c/comic-book-fans

20

diana_king•7d ago

I used to think variant covers were a waste of money until I saw one at a con in Chicago

I always figured variant covers were just a way for publishers to grab more cash from collectors. Last month at a comic show in Chicago, I saw a guy selling a Dave McFarlane variant from the 90s for $80. I asked why it mattered and he showed me how the art told a different story on the cover than the regular one. Now I get that some variants actually add value to the reading experience, not just the price tag. Anyone else changed their mind about a specific comic trend after seeing it in person?

20

casey393•8d ago

Overheard a kid at my LCS say he only buys comics for the variant covers

Made me realize half the people in the shop probably haven't read a full story arc in years and I wonder if that's why the new writer on my favorite title keeps getting canned after 6 issues, what's your shop looked like lately?

0

vera_lewis•8d ago

Can we stop pretending those graded slab cases are worth the money?

I spent $80 on a CGC case for a minor key issue, only to find out later the inner well was scratched and now the book's value is basically nothing.

17

wyatt_shah85•8d ago

Dude at my shop told me I was bagging my comics wrong for grading

He pulled out a comic I'd prepped and showed me how the microchamber paper was bunching up on the spine corners. Has anyone else had a grader ding them for something you thought was perfect?

12

blair626•11d ago

Stopped by a comic shop in Portland and watched a guy argue for 20 minutes about Silver Surfer's board

He kept insisting the board is sentient and has feelings, has anyone else run into a fan with a weirdly specific headcanon that they treat like gospel?

30

wesley_thompson•11d ago

Finally filled that gap in my X-Men run after 3 years of hunting

I was at a tiny booth at the Minneapolis con last Saturday and the guy had the exact issue I needed behind a stack of old Wizard magazines, but the corner was bent so I had to talk him down from $15 to $8 right there while he was trying to pack up.

28

sean_walker45•12d ago

Back in 2009 an older collector at a con in Philly handed me a beat up issue of Swamp Thing

He just said "read this one slow, kid" and walked off. I still think about that moment when I start rushing through a stack. Anybody else have a random stranger change how you read comics?

16

zara_hill46•13d ago

Am I the only one who thinks reading single issues beats trades for pacing?

I read through House of X/Powers of X as single issues week by week and the hype was unreal, then my buddy handed me the trade and said it was better. Reading it all in one go made me miss the cliffhanger punch from each issue, especially the Moira reveal landing on that last page. Has anyone else felt like the wait between issues adds something the collected edition just doesn't have?

17

diana_king•13d ago

I finally saw what happens when a shop gets too big for its own good

There's a comic shop near me that's been around since the 90s. Back then, the owner knew everybody's name and what books they pulled. Last 18 months, they moved to a bigger space and hired a bunch of part-timers who don't care. I went in last week to grab my pull list and none of my books were set aside. The kid at the counter just shrugged and said 'check the new arrivals wall.' Has anyone else watched a shop go from solid to frustrating like that?

4

wright.kevin•13d ago

Overheard a kid calling a key issue a 'variant cover' and felt old

Was at a con last Saturday and some teenager pointed at a Batman #423 and called it a 'variant cover'. I had to bite my tongue. Back in 1989 that was just the newsstand copy, no one called it a variant. Made me think about how the whole collecting scene flipped since the speculator boom of the 90s. Now every book has 5 covers and the word 'variant' lost all meaning. Anyone else feel like the language around comics got way more complicated than it needs to be?

16

joseph932•14d ago

Rant: The exact moment I hit 500 issues in my collection felt weird

I was just sorting through my long boxes last weekend, not really paying attention, and decided to actually count everything. Hit exactly 500 issues... and it honestly didn't feel as cool as I thought it would. Half of them are just filler issues from the 90s that I grabbed for a dollar each at a shop in Portland. Is there a point where you realized quantity doesn't matter as much as having a few key story arcs you actually love? I'm thinking of selling off the junk.

19

jesse_nguyen•17d ago

Wasted $150 on a first print that turned out to be a reprint

Bought what I thought was a first print of The Walking Dead #1 at a convention in Portland. Paid $150 cash to some guy in a sketchy booth. Got home and checked the barcode on the back, it was a 2010 reprint. Felt like a real idiot. Anyone else get burned by fake first prints at cons?

8

wyatt_shah85•18d ago

That trick to bag and board a floppy in under 10 seconds is a game changer

I used to spend way too long trying to get comics into bags without creasing the cover or trapping air bubbles. It took me like 3 minutes per comic and I'd mess up half the time. Then a dude at my local shop in Austin showed me the sliding board method where you put the board in first and slide the book in after. Now I can bag and board a whole short box in like 20 minutes flat. Has anyone else found a weird trick that cut down their comic prep time?

