Do You Mostly Collect What You Read When You Were Young?

[stroszek]

A lot of discussions, whether defending the popularity of a Copper Age character or discussing the allegedRule of 25, rely on an assumption that collectors will mostly be interested in collecting the books and characters popular when they first began reading.

 

Is this really true for most people?

 

I began collecting in 1985 and stayed at it as full-time as possible on limited funds for ten years, took a break in the late '90s, and then came back in the 2000s.

 

During that time, my most vivid memories are of Simonson's Thor (the Brittle Bones storyline and, of course, Thunderfrog), Kraven's Last Hunt, the arrival of Todd McFarlane and the Rob Whose-Name-Shall-Not-Be-Spoken, a Death in the Family, Spidey's black costume of course, and even fun gimmicks like Acts of Vengeance.

 

I liked a lot of it.

 

I also have zero interest in collecting any of it now. Except that I will pick up nice cheap issues of Thor 337-345 whenever I see them. But that's about it.

 

Even back then, whenever I got extra cash I wanted to buy back issues, to get the stories that had led to today, to learn about the history, the legendary stories older collectors and writers would talk about all the time. I desperately wanted Thor books so old they weren't even called Thor, they were called Journey into Mystery. They were the objects of desire because they were so elusive. The stuff that was coming out each week was fun, but it was just... there. Perhaps I took it for granted, but there was really nothing special about the new stuff the way that older books were special; they had an aura.

 

Today I like to tell non-collector friends I have no interest in collecting anything released during my lifetime. That's only a few years off.

 

What about you?

[Brian48]

Yes for me.

[Icculus308win]

I can safely say 90% is so

[Designer Toast]

This is my third or fourth time around collecting. I still collect stuff I read when I was a kid, just not as much of it. I had a good run of X-Men, but don't collect that anymore outside of my personal copy of GSXM1. Still working on runs of Iron Man, Luke Cage/HFH/Powerman and Iron Fist, Rom (don't say a thing ), the Marvel 25th Anniversary covers, and a few others.

 

I am reading quite a few Moderns, but I'm not really collecting them - if that makes sense.

[Erndog]

I'm 29 years old.

 

I wasn't around for any of the books I collect... Which is essentially SA and Bronze Age keys.

[General Zod]

I still read one title from my boyhood but the other 3 books I read are trades and two of them were started in the 2000s, so I guess I don't really profile as the classic nostalgic collector. I'm more into the ages from before I started, for back issue collecting purposes.

[chromium]

Not in the least,as a kid I read (mostly DC ) comics from 1977 through to 1984 and my interest now lies solely in Marvel Silver Age for comics and EC (1950's !) for original art.

 

I read about 30 - 40 new titles a month and maybe 10% is Marvel and 20% is DC. The rest is Image, Vertigo, Dark Horse etc...

[ProphetDNA]

That is all I collect.. stuff I remember owning or reading...

[DavidTheDavid]

I read many, many titles when I was young (am 42 now), and my first real collection of comics was X-Men. I built a solid run of 94 to current and most of 1 to 94. I collected Daredevil and Fantastic Four, too (just the newer FFs at the time). But when I got back into collecting some 17 years or so after I sold all my goodies, I had very little interest in my old titles. The only X-Men I want are the three Steranko covers. I've been into Strange Tales, Nick Fury and Doctor Strange. And some key FFs of characters that I like, such as the Watcher, Galactus and the Surfer.

 

So ya, very different interests now. I've enjoyed getting to know the comics from a different angle.

[Unca Ben]

I collect silver age that I read as a kid. Still have all the Marvels I bought as a kid so I collect nicer copies. I'll buy silver age DC's, Charltons, Gold Keys and Dells that I didn't have the money for when I was young. And any Timely / Atlas if I have the cash.

 

I will pick up EC's that were before my time, and the occasional golden age book.

[Antpark]

Yes, I find myself mostly collecting what I read growing up.

I also like getting the back issues for the stories leading up to when I first started.

I've found I don't have much interest, besides completing the run, in those same titles after the point in which I stopped actively reading them.

I'll catch up eventually, through TPB's and what not.

 

Being older and having a bit more discretionary income has also let me expand the scope a little.

Growing up it was all X-titles all the time.

Now, I've been able to look at other titles that I hadn't before -- Avengers, Batman, Sandman, Watchmen, etc.

[Mutie Fan]

I don't. When I fist got back into collecting about 6 years ago I finished my BA X-Men run I started as a teenager but I only collect GA now. Early MLJ superhero books and Fiction House mostly.

[kav]

I sought out every book I had or wanted as a kid. Then I branched out to newer stuff then stuff I would have read as a kid if I could get books every month-Marvels. Due to their continued story lines I never bought em as a kid cause I could go months without being able to buy comics.

[Shadow]

I started collecting in 1978 and I tend to gravitate towards Bronze Age and Silver Age.

[vaillant]

I started collecting in the mid-1980s, I was 15 and they were mostly books from the 1930s to the 1960s, so I guess I always collected what inspired me more.

Of course, to some degree, you always collect what is tied to your significant experiences, and these are a lot in your infancy and early years, but not only these.

I keep returning to the 1930s and 1940s, and I was born in 1969.

 

I would collect more contemporary material, if there were more worthy stories to read. (thumbs u

[bababooey]

I get the most enjoyment from the stuff that came out my first couple years of collecting and anything earlier - so pretty much '79 & backwards is where I spend my money....

 

I was at the NF convention Friday, came home with 8 upgrades of some original owner BA books. I also had to get the Marcos Martin ASM #1 variant

 

[miraclemet]

I only occasionally collect comics from my childhood (early 80s, mostly green lantern), but the bigger part of my collection (GA sci-fi) predates my existence by a solid 30+ years...

 

My Original Art collection on the other hand is ENTIRELY driven by what I read as a kid.

[Triskelion]

Cool thread.

 

Slab collections + original art definitely influenced by childhood favorites for me. Back then mostly followed the Avengers and other Marvel books, plus old Turok books.

 

Current reading interests though gravitate toward a mix of old and new titles. I'd still probably continue to invest in slabs for Turok, including modern incarnations and will still continue reading Avengers/Ultimates. But I'm also avidly following newer books like American Vampire, Walking Dead and event books/crossovers (mostly thru digital copies).

[Paddy_McShillihan]

Spidey....Spidey... and more Spidey...

 

 

 

 

 

 

[FormerReader]

Yes. I loved Valiant in the 90's (before birthquake at least) and that is what brought me back into collecting.