When a comic calls your name...

[Fan4Fan]

I got back into comics about 6 years ago after being out for about 20.

 

While I wasn't completely ignorant of the tremendous price increases, I was initially thinking I could reconstitute the better parts of my collection (needless to say, I am now a devotee of Marvel Masterworks and TPBs).

 

To that end, I made a list of what I had and did some research about what I wanted, wrote it all down, then nearly passed out at the final price tag.

 

So, I pared the list down, did more research, and read a few of the books on the bubble that got me thinking about some other things (or helped me do some further paring).

 

Anyway, to make a long ramble a bit shorter, I took some books off the list, but they keep getting put back on. Most of these are not high-dollar books, so I suppose it is understandable that they'd make it back on the list. The big ticket items, tho'...

 

Has anyone ever had their collecting goals hijacked by one or more books that beckon with their seeming siren song?

 

Thanks,

Fan4Fan

[fantastic_four]

Has anyone ever had their collecting goals hijacked by one or more books that beckon with their seeming siren song?

This has been the story of my collecting for the last two years. I keep telling myself I need to save my comic spending money up to buy nice copies of FF #1, Amazing Fantasy 15, and Spidey #1, but instead, I've ended up upgrading other issues that are a bit more available and cheaper. So instead of getting one of my coveted keys, I keep settling for books like these, when I already had lower-graded copies of them both:

Click for larger image

Click for larger image

[rob_react]

I got back into comics about 6 years ago after being out for about 20.

 

While I wasn't completely ignorant of the tremendous price increases, I was initially thinking I could reconstitute the better parts of my collection (needless to say, I am now a devotee of Marvel Masterworks and TPBs).

 

To that end, I made a list of what I had and did some research about what I wanted, wrote it all down, then nearly passed out at the final price tag.

 

So, I pared the list down, did more research, and read a few of the books on the bubble that got me thinking about some other things (or helped me do some further paring).

 

Anyway, to make a long ramble a bit shorter, I took some books off the list, but they keep getting put back on. Most of these are not high-dollar books, so I suppose it is understandable that they'd make it back on the list. The big ticket items, tho'...

 

Has anyone ever had their collecting goals hijacked by one or more books that beckon with their seeming siren song?

 

All the time. I constantly get sidetracked. But that's part of the fun for me. I'm interested in comics from before there were regular format comic books up until the books that'll be on the shelves Wednesday, so there's always something. The new one is Superman #41, but there are other gold, silver, bronze and modern examples I could post as well. Some of them I've secured, others I'm still working on.

[chromium]

I hear ya brother...

18 months ago I bought the entire John Byrne Fantastic Four run and decided to start collecting FFs...main goal was to get the entire run from issue #51 through to #500 and get issues #1-#50 as Masterworks...

 

Well 6 months ago Scottish sent me issues #47 and #49 for free and I HAD to revise my plans and get #41-#500... Then chrisco showed me that cool Dr Doom cover on issue #39....and I stopped kidding myself and am now hoping to complete #1-#500 this year

 

Same with Avengers...original plan was #100 - #500, but lately I have been buying issues between #50 and #70....so the new plan is #50 - #500....but I just know I'll cave in and next year will see me go after #1-#500 as well

 

Luckily ASM is so expensive in the lower numbers that I'm sticking my original plan of #51 - #500 for this series

[Fan4Fan]

Has anyone ever had their collecting goals hijacked by one or more books that beckon with their seeming siren song?

This has been the story of my collecting for the last two years. I keep telling myself I need to save my comic spending money up to buy nice copies of FF #1, Amazing Fantasy 15, and Spidey #1, but instead, I've ended up upgrading other issues that are a bit more available and cheaper. So instead of getting one of my coveted keys, I keep settling for books like these, when I already had lower-graded copies of them both:

Click for larger image

Click for larger image

Heh... ASM 62 has been on and off my list numerous times... Maybe I need to add it again... Thanks,Fan4Fan

[kryptonitecomics]

Side tracked is the best discription of my collecting style!!!

 

I have goals, and I create perfect game plans and I even stick to them for short periods of time. Something always comes along to derail my plan, and it's usually just a good deal or I see a book that someone else purchased and I have to have it. It's all good though, their are no right or wrong styles of collecting.

[osborn_fr]

I love this cover like all the others with Romita Sr babes on it !

This 9.6 copy is gorgeous.

