c/comic-book-fans

My cousin told me to skip the 90s X-Men comics and go straight to Grant Morrison

He said the old stuff was too slow and the art was bad, so I jumped into New X-Men from 2001. After a few issues, I felt totally lost on who characters like Emma Frost were and why her story mattered. I ended up going back to read the classic Chris Claremont run from the 80s anyway to get the full picture. Has anyone else gotten advice that made you start a series in the wrong place?

Tried reading comics on my phone versus a cheap tablet and the tablet won big time

I read all of 'The Walking Dead' compendium on my phone screen last month and my eyes were killing me after two issues. So I bought a basic 8-inch Fire tablet for 60 bucks just to test it. Having that extra screen space meant I didn't have to zoom and pan on every single page, I could just read. It felt like actually reading a comic book instead of squinting at a postage stamp. Anyone else find a specific device that made digital comics way better for them?

TIL the difference between reading comics at a big chain store versus a local shop

I went to a Barnes and Noble last month and just felt like a customer. Then I visited a small place called The Comic Vault, and the owner talked to me for 20 minutes about the new Moon Knight run. That personal connection is the whole point of being a fan. Does anyone else have a favorite local spot that gets it?

I used to think collecting for value was the whole point

For years, I only bought comics I thought would be worth money later. I'd hunt for first appearances and chase high grades, and my whole collection was sealed in plastic. Then, about six months ago, I was at a small con in Austin and saw a kid reading a beat-up copy of Amazing Spider-Man #33. He was totally into the story, not caring about the condition. It hit me that I hadn't actually read a comic for fun in maybe a decade. I was just treating them like stocks. Now I buy stuff I want to read, even if it's a reprint or a trade paperback. The value is in the story, not the price guide. Has anyone else shifted from being a collector to being a reader first?

Had a weird chat with my barber yesterday that made me rethink gatekeeping in comics

He was trimming my hair and saw my Flash shirt. He said he loved the show but felt dumb trying to get into the comics because he didn't know where to start and some guy at a store once scoffed at him for asking about Barry Allen. He said, 'I just want to read a good story, man, not get a degree in continuity.' It hit me that I've probably been that guy before, getting too deep into 'required reading' lists for friends. Made me realize we push away more fans than we welcome sometimes. How do you guys handle it when someone just wants a simple entry point?

My comic shop in Austin got hit by a scammer last week

A guy came in on Tuesday asking for a full run of a specific variant cover. He paid with a card that looked real, but the machine flagged it. When I said we needed cash, he got mad and left fast. I checked the security feed and saw him trying the same thing at two other shops in town. Has anyone else seen this guy or had similar problems lately?

Heads up about that new comic shop in the old mall downtown

Honestly, I went in there last weekend and the vibe was super off. The owner kept following people around and got weird when I asked about back issues. Has anyone else checked it out yet?

I've been reading comics wrong for years and just figured it out

I was at a local comic shop in Phoenix last weekend, just grabbing my usual pull list. I overheard a dad and his kid, maybe 10, talking about a Spider-Man issue. The kid was pointing at a panel and asking why the background had a cracked wall, and the dad said it was to show the building was old and maybe a bit unsafe, adding to the mood. I realized I just speed-read through art, only focusing on the word bubbles and the main action. For like 15 years, I've been treating comics like slightly illustrated books, not a combined art form. I went home and pulled out a Daredevil comic from my shelf, and spent a solid 20 minutes just looking at the shadows and line work in a single fight scene. It was a totally different experience. How do you guys balance reading the story and really seeing the art? Do you have a method?

Had to decide between going to a big con or keeping my local shop alive

Last fall, I had about $400 saved for comic stuff. I could either buy a ticket, hotel, and food for a big convention in Chicago, or I could spend that money at my local shop here in town over a few months. I picked the local shop. I went in every Wednesday for new books, bought a few back issues I always wanted, and even grabbed a statue. The owner, Mike, said it really helped during a slow time. I missed the con crowd and the big panels, but having a place to talk comics every week felt better. Has anyone else had to make a choice like that between the big event and the regular spot?

My nephew asked why I keep all my old comic book boxes

I was showing him my collection and he just said 'but you can read them all online now'. It hit different because I realized he'll never know the feeling of hunting through a longbox at a con for that one missing issue. Anyone else feel like the hunt was half the fun?

Rant: I used to buy every single new #1 issue, now I just wait for the library

Back in 2015, I'd be at the comic shop every Wednesday, dropping like $50 a week on all the new launches. My pull list was insane. Now, I just check the new graphic novel section at the Seattle Public Library every month. I got tired of the constant reboots and event tie-ins, and my wallet couldn't keep up. Anyone else just completely switch how they get their comics?

