The title of this post is how I imagine I would introduce myself at the beginning of each meeting of a comic addiction support group. Now, to be clear, comic addiction is of course not the worst type of addiction to have! I don’t mean to make light of anyone’s serious problems or battles. However, I just feel that comic addict is probably the most concise and proper term. I am a comic addict.
Look at all those comic books. There’s 576 in those boxes. I just counted!
Here’s the problem.
That’s just my “to read” pile. Those are acquisitions made over the past couple years that I just haven’t gotten around to reading yet. There are titles in there that I’ve picked up twenty issues of… but I don’t even know if I enjoy the story yet because I haven’t started reading it! That’s the hallmark of a completionism mindset… and an addicted collector.
I’ve tried to quit a couple times, because this is frankly a bit ridiculous… but inevitably if I skip a month or two of purchases I end up eventually just caving in and scrambling to acquire what I missed.
Let’s pan left.
Ahh. There’s the bulk of the full collection… and a look at the full scale of the problem. This is a hoard acquired over the last 32 years. As the saying goes, “Rome wasn’t built in a day.” And yes… my friends hate helping me move.
The truth is, I enjoy the rituals of collecting. Sitting down monthly with a catalog of upcoming comic releases is like sitting down with the toy catalog each Christmas as a kid.
Filing and sorting, grading condition and cataloging; it can actually be very relaxing. My cat Baxter loves to try and help… I think he’s looking for our run of Quasar issues there…
There are things today I could only dream of as a kid. Back then I spent countless hours handwriting out long lists and notebooks of my growing collection. Now I have an app on my phone with a comprehensive database of comics. I can add my new additions with the scan of a barcode… it’s lazy geek heaven lemmetellya.
I believe that number in the top left is accurate if I haven’t missed any issues in my tracking. 8348 comic books and increasing is the extent of this beastly obsession. As you can see, one of those 8348 is in fact the New Kids on the Block: Hi-C Special… Are you jealous?
This comic accumulation isn’t as impressive as it could be. Multiple instances in the past I have actually sold comics in times of financial need or to help finance a project like publishing a comic of my own. Of course, when selling, the best stuff get’s “cherry picked” so the quality of my collection is not as impressive as the quantity. A comic collection is probably one of the most fun emergency savings accounts you could have… despite it being an unwieldy and somewhat illiquid investment! Even so, it’s served that purpose and the fact that I can sell my comics without having a complete mental breakdown is at least some evidence that I don’t need a guest booking on the Hoarders television show.
Beyond what you see here, there are also bookshelves full of graphic novels and collected editions, and I subscribe to three different services; Marvel Unlimited, DC Universe, and Comixology Unlimited which act like the Netflix and Hulu of the comics world, putting almost any comic I can imagine at my fingertips.
This is a sickness.
Misplaced as it is though… it’s also a passion. I gave myself the day off today. I was off from my day job, and I granted myself permission to not do any art or writing work on my own comic projects, and to not feel guilty about that. I took a mental health day. For today I just wanted to be a fan.
I dug into those “to read” boxes and pulled out the first story arc of DIE, by Kieron Gillen and Stephanie Hans. It made my day. It rekindled my own passion and drive and helped fill my “creative gas tank.” That’s the real purpose of this wall of comics. It’s a structural wall; holding up my own enthusiasm and drive. A resource to be turned to in times of need, be they mental or financial.
As I eternally struggle to catch up on my backlog of reading, I also do my best to share some peeks and reviews through my account @exploreunlimited. I will be featuring DIE there in the next couple days (spoiler alert: I loved it) so if comic reading and collecting are of interest to you and you’d like to share in the passion, please give a follow over there!
So what do you hoard? What are your collections? Who’s a fellow lover of comics or has questions about the hobby? As always, talk to me in the comments! In the meantime, I might go read some more DIE. I’ve still got seven more issues until I’m caught up! (and then 569 more comics in my "to read" boxes after that!)🤷♂
- Bryan “the Imp” Imhoff
Wow. FYI - I found a few signed comics outside recently. Maybe you could help me understand and value them??
Sure, I'd be happy to help if you just want to drop a few snapshots here or direct on Discord if you use it/prefer. There are a couple price guide options online but they often require setting up an account and may limit amount of searches per day for free accounts. I usually recommend searching items out on www.mycomicshop.com as they have almost everything and sell a ton of volume so their prices are possibly more “real world” then a price guide.
Well you are a very organized 'addict' that is for certain @bryan-Imhoff no one could call you a 'comic hoarder' which is an entirely different kettle of fish, eh?
I am a bit jealous. It looks amazing and so organized. I just have a small collection of Funko Pops and books. I read comics digitally, but I don't read a lot of comics actually. I need to be in a mode for that and lately most of the time I'm not in the mode. I don't see that the @exploreunlimited account is active. Am I missing something?
I just haven’t done much with it, especially lately, but I’m aiming to get back to it. That’s where I like to sort out my more comics review type content so I wanted to plug it a bit for those who are unaware!
I see no harm in collecting if you can still eat and stay reasonably healthy. I just have a small comic collection that is mostly books rather than the weekly issues. I do collect guitar picks, but that is just a fun thing and I don't spend lots of money on it.
There was a guy who was briefly on Steem who has one of the biggest comic collections out there with maybe 100,000 or more. That is getting into crazy territory. Yours is more sane.
100,000 isn't crazy to me in terms of the desire to have that kind of archive... but it raises far too many logistical and practical problems! I hope not to need to sell off any more of my collection for pure money, but as it grows more unwieldy I could see myself consolidating by trading lots of less valuable issues for single "key" and important issues. Save some space and keep the value within the hobby!
