Serious question, is gatekeeping at conventions getting worse?

I was at a small con in Portland last month and this older collector told a kid he couldn't look at a near-mint copy of Giant-Size X-Men #1 because his hands were dirty. The kid was maybe 12 and just super excited. I get protecting comics, but that felt rough. Has anyone else seen collectors treat new fans like they don't belong?

4 comments

4 Comments

cameronb522mo ago

Wait, the kid’s hands were actually dirty or the guy just assumed they were? I feel like there’s a difference between wiping down a book after a kid touches it and straight up telling them they can’t look at a comic at all. A lot of these older collectors treat their graded stuff like museum artifacts instead of… well, comics that are meant to be read and enjoyed. Kinda weird to gatekeep a 12 year old over some smudges, especially when they’re the ones keeping the hobby alive down the road.

veramiller1mo ago

Grabbed a spare napkin from the food court and handed it to the kid so he could wipe his hands, then let him look at the book.

amybarnes2mo ago

That guy just forgot what it was like to be a kid discovering comics for the first time.

sean_walker451mo ago

Does that guy actually think 12 year olds are gonna have perfect clean hands all the time? Like, that's just part of the deal when you share a hobby with kids.