How do we help the hobby?

[kc120us]

Frankly the more "Comic book sales" news out there the better. Who else is getting on TV showcasing Comic book sales? Many complain that the hobby doesn't grow yet who does anything about it? Hand out more flyers? I enjoy the fact that he's out there doing interviews and helping out the hobby get more exposure. Who knows, maybe somebody out there gets the benefit of a new collection or a couple of books just because somebody saw the interview.

God almighty, can people stop being petty and look more at the big picture.

 

Bob Storms made this post in the Action #1 on Fox thread and I think it deserves repeating. We kevetch(sp) all the time about the health of the hobby but we don't really discuss ways of improving it. So I am putting it out there now. How do we get new blood into the hobby? I am not talking about lowering the price on new comics, or new comics in general. I talking about "Vintage" (ie Gold./Silver/Bronze etc.) comic collecting. I think Vince's exposure on TV is one way. What other ways are there?

 

Discuss.

 

 

[VintageComics]

I let my kids browse through the LCS a few times a month. They have music lessons right next door and we walk over often. There is a great back issue bin with $3 BA and SA books and they always pic out a few books.

 

They initially ask to buy Pokemon cards or something similar but I do tell them that I would be happy to do that if they chose something to read as well.

 

My girls generally pic up Archie books or Funny Animal stuff while my little guy goes for the hero stuff.

 

I also talk about my con and buying experiences all the time with co workers and non collecting friends to keep them abreast of what's up in the hobby...as much as they'll listen.

 

 

R.

 

 

[DiceX]

People person_without_enough_empathy just to person_without_enough_empathy. Especially comic collectors. They are a bunch of whiny little tits.

With them, you're damned if you do, and damned if you don't.

 

 

[VintageComics]

People person_without_enough_empathy just to person_without_enough_empathy. Especially comic collectors. They are a bunch of whiny little tits.

With them, you're damned if you do, and damned if you don't.

 

 

Like about how Watchmen was too close to the graphic novel this time?

 

[DiceX]

People person_without_enough_empathy just to person_without_enough_empathy. Especially comic collectors. They are a bunch of whiny little tits.

With them, you're damned if you do, and damned if you don't.

 

 

Like about how Watchmen was too close to the graphic novel this time?

 

 

Bingo!

 

Great post by Bob, BTW.

 

 

[kc120us]

I let my kids browse through the LCS a few times a month. They have music lessons right next door and we walk over often. There is a great back issue bin with $3 BA and SA books and they always pic out a few books.

 

They initially ask to buy Pokemon cards or something similar but I do tell them that I would be happy to do that if they chose something to read as well.

 

My girls generally pic up Archie books or Funny Animal stuff while my little guy goes for the hero stuff.

 

I also talk about my con and buying experiences all the time with co workers and non collecting friends to keep them abreast of what's up in the hobby...as much as they'll listen.

 

 

R.

 

It is nice that you have an LCS that has SA and BA books. My LCS liquidated all their vintage stock years ago.

[conditionfreak]

I wrote some about this on another thread. I posted several ideas. One being to get together comics through donations, and forward them to service men directly or to the USO's and such other places where service men and women gather. Think of the media publicity that might happen if someone like Diamond Distributers undertook something like this. Think how many visitors to this forum might result if the forum members undertook this as a mission. The gift exchange and the annual donations to various charities we hold here, would also be mentioned. Not to make us look better, but to get some to check out what goes on here, and maybe want to join in the fun of comic collecting. Maybe even investing because of the current stock market (even though I believe it has bottomed out and is on the come back). Bernake says it will rise by next year if all goes according to plan, but I digress.

 

I know that service men and women overseas participate in all kinds of activities that one would not imagine they would have in that type of situation. One female in Kuwait, that I know, is taking Salsa (sp) dancing lessons while stationed there. Men and women in Iraq and other places are playing video games on the internet, playing softball and teaching swimming to the locals. Surely they could have time and the inclination to read some comic books. They may like them and buy some when they come home. They may send them home, trade them, or bring them home to their children. With some people, once you get into a story you just have to know how it turns out. One story leads to another and viola, you have a new comic book collector. I could easily donate a few hundred comic books (bagged and boarded in mylites), for such an endeavor. The "big boys" could even get tax write offs for participating.

