Comics / Cult Favorite

The Joy of Collecting

By Philip Schweier
August 24, 2009 - 16:43

Sometimes people will ask me how I got into comic books in the first place, and I’m sure it’s a conversation shared by many a fan in many a comic shop. Maybe it was the 1978 Superman film, or one of the many Saturday morning cartoons. Some have their grandparents to blame, buying comics as a cheap way to entertain the kids during a visit.

I’m not ashamed to say I was the kid in the neighborhood who shared his enjoyment of comic books with the other kids. Looking back I can see the analogy toward drug dealing (“First one’s free, kid.”) A few caught the bug, a few didn’t. Same situation at school, though the nuns at my Catholic school actively discouraged me from bringing comic books to class.

One of my unknown allies at the time was Mrs. Macklin, who happened to be the librarian at the high school. Her son Tony is still a friend of mine, and she once pointed out to my mom that while comic may leave a bit to be desired as reading material, at least we were reading.

Not only did I buy the new comic books coming out, but there was a monthly flea market that offered me access to piles of older comics from the 1960s. They educated me about the development of the Silver Age, as well as teaching me who was originally a villain in the Marvel Universe, only to become a hero later, or vice versa.

And I like to think it paid off. As I got older I became an avid reader, and have at times read books for entertainment that are usually reserved for school reading lists. You just can’t go wrong with Mark Twain.

But fandom of any type has roots, and every passion has its own culture. Golf, music, and yes, even comic books. It’s often a challenge to find someone you can sit with and talk endlessly about the merits of Kyle Rayner vs. Hal Jordan, or who was the better artist on any given X-Men title. Sure, there are chat rooms, but it’s much more satisfying to do it face to face.

A friend of mine and I have often spoken of starting some sort of comic book club, but that would open the door to a bunch of dorks. And yes, I am aware of the irony in that statement. For a 44-year-old to say such a thing is very much a calling the kettle black situation.

But comics are a passion of mine, and in my less lucid moments I would love to read comics for a living, or run a comic shop. I’d never do it because I know I have no head for commerce and would run the business into the ground.

But I get tremendous joy out of exploring new comic shops, finding treasures long thought forgotten. Maybe an old hardbound collection of newspaper strips, or a pile of 1970s tabloid editions. I imagine how it’s how Howard Carter felt when he discovered King Tut’s tomb. Unfortunately the novelty wears off fairly quickly after making my purchase, but is replaced by looking forward to reading my new-found treasures.

The best stores are usually those that are off the beaten path. I have found they usually have wider selections at better prices, enabling me to rebuild the collection I sold off back in the early 1990s. If I had any brains I would’ve simply put them in storage for several more years.

At the time, I’d grown weary of the gimmicks, like Superman’s non-death and Spider-Man’s wedding, not to mention the endless variant covers using die-cuts and foil stamping. So, fool that I am, I dumped about 80 percent of my collection.

But for the past several years I have been rebuilding it – we have the technology – bigger and better than before. It’s a challenge, sometimes buying individual issues one at a time at one shop or another, or at the annual convention. Buying online helps, but given the additional cost of shipping, it has to be a pretty good deal for me to follow that route.

Last year at this time I had a 20-page want list; now I’m down to six pages. At this rate I’ll have met my goals by next summer. I’m not sure that’s a bad thing, but I have to wonder what I will be looking for then. I’m sure I would have trouble coming up with more and more titles I would want.

Perhaps I’ll move on to my movie collection. But that’s another Web page.

Praise and adulation? Scorn and ridicule? E-mail me at philip@comicbookbin.com

Last Updated: August 31, 2023 - 08:12