protecting books made with different materials? + plastic storage?

[Rika24]

so far i've stored all my comics in a long box in bags with backing boards. but now that i've branched out and begun collecting doujinshi (fan made comics in Japan, kinda the Japanese equivalent of Fanzines) i've run into a bit of a problem.

 

unlike comics that have staples, doujinshi are most of the time glued. they can be thicker than regular comics and larger too. for now i have mine stored inside golden age bags, but they won't fit in my long box. so right now they sit in a cabinet under the tv standing up.

 

my biggest concern is that they're stored upstairs where it gets hot and humid. while this is a concern with all my comics (they've been fine over the years and i check for moldy smells and yellowing twice a year and so far so good). i'm especially worried about the doujinshi though because of the glued spines and multiple different materials used to make them.

 

some of the doujinshi have holographic covers while others have a rippled, coarse texture. even the paper the pages themselves are printed on are unknown (one doujinshi has glossy pages throughout and another has paper that reminds me of brown paper bags!).

 

so i'm at a complete loss on how best to protect them from the elements, plus i'm not sure on if the usual protection measures might actually harm the covers instead of protect them.

 

i was thinking about getting a narrow plastic bin for the doujinshi and maybe upgrade my comics to some as well in the future (at the moment i have 300+ comics and 20+ doujinshi, so it would be more affordable to buy one for just the doujinshi for now ).

 

either way, my doujinshi are more valuable than my comic collection (because let's face it, no matter how much i love them, my Ninja Turtles comics aren't gonna be worth anything really, except maybe my TMNT + Batman crossover issues) most doujinshi are printed only for one convention event so there are only small print runs. combine that with many Circles (the group or individual that made the book) refusing to do reprints after those are sold out, making them hard to find.

 

in other words, if the book was published before 2000 you are never gonna find it. or if you do, they're expensive. Not on the scale of a golden age comic of course, but still pretty high. i've seen some go for $500 easy if it's from a popular Circle.

 

anyways, that's a lot that i just typed, so i'm just asking, would a narrow plastic bin be a good idea and how best can i protect the glue binding (would bags and boards be a good idea or a bad idea because of the textured/shiny covers?)

 

examples:

(and in case you're wondering, 100% of my Naruto doujinshi collection centers around Kakashi Hatake, the silver haired ANBU Captain with the mask and the only true ninja in the Naruto series. He's kinda like Leonardo, in that he's loyal to a fault and is a trusted leader, but he also has a darker side as an assassin that knows how to kill his emotions to get a job done).

 

Holo cover:

 

Brown paper bag like pages:

 

Rippled texture cover:

 

Laminated Cover:

 

Pages of all but 2 are pristine white with 0 yellowing

 

[towards2112]

Welcome to the boards. !!!

[Jayman]

I have never seen these before and I think they are beautiful books, thanks for introducing them to me! If I understand you correctly your main concern is the bindings on these. I'm still not clear on the size (various sizes?), but you could always try magazine size bags and boards. These may be large enough to hold your books while roomy enough as not to stress the spines. Store in magazine boxes.

 

And WTTB!

[Rika24]

thank you! and i was first introduced to them by a friend who sold me her Digimon crossover doujinshi back in 2010. i was amazed by the artwork and have been collecting ever since (i write and read fanfiction, so to see what is pretty much a fanfic brought to life, it was hard to resist them).

 

about the sizes, doujinshi are listed as A5 and B5

 

A5 = 6in x 8in

B5 = 7 x 10

 

the size varies in thickness though. my thinnest is only 8 pages, but my thickest is 68 pages (not counting my A5 books, which i wouldn't store in anything but a sleeve).

 

all my doujinshi are B5 size except for my most prized part of my collection, a Limited Edition two volume boxed set with its own slip case. i got it for my birthday this year

 

That one i stored in a sleeve as soon as i got it. Not only is it my favorite, it also happens to be my most valuable because of it being a Limited Edition set (and for a doujinshi to be called a limited edition, it's gonna be really rare). it's currently worth $60 now (it was only released last year and has gone out of print, so that's a huge jump in value already )

 

anyways, looking into things, i'm thinking about top loaders or binders now since i really want to display them. i'd love the top loaders option the most for display purposes but i'm wondering if they're too snug the humidity could warp them (even in the top loader i would at the least have them in a sleeve, maybe not boarded though).

 

the binder option is another because i like to take the books out and read them a lot, plus i can transport them easier.

[F For Fake]

WTTB! Those are indeed very pretty books. I'd agree, magazine sized mylars and boards should do the trick.

[Doohickamabob]

Somebody already said this, but again: Get magazine-sized sleeves/backings and a magazine-sized box. In addition to magazine-sized sleeves/backings, there are a variety of different sizes available. Use a ruler to determine exactly what height/width you need, and consider getting a size of sleeve that is slightly loose on the backing to account for the thickness of the binding on those Japanese publications.

 

There are many companies that specialize in comic/magazine sleeves and backings, but my favorite has always been BagsUnlimited , because they have stuff for just about any form of media you might collect. Also their customer service has always gone above and beyond for me whenever there has been any sort of problem.