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TENTONSTUDIOS

Date:

April 26th, 2007 12:18 PM

Header:

TEN TON STUDIOS: “GUIDE TO COMICS” #1

Bulletin:

TEN TON STUDIOS: “GUIDE TO COMICS” #1 4.19.07

What?
Another stupid “guide” to something?
What is wrong with you people!?
Don’t you post enough crap, already?

All good questions.

I’m not going to answer them all at this time, maybe in the next "guide".

What I will do is this.
Talk about Comics, the Comic industry and all things comic related.
I will voice my opinions whether they are wrong or right.
And then let you decide if this “guide” is for you.

The great Warren Ellis had a column about the industry, “Come in Alone”

He stated that, “we” the readers come into comics all by our lonesome.
Alone…well, you’re not alone here.
I will help “guide” you through this awful time in your life.

Try to answer your questions, show you the light at the end of the tunnel.
And leave some of you for dead.
Yes…not all of you will make it out of here alive.
But that’s a small price to pay ,don’t you think?
I mean some of you have really worn out your stay anyways.

Now let’s get on with it.
I’ll try to answer that age-old question…

“TO BAG AND BOARD OR NOT TO BAG AND BOARD”

There are two schools of thought on this one.

There is the “Collectors” mindset.
Let’s explore…

When I was a kid, and comics were plentiful.
You couldn’t swing a dead cat with out it landing on a comic.

I had a friend who collected. He had tons of long boxes I mean “tons”
his whole garage was filled with them; he even sometimes bought
two of each comic. One to read, and one that went straight into its bag.
Now I’m not one to judge…but that’s just frigin’ insane.

Then there is the, we’ll call them ”Readers” mindset.
They find a comicbook, read it, and let it go…
“If you love something, you must set it free”.
These evil-minded readers lend their comics to people.
Leave them on the floor of their messy rooms.
And sometimes…sometimes they even throw them away!!!
Oh, the humanity.

Now. Me…I’m a “reader” I have comic books everywhere in my apt.
On the floor, in the bathroom

(best place for ‘em) and I use them for napkins if I have to.

To collect comics is cool. But to bag and board them…

There’s Mylar, Polypro, Ultra-PRO, current size, modern size, Resealable,
UV protected, thick boards, smooth boards…
and I’m not even going to get into the scotch tape debates.

Hell, collecting is a full time job in and of itself.
And for what? To keep them safe?
Comics are an expensive bit of stuff and to some an investment I guess?
But then why spend more of your hard earned, or "borrowed" from
your parents money on ‘em?
To keep them in mint condition, to await the day your $ 2.99 turns into $100.00?
Comics aren’t stocks or IRA’s for your retirement..

Perhaps you’ll sell them later, to a shop
(the market for back issues dropped out in the 90’s and it’s not coming back)
or some poor sap on eBay?
Maybe I just don’t understand the mind of the “collector”…
Truth is I don’t want to.

Comics are for reading, not for storage.
Let your local shop do all that nonsense.
If you went to the bookstore and picked up the latest “Oprah book club” crap

would you bag in it plastic?
No…
You would read it…(you would, not me I’d burn it. I like real books
about guns and woman and planets where robots and monkeys rule.)

See, the part that I feel people forget is the “books” part in comic books.
Books are for reading. Not for sitting in a box, in plastic,
waiting for its chance to make an escape.

“TO BAG AND BOARD OR NOT TO BAG AND BOARD”

I say not to.
Let your comics be free range. Read them, Enjoy them, Lend them or give them away.
Why? Because I said so…and because it’s the right thing to do.
Let someone else who doesn’t know jack $#!+ about comic books have them.
Maybe they’ll like them. And start collecting them.
Then you can make them read this “guide” and start the whole cycle over again.

Whew… too much?
Screw it… it’s my guide and you’ll read it.

Jason Baroody
“Professor of comicology and World's Foremost Authority on all things Comic Book.”

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Warren Ellis “ Come in Alone” AiT/PlanetLar http://ait-planetlar.com/cia.shtml
Oprah’s Book Club http://www2.oprah.com/obc_classic/obc_main.jhtml
Bags and Boards http://www.bcemylar.com/
eBay http://ebay.com

The opinions and typos expressed here are solely mine. And should be taken with a grain of salt or a shot of whiskey. Feel free to discuss what I wrote -- express your own opinions, but remember, ”I’m right and you're wrong.” Feel free to PM or email me for further topics you’d like to see me talk about or destroy. All images, books, music, film or what have you copyright their respective owners. God bless America and long live TEN TON.

Next up: “COMIC BOOK FASHION”

special thanks to khoi pham and steev for there tireless research on this topic. ;)

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TEN TON STUDIOS: “GUIDE TO COMICS”
or
WWW.TENTONSTUDIOS.COM

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