Welcome to Collectors Comics

There are literally hundreds of worlds out there for one certain type of collector. If perhaps you’re not into history or care about certain coins or metals, then you may give a go at collecting comic books. Comic collectors come in all shapes and sizes. Similarly, comic books come in all shapes and sizes: From stories interweaving (super) heroes and villains to cartoons following the make-believe life of lovers and families. No matter your interest, you’re sure to find a comic book worthy of your time, and thus worthy of your collection. Let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves, however. Here are a few ideas to get you started on your first collection.

This comic collector beginner guide will help you with your first purchases, and what and what not to do. Initially, it’s very important to find out what sort of comics you may be interested in—you don’t have to be one hundred percent sure at this point. Go into a comic book store (not the grocers) and ask what titles are popular. In fact, you probably know of some yourself, if any of the recent superhero movies piqued your interest. Such movie titles that also have truly amazing stories (some going on for decades) are X-Men, Spiderman, Batman, Iron Man, The Hulk and so forth—all DC Comics and Marvel. To begin with, make sure your first comic book read-throughs have been around for some time. Once you become acquainted with the comic book world, you can and should try other titles and companies—Valiant, Dark Horse, Image and Archie if you will.

After you find some titles that interest you and you start getting hold of the new stuff, you may want to try and find some older titles. This sort of sleuthing is a big part of what makes comic collecting (or any collecting for that matter) a fun and interesting hobby. Be sure not to get in over your head, looking for titles that simply cost more than others. Root out issues that you want to read for the story, and not for the simple possession factors, which can and will come later.

Now, the best way to find comics are from comic book shops and comic book conventions, held generally around the world and all over the US especially. eBay on the other hand brings dealers, buyers and sellers all together beneath one cyberspace umbrella. This online auction site is a great way to not only find an issue you’ve been looking forward to reading, but it is also an extraordinary strategy to see how much certain comic book issues are selling for. Your best bet is to stick to online auctions such as this that bring together collectors and, moreover, comic book shops. The reason: Comic book enthusiasts know how to handle and care for and package comics, keeping them in the sought-after mint condition. Try to buy your comics as close to mint as you can.

As you start your collection, you may start to develop certain goals. These aims are a great way to start and finish a collection. As your personal tastes and experiences change over time, you’re most likely to branch out into things you never knew you liked. This is a good thing and makes you a more interesting resource and commodity to other collectors. As time passes, you’ll have back issues worth, perhaps not millions, but a tidy sum. You’ll have the chance to then sell, trade and barter these issues for comics you’re interested in today. Comic book collecting is cyclical, and the best collectors hold onto those comics they dearly love, collecting other series and issues that grab at them. Comic collecting is one of the few collectable items that branches out to so many genres.