How Great is This Hobby? What Do You Love About Comics? 1 1

[Paul © ® ⚽️💙™]

I've had many phases of comic collecting over the decades, but the genre that gives me the biggest buzz, in terms of artwork, covers, stories and general pop culture history interest, is undoubtedly PCH.

PCH is my greatest joy in comics along with PCC.

[SeniorSurfer]

I really love the sheer volume of characters, stories and art - so much so in fact that even though I have been reading them for over fifty years, I recognize that the amount of material still untapped, as well as the amount of material I want to re-read, would take me beyond my lifetime.  (I get the same feeling from old movies).

I love the way these books transport you to other worlds or different eras, that they can be wordy or almost silent, that they can educate or just provide escape, and that they can have all or any part of these characteristics in every story.

I love that feeling where they transport not just your mind but your being as they conjure up happy memories of childhood and more carefree times.  If I describe this, most everyone here can picture their own recollections which would not be too disparate from others:  Imagine somehow finding a spare moment in this internet age that just gets faster and faster, but you're able to slow down for a minute and dedicate some time for yourself.  Imagine finding a spot where you won't be interrupted; you're carrying a stack of books, maybe small (the ASM 31-33 "Master Planner" story or the FF Galactus trilogy), maybe large because you'll think - as we always do - that we'll have the time to finish them (the "Tales from the Crypt" run - reprints would be safer... or "Nexus" 1-50 as most of the arcs came to an ending).  You sit down, remove the tape from the bag, slide out the book, then get a whiff of that old pulp with which we're all so familiar.  In the very best "Twilight Zone" fashion, all of a sudden in this small part of an afternoon or evening, you're young again.

[Shadow]

I love the "time machine" effect, taking me back to my youth and when I thought the world was much simpler. (Late 70's/early 80's lol) Add to that some great art work and storytelling. If you get both aka Claremont & Byrne, the magic really happens. 

[The lips]

I love stories and I love stories with accompanying fantastic art work. 
Ands what’s better than stories that involve super-heros, super villains, creatures from other worlds, stories set in space or stories set in New York. 
What’s better than having this story go on and on and be pretty much never ending as there’s always next months issue to look forward to. 
What’s better than escapism and getting lost in a fantasy world where hero’s crawl walls or fly or surf through the galaxy ? 
To many, comic books were the lowest form 
of literature but to me it’s the very highest. 
i can hand on heart say I love it. 

[Dr. Balls]

On 11/26/2022 at 1:05 PM, The lips said:

What’s better than having this story go on and on and be pretty much never ending as there’s always next months issue to look forward to. 

That’s one of my favorite parts - the characters I love are always there in a new story, no matter when I want to pick them up and read.

[Cat]

I also love that no one else in this world has the exact same taste as me. My shelves and shortboxes are unique. I may have all the classics, all the stuff you'd expect, but you're gonna find stuff that'll throw you for a curveball, that you'd never expect to see, some books you've never heard of, creators I love who are just mysterious names to you. And likewise me to you and so on. I can look at your collection and walk away with ten new books I've discovered through you that sound interesting, artists I like the look of, or a new writer who sounds intriguing. 

I've always got something to learn. There's no point at which I 'know' comics. There's always something. 

[The lips]

I love the timelessness of it and how I loved superheroes as a little boy, and now my little boy does to. 
it’s something that’s so accessible to people of all ages all over the world. 
 

[ThothAmon]

When I was a little boy I happily woke up early  every day sometimes having to drag those newspapers on a tobaggon through the snow. Why?  Because the money I made was going to buy comics. My desire to learn more about them hasn’t ebbed. I love the art (and the smell). 

[mysterymachine]

It's the part of your childhood that is hard to give up. The Comic art style is just something that I really enjoy. It's been absorbed into our current culture. And then I think about the work put into making just one book. A whole team of people working together not just to earn a paycheck, but to put out quality work that people can enjoy. I always look back at that Claremont/Byrne/Austin run and wonder how they kept up such quality work for so many years. And there have been so many others. Part of the enjoyment is finding the others.

