Considering switching collection strategy

[USArmyParatrooper]

Right now I only have one small box full of comics since I just started collecting again.

 

With my local comic shop I'm subscribed to about six or seven different comics, and I also tend to buy loose odds and ends. The vast majority of these comics will not go up in value and I'm getting really poor bang for my buck as far as reading time.

 

BUT, I did buy the Walking Dead trade copies (mostly from Amazon for $8.23 a pop) and I got many hours worth reading enjoyment out of them. It's still not cheap but it works out to about $1.37 per issue.

 

Now I'm stuck waiting for the next issue of Walking Dead to come out, another 3 bucks for a quick read and then another month wait.

 

I just bought and received Invincible Compendium which contains 47 complete issues for $40.61 on Amazon. That works out to $0.86 per issue!

 

So I'm thinking about switching just to trade paperbacks for comics I want to read, then buying individual comics I want to collect. Does anyone else do this?

[PokerKid]

Almost all of my reading is the style you are describing - with me hopping from one collection of stories to the next.

 

I gave up my collection (or in the process of taking a bath on it right now), but still enjoy the stories. As a plus, if appropriate, I can take them to school to share with my students.

 

[Ken Aldred]

So I'm thinking about switching just to trade paperbacks for comics I want to read, then buying individual comics I want to collect. Does anyone else do this?

Exactly what I do. Original copies for the specific issues that mean the most to me (Bronze Age books primarily, not newly-published material) combined with reprint collections for reading complete storylines (all Ages).

[shadroch]

Read the comics? What a novel idea.

[gcstomp]

I love trades as opposed to the 5 minute read floppies, then have to re bag and board em. Trades look better on shelf, often have bonus material, have the entire story line in 1 book. And btw, and often very easy to resell.

[Mac Man]

This is EXACTLY how I deal with modern comics. I buy them via trade and enjoy them for what they are. Individual books are purchased for my collection--and typically not modern. Really, I am at the point where I see the two as feeding two very different interests: Those comics I collect (copper age and older), and comics that I read (modern).

 

I don't feel at all bad about the money spent on trades as I get more bang for my buck--as you point out. $2.99 / $3.99 is just TOO pricey for what amounts to less than 5 minutes of reading time and will only be kept for reading value--particularly when those trades store much more easily for reading material.

[Tsimanga]

This is EXACTLY how I deal with modern comics. I buy them via trade and enjoy them for what they are. Individual books are purchased for my collection--and typically not modern. Really, I am at the point where I see the two as feeding two very different interests: Those comics I collect (copper age and older), and comics that I read (modern).

 

I don't feel at all bad about the money spent on trades as I get more bang for my buck--as you point out. $2.99 / $3.99 is just TOO pricey for what amounts to less than 5 minutes of reading time and will only be kept for reading value--particularly when those trades store much more easily for reading material.

 

4 dollars each for modern comics... wow, I had no idea they were that pricey. Last one I bought off the rack was $1.50.. Spidey #300 and I thought that was crazy high.

[AJD]

I only read moderns in trade form. Seems that only 9.8 and up are 'collectable' - and I really can't be bothered with that.

 

The actual comics I buy are 50+ years old.

[TheShadowKnows]

Right now I only have one small box full of comics since I just started collecting again.

 

With my local comic shop I'm subscribed to about six or seven different comics, and I also tend to buy loose odds and ends. The vast majority of these comics will not go up in value and I'm getting really poor bang for my buck as far as reading time.

 

BUT, I did buy the Walking Dead trade copies (mostly from Amazon for $8.23 a pop) and I got many hours worth reading enjoyment out of them. It's still not cheap but it works out to about $1.37 per issue.

 

Now I'm stuck waiting for the next issue of Walking Dead to come out, another 3 bucks for a quick read and then another month wait.

 

I just bought and received Invincible Compendium which contains 47 complete issues for $40.61 on Amazon. That works out to $0.86 per issue!

 

So I'm thinking about switching just to trade paperbacks for comics I want to read, then buying individual comics I want to collect. Does anyone else do this?

I do this for walking dead also.

 

[TheShadowKnows]

This is EXACTLY how I deal with modern comics. I buy them via trade and enjoy them for what they are. Individual books are purchased for my collection--and typically not modern. Really, I am at the point where I see the two as feeding two very different interests: Those comics I collect (copper age and older), and comics that I read (modern).

 

I don't feel at all bad about the money spent on trades as I get more bang for my buck--as you point out. $2.99 / $3.99 is just TOO pricey for what amounts to less than 5 minutes of reading time and will only be kept for reading value--particularly when those trades store much more easily for reading material.

Plus I hold on to them to reread later.The first three The Boys,Irredemable,and a few others I read every couple years.

[Scrooge]

I still get the series I like in single issue format. I like having an installment every month and reading across multiple series on a regular basis. If anything it helps me figure out which is better, best, improving, losing steam, etc ... Years ago there were no guarantee that something was going to be traded nor do I assume everything I am interested will be & I am a slow reader and it takes me longer than 5 minutes to read any moderns (or at least any modern I elect to buy).

