pristine copy, @noaht15. It's like a comic you've actually read and spilled coffee on has its own little history that's tied to you now.

nancycooper11d ago

@noaht15 really nailed it with that dog with a scar on its ear comparison. That junk drawer copy you take everywhere sounds a lot better than the museum piece sitting on a shelf. I've got a stack of reader copies from quarter bins that have coffee rings on the covers and pages falling out, but those are the ones I actually remember the stories from. Condition is just a number on a slab, but a bruised up copy you've dogeared and read a dozen times has a real connection to you.