I can't imagine having that many of anything. You cannot really appreciate individual items on that scale. Better to have less of what you really enjoy. There's a difference between a hobby and an obsession :)
Thats an impressive mountain of paper! Personally I tend to just buy the collected hardback editions, but I do have a couple of originals here and there
I love a nice quality hardcover too. My collection there is growing. There are times those are a repeat of individual issues in my collection. If I've enjoyed it enough, I'll deem a series "bookshelf worthy!"
That is one seriously impressive collection!!! And very neatly kept... doubly impressive! !tip
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I'm getting there! This is the most organized it's been in many years... but it's an ongoing project. Thanks for the tip!
wuao my dear Bryan, that's a true collection, I must confess that I also like comics a lot, unfortunately I don't have a collection like yours but hey hahahahahaha ...
Your friends hate helping you, because I would love to help you ...!
You might think differently after the 30th trip up three flights of stairs with a heavy box full of comics! 😆 (Of course I bought my moving crew dinner for their efforts last time!)
If we make the environment fun and comfortable, and enjoying your company would not change your mind hahahaha
Are those ones at the bottom getting squashed?
No, not at all! I love these DrawerBoxes. They can take a ton of weight and give me that file cabinet style accessibility instead of killing myself moving tons of boxes around to get to stuff on the bottom. I've been slowly upgrading all my boxes as time & money allows and am almost done. You can see some ripples and tears in some of the drawer fronts from cats & my poor folding assembly skills, but the outer shells are rock solid.
It could be worse, you could be at peak levels of virginity like me and have 90 Funko Pops sitting around your house. Nothing like having a pile of plastic shit clogging up your wall.
I know some Funko collectors are sooo crazy... 90 doesn't even seem like that much for the Pop culture! I'm sure they take up a good bit of room though.
Oh, it's not. There's a lot of people who see them and just go SHINY PLASTIK, MUST GET. GET NOW while banging two rocks together on their genitals. I just saw a guy yesterday on FB that has over 3k of them in under 2 years. People are fucking ridiculous with them, man.
3K in 2 years is impressively obsessive!
With the Wuhan flu shutting down Comic stores, comic distribution and even DC/Marvel, how has your comic collecting been going?
There are rumors that Diamond gave up... but came back.
There are rumors that DC/Marvel are going to digital only...
And San Diego Comic Con is being cancelled so i can't get to any of my favorite indi artists and small press.
What do you feel about the state of the industry?
And do you want a nice, wood, roller bearing drawers cabinet for all the issues you have?
It is absolutely a tumultuous time, even without the influence of Covid. In the past number of years I've struggled to make purchasing decisions just as a consumer. Do I buy this as a single "floppy" issue, wait for it to be released in a trade paperback collection, or just read it through a digital subscription? If there's something I really enjoy or love I may end up doing all three! I have some books that I've bought the floppies, a nice hardcover edition for the bookshelf, and a digital version on Comixology. I feel like the movie industry is the closest analogy, as people choose between seeing a theatrical release, waiting for it to release on physical media like Blu-Ray, purchasing digital copies, or waiting to see their entertainment on streaming services.
I think just the fact that all these avenues exist shows the continuing strength and overall health of the comic industry. Local shops are probably the most under pressure, just as in any other industry that's had a strong shift to digital delivery. However I believe comic shops will survive, albeit in reduced numbers and as an even more niche market; like coin or stamp shops. There will always be passionate collectors in need of service beyond just those who read for entertainment.
Things seem largely back to "normal." I've been to my local comic shop a couple times this week already and picked up some new single issue releases and a back issue or two. I've stopped at the big chain bookstore down the street from them to pick up a hardcover collection the comic shop was sold out of. The bookstore has a full aisle of comics content nowadays and is pretty well stocked. And I placed an order through an online service, reserving new titles shipping in September. I do my best with what funds I have to support the market as broadly as possible because I think all those channels serve a need and a clientele and I'm glad they all exist.
Diamond is back up and running, with just the lingering issues of their spat with DC. I believe a handful of titles did go to digital only, similar to how some movies forego a theatrical release and go "direct to video." I think that trend will only effect the lowest selling titles in the near term and is actually a good compromise. It allows companies and creators to explore certain properties cheaply, which might never have been made at all if forced to commit to a print run. Long term, floppies could die-off. I'd be sad to see such a historic format go, but I'd understand. Ultimately I wouldn't be too upset as it's the artform and storytelling that I care about most; which would all remain intact through other means of delivery.
I feel for independent artists who relied on convention income heavily. In general though, it's probably the best time ever for independents, simply because of the advancements in crowdfunding, printing, digital distribution and marketing that allow self publishers to put out product every bit as good as the corporate players and do it on their own terms.
So overall, the industry is fragmenting. If people look specifically at the classic "direct market" system it can seem all doom and gloom. But overall I find comics to be in a very healthy place, and the material being produced now is probably the best I've ever seen in the 30ish years I've been reading.
I have kept my eye on some cool custom furniture and cabinetry... but those are dreams for times of greater financial fortune that I keep my fingers crossed for! 🤞
Wow That's what collection is.
It is growing beyond my control... 😬
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Wowww, that's an incredible collection and more incredibly neatly organized! :D
😂 That sounds good, I love collecting various stuff but I've been doing it less since I moved. Now I mostly hoard digital pictures and photos haha
Very impressive!
I'm definitely not such a big comic reader. Most of my reading is from independent artists online. While traveling around the world for work, I got used to never buy anything I can't carry. I sold quite a few manga series before heading off to the next place.
Hopefully I have my parents' house to stock my favourite graphic novels and boardgames.