Hi all,
Jesse here - new to CGC, but I used to "collect" comics as a kid in the 80s and 90s. I put it in quotes because I just bought a lot comics to read back then, so I don't have some awesome collection sitting anywhere (although I do have a bin somewhere I should find and look through, but I'm sure the storage was horrendous). I recently got the bug to start collecting for real, and I made a list of my own personal key issues that I want to own - some are true keys and some are just key to me because I remember having them as a kid - like DC Special Series 21 for example - whoever can guess why I like and want that particular book wins the blue ribbon.
I started in comics as a little kid by reading my dad and grandpa's old books with half the top covers cut off that I found in a box (apparently stores used to be able to cut the top half of the covers off to send back to the distributor as proof of unsold comics somehow? But then they'd just sell the cut-up comic at a discount...).
I'm a huge Batman fanboy, and my favorite artists are Neal Adams and George Perez, but I'm a sucker for Frank Miller and Jim Lee too. I just bought my first-ever CGC graded comic yesterday - had to start with good old Batman 404 - got it in a 9.4. I don't have a huge budget to collect, and since I'm not trying to resell, I'm looking to find the sweet spot of getting issues I want in a decent grade without breaking the bank. My reasoning is they'll hopefully hold their value a little down the road when I pass them on to my kids, but they also look decent enough now when I show them off. But it's more important to me to get an affordable issue of something I really want to own even if it's a lower grade than it is to chase 9.8s all day (plus I can't afford that!). Looking forward to learning a lot on these forums!