Comic Book Collecting

[horrorhunter]

Two questions for fellow collectors: 1) How do you handle storage? I have a room full of comics and am running out of places to store new purchases. 2) Is there a comic convention devoted to comics? I gave up on San Deigo after 1993 when it was clear the convention had become a celebration of culture rather than just comics (anybody else remember the good ol days at the Cortez?) I’d really like to attend a convention where there are just rows and rows of long boxes awaiting!

Other things on my mind at the moment are the necessity of slabbed books due to unidentified restoration ( like Hulk 181 with a variety of “creative” additions of the  missing MVS) and the current rise of photocopied books produced because their content has fallen into public domain. Is that practice really a good thing ?

Sounds like you have an excellent collection, Rex fury!

In response to your questions:

1) I use 1 mil Mylar bags for everything (Bill Cole Arklites) and books worth over $200-$300 get put inside a thick Mylar snug (still sealed in the Arklite). I think it's important to protect books from the air so I use tiny labels to seal the flaps. I also use backing boards that are acid-free throughout. At some point I'll be double-bagging all less expensive issues to save room, and the spines are better supported when double-bagged. Just make sure to use backing boards that are acid-free throughout (the cheaper backing boards with the acid-free buffer on one side won't protect the book in the back). I also have all of my magazines and digest-size books in the thin Mylar bags. I store my collection in acid-free boxes, and double stack the boxes on long tables 2 rows to each table.

2) I haven't been to a con in several years since I've been caring for my elderly mother. The last ones I regularly attended were various small toy shows and comic conventions in Knoxville TN, and the quarterly Atlanta Comic Convention (which was 90% comics and very little BS). I added a lot of good books to my collection over the years at that Atlanta con.

Re: slabbed books to detect resto: If I wanted an expensive book I couldn't inspect in person (every...damn...page), like from eBay, a slabbed copy would be preferable if you could trust the slabbers. CBCS is probably the best bet, CGC is still okay but their grading standards seem to have slipped a bit with the volume they do, and PGX has lost credibility with most collectors. I'm not a "slab guy" but at least you would have some indication of the resto or lack thereof. Of course if you trust the seller you ordered it from the point is moot.

Re: photocopied books: I see nothing wrong with it as long as it's represented correctly. I bought a $10 full size copy of the Eerie #1 ashcan because I didn't want to drop 2 grand for an original. As far as I'm concerned that completed my Eerie run because the only way I'll ever own an original Eerie #1 ashcan is if I trip over it cheaply from someone who didn't know what they had (fat chance since so few were made so Warren could secure legal ownership of the Eerie title name and piss off Myron Fass...who spitefully then named his company Eerie Publications). 

[John Pertwee]

The only TRUE comic con that is just about comics is Air Cap here in Wichita, KS. Zero media guests and plenty of Artists and Writers are there every year plus dealers that have comics.
https://www.aircapcomiccon.com/

Oafcon in Norman Ok comes in second. That con always has great Golden and Silver Age comics I never see elsewhere.

[Hepcat]

What are those magazine cabinets called, or where can you get them?

They're called lateral filing cabinets. Mine are made by Global. They're available at Staples or any office supply store. They might have to order one to fit your specifications for height and colour. I had to custom order mine to get a flip top bottom section.

 

[Mike Scott]

They're called lateral filing cabinets.

Thanks! 

[BigShadow]

I collect all kinds of comic books, from new to Platinum Age.  However, I think I'm going to forgo new titles except Action Comics, Detective Comics, Batman, and Superman, and concentrate more on Silver and Golden Age books.  The new stuff is just so...blah.

[Mike...In 3-D!]

Two questions for fellow collectors: 1) How do you handle storage? I have a room full of comics and am running out of places to store new purchases. 2) Is there a comic convention devoted to comics? I gave up on San Deigo after 1993 when it was clear the convention had become a celebration of culture rather than just comics (anybody else remember the good ol days at the Cortez?) I’d really like to attend a convention where there are just rows and rows of long boxes awaiting!

