[updated 2009/06/24]

Been collecting seriously since fall 2006. Prior to that I hadn't really collected comics since I was a teenager some 20 years ago. MY COMIC COLLECTION JUST BROKE *4100* BOOKS! 6/24/2009

I started adding posts about comic books on my blog. Check out my blog here: Virtual Adept

WEBSITES I VISIT
ComicBloc
ComicBookDB

Check out my collection on ComicBookDB!

MY RECENT READS

Just trying to keep up with my monthly books is challenging. I recently caught up on Amazing Spider-Man. The 24/7 story line was great, also digging American Son so far. I'm also catching up on the end of Battle for the Cowl.

MY COLLECTION
I now have a somewhat sizable collection, around 4100 issues. Ton of 2004 and up from Marvel and DC. A few older things when I can find them cheap.

I'm spending about $300 a month on new issues now.

Space is a growing concern for me now. I am going to have to start getting rid of lesser-want books just to make room for new books in titles I really want to collect. I am looking at maybe starting up an eBay storefront or something. If you're interested in acquiring barely-used newish comics check out my collection on ComicBookDB and send me an email.

I entered most of the books in my collection in an online database called ComicBookDB, check it out, it's pretty nice and free!

My current pull list for July 2009 (by Imprint):

BOOM! STUDIOS:
28 DAYS LATER
DO ANDROIDS DREAM OF ELECTRIC SHEEP (maxi-24)
IRREDEEMABLE

DARK HORSE:
ALIENS (mini-4)
BPRD 1947 (mini-5)
BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER
CONAN THE CIMMERIAN
PREDATOR (mini-4)
STAR WARS INVASION (mini-5)
STAR WARS KNIGHTS OLD REPUBLIC
STAR WARS LEGACY

DC COMICS:
ADVENTURE COMICS
BATMAN
BATMAN AND ROBIN
BATMAN CONFIDENTIAL
BATMAN STREETS OF GOTHAM
BLACKEST NIGHT (mini-8)
BLACKEST NIGHT BATMAN (mini-3)
BLACKEST NIGHT SUPERMAN (mini-3)
BLACKEST NIGHT TALES OF THE CORPS (mini-3)
BLACKEST NIGHT TITANS (mini-3)
BOOSTER GOLD
BRAVE AND THE BOLD
DETECTIVE COMICS
GOTHAM CITY SIRENS
GREEN LANTERN
GREEN LANTERN CORPS
JONAH HEX
RED ROBIN
SUPERMAN BATMAN
TEEN TITANS
TITANS
WEDNESDAY COMICS (maxi-12)

DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT:
BOYS, THE
BOYS HEROGASM (mini-6)
RED SONJA
THE GOOD THE BAD & THE UGLY

ICON (Marvel):
INCOGNITO
KICK ASS

IDW:
FALLEN ANGEL REBORN

IMAGE:
SAVAGE DRAGON
SPAWN
YOUNGBLOOD

MARVEL ULTIMATE:
ULTIMATUM (mini-5)
ULTIMATUM FANTASTIC FOUR REQUIEM
ULTIMATUM SPIDER-MAN REQUIEM
ULTIMATUM X-MEN REQUIEM

MAX (Marvel):
PUNISHER FRANK CASTLE MAX

MARVEL UNIVERSE:
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN
ASTONISHING TALES
BLACK PANTHER 2
CABLE
CAPTAIN AMERICA
DAREDEVIL
DARK AVENGERS
DARK REIGN SINISTER SPIDER-MAN (mini-4)
DARK WOLVERINE
DARK X-MEN BEGINNING
DEADPOOL
DEADPOOL MERC WITH A MOUTH
DEADPOOL SUICIDE KINGS (mini-5)
EXILES
FANTASTIC FOUR
INCREDIBLE HULK
INVINCIBLE IRON MAN
MIGHTY AVENGERS
NEW AVENGERS
NEW MUTANTS
PUNISHER
REBORN (mini-5)
THOR
THUNDERBOLTS
UNCANNY X-MEN
WOLVERINE ORIGINS
WOLVERINE WEAPON X
X-FORCE
X-MEN FOREVER
X-MEN LEGACY

