Reading or collecting

[Marionette]

It seems to me that there are basically two types of people interested in comics: those that like to read them and those that like to collect them. I'm assuming the majority are somewhere between the two.

I lean to the reader side. I do have one or two quite valuable comics, but I really feel like I should sell them, because they are so fragile that I can't bring myself to remove them from their protective bags, so I never read them. I have a reluctance to own anything very valuable since a house fire a few years ago proved that it doesn't matter how valuable something is to you, in money or sentiment, it can still be taken away with you without warning.

And then things like slabbing are just absurd. That's where, in case you haven't encountered it, your comic is valued by a company who then encase it it in hard plastic so it can never be damaged. Or read. And these things are valued by the grade they have been marked with. Even though, to all intents and purposes, half the pages may be missing or scribbled on in crayon, because nobody ever sees anything but the cover.

I suppose digital comics are the extreme opposite to slabs. Instead of a comic that has value, but you can't read it, digital comics can be read but have no value. I don't mean pirated comics, I mean officially produced ones. No one is going to buy a digital copy of Action Comics number one in fifty years for anything beyond cover price, because anyone can have one. There's no rarity value. On the other hand, it's going to look as nice then as it did the day it was published.

[stevezodiac]

For me its the art. I don't collect any UK artists specifically but with US comics I will keep comics drawn by Gil Kane, Wally Wood, Jack Kirby, Jim Steranko, Paul Gulacy and Carmine Infantino. As you can guess I prefer the stylised artists. Bill Ritchie and Eric Roberts would be my favourite UK artists.

[McSCOTTYS GHOST]

Its the art for me also - for US comics I collect (and read) comics by my favourtres (quite a wide selection) Neal Adams, Steve Ditko, Alex Toth, Paul Gulacy, Alex Nino, Buscema brothers, John Severin Bruce Timm etc etc (about 15 artists I actively will look out for) For UK its almost totally Odhams and Ken Reid, Leo Baxendale with a few others thrown in N (Tom Kerr) BUT I do also read the odd comic that does not have these guys in them (almost all US)

[starscape]

Hmmmm, I'm far more about the writer myself. And the characters of course. Thought the Watchmen was terrific but it was very much because of Alan Moore. Gibbons wrote Camelot 3000 as well as drawing it straight after. But I didn't like that at all. Marvelman, V for Vendetta, Tom Strong, Swamp Thing etc etc. Great. The connection is the writer.

I can forgive (although I'd rather not have to) bad art but a bad story with good art is pointless. Naturally, we'd all rather have both but the writing makes the difference.

As for collector/reader. I've been a serious collector, now I'm a mild collector and reader. Marvel UK at the moment. Not very valuable but makes me feel nice. I do read them and am glad they are worth very little in that respect.

[Marionette]

Hmmmm, I'm far more about the writer myself. And the characters of course. Thought the Watchmen was terrific but it was very much because of Alan Moore. Gibbons wrote Camelot 3000 as well as drawing it straight after. But I didn't like that at all. Marvelman, V for Vendetta, Tom Strong, Swamp Thing etc etc. Great. The connection is the writer.

I can forgive (although I'd rather not have to) bad art but a bad story with good art is pointless. Naturally, we'd all rather have both but the writing makes the difference.

As for collector/reader. I've been a serious collector, now I'm a mild collector and reader. Marvel UK at the moment. Not very valuable but makes me feel nice. I do read them and am glad they are worth very little in that respect.

Um, Brian Bolland drew Camelot 3000. And Mike Barr wrote it, I think.

[felneymike]

Well for the text-story-filled 'comics' that I collect the art is not so important, though a few good pictures can definitely improve the atmosphere. I'm definitely more of a reader than a collector, though I'd lie if I didn't say I'm glad to find first / special issues. I still read those, though!

Also, "slabbed" comics can be read, but they need to be 're-graded' for the grade on them to be 'official'. Apparently the major slabbing company (CGC, or something like that?) will do the re-grading at a discount.

Of course, comics can be preserved really well (I have ones that are well over 100 which look like new) and also read by having them bound together in hard covers. You can do that with any size, too! I bet you can't get "slabs" that fit The Boys' Herald!

[Jon]

I do both read and collect, but tend to collect at a higher rate to my reading rate. No comic goes into its "correct place" in one of my various storage systems (filing cabinets, shelves, etc), without first having been read - otherwise, in my opinion, there's no point having it.

