Can You Be a Comic Book Collector?

Why are comic books so popular? Why do thousands of people collect them? I explored that in this article, Why Comics Are So Popular, but only had a few words on actual collecting. Comic book collecting is a true art. Yes, it can be profitable, but it's supposed to be fun. When you start collecting comics, you are entering new worlds, and finding a medium which has some of the best storytellers and artists.

More than new worlds, you are actually putting your money to good use. Ever notice how so many novels, bought brand new at the store, go down in value immediately? True, first editions often are worth good money, but the majority of novels out there sell for pennies on Amazon, or don't sell at all on Ebay. That's not the case with comics: many hold value. It isn't the best reason to collect comics, but it's one. Let's explore all of them.

Do You Like Super Heroes?

Super heroes often have their own complete worlds, waiting for you to enter. Batman has Gotham, a place rich with evils like Joker and Penguin. Superman has Metropolis. Spider-Man has a more familiar surrounding, that of New York. Super heroes are the prime reason to collect comic books. If you like entering these worlds, you can be a comic book collector.

On the other side, there is this new field of comic books being turned into movies. Do you like any of these films? If you do, comic collecting is the next step, because this is where the super heroes came from.

Do You Like Reading?

However, you should like reading too. If you hate going through hundreds of pages of a novel, or waiting two hours for a bad film to end, consider that the average comic can be read in a far shorter time. On average, it's about 10-20 minutes. If you don't like it, put it down and pick up another. This is still an art however, because you will be reading. It will just be a different experience, sometimes more enjoyable.

Collecting for Profit:

You can be a comic book collector and forget about profit. Yet, if you want to invest some of your money, many of your comics might be worth something. If you can see the entertainment value of a comic book, it's easy to see why they are worth money. Comics are simply popular.

Today, most valuable comics are either short print runs, or go back to the silver and golden ages of comics, decades ago. Still, even trade paperbacks and graphic novels often hold value, sometimes even doubling in value.

Comics can be expensive, but often retain their value. If you don't like a comic, it might be worth enough to sell it somewhere like Ebay, where literally hundreds of thousands of comics are sold every year, some for incredible prices.