c/comic-book-fans

Did the comic book fan community shift from loving the stories to just chasing variant covers?

I've been collecting since the early 90s and back then fans argued about writing and plots, but now at my local shop in Pittsburgh, every conversation is about which variant cover is going to skyrocket in value - what caused that switch over the last decade?

Tried reading the new Batman run vs the old Miller stuff side by side last night

I sat down with my coffee and read the first issue of the current Batman series and then followed it up with Year One. The difference in pacing and storytelling was night and day, the old stuff just grabbed me way tighter. Has anyone else felt like modern comics overthink it compared to the classics?

Question about the big comic book show in San Diego last summer

I went to SDCC 2023 and saw this huge crowd crushing in to get a Jim Lee signature. Some guy told me he waits 4 hours every year for stuff like this, but I just walked past and grabbed a sketch from a smaller artist instead. Which side are you on? Is it worth the long lines for the big names or better to stick with the lesser known tables? I'm curious where you focus your time at these events.

Heard a kid at Midtown Comics call a 1992 McFarlane Spider-Man a vintage book

I was flipping through the dollar bin and this teenager pointed at that McFarlane issue #1 and called it vintage. Made me realize I've been reading these things for over 30 years now. Back in my day we just called them old comics, not vintage. Anyone else feel weird when younger fans start treating stuff from your childhood like history?

I used to think variant covers were a scam until I saw one at a local con

I was at the Amazing Las Vegas Comic Con back in April, right? I walked past a booth where a guy was selling a 2014 variant cover of Saga #1 for $60. I almost kept walking, but he showed me the artwork close up, how the colors popped different from the regular print. He explained that some variants are limited to 500 copies, not the usual 5,000, so they actually become collector items fast. That changed my mind. Has anyone else had a similar experience with a variant cover that actually paid off?

Random kid at the comic shop made me rethink my pull list

This maybe 12 year old kid said 'why do you buy the same 5 books every month if you hate 3 of them?' Right out of nowhere. Made me realize I've been collecting out of habit for like 2 years. Anybody else get called out like that?

Found a guy at the flea market selling long boxes for $5 each last Sunday

Vent: That $60 variant cover of a #1 issue I bought last month

I used to think collecting every variant cover was the way to go for building a valuable collection. Last month I dropped 60 bucks on a foil variant for the first issue of some new series everyone was hyped about. The art looked amazing online but in person the foil just made the colors look dark and washed out. Now the book is sitting in a box and nobody in my local group is even interested in trading for it. I could have bought three regular issues for that price or even a nice trade paperback. I'm starting to think the whole variant cover game is just a way to get people like me to spend extra money on stuff that won't hold value. Has anyone else bought a cover that looked great in the preview but sucked in real life?

Appreciation post: That time a longbox saved my collection from a basement flood

I had my floppies in a cardboard box on the floor of my buddy's basement for like 2 years. Basement took on water last spring and the bottom inch of that box got soaked. I lost maybe 20 issues, including a first print of some indie book I was stoked on. Now I keep everything in a plastic longbox I got for $15 on Craigslist, even if it looks uglier. Has anyone else lost books to water damage and swapped to plastic?

A guy at a con in Dallas showed me how to bag and board comics in 10 seconds flat

I was at Fan Expo Dallas last month struggling to get my keys inside a Silver Age bag without crinkling the edges... and this older collector walks over and just shows me the trick. He had me slide the bag down over the book at an angle, then flip it straight - no more fighting with the flap. Has anyone else picked up a weird little method from a stranger that totally changed how you handle your collection?

Found the actual number of canceled comics in 1993 and it's crazy

I was digging through an old Wizard magazine archive and saw that Marvel canceled over 120 titles in 1993 alone during the speculator crash. Has anyone else looked into how many books got axed that year?

The moment I caught myself bagging comics wrong for 15 years

My local shop owner noticed I was sliding the comic into the bag spine-first instead of flap-first and showed me how that puts pressure on the staples, so who else learned a basic thing from a random conversation at the counter?

I used to think variant covers were a total cash grab until last Wednesday changed my mind

For years I rolled my eyes at variant covers. I figured they were just a way for Marvel and DC to squeeze another $5 out of me for a different drawing of Spider-Man. But last week at my local shop in Austin, the owner handed me a foil variant of a book I was about to skip. He said, 'Just look at the line work on this one, it tells a different story.' I spent 10 minutes comparing it to the regular cover and he was right. The variant had this grim detail in the background shadows that set the tone way better. Now I don't buy every variant I see, but I actually look at them now instead of just assuming they are junk. Has anyone else had a cover they dismissed at first then grew to appreciate?