My unsorted "to read" pile keeps on growing and I simply can't read that quickly. It is great, however, so know that at any time I can pick up a comic from this pile and enjoy it knowing that I haven't read it before, and that my supply of unread comic material will probably never run out (that's if I carry on at this rate of buying them - which, come to think of it, probably can't be sustained indefinitely).

Here's where I probably lean more towards the "collecting" side: I collect comic merchandise. I love the stuff. For me it's just amazing to see to influence that comics had not all too long ago. Companies would buy a licence to use Dennis The Menace or Desperate Dan or whoever on their product and they knew it would sell. That's how big comics were just 15 or 20 years ago! I love seeing that. Clearly you don't "read" these products (lunch boxes, soft toys, etc...) and I'm too old to play with them, so I buy them and then they sit on the shelf. I "appreciate" them just by building up the collection - not reading!

[paw broon]

I am and always have been a collector and a reader and a researcher. The problem is space so I have a lot of material saved electronically. As has been mentioned previously there are a number of sites where fans can read or download pd comics for free.
Unlike Jon, I have no merchandise apart from a small Phantom figure, nor does merchandise have any great attraction for me. I just want to read the comics.
Art is very important to me but story, as in some current comics such as, The Activity, Daredevil, Near Death is also important. Early hero strips e.g. TNT Tom, are not much cop in the story dept. but the whole is entertaining.

[-MikeD-]

I've never collected, never archived, never even kept the comics I've bought. I've never had the room. I've bought thousands of comics but I only actually own a box full - mostly Warrior, 2000ad, Krazy and whatever I bought last month.

This is one of the reason's I've embraced digital comics - the appstore version of Strip Magazine was great. And it's also the reason I'm disappointed that our UK comics companies still haven't worked out how to make their comics available online and make a profit. I still find it odd that the only people making real money out of old Fleetway/IPC/Odhams titles are dealers and folks who've found a stash in loft...not the artists, the publisher or anyone else directly connected.

In the subject of licensing, my Grandad used to have a saying regarding royalties - 'a carpenter doesn't get paid everytime someone sits on one of his chairs''..

[dandy mad]

I don't collect for investment I do read them even the rare ones I don't treat them any different than a comic/annual that's only a few years old as the they are meant to be read and not stuck in some climate controlled room to collect dust....

[Dunder Ed]

Must like Jon I read and collect, I always wish to read my comics that I have rather than getting them for the sake of it. I recently bought 500 comics or so and I've been trying to read them all, but I keep buying more and more making reading them all a challenge.

[barrys]

I too think comics should be for reading , and have embraced the scanned comics available too - not only for reasons of storage space but for portability and filling in gaps too. I can understand those who prefer the physical copy, but I would have thought that scans would increase the availabilty of rare comics. I have sold a few old comics myself as I can read the scans whenever I like.

[philcom55]

The current letter of the law regarding ownership of digital information seems to be creating some absurd situations, as this recent story demonstrates:

Bruce Willis is more usually seen escaping from explosions and battling terrorists to save the world. His latest battle, however, takes him to the considerably quieter world of the courtroom – although he still faces a formidable opponent. The Hollywood action hero is, according to The Sunday Times, considering legal action against technology giant Apple over his desire to leave his digital music collection to his daughters. If he succeeds, he could benefit not just himself and his family but the millions who have purchased songs from Apple’s iTunes Store.

Willis has discovered that, like anyone who has bought music online, he does not actually own the tracks but is instead ‘borrowing’ them under a licence. Most purchasers do not bother to read the details of the terms and conditions they agree to when buying an album but the small print makes it clear that music bought through iTunes should not be passed on to others.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... ds-newsxml

,,,As the solictor quoted in the article says:

‘The law will catch up, but ideally Apple and the like will update their policies and work out the best solution for their customers.’

- Phil Rushton

[Marionette]

I too think comics should be for reading , and have embraced the scanned comics available too - not only for reasons of storage space but for portability and filling in gaps too. I can understand those who prefer the physical copy, but I would have thought that scans would increase the availabilty of rare comics. I have sold a few old comics myself as I can read the scans whenever I like.

Cue fire and brimstone in 3... 2... 1...

[dandy mad]

Out of the trillions of files that are under copyright stored locally or in the cloud can't see the copyright owners trying to get people to pay for it mainly because they wont have a clue where it is or who has it....