[drbanner]

It's all about discipline and patience...make a want list, stick to it, and slowly scratch off your acquisitions for that sense of accomplishment. Once your want list gets whittled down, review your collection looking for upgrades and "holes" in certain genres, and explore new areas.

 

Finally, if you find a book of interest that's not on your want list, make sure you quickly put it on your want list before buying it!!

[chrisco37]

Same thing here. Constantly sidetracked. Am really going to try and focus this year on one specific title and finishing as much of that as possible, with one particular book as the "Goal for 04". I'm going to hope to have enough "comic fund money" (and/or trade, if possible) to get the "Goal book" in Philly. Of course, I'm sure once I've saved the dough, some great art page will come up and I'll be forced to decide. And then I'll buy the art as I can get the book later. We'll see what happens.

[Foolkiller]

Yes, I've certainly gotten side tracked... but I agree with Rob that's part of the fun of it all.

 

The books I prefer to have are keys. I don't have to have the book in 9.4 even, but I do like nice eye appeal books. These to me have the most meaning, and unless I'm going to get the full run, I don't feel the need to have random books.

 

I have bought the Masterworks series and many, many archives, which I feel is another way to collect many silver and golden age books that I don't necessarily feel the need to own, but would like.

[jbud73]

Yes this describes it to a tee - Having been back for 1 1/2 years I went nuts and am now close to fininshing some stuff - real easy stuff, like I need 4 issues of spec spidey and 9 issues of Hellbalzer, and one issue of Batman #566 (for 350up) but what do I do recently.

 

I buy a bunch of Bats books between 275-350, even though I only need 8 issues to finish Uncanny X-men and I should be easily plucking those 4 reprint issues and then saving for the 3 keys (thankfully I have a 94, though its only an 8.0) oh then i chuck some change on HOM and HOS even though I said I wouldn't crack them till I was done X-men and the 7 modern titles I still read. But I live in Monterey and do you think there a copy of batman 566 here NO, not at harley's Mountain view store, not at comic relief in SF, its the friggin Maltese falcon already.

 

If this post is scatterbrained its because comic collecting is scatterbrained - then I come across a run of 200 issues of Thor in one of the last 3 long boxes I didnt even open of this collection I bought last year, even some JIM (though nothing under 100) nice shape too. There goes the list again

 

So to my fellow board members I can sympathize - and please if you see me holding anything but a Batman 232 in 9.4 or better at the SF WonderCon, and a X-Men #1 in 6.0 or better in San Diego, hit me over the head with my comic list. In fact no more comics except the moderns I need till WonderCon SF, no more comics except the few moderns I need off the list till WonderCon SF.........................................

 

I know I could find the bats 566 on Ebay, but its gotten to the point that I need to see it pop up while flipping through a bin - and I wont pay the $8 with shipping for the stupid thing as I've already chalked up too many miles driving to stores only to NOT see it there. That dirty little its like the rare - though really not rare Conan #3, for me already - speaking of which a new post topic has been thought up.

[Mushroom]

Everytime I see a DC cover on these boards that I haven't seen before then I have got to have it. My collecting is so haphazard I wouldn't know if I was sh####it, shot, or poisoned.

[blowout]

Finally, if you find a book of interest that's not on your want list, make sure you quickly put it on your want list before buying it!!

 

Thats the ticket.

[COI]

Focusing on what books to buy isn't a problem with me, as I know what I want. My issue is with deciding what grades I want to collect. I look at some of my raw VF+ books, and think to myself that I don't really *need* the book in 9.2-9.6, but then I see a "pretty book of the day" or an Ebay offering that blows my mind, and the thought of sub - 9.2 grades turns me off. Then I think about when I should be buying the different books on my list; do I buy the cheaper stuff now, and wait to buy the more expensive stuff later, when I have more money? Or do I go after the more expensive stuff first, before I get married and have all that to answer to? Then, my theories of the future of the hobby and what will be available now vs. later come into play, and everything becomes a big blurry mess.

 

So what do I do? Lately, nothing. I was much more active in 2001/2002 than I am now. I keep passing up books, and getting frustrated with this hobby because I love it and hate it at the same time. I look at non-collectors I know, and think to myself that they're lucky that they don't have this collecting disease that all of us here suffer from.

[blowout]

So what do I do? Lately, nothing. I was much more active in 2001/2002 than I am now. I keep passing up books, and getting frustrated with this hobby because I love it and hate it at the same time. I look at non-collectors I know, and think to myself that they're lucky that they don't have this collecting disease that all of us here suffer from.

 

But they may be suffering from something far worse.