Beginner’s Guide to Collecting Comics

As someone who’s collected comics for many years, there are things I would do differently if I could start over again. If you are someone who wants to start collecting but isn’t sure how to begin a collection, this blog post is for you!

TIP ONE: FOCUS ON TPBs OR OMNIBUSES

While it may sound appealing at first to collect as many single issues of your favorite characters as possible, it may not always be a wise idea. For those who want to start out with a small collection, I highly recommend purchasing TPBs (Trade Paperbacks) or Omnibuses. TPBs are generally pretty cheap (ranging from about 10-20 bucks) and collect a group of issues from a series in order. One downside about TPBs is having to wait for another batch of issues to be released before the next TPB is up for sale. For some people who would rather read their comics ASAP, this might be an issue, but I personally am fine with waiting and reading other comics in the meantime. On the other hand, omnibuses are more expensive but contain more issues, usually containing an entire series or run. I personally recommend purchasing omnibuses from Amazon, as they often have discounts on their books. While it’s not frequent, just be warned that the books could potentially come slightly damaged during shipping. The type of format you might want to purchase is entirely dependent on what type of series you are interested in. For short or ongoing runs, I would suggest TPBs or their slightly more expensive “complete collection”, depending on the run’s length. For instance, Absolute Batman is a run I’m highly interested in, and I’ve decided to read the run in TPB format. While I will have to wait some time for the next volume to release, I am content with reading a big portion of the run at one time. For older comics or long-running series, I highly recommend omnibuses. As I stated, you can usually find them discounted on Amazon, and I personally find it more convenient than scavenging for a multitude of single issues (with some potentially becoming rare and, in turn, expensive!).

TIP TWO: GO TO YOUR LOCAL COMIC STORE

This might be seen as an obvious tip, but you would be surprised how good a deal you can find at certain stores. Personally, I am a big fan of my local store, which frequently sells miscellaneous $1 comics. If you’re looking for something more structured, stores also commonly sell bundles of comic sets that include a full run or series. While this might sound like the opposite of what I recommended in Tip One, I generally try to get comic runs that are a bit more obscure (and also cheaper) in order to try to read something new. However, there’s a chance you could also run across a good deal on something you’ve been wanting to read. Of course, you can also meet comic experts at stores who can recommend your next read or purchase!

TIP THREE: DON’T OVERSPEND

A big mistake that many new collectors face is spending extraordinarily high amounts of money on just a few items. I strongly recommend against this practice. In fact, if there’s something you want to read that costs a high amount, there are alternative ways to read it! For example, your local library may have the book available to loan. If not, you can always try requesting it there. Additionally, websites like Hoopa have a large variety of books (including many graphic novels) to choose from digitally. You only need a library card to access the books.

No matter how you decide to collect, I hope you have fun and choose your collection wisely!