1) Bookshelves. I use standard backing boards and higher grade bags (Mylite 2). I go for the nicer bags mostly because they give a really nice gloss to the covers. I file them standing up on bookshelves, making sure to alternate the spines. This is less important on shelves, but I highly recommend it if you store them in boxes. Especially if you're not using backing boards. This helps prevent spine rolling.

2) In Michigan there's a smaller con called Great Lakes Comic-Con, which I really liked. It was mostly comics and comic vendors and I found some really good stuff at fair prices there.

I've been collecting off and on since I was a kid, but got serious when I started college. I even worked at a shop for about 6 years and that's what really opened my eyes to all the wondrous things out there. I collect a little of everything, but I've started to drop off on super hero stuff in recent years. I was just getting tired of recycled stories and nothing big ever happening, or books constantly getting cancelled and brought back.

[Rex fury]

Great comments and suggestions for storage options and the value of photocopied books. The one comic I’ve been considering in photocopied format is Startling Comics 49. Like many of us I love the Schomburg robot cover. I had an original copy, but parted with it several years ago. Unfortunately I wasn’t impressed with the book’s interior contents and didn’t realize how much I’d miss  it. I get kind of a kick out of the fact that all the photocopied versions I’ve seen for sale are from the same single original copy-lol-

Anybody have a favorite golden age story?  Of all the choices out there I think mine is Young Allies 4. The story’s villain is the Red Skull, Cap and the torch make guest appearances, while the kids ride their bikes to the scene of the crime! It’s a mixture of superhero, kid gang , and horror genres. I really enjoy it.

Finally, thanks for the suggestions on comic conventions. I checked out the information on Oafcon and will try to get to Ok next fall assuming the con is happening .
RF

[horrorhunter]

Here are scans of my first five issues of Marvel's Conan.











Conan is an excellent series which ran 275 issues, 12 Annuals, and 5 Giant-Size issues. I finally completed my run around 5 years ago after working on it since I started collecting in the 1975. Written by "Rascally" Roy "The Boy" Thomas adapted from and inspired by the great Robert E. Howard, drawn by Barry Smith (pre Windsor  ) and later "Big" John Buscema, the first decade of Marvel's Conan is a real joy for Sword & Sorcery Fans. It's generally accepted that Conan kicked off the Bronze Age of Comics, though there is the inevitable debate concerning this, however everyone at least agrees that Conan #1 is one of the books which started the Bronze Age in 1970. Conan's popularity also spawned the magazine Savage Sword Of Conan which ran 235 issues and 1 Annual, and was a big part of the mag Savage Tales, and a few issues of Marvel Treasury Edition. Later on other volumes of Conan were published including some good work by Dark Horse Comics.

[Hepcat]

In Michigan there's a smaller con called Great Lakes Comic-Con, which I really liked. It was mostly comics and comic vendors and I found some really good stuff at fair prices there.

I think the "Golden Age" of comicons may have been the early 1990's - at least in Toronto. In the 1980's the big shows in hotel convention halls didn't attract big-time dealers from the States and the selection of comics was generally limited to Silver Age Marvel and Bronze Age comics. As a collector of Silver Age DC and other less commonly found titles from the 1950's to the early 1960's, there were times when I ended up not buying anything for my collection. By the early 1990's though Harley Yee and Motor City Comics from Detroit were setting up at Toronto shows and I was finding lots of offerings to tempt me.

By early in the 21st century though the big Toronto comicon had rebranded itself as the Fan Expo and had gotten too big and unwieldy with the comic dealers "lost" in the crowd of booths offering everything and anything pop culture related. I now avoid the biggest shows and target only the smaller more specific comic shows.

 

[Doh!]

