How do we help the hobby?

[conditionfreak]

I use to pay ten and twelve cents for new comics, and it was hard to scrounge up the money to do even that. We mostly traded back and forth. Some kids had money (were spoiled) and got lots of comics. I would try and trade one of mine for two or three of theirs. Usually worked if you played "hard ball" and acted like there was no way you would let go of a certain issue. Days or weeks later, we sometimes traded the same books back again.

 

When I was a kid, it was all about trading. Comics and cards.

 

Of course back them, you could get a White Castle hamburger for the same price as a comic book. .12 cents.

 

But twelve cents back then was harder to come by than 3 bucks now, for most kids, I believe. Of course there was not as much to do back then. Play "kick the can", stick ball, tag, or sword fighting with metal garbage can lids and sticks.

 

One of my favorite things to do was play in my bed by using my covers and pillow as mountains (terrain) for my rubber and plastic soldiers and cowboys/indians. Play fighting them, and shooting them with rubber bands. I used my imagination a lot as a child. I don't think my kids or their kids do that much. Bicycle riding was the biggest thing. Ten speeds and five speed stingways came out and they were "the bomb".

 

The good old days. sigh...........

 

I know ya'll are tired of reading it, but I do miss the old days. Things were simpler then. Silly things like practicing Nuclear Bomb drills in school. Bend over in your desk chair and put your head between you legs. How dumb was that? The joke was that after you did that, kiss your azz goodbye . We also were told to lie up against the curb or in a gutter to increase your chance of living through a nuclear bomb blast. Ha Ha.

 

I remember ordering comics from Rogovsky through his ads in comic books. There was no mention of condition. Just a copy of a particular issue. I joined the MMMS and also wrote letters to Marvel, one asking could they please have the Hulk fight the Thing and let the Thing win. I don't know if any of my letters ever got published for sure. But my recollection is that I wrote them one time about a mistake they made in a book concerning a matter of physics/science, and it was published and in their response I was told that the comic book world did not conform to the "real" world.

 

Yea, I'm pretty sure that happened. Or I dreamed it last week

[kc120us]

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.

 

 

 

My nephews are 10 & 8. Mostly into pokemon, lego star wars and the like. I started giving them my moderns in the hopes they would at least get some reading out of it. If they wind up getting into the hobby that would be an added bonus. I like the idea of just giving stuff away to others without expecting anything in return. Spread the joy, brighten somebody's day with some freebies and maybe people will pick up on it. It's a nice thing to do.

 

Kudos to you for doing what you did. Very cool.

Mike

 

Agreed.

[kc120us]

i disagree that $2.99-$3.99 cover prices don't scare off kids. a couple of comics winds up being a ton of money, particularly if you're middle income and maybe your folks only make $30-$40K or somethin. i've seen it enough times when adults come into the shop to pick up some comics for a child and their eyes bug out when told that even the comics in the kid oriented section are $3 a pop. they can't fathom how those thick gladstone donald duck books are $7 a pop (and I've never seen my LCS sell one of them, not one)

 

with that said, if kids actually were interested they could go to a shop and scrounge around the 50 cent and $1 boxes just like I do on my six figure salary. just like i did when I was a kid (when new comics were 50-60 cents and the comics in the boxes were 4/$1 or 3/$1). of course, not every shop has that sort of thing, but most do.

 

but there is at least a decent possibility that some kids get scared off initially with $3 prices at walmart or wherever they first might be interested in comics and never discover that there's cheap overstock if they just want cheap reads.

 

 

In a deli near where I live, they have a spinner rack with the "value-pack" assortment of comics. While I think it is a good idea to these out there, the fact they are saran-wrapped keeps kids from the age-old tradition of picking up a single book, browsing thru it and putting it back. I can't tell you how many times I've had owners yell "Hey kid this not a lending library, either buy it or put it back"

[Old Fashion PB and J]

I think that the hobby will have to float on its own for awhile to be honest. Not to sound negative, but tell your coworker how you just got a good deal on a Spidey 14 for 5K. The reaction shoud be good..

 

Comic collecting has just become expensive as hell, and I think that deters alot of people and also causes collectors to lose interest. If you just like HG comics and have no interest in mid grades, and dont have deep pockets you are in trouble.

 

Now this is my opinion on the OP question about vintage books.

 

On the other hand what we can do for the hobby is simply try and pass our love for the hobby on to someone else. While it be moderns, or back issues. The only way it will grow is through manual introduction. Kids are less likeley to watch a cartoona nd want to read the book. But they may start reading them because their older brother, cousin, etc.. do.

 

But yea, prices are a bit hard to comprehend if you havent had the love for books a long time.

[the blob]

But twelve cents back then was harder to come by than 3 bucks now, for most kids, I believe.