 

It could be just one part of a concerted effort to popularize comic books again. There are other ways. I also mentioned trying to get the President or Congress to designate a "read a comic to a kid" day. Pick an historic day in comic dome. Maybe the date of Action #1's initial distribution. This type of thing could be accomplished with a few letters to Congress. Happens all of the time. Especially now that it is all about telling people to spend, spend, spend. Funny, they used to say save, save, save.

 

But, I digress again.

[kc120us]

I wrote some about this on another thread. I posted several ideas. One being to get together comics through donations, and forward them to service men directly or to the USO's and such other places where service men and women gather. Think of the media publicity that might happen if someone like Diamond Distributers undertook something like this. Think how many visitors to this forum might result if the forum members undertook this as a mission. The gift exchange and the annual donations to various charities we hold here, would also be mentioned. Not to make us look better, but to get some to check out what goes on here, and maybe want to join in the fun of comic collecting. Maybe even investing because of the current stock market (even though I believe it has bottomed out and is on the come back). Bernake says it will rise by next year if all goes according to plan, but I digress.

 

I know that service men and women overseas participate in all kinds of activities that one would not imagine they would have in that type of situation. One female in Kuwait, that I know, is taking Salsa (sp) dancing lessons while stationed there. Men and women in Iraq and other places are playing video games on the internet, playing softball and teaching swimming to the locals. Surely they could have time and the inclination to read some comic books. They may like them and buy some when they come home. They may send them home, trade them, or bring them home to their children. With some people, once you get into a story yo just have to know how it turns out. One story leads to another and viola, you have a new comic book collector. I could easily donate a few hundred comic books (bagged and boarded in mylites), for such an endeavor. The "big boys" could even get tax write offs for participating.

 

It could be just one part of a concerted effort to popularize comic books again. There are other ways. I also mentioned trying to get the President or Congress to designate a "read a comic to a kid" day. Pick an historic day in comic dome. Maybe the date of Action #1's initial distribution. This type of thing could be accomplished with a few letters to Congress. Happens all of the time. Especially now that it is all about telling people to spend, spend, spend. Funny, they used to say save, save, save.

 

But, I digress again.

 

Some very good ideas. (thumbs u

[Rodey]

Don't some teachers on here bring comics into their classrooms? That's another good way of introducing them. Think of all the possibilities and ideas of having children read comics in school. A lot of it is just breaking the barrier that comics are dorky. Or people who read them are dorks.

[conditionfreak]

Did any of you ever see the Home Shopping Network do comic book sales, late night. I did. It was interesting to watch.

[kc120us]

Don't some teachers on here bring comics into their classrooms? That's another good way of introducing them. Think of all the possibilities and ideas of having children read comics in school. A lot of it is just breaking the barrier that comics are dorky. Or people who read them are dorks.

I think Arex has said that he has brought some comics in the classroom.

[the blob]

as many free reading comics as you want should be a perk of serving overseas.

[Hill Billy-migration]

Frankly the more "Comic book sales" news out there the better. Who else is getting on TV showcasing Comic book sales? Many complain that the hobby doesn't grow yet who does anything about it? Hand out more flyers? I enjoy the fact that he's out there doing interviews and helping out the hobby get more exposure. Who knows, maybe somebody out there gets the benefit of a new collection or a couple of books just because somebody saw the interview.

God almighty, can people stop being petty and look more at the big picture.

 

Bob Storms made this post in the Action #1 on Fox thread and I think it deserves repeating. We kevetch(sp) all the time about the health of the hobby but we don't really discuss ways of improving it. So I am putting it out there now. How do we get new blood into the hobby? I am not talking about lowering the price on new comics, or new comics in general. I talking about "Vintage" (ie Gold./Silver/Bronze etc.) comic collecting. I think Vince's exposure on TV is one way. What other ways are there?

