c/comic-book-fans

Hit 100 issues of Daredevil in my collection yesterday, didn't realize I had that many

Saw the difference in comic book fans at my local shop over 5 years

I used to walk into Dragon's Lair in Cleveland and people would just grab their pull list and chat about the art, but now half the crowd is there arguing about movie casting rumors. What's causing this shift away from the actual comics to just the hype around adaptations?

That variant cover trend I rolled my eyes at back in 2018 has really grown on me

I remember when stores started pushing those exclusive variant covers for every big event. I thought it was just a cash grab, especially when my local shop had 5 different versions of the same Batman issue. But after picking up a Skottie Young variant for $15 at a convention last summer, I finally got it. The art tells a different story sometimes, and it makes hunting for back issues more fun. Now I check eBay every month for older variants I missed, especially the ones from smaller artists who got their big break later. Has anyone else switched their stance on variant covers after seeing one that really clicked with them?

Question about whether gatekeeping in comics is actually helpful or just toxic

I heard a guy at my local shop this weekend say policing new readers keeps the culture from getting watered down, but then I thought about how my own nephew almost quit because someone mocked him for not knowing who the original Captain Marvel was, so which side actually wins out in the end?

Question about the guy who brings graded comics to meetups

I was at a comic book fan meetup last Saturday in Portland and this one dude pulled out a CGC 9.8 Spider-Man #300. He was passing it around for everyone to hold and I just froze up. I told him straight up I didn't want to touch it because my hands were greasy from pizza. He got kind of defensive about it being his showpiece but I told him he should keep it in the slab for safety. Has anyone else dealt with someone bringing super expensive books out in the open like that?

Ditched floppy singles for grab bags at a local shop near Philly last year

Used to dig through dollar bins for 20 minutes to find one Batman issue, now I just grab a $10 mystery pack of 50 random comics. Anyone else switch to bulk lots for the surprise factor?

A LCS owner back in 2008 told me to stop buying variant covers, best advice I ever got

I was in college and spending all my cash on like 5 variants of the same issue thinking they'd be worth something someday. This old guy named Pete who ran a shop in St. Paul told me I was wasting money. He said variants are for flipping not collecting and most of them end up in dollar bins. He was dead right. I got boxes full of variants that are worth maybe half what I paid. Now I just buy the regular cover I like best and move on. Anyone else get bad advice about variants or collecting from a shop owner?

I finally learned my lesson about those comic book variant covers on eBay

So I got into collecting those ratio variant covers about 6 months ago, the ones where you have to buy like 10 copies of a regular issue to get one. I dropped $200 on a Batman variant that was supposed to be super limited, and when it showed up, the condition was way worse than the listing photos showed. The corners were all dinged up and there was a crease down the middle that wasn't in the pics. I tried to get a refund but the seller ghosted me after I filed the claim. Now I'm stuck with a beat up comic that'll never resell for what I paid. I see people posting these flashy variant hauls all the time in the Facebook groups, so I figured it was safe. Has anyone else gotten burned on a variant cover that didn't match the photos?

Spent $140 on a signed first issue of a minor Batman run and it's worth maybe $20 now

Bought it at a con in Austin last summer from a seller who hyped it up as a hidden gem, but after checking sold listings online it tanked in value, has anyone else dropped cash on a comic that just flopped on the resale market?

Used to think variant covers were a total scam, then I picked up one at a con in Portland

For years I only bought standard covers because I figured variant covers were just a way to drain extra cash from collectors. Then last March at the Rose City Comic Con I saw a Skottie Young variant of a book I actually liked, and it was only $15 more than the regular cover. The art had this silly vibe that matched the story perfectly, and it made me appreciate the whole reading experience more. Now I only grab variants if the artist is someone I follow or if the cover tells a joke that ties into the plot. Do you guys hunt for specific variant artists or just grab whatever catches your eye on the shelf?

The way people call every indie comic 'Image style' is driving me crazy

Honestly I was at a con in Portland last month and overheard this guy talking about a new book saying 'oh yeah it's got that Image look.' Not every book with thin line art and muted colors is an Image comic. Image puts out tons of stuff with totally different art styles. Why do people lump them all together like that? Has anyone else noticed this oversimplification hurting how we talk about art?

Had to pick between two weekly pull lists and went with the smaller shop

I moved across town 3 months ago and had to decide between this big chain store that had every variant cover in stock and a tiny hole-in-the-wall that barely gets new issues on Wednesdays. The small shop owner actually remembered my name by week two and pulls aside 90s indie runs he thinks I'd like based on what I grab. Anyone else find that the personal touch at a local shop beats having every single comic on release day?

That Wednesday my local shop got a DC variant in by accident

I walked into Cosmic Comics last Wednesday just to grab the new ASM, and the owner had accidentally gotten a case of the DC Comics Direct variant of issue 1. He sold it to me for cover price, $4.99, before he realized the mix up. Has anyone else stumbled into a store error that worked in your favor?