I don't have a huge comic collection by any means, but one of my favorite sets is the Vault of Horror hardcover reprints from 1982. I got my copy several years after the fact, and it's still available, albeit at a much higher price than I paid:

https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Vault-Horror-EC-Comics/dp/B002SRGO3A

Johnny Craig was my favorite artist of those guys, followed closely by Jack Davis!

[Rex fury]

Nice collections of Gorgo and Conan guys. In the Gorgo books I always enjoy Ditko’s depiction of divers. While George Evans probably came the closest to drawing hard hat gear accurately (Piracy 7), Ditko had a way with underwater scenes that are just awesome to look at.
I’m a huge fan of Conan as well. I really enjoyed Barry Smith’s run and early artwork. Unfortunately one of my least favorite memories is having Smith sign some early books for me. Apparently he isn’t as fond of his early work and literally scribbled on a Conan 1 and an X-Men 53 that I’d ask him to sign. I was really disappointed ☹️. That being said, I still look for and enjoy his work from Silver/ Bronze Age Marvel and Gorblimy Press.
Anyone read the new Conan comic by a small publishing house (can’t recall the company name)? I thought it was on par with the current Marvel output. I’m not a fan of having Conan in the Avengers, etc. The  smaller house did a great job of just adapting Howard.
I continue to enjoy this thread!
RF

[Hepcat]

I’m a huge fan of Conan as well. I really enjoyed Barry Smith’s run and early artwork. Unfortunately one of my least favorite memories is having Smith sign some early books for me. Apparently he isn’t as fond of his early work and literally scribbled on a Conan 1 and an X-Men 53 that I’d ask him to sign. I was really disappointed ☹️.

I'm not much into autographs anyway, but the last thing I'd ever get signed is a comic or magazine cover. I won't buy such a comic or magazine for my collection either.

 

[horrorhunter]

I don't have a huge comic collection by any means, but one of my favorite sets is the Vault of Horror hardcover reprints from 1982. I got my copy several years after the fact, and it's still available, albeit at a much higher price than I paid:

https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Vault-Horror-EC-Comics/dp/B002SRGO3A

Johnny Craig was my favorite artist of those guys, followed closely by Jack Davis!

Those slipcased EC hardcover reprints are great, Doh! Like you, I bought mine back in the day when they were much cheaper. I picked up the Vault Of Horror, Tales From The Crypt, and Haunt Of Fear sets and still treasure them. Wow, by that Amazon price I'm glad I didn't wait. Sheesh.

[horrorhunter]

Here's some Johnny Craig goodness:







I only have 5 original ECs in my collection and I'm glad to have these 3 Vault Of Horror issues. Craig and Feldstein were great, but my favorites are Jack Davis and "Ghastly" Graham Ingels, and of course, the spectacular Frank Frazetta.

[horrorhunter]

I’m a huge fan of Conan as well. I really enjoyed Barry Smith’s run and early artwork. Unfortunately one of my least favorite memories is having Smith sign some early books for me. Apparently he isn’t as fond of his early work and literally scribbled on a Conan 1 and an X-Men 53 that I’d ask him to sign. I was really disappointed ☹️. That being said, I still look for and enjoy his work from Silver/ Bronze Age Marvel and Gorblimy Press.
Anyone read the new Conan comic by a small publishing house (can’t recall the company name)? I thought it was on par with the current Marvel output. I’m not a fan of having Conan in the Avengers, etc. The  smaller house did a great job of just adapting Howard.
I continue to enjoy this thread!
RF

I have a few signed books but they are from back when the 1st page was signed instead of the cover the way they do now. A signed front cover I'm not really interested in, especially at the prices artists charge these days. I prefer Barry Smith's earlier work from the '70s to his later stuff.

I agree that Conan should stay in his own REH Hyborian Age with bloody violence, scantily clad wenches, evil magic, and monsters! Too much reimagining has been done over the past 40 years in comics and it's led to a lot of goofy storytelling. I haven't bought new comics in years, but some of the best more-recent ones I bought regularly were the Dark Horse Conan issues.