5

the_henry•18d ago

That time a guy at a con told me I was reading comics wrong

I was flipping through a back issue bin at a small show in Portland last year, and this older collector tapped my shoulder and said I was holding the book by the spine wrong. He showed me how to support the cover and pages with both hands instead, and honestly my old comics from the 90s have less creasing now.

24

terry_barnes•18d ago

Overheard a guy at the shop say modern comics are just "soulless variants" and I had to bite my tongue

I was flipping through the new stuff at a local shop last Saturday and this older dude behind me goes "man, all this is just soulless variants and hype covers, no real stories." Honestly, it rubbed me the wrong way. Sure, some of the variant game is crazy with like 15 covers for one issue, but acting like nobody cares about writing anymore is just wrong. I've been reading the new Nightwing run by Tom Taylor and that book has heart, real character moments, not just flashy art. Plus, stuff like the current Immortal Thor is doing some wild world building. I get being tired of overpriced variants at $9.99 a pop, but dismissing the whole modern era feels lazy. Has anyone else run into this gatekeeping at their local comic shop?

2

rileyl98•18d ago

Had to choose between a Silver Age Spider-Man and a modern variant cover

I was at a small comic show last weekend and found a beat-up copy of Amazing Spider-Man #50 for $40 and a shiny new Artgerm variant of a recent issue for the same price. I went with the Silver Age book because I figured the history mattered more even with the creases. What would you have picked if you had to choose between a classic with wear and a perfect modern copy?

22

holly_green82•18d ago

Rolled my eyes at a guy in Portland who swore by reading Silver Age comics for writing advice

After 6 months of struggling with my dialogue, I picked up a copy of Stan Lee's old Amazing Spider-Man run and suddenly understood pacing in a way no modern tutorial ever explained, so has anyone else found surprising lessons in older comics that you didn't expect?

3

the_jordan•19d ago

Finally finished that Wolverine run I started in July

I was camped out at the used bookstore on 3rd street last Saturday reading the last issue of Old Man Logan when I realized I had the whole thing upside down for 15 minutes. The binding is just that loose on those early 2000s prints. Has anyone else had a book just fall apart on you mid read?

23

averysullivan•19d ago

Found my first comic book convention badge from 3 years ago cleaning out my closet last week

It was from a tiny show in a VFW hall outside Portland with maybe 30 tables, and I only bought one beat-up silver age Flash issue for $5, but holding that badge made me realize how far I've come in the hobby since then has anyone else kept their first badge?

9

joseph_roberts•19d ago

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?

10

verap52•20d ago

The great debate: should you bag and board every single issue or just the valuable ones?

I've been thinking about this since last month when I visited my buddy's collection in Pittsburgh. He's got 30 long boxes and every single book is bagged and boarded, even the $1 bin filler issues. I argued that's overkill, waste of plastic and money. But he pointed out that three years ago he found water damage in one box and the bags saved 90% of the books. So here's the thing - I normally only bag what's worth $10 or more, but I've also had a $5 book suddenly jump to $40 after a movie announcement (like that Moon Knight issue I missed). On the flip side, buying 500 bags and boards at $20 a pack adds up fast when you're talking about thousands of books. Do you guys bag everything or just the stuff with value? Has anyone had a cheap book get ruined and regret not bagging it?

19

ninabutler•21d ago

That $200 CGC submission that came back a 9.8 vs the one that got a 7.0

I sent in two copies of the same key issue from my personal collection one came back a 9.8 and the other got a 7.0 with a spine crack I never saw. Is the gamble worth it on modern books or should I just stick to raw copies and save the cash?

3

cameron426•22d ago

Finally beat my pull list backlog after 4 months of letting it pile up

So I had this stack (like 27 issues) sitting on my nightstand since March. I kept saying I'd get to them, but work and life got in the way, you know? Then last weekend I committed to reading 5 issues a day, which felt manageable. I made it through by Tuesday night (with some coffee breaks, obviously). Now my nightstand is clear and I actually remembered why I loved these characters in the first place. Has anyone else ever let their pull list get that out of control, or was it just me?

15

noranguyen•22d ago

Can we talk about people who call every crossover event a gimmick?

I sat through a heated debate in my local shop where a guy swore the original Infinity Gauntlet was just a cash grab, but he hadn't even read past issue one. That series changed how Marvel handles cosmic stories and set up decades of plotlines people still love today. Have you ever had someone dismiss a classic run without giving it a real chance?

15

claire_lewis•23d ago

The new Wolverine comics made Logan into a softie and I hate it

I grabbed the last three issues of Wolverine after not reading for like 8 years and he's all brooding about his past now and actually apologizing to people. What happened to the guy who just slashed first and asked questions later? Did someone at Marvel decide he needed a makeover or something? Has anyone else noticed this shift since around 2019?