________________________

 

I don't know what "back then" was, I guess you're talking about the late 50's and 60's, but, actually, I don' think it was harder to come by for middle class and poorer kids when we adjust for inflation to today, particularly because middle class and lower middle class parents earn less nowadays when adjusting for inflation (household income might be up because both parents are now more often slaving away) just going by inflation since 1963, the 12 cent comic should be about 85 cents nowadays.

 

http://www.westegg.com/inflation/infl.cgi

 

http://data.bls.gov/cgi-bin/cpicalc.pl

[kc120us]

I think that the hobby will have to float on its own for awhile to be honest. Not to sound negative, but tell your coworker how you just got a good deal on a Spidey 14 for 5K. The reaction shoud be good..

 

Comic collecting has just become expensive as hell, and I think that deters alot of people and also causes collectors to lose interest. If you just like HG comics and have no interest in mid grades, and dont have deep pockets you are in trouble.

 

Now this is my opinion on the OP question about vintage books.

I don't agree with this, Pat. There is a wide variety of choices for collectors. Not all books are bank breakers. There are tons of nice books that can be had for wallet safe prices. Yes, there are books that are unattainable to most but there are plenty of others that are easily attainable. We make do with what we have. I'd love to own an Action #1 or a HG AF #15 but don't have the resources to do it. So, I make do with what I have.

 

On the other hand what we can do for the hobby is simply try and pass our love for the hobby on to someone else. While it be moderns, or back issues. The only way it will grow is through manual introduction. Kids are less likeley to watch a cartoona nd want to read the book. But they may start reading them because their older brother, cousin, etc.. do.

 

This I do agree with.

 

(thumbs u

[adamstrange]

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.

 

 

 

My nephews are 10 & 8. Mostly into pokemon, lego star wars and the like. I started giving them my moderns in the hopes they would at least get some reading out of it. If they wind up getting into the hobby that would be an added bonus. I like the idea of just giving stuff away to others without expecting anything in return. Spread the joy, brighten somebody's day with some freebies and maybe people will pick up on it. It's a nice thing to do.

 

Kudos to you for doing what you did. Very cool.

Mike

 

I've given and loaned comics to my sister's four kids. All are big fans of Ducks, Lulu, Tintin, Asterix, Akiko, Pakkin's Land, Archie etc. All have read the Smithsonian book of comics with great material from the GA. My nephew is big into the Star Wars and plows through all of the archives and TPBs that I send, which reminds me that I'm overdue for sending out another set.

[kc120us]

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.

 

 

 

My nephews are 10 & 8. Mostly into pokemon, lego star wars and the like. I started giving them my moderns in the hopes they would at least get some reading out of it. If they wind up getting into the hobby that would be an added bonus. I like the idea of just giving stuff away to others without expecting anything in return. Spread the joy, brighten somebody's day with some freebies and maybe people will pick up on it. It's a nice thing to do.

 

Kudos to you for doing what you did. Very cool.

Mike

 

I've given and loaned comics to my sister's four kids. All are big fans of Ducks, Lulu, Tintin, Asterix, Akiko, Pakkin's Land, Archie etc. All have read the Smithsonian book of comics with great material from the GA. My nephew is big into the Star Wars and plows through all of the archives and TPBs that I send, which reminds me that I'm overdue for sending out another set.

 

[CAP Freak]

Really the only way for people to become interested in comics is for people to be able to get their hands on comics. So many areas of the country have no access to a comic shop and people aren't going to shop online for something they haven't had had some first-hand exposure to.

 

So, as silly as it sounds, the best way to grow the hobby is for some of you to go out and open a store. More stores = more customers.

Just not in Texas

[Dale Roberts]

I have posted about this before, but the best way to keep the comic book business strong and growing is to support your local comic shop. This is the grassroots of the comic book business. Almost everyone who collects comics started buying new comics, either at a local comic store, or at some other outlet which carried/carries new comics. Does it really matter that much to you to save that extra 10% from the mega online retailer? If you sit down and figure it out, you can save more by not going to McDonalds once a week and taking your lunch to work.

 

Also, honesty and fair dealing are what will keep people in the hobby, once they get in.

 

And finally, give books to kids. I give over 300 kid focused books away every year at Christmas, and would give more at Halloween if I had the traffic. Great opportunities abound if you look for them. Work with local schools or libraries. Give kids books for birthdays. Give books to a toys for tots program. Lots of very good opportunities which can give root to future collectors if handled correctly.

[Foolkiller]

The problem these days is it isn't an extra 10% extra, but an extra 30%.

 

That being said, I wholeheartedly agree with you.

[innocuous]

Who is going to continue to make comics available if there is no profit in doing so?

They are very profitable. And the volume needed to sustain a shop is not as high as some think. The start up costs are heavy though. And the personal investment in time and care is very high. But there is definitely money to be made in a shop.

 

 

What do you mean the volume to sustain a shop isn't as high as one would think? Do you count other revenue sources such as toys, games, shirts, etc?