feature requests

Let us discuss the very nature of comic collecting! (Comic Book Forums)

  • Let us discuss the very nature of comic collecting!

Author Discussion
  • Posted: November 10, 2020 3:25:57 am
  • SO. . .

    I was having a discussion with my comic lovin' daughter yesterday and she made a pretty good point that I hadn't really considered. She says that modern comic collecting is actually comic COVER collecting.

    Her main prop for the point is slabbing comics leaves only the cover visible and you are unable to actually read the comic. She maintains that collectors buying slabbed comics are basically buying and selling just the comic book covers, and not the comics themselves, because there is no intention of actually ever reading the comic.

    IS modern comic collecting actually just comic COVER collecting?

    Discuss!
    Favorite Characters: Lone Ranger, Green Hornet, Captain America, The Shadow, Zorro, The Rocketeer, Jonah Hex
  • Posted: November 10, 2020 9:05:31 am
  • For most? I don't think so. I have read every modern comic I buy weekly. I think that's true for a lot of people.
    For slab collectors? Definitely. Although there is a "cracking" community that buys slabs for the guaranteed grade then breaks open the slab to "rescue" the comic.
  • Posted: November 10, 2020 9:39:59 am
  • I'd have to agree, especially with the variant chasers out there. What else are you buying if not the cover? The story is the story. I like what I'm collecting (Thor, ASM) and don't slab books, though I own one (Captain Marvel (Marvel) 1st series #1) and read them. Slabbing, though, goes beyond the cover collectors. It's basically a secure investment as compared to a raw copy; the interior is no longer visible, but you can rely on the notes to tell you the condition of the interior. As for reading any particular book, if you have the slab, you can probably plunk down a few cents for the digital.

    As for other books, I love getting full runs together. This means I don't have a chance at ASM and such, but I stick to what I love and can afford (see: Captain Marvel). I also try and collect "runs" of say an artist or writer or arc (Toddfather's Hulk run, Mike Zeck and Co's work on Kraven's Last Hunt, etc).
  • Posted: November 10, 2020 12:11:04 pm
  • Alright Atom. I'm going to chip in on this topic.

    I believe collectors are indeed amassing their favourite covers. And that's not as easy as some think since there are so many covers for so little titles nowadays. Any new book by Marvel or DC tends to have dozens of #1 covers. One of them will catch your eye. I have no idea how people can afford to buy pricey variant books and then pay to have them graded.

    I have no problem with CGC or CBCS and the job they do. I'm sure people were getting upset in the past with "grades" attached to books they were buying on the internet and feeling the sellers had no idea what they were doing when it comes to grading. Now you can't argue much over professionally graded books. You can argue about the prices people are asking for with a 9.6 + book, that's for sure.

    Your normal comic book collector (like us) want to read what we buy. It's the speculators and flippers who care not for reading. I have not heard about this "cracking community" mentioned by junobeach. I was under the impression that anyone who cracked a graded case would press the book and then re-submit it for a potential higher grade. Makes no sense to my brain, but whatever floats your boat.
  • Posted: November 10, 2020 12:45:22 pm
  • Well I have been pretty vocal about how I feel about slabbing in past threads. I don't do it and I have to agree with your daughter somewhat. Been collecting a long time and before slabbing comics ever became a thing we serious collectors had no problem keeping old issues preserved and intact. I believe that if someone is serious about their collection they take the necessary measures.

    I know a lot of you guys slab and I would be more inclined to it if I saw that the companies who provide the service were a lot more professional about it. When I use to attend cons and conventions, I should note I have been to most of the major ones, even worked at a few, CGC and CBCS would set up booths and do grading right there. What I saw always left me in shock. Mostly run by a bunch of kids. Hardly anyone there who had years of experience looking at, holding, and collecting. I have seen firsthand how they would make mistakes on something and also how quickly the grading process would take. Ever watch the show Antiques Roadshow? Even the curators on that show do a much better job than what I saw. It left me convinced that the slab companies are just in it for the money. They want to get as many people as they can sending stuff in, and get stuff out as quickly as they can.

    Last edited November 10, 2020 12:47:22 pm
    We strike hard and fade away into the night
5 posts • Page 1 of 1
World Community Grid Logo
ComicBookRealm.com: 72 years, 190 days, 18 hours of Run Time
Help projects like: Smash Childhood Cancer, OpenZika, Help Stop TB, FightAIDS@Home - Phase 2, Outsmart Ebola Together, Mapping Cancer Markers, FightAIDS@Home
Join World Community Grid today!
When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
  • Newest
  • Marvel Comics's Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi Issue # 6c
  • Marvel Comics's Wolverine Issue # 46illum-b
  • Marvel Comics's Wolverine: Epic Collection TPB # 14
  • DC Comics's Wonder Woman: Rebirth Issue # 1sdcc-b