[MetalPSI]

On 11/25/2022 at 3:03 PM, Dr. Balls said:

Man, I love this place - it puts some of the nicest, knowledgeable people in the hobby together in one online community.

This hobby has kept me sane for more years that I can count. On the hunt for comics, trying to find art I like, buying stuff to speculate on and trying to flip it to buy more stuff. Talking with people almost every day and getting along with 99% of them. Learning about books I never paid attention to when I was younger. I'm thankful that when I started collecting as a kid that this medium interested me so much that it has taken up most of my life - even when I got interested in other stuff, I always came back to comics when I got bored with those things.

How great is Dueling Dealers? Bill, @romitaman , Anthony and Sharon put in a bunch of hard work, and I race home every Wednesday to try and catch it. I don't even do that for an MCU show. The Facebook Original Art Collectors group is also filled with a bunch of helpful people, what a great resource.

@Crimebusterand @DiceXproducing their own comics - I'm happy as a wedge for those guys, they get to fulfill a dream I've (and many others) have always had.

So much to love about comics - the stuff we don't love always gets a lot of action here, so I thought we could have a thread about what makes the hobby great for each of us.

I love interacting with usernames like Dr. Balls

[THE_BEYONDER]

My comic book happy place these days is finding newsstand fresh copies of my childhood faves.    Just love having a crisp copy to compare to my originals....

 

Edited November 27, 2022 by THE_BEYONDER

[Robot Man]

On 11/26/2022 at 12:48 PM, Cat said:

I also love that no one else in this world has the exact same taste as me. My shelves and shortboxes are unique. I may have all the classics, all the stuff you'd expect, but you're gonna find stuff that'll throw you for a curveball, that you'd never expect to see, some books you've never heard of, creators I love who are just mysterious names to you. And likewise me to you and so on. I can look at your collection and walk away with ten new books I've discovered through you that sound interesting, artists I like the look of, or a new writer who sounds intriguing. 

I've always got something to learn. There's no point at which I 'know' comics. There's always something. 

Me too. My collection is probably 80% GA. Every genre. I have always loved turning up books in out of the way places and box diving at shows. By doing so and keeping an open mind, I have turned up some pretty amazing and cool stuff.

The thrill of “discovery” and the “hunt” along with meeting a lot of collectors like minded people has kept me engaged my whole life. 

[THE_BEYONDER]

A little more comic joy with a win just now. Another childhood upgrade.

  The QP & PQ could be better, but for $34 

 

Book was pretty crazy as a kid.   This page in particular....

 

 

Edited November 28, 2022 by THE_BEYONDER

[Crimebuster]

On 11/25/2022 at 3:03 PM, Dr. Balls said:

 

@Crimebusterand @DiceXproducing their own comics - I'm happy as a wedge for those guys, they get to fulfill a dream I've (and many others) have always had.

 

Thanks for thinking of me! This post actually came at a really good time for me. My current Kickstarter ends tonight (here it is if anyone is interested) and this campaign has been really challenging. In fact, the entire process of putting this issue together has been very difficult right from the start. But this thread is a really timely reminder that even when it's hard, making comics (and reading and collecting comics) is the most fun around. 🤗

[theCapraAegagrus]

I collect mainly for the artwork, which is why I collect all ages, and preferably collected editions (most of the good stuff is "oversized"). I think that most pre-Bronze stuff is poorly-written for my standards, but there's a lot to love about older artists and their works.

My endgame is probably a piece of Alex Ross OA. Maybe before I'm 50?

[Dr. Balls]

On 11/29/2022 at 5:57 AM, theCapraAegagrus said:

My endgame is probably a piece of Alex Ross OA. Maybe before I'm 50?

That's a pretty wicked goal.