[Dr. Balls]

I collect a few new things that come out (Wolverine and Jubilee, Wolverine Origin) and I buy each issue and put it in the cabinet until I have the whole run. I do enjoy reading comic to comic - but I like checking out the ads, feeling the paper, etc.

 

I collect bronze and silver age stuff, and I'd rather read the actual books than the trade - but that's just personal preference. I totally understand the value of having the trade paperback.

 

The only problem I have with waiting for the TPB - or in my case, waiting until I have the whole series - is that it seems that you miss out on the whole waiting-to-see-what-happens-next-issue effect. I really do miss that from when I was younger.

 

Of course, we're all older, saddled with adult responsibilities and society has rubbed off it's "instant gratification" mentality on every one of us - so we don't want to wait it out and let things happen in due course like the good ole days.

[Mac Man]

I collect a few new things that come out (Wolverine and Jubilee, Wolverine Origin) and I buy each issue and put it in the cabinet until I have the whole run. I do enjoy reading comic to comic - but I like checking out the ads, feeling the paper, etc.

 

I collect bronze and silver age stuff, and I'd rather read the actual books than the trade - but that's just personal preference. I totally understand the value of having the trade paperback.

 

The only problem I have with waiting for the TPB - or in my case, waiting until I have the whole series - is that it seems that you miss out on the whole waiting-to-see-what-happens-next-issue effect. I really do miss that from when I was younger.

 

Of course, we're all older, saddled with adult responsibilities and society has rubbed off it's "instant gratification" mentality on every one of us - so we don't want to wait it out and let things happen in due course like the good ole days.

 

Unless I'm writing a paper / article on the old stuff, I'm with you 100% on this. When it comes to pleasure reading, I prefer single issues with the older issues. The ads and letters pages really give you a little snapshot of our country at that time.

 

I normally wouldn't mind the wait on issues, but it really comes down to cost-effectiveness. The ability to read the whole story arc in one sitting just happens to be a nice fringe benefit.

[Limited66]

I collect a few new things that come out (Wolverine and Jubilee, Wolverine Origin) and I buy each issue and put it in the cabinet until I have the whole run. I do enjoy reading comic to comic - but I like checking out the ads, feeling the paper, etc.

 

I collect bronze and silver age stuff, and I'd rather read the actual books than the trade - but that's just personal preference. I totally understand the value of having the trade paperback.

 

The only problem I have with waiting for the TPB - or in my case, waiting until I have the whole series - is that it seems that you miss out on the whole waiting-to-see-what-happens-next-issue effect. I really do miss that from when I was younger.

 

Of course, we're all older, saddled with adult responsibilities and society has rubbed off it's "instant gratification" mentality on every one of us - so we don't want to wait it out and let things happen in due course like the good ole days.

 

Unless I'm writing a paper / article on the old stuff, I'm with you 100% on this. When it comes to pleasure reading, I prefer single issues with the older issues. The ads and letters pages really give you a little snapshot of our country at that time.

 

I normally wouldn't mind the wait on issues, but it really comes down to cost-effectiveness. The ability to read the whole story arc in one sitting just happens to be a nice fringe benefit.

 

I'm on the same collecting/reading split with the TPBs. The problem is that the trades sometimes take forever to come out. Been waiting on the new Invincible for a long time.

[A-DONIS]

what?

[dicjones]

I buy my books online from mailordercomics.com so I get a pretty good discount off the top to begin with. After reading them I usually collect them in sets of five or ten and then resell them on eBay in lots. I keep the titles I have a particular fondness for like Batwoman's detective run.

People on eBay are looking for cheap books, I'm looking to recoup some of my expenses so it is a win win and I usually do pretty good unloading them. I figure by the time I'm done I'm spending about 1.00 to 1.50 per book and sometimes less than that even. Which is about the price I was paying as a kid...not too shabby!

[oakman29]

I changed my strategy once.

[lizards2]

I changed my strategy once.

I change when the itching and burning gets to be too much.

[oakman29]

I changed my strategy once.

I change when the itching and burning gets to be too much.

[nocutename]

If you are currently collecting monthies, it isn't easy to switch over the trades. You may have to wait up to a year for the current stuff to get collected. So in the interim, you can catch up on books that you had always wanted to read. Then, those cost money and if you like them, then the extra cost of keeping up with that series. You get the picture.

 

Books cost money period. I don't really save my moderns. Like reading the single comic format for the most part. After collecting a story arc or two, I sell them. Whatever I get for them just goes into buying more books. In the long run, it works out the same when comparing the small savings of getting a trade over floppies.

 

Do you prefer reading the trades over the monthlies? That is a call only you can make. Some books do read better collected. I will probably get a lot from the new DC universe. As I am reading a couple now, the stories are just setting up to be collected. For me that is the problem with most moderns. Most of the writers don't know how to tell a complete story within an issue and intertwine a subplot or leave enough intrigue to get the next issue.