PSA: I was storing my comics in a hot attic for 5 years before a friend pointed out the damage

I kept all my old boxes in my attic in Phoenix, thinking it was just dry storage. My buddy was helping me move and pulled out a 1980s X-Men issue, saying 'dude, these pages are getting brittle.' The heat up there was slowly cooking them, making the paper weak and yellow. Has anyone else had to rescue a collection from a bad storage spot?

My buddy told me to stop buying variant covers just to flip them.

He said I was missing the point of collecting, so I kept my last Amazing Spider-Man #1 cover for myself. How do you decide what's actually worth keeping in your collection?

Spent $400 on a graded slab for a key issue and I feel like a sucker

The grade came back lower than expected, so now it's just an expensive plastic case. Anyone else think the grading hype is a total scam for modern books?

My uncle told me to stop buying single issues and just wait for the trade paperbacks back in 2009, but I'm glad I didn't listen because I would have missed out on the whole local comic shop experience and those Wednesday conversations.

He said I was wasting money on floppies, but grabbing that first issue of 'The Walking Dead' off the rack at Graham Crackers Comics in Chicago and talking about it with the clerk is a memory I wouldn't trade for the convenience of a collected volume.

My local comic shop owner tried to tell me my Amazing Spider-Man #300 was a reprint, and I had to prove him wrong on the spot.

Serious question, has anyone else ever splurged on a full run of a comic just for the variant covers?

I dropped about $300 on the complete 'Dark Knights: Metal' set with all the store exclusives, and honestly, was it worth it just to have them sit in a box? What do you guys actually do with all your variants?

Showerthought: I started a comic swap at my local library

I put a box in the lobby for people to leave books they finished and take new ones. After a month, we have over 200 comics rotating through and I've met more fans than I ever did at the shop. What's a good way to keep track of who brought what without making it complicated?

Got into a huge fight with my best friend over the new Spider-Man run

Honestly, we were at a con in Atlanta and he said the new writer 'doesn't get Peter Parker'. I argued it's a fresh take we need. We didn't talk for two days after. Has a comic ever ruined a friendship for you guys?

My entire long box of 90s X-Men comics got wrecked by a leak in the garage

Happened last Tuesday during that heavy rain we got. I had them in a long box on the floor in the corner, thought it was safe. Came out to find a slow drip from a seam in the roof had pooled right under it. The bottom third of the box was soaked, like a sponge. My copies of X-Men #1 from 1991, the whole Fatal Attractions crossover with the hologram covers, just fused together into a solid brick of pulp. I tried to separate a few pages and they just tore. I'm still mad about it. What's the best way to store a collection if you don't have a perfect basement? Plastic bins instead of cardboard?

A chat with my nephew about his first comic book changed how I think about collecting

He got a beat up copy of Amazing Spider-Man #300 for his birthday and was just so happy to have it, not worried about the grade. He said, 'It's mine and I can read it whenever I want.' Made me realize I've been too focused on condition over just enjoying the stories. Do you guys ever feel that pressure to keep things perfect gets in the way?

Ran into a guy at the grocery store who had the exact same obscure X-Men tattoo as me

Last Tuesday at the Kroger in Dayton, I was grabbing milk and saw this dude with a tattoo of the Morlock Callisto on his forearm. I have the same one on my shoulder. We ended up talking in the cereal aisle for like 15 minutes about how we both got it after reading the 'Mutant Massacre' arc back in the 90s. It was wild to meet another fan who went that deep into the lore just out in the wild. Anyone else ever randomly meet another fan who was into the same super niche character?

Stopped by the old comic shop in Akron and the vibe is totally different now

I was back in my hometown and swung by Comics Plus on Main Street, a place I spent every Saturday at in the 90s. The back issue bins are almost gone, replaced by Funko Pop walls and a huge section for graphic novel adaptations of movies. It just feels more like a general pop culture store than a place for comic fans to dig. Has anyone else's local shop changed this much over the last decade?

My uncle told me to stop buying single issues back in 2010

He said, 'Just wait for the trade, it's cheaper and you won't have a box of floppies to store.' Honestly, I ignored him and kept buying my weekly pulls for another three years. Tbh, I spent probably over $800 on single issues of events that got terrible reviews, like Fear Itself. Now my closet is full of longboxes and I mostly read digitally or get collected editions. Has anyone else switched from singles to trades and actually saved money or space?

Remember when you had to physically hunt for a missing back issue at a con?

I was at the Pittsburgh Comicon in 2007, frantically searching for the final part of a story, and a stranger saw my panic, pulled the exact issue from his own bag, and just gave it to me, asking only that I 'pass it on' to another fan someday.