PSA: Stop calling every indie comic a 'hidden gem' like you discovered something new

I was at a con last month and overheard three different guys describe the same Kickstarter-funded mini-series as a 'hidden gem' when it had over 5,000 backers and a bookstore deal. It drives me crazy when people toss that label around just to sound smart about their pull list. How do you tell the difference between an actual niche find and just something you happened to hear about first?

Overheard a kid at my local comic shop say he only reads Marvel for the movies.

Went to grab the new Dawn of X trade and this 14 year old told his buddy he doesn't bother with the comics because 'the movies explain everything better.' Been thinking about that all week, how do we even get new readers into the actual books anymore?

I actually liked the new 52 Superman run more than most fans did

Last month I decided to give the New 52 Superman comics a real shot after hearing nothing but hate for years. I read through the first 20 issues in three days and honestly found the younger, brasher Clark Kent refreshing. Yeah it was different from the classic version but that change made the stories feel less predictable. Has anyone else found a reboot or unpopular era that clicked with them better than expected?

My brother in law called me out on my comic gatekeeping

I was at a family BBQ last weekend and my brother in law mentioned he got into comics through the Marvel Zombies series. I almost rolled my eyes and said something about it not being "real" comics. But he kept talking about how much he loved the art and the story and I realized I was being a total snob for no reason. He reads comics now, that's awesome, who cares where he started? Has anyone else had to check themselves for being too picky about what counts as a "real" comic?

Went to a local con and saw how collectors treat their books

I used to bag and board everything without thinking about it, but a guy at Comic Con in Austin showed me his raw Silver Age issues that are still in great shape just from proper storage. Now I am more careful about humidity and sunlight instead of just throwing money at supplies. Has anyone else changed how they store their comics after seeing a collection in person?

Debate: should comic book fans gatekeep rare variants or share them with everyone?

I brought a rare ASM 300 variant to a local con last Saturday and got yelled at for showing it off by one guy while another dude thanked me for letting him hold it, so what do you think the right move is when you own something valuable?

That guy at the comic shop who laughed at my book

I was at Big City Comics on 34th Street last Saturday flipping through a new Batman issue when this older guy walked up and told me I was wasting my money on 'the corporate stuff.' He then handed me a beat-up copy of a 1986 indie comic and said this is what real fandom looks like. Has anyone else had a random collector lecture them about their reading choices?

Serious question: did that old school collector give me bad advice about bagging comics?

Back in March at a convention in Cleveland, this guy who's been collecting since the 70s told me to never use Mylar bags for silver age books. Said they trap moisture and ruin the spine over time. I listened to him and kept everything in standard poly bags. Now two of my keys from the early 60s have that weird acid migration staining on the back covers. Should I have gone with Mylar anyway? Anyone else get advice from a veteran collector that backfired?

Rant: My buddy Dave swore Earth X would fix my Marvel burnout

I've been reading the same 616 stuff for years and was getting bored. Dave kept telling me to try Earth X, said it was the best alternate Marvel story ever. I finally picked up the trade last month and he was dead wrong. The art is muddy and the plot makes no sense unless you've read every X-Men comic from the 80s. Has anyone else had a friend recommend a so-called 'hidden gem' that was just a mess?

Spent 3 hours hunting down a static problem on my pull list at the shop

Found out the new guy at the comic shop shuffled my box when he organized new arrivals. Took me calling them twice before someone bothered to check the back room.

My friend told me I was reading Watchmen wrong for years

He said stop focusing on the plot and look at the panel layouts instead, and after I spent an hour going back through issue 4 I saw the whole mirroring thing he was talking about and now I get why people call it a masterpiece.

Hot take: The way some fans treat new readers at conventions is a real problem

I went to my local comic con last weekend and saw two different dudes basically grill a kid for not knowing the exact issue number where a villain first showed up. Made the whole vibe awkward. On the flip side, I get why long time fans get annoyed when someone acts like they know everything but don't. So which side are you on - do we gatekeep to keep quality high or let anyone in and risk losing the deep lore culture?