I think the 90s X-Men cartoon actually got worse after season 2

Everyone always says the animated series peaked later but I rewatched it last month and season 1 has way more focus on the actual team dynamics. After they switched voice directors around season 3 the pacing got all jumpy and they kept cramming in too many guest characters. I know people love the Phoenix Saga episodes but the animation quality took a hit around that time too. Am I the only one who thinks the simpler early episodes hold up better?

Pro tip: found a hidden cameo in the background of a 90s X-Men issue

I was re-reading Uncanny X-Men #275 from 1991 and spotted a tiny Stan Lee head in a crowd panel that I'd never noticed in 20 years. Did you guys know about this or did I just find something obscure?

Still think graded comics are a waste of money

I used to buy raw issues and read them cover to cover. Spent maybe $10 a week at my local shop in Portland. Then I watched a guy pay $400 for a 9.8 copy of Ultimate Spider-Man #1 just to keep it sealed. That changed my mind. I still don't grade everything but I get my keys slabbed now. Who else feels like grading killed the fun of flipping through issues?

My longbox gave out on me at the worst possible time...

I was reorganizing my basement last Saturday and went to move my longbox with all my 90s X-Men issues... and the bottom just gave way. Must have been the humidity or just age but the cardboard split right down the middle and about 200 issues went everywhere. I spent the next three hours sorting through them on the floor trying to get them back in order. My issue #266 got a little bent on the corner which still bugs me. I ended up having to buy a new plastic bin from Home Depot for like 15 bucks to hold everything. Has anyone else had an old longbox just fail on them like that?

Comparing old school spinner racks to modern comic book shelves

I used to love digging through those metal spinner racks at my local convenience store back in the 90s, just flipping issue after issue without any order. Then I started buying from a shop that organized everything by series and event, and it felt too clean, like the joy of the hunt was gone. Anyone else think the messier approach actually made finding a random good comic more special?

Tried reading a digital comic vs floppy issue and it's not even close

I grabbed a digital copy of Ultimate Spider-Man on my tablet last week cause it was on sale for $1.99, but after 20 minutes of zooming and scrolling I just ordered the physical issue. Nothing beats that fresh ink smell and the way the pages feel in your hands, and my dog customers always say the same thing. Anyone else find digital just feels like homework?

Pro tip: Stop calling every indie book an 'Image clone' without reading it

I was at my local shop in Austin last Saturday and this guy picked up a gritty crime comic and goes 'oh another Image clone.' The book was set in 1970s Detroit with zero superhero or sci-fi elements. How can you lump something like that in with Saga or The Walking Dead just because it's not Marvel or DC?

That rare 90s comic I thought was overpriced turned out to be a steal

I saw a guy at a convention in Portland asking $80 for a beat up copy of X-Men #1 from 1991. I rolled my eyes hard because I figured he was just another flipper trying to cash in. Then he showed me it was a newsstand variant with a printing error on the cover, and I checked eBay later that night. Those are going for like $200 now even in rough shape. Has anyone else had a gut feeling about a book being fake that turned out to be legit?

Changed my mind about golden age comics after talking to a collector at the shop

I used to think golden age stuff was boring and just for old timers. But last Saturday a guy named Dave at my LCS showed me an old Action Comics #1 reprint and talked about how those stories set up everything we read today. He pointed out that Superman's first appearance had him fighting a wife beater and corrupt politicians, not aliens. I never realized how grounded and bold those early issues were. Has anyone else had their opinion flipped by a random conversation at a comic shop?

A guy at my shop told me to stop bagging my comics and I laughed at him

He said the poly bags trap moisture and can actually damage the books over time. I thought he was nuts until I pulled out a 90s X-Men issue I had stored in a bag for 10 years. The spine was all warped and there was this weird sticky residue on the cover. Switched over to just boards and a box after that. Anyone else had old bags ruin a book?

Finally tracking down an old back issue took me 4 months

Everyone says you can find any comic online these days but I spent from January to April trying to get a 1993 issue of a minor X-Men spinoff. I checked 5 local shops, 3 conventions, and had to message 8 different sellers on a buy/sell group before one guy had it. The funny thing is I finally found it in a dollar bin at a shop I almost skipped because it looked closed. Why do people keep acting like every old issue is easy to track down when some of them are total ghosts?

Was dead wrong about Invincible being overhyped

Honestly, I avoided Invincible for years because I thought it was just another generic superhero comic riding on Walking Dead hype. But last month my buddy at the shop in Portland made me read the first trade, and I got through all 144 issues in like 10 days. The character writing and how Mark's choices actually have real consequences totally won me over. Has anyone else had a series they dismissed that turned out to be legit?