 

Discuss.

 

 

Seems to me the more new people flood into the hobby, the more chancers, scammers. scheisters etc you get as well.

I'm all fer the kiddies gettin' into it, but as for new vintage GA collectors?

Hell no!

Its hard enough tryin to beat the competition to the books you want as is...more people after the books I collect?

Hell No I say agin.

 

There agin, I ain't no greedy assed dealer, I'm just a humble collector.

[Wally's Comics]

I give away old school readers on Halloween

to kids to read.

 

Sometimes I stumble upon a dollar box at at the Raleigh Con

and ask the seller what is the box price and letting him know what I am doing

and I usually get a good deal.

 

You should see the kids eyes light up when they see a BA Spidey MTU or

an Copper X-men.

 

It makes me feel good even if 50% of them find there way to file 13.

 

 

(thumbs u

[MR.COMICBOOK]

I talking about "Vintage" (ie Gold./Silver/Bronze etc.) comic collecting. I think Vince's exposure on TV is one way. What other ways are there?

 

Discuss.

 

Your only talking vintage so that will definately limit new blood(people who have never been exposed to the hobby). What are your ideas?

[The Black Hand ®]

Are we talking about the Hobby or the Comic book investment business and dealers? I think there's a difference and what might be good for one may not be good for the other.

[conditionfreak]

I took some comic books to the YMCA in Cleveland years ago. Put them on the tables in the waiting rooms, for anyone to read or take. Keep in mind that in the YMCA's in Cleveland, they rent rooms out to down and out people. Many with drug and alcohol problems. I just felt that I had so many books that I could not sell for much, that I would share them.

 

Of course they all disappeared the first few day. Maybe to sell for a nickel or whatever. But the point was that the YMCA started asking me to donate more as they were so popular and they said that it actually made the "problems" of arguments and fights in the lounge, drop considerably. The guys were too engrossed in reading the comic books and discussing the stories.

 

I donated a few more times but them moved away. The YMCA here does not rent out rooms. (thank goodness they don't need to here).

 

As a side note. Something I just thought of. I am in Hillsboro, Ohio. We have one library. The sign in front of the library says that Hillsboro was the home of Milton Caniff who conceived Terry and the Pirates, of comic book and newspaper strip fame. What if we donated drek to local libraries, for kids to take home and read, or even with the stipulation that the books had to stay in the libraries, but free to read by anyone, just like all of the rest of the books? I bet I could do that here. I think I will.

 

Why didn't I think of this before. I could give them some of the new Classics Illustrated editions, that have stories like "Through the Looking Glass" and classic stuff like that. Of course some tame Superman, Batman and Flash books also.

 

Yep. I'm going to approach the library people and see if I can do that. It would be funny if they turned me down because they are "comic books", since they have the sign outside the front door proudly stating that this was the home of Milton Caniff, of Terry and the Pirates fame.

 

I will let ya'll know how it turns out. I will also take a pic and post it here of the sign.

[THE_BEYONDER]

How do we get new blood into the hobby?

 

Why do we want to?

[conditionfreak]

I give away old school readers on Halloween

to kids to read.

 

Sometimes I stumble upon a dollar box at at the Raleigh Con

and ask the seller what is the box price and letting him know what I am doing

and I usually get a good deal.

 

You should see the kids eyes light up when they see a BA Spidey MTU or

an Copper X-men.

 

It makes me feel good even if 50% of them find there way to file 13.

 

 

(thumbs u

 

I love this idea. Unfortunately where i live we do not get trick or treaters. Way out in the country. No neighbors to speak of.

[conditionfreak]

How do we get new blood into the hobby?

 

Why do we want to?

 

Well. Because your Spawn #1 might be worth 30 bucks instead of 4 bucks. For one reason.