TH3RD WORLD:
STUFF OF LEGEND

TOP COW (Image):
DARKNESS, THE
IMPALER
WITCHBLADE

VERTIGO (DC):
AIR
FABLES
HELLBLAZER
JACK OF FABLES
UNWRITTEN

WILDSTORM (DC):
STARCRAFT



OLD POSTS BELOW:

MY IMPRESSIONS ABOUT MODERN COMICS
Artwork has improved dramatically between comics of today and the 80’s. Each comic is literally a feast for the eyes now it seems. I went back to read some very old Spider-Man issues after having read some modern issues and it’s just not even in the same ballpark. I think this is great, because it means that comics as an art form is making a lot of progress. Writing seems to be better too, in some cases.

One thing is missing that I used to really like but I haven’t seen this in any recent comics (almost all Marvel the ones I’ve been reading) – footnotes. The comics of the 80’s and earlier had footnotes where if something was mentioned it would refer back to another issue or even another title and issue so that the reader could go back and read those if they wanted more information about whatever was being said. That’s completely missing now as far as I can tell - kind of a bummer. I have noticed that footnotes have fallen out of style in many forms of print media, and I can see where they do break the flow if you stop to read them, but they were so damn useful. They should at least put a page at the back of the comic where they reference other related issues. If comics were digital they could embed web links into the text bubbles, so you could click them to go to a reference site with information about other issues or something.

ELECTRONIC COMICS - A PLEA FOR SANITY

EDIT 02/20/2008: I wrote this piece in 2006, and since that time both Marvel and DC now have electronic comics offerings, with Marvel taking the route of putting a lot of older back-issues in a PDF-style format and DC having an online site for new material with an indie feel to it called Zuda. I think a lot of work could be done on both sites to improve the usability and interfaces of these sites. Reading comics on a screen is FUNDAMENTALLY different from reading on a book, and so far neither Marvel nor DC have done anything to take advantage of the interactive nature of the medium.

ORIGINAL DIATRIBE:
I wish comic vendors would publish electronic versions of their titles, even if they waited a year or two later or something after print media. Or some kind of bundled deal where you got the print comic and some kind of code that unlocked a digital copy of the book online that you could access. They could use the same security technique that modern PC games use – a unique “cd key” code that is slipped into each comic book by the seller when the comic is purchased, and that code ties in with an online service where you can read your comics in digital form. The software for viewing the comic would not allow printing or copying. Of course, screen capture utilities could be used, but that would always be an inferior copy so there would still be incentives for people to buy the actual book and/or e-book.

Comic book publishers are missing an opportunity here. I think they could hit a much wider audience if they had digital issues for sale. There are a lot of people downloading the digital versions now (pirate scans), who would actually pay if the option were available. I just picked up the electronic collection of Ultimate X-Men which looks pretty sweet. Definitely going to snag the big Spider-Man collection and probably the Avengers too. They need to do something about current issues, however.

At $3 an issue, it’s not like most kids can afford to be comic book fans. If they offered digital-only issues that you could snag for $1 to $1.50 an issue, over a service like iTunes except for comic books, they’d make a fortune. I don’t think Marvel "gets" just how averse to print kids these days are. All print media is facing this problem, not just comic books.

In the RPG book industry most publishers have embraced online publishing and are making a lot of money selling their books online now. I’ve seen a few indie comics being published that way, so maybe one day the big players will wake up and see which way the wind is blowing. They are still trying to charge too much, though, I think the indie online books I’ve seen were $4-8 an issue, which may be fine for an adult-market but isn’t going to win over teens.

Of course, comics publishers need to keep offering the print versions and they need to somehow make it attractive for adults / rich teens to collect the books in print form. They have to do this because a lot of their advertising and fan community is through local comic retail shops, and e-book-only sales are going to cut heavily into the profits of those stores. But they must do this, because as it is now, the comic stores are already getting cut-out (pirate comics) and the publishers are still not getting a cut. That’s why I think it’s a good idea to offer free e-books with the print version so that collectors can read the issues online and still get the books in print form saved for collecting purposes. Sure, there will always be people who won’t pay, period, but as the music industry has learned, they can still make a lot of money because a lot of people when given the option will pay.