New to comics? Have you found yourself sat on Whatnot, or eBay, splurging cash like an incel in a strip club? If this rings a bell, this post is for you.
As a seasoned seller, and collector, the main reason I see people put a stop on their collection is this. Burnout. Buying everything you see, with no rhyme or reason, then finding yourself overwhelmed when you end up with 20+ long boxes that have taken over your bedroom. The Mrs hates you, the dog thinks you're a knob, and you haven't seen the children in weeks, because they've disappeared somewhere within the comic-forest.
What happens then? The number one reason I hear for selling, and as funny as it sounds, this is absolute truth. 'The Mrs wants me to get rid of them.". I can relate - it's the entire reason that I created Fantasy Road. Can't get the agg on when I'm making money by collecting now, can she!? - Post blog release edit: I do not mean this in a sexist way... Fun fact, statistically, 'collecting' in all forms is a male dominated trait, with over 70% of the industry (comics) being male dominated! Apparently, women are too smart to waste their money on fancy old bits of paper.
But what do you do to avoid this? (aside from starting a successful business run by a sexy bald man), Collect correctly. Now this sounds a bit stupid, because everyone collects in their own way, and I'm by no means saying that how you're doing it is wrong. What matters, is that you enjoy what you're doing. End of story. BUT, having said that, this guide below is for all of those people that want to avoid making the same mistakes that most of us did in the early days of collecting. You will learn about the best tools to use, the best (and only) way to value a comic book, and much, much, more.
Firstly, the basics. What makes a comic book valuable? This is both simple, and monstrously complex. The thing that many people get wrong, is that age gives a comic book value. Wrong. Age, is a multiplier, as is condition, but we'll get to that later. What gives a comic book value, is actually within the pages of the book. Key events. Simple right? Wrong. Key events are a nightmare to navigate, as they can be something as obscure as 'The first appearance of Aunt May's, cousin Dorris's, Pet Cat's cousin called Barry', or as obvious as the 'First appearance of Spider-Man'. Key events, have sort of 'devolved' through the years to be all encompassing, including artist's first work on a series, first use of a popular phrase, even first use of a specific logo. Deaths of characters, marriages, team ups, you name it. There's a key event for it. What it boils down to, is the more important the key event is, the more valuable the book. For example, the first appearance of Spider-Man, is... Substantial. The first appearance of Barry the cat cousin, not so much. Substantial key event, plus time (age) = profit. As a side note, the best key event database in the world, and a resource that should become your comic book bible, is Key collector. Make sure you check it out, and spend a good chunk of time learning about its contents, as it's an invaluable resource.
Another basic to understand, is 'Spec', which translates to 'Speculative Value'. If a book holds spec, that means that it holds value due to a speculation/rumour or leak, that relates to an event tied to the storyline. For example, a current high spec book, would be Venom #3, from the 2014 Donny Cates run. This holds spec value, as Knull made a brief appearance in the most recent Venom film, and has been confirmed to be the next Thanos-level threat in the MCU. This book is currently around £130, but when the spec hits, it should rise quite drastically. I say might in this context, as with all spec books, nothing is definite. If it was, trust me, I would be a lot richer. With spec, there are hundreds of variables that you have to consider, things such as popularity, print run, rarity etc, etc. For example, with Venom #3, at the time of release, the book was not a big deal. Knull was unknown, and Venom hadn't peaked in popularity, It was by no means a low print run, but it also wasn't a book that was over-ordered, and oversaturated in the market, such as Spider-man #7 the first appearance of Spider-boy. Again, this is by no means the be all end all of indicators, because there are books that have ignored these rules entirely, such as New Mutants #98, the first appearance of Deadpool. Despite being up there as one of the most ordered books of all times, even now, a high grade raw can fetch you a whopping £250 - 350. Spec doesn't even stop there. Higher risk spec books, like obscure characters, or events/people even rumoured to the MCU or whatever reason, without confirmation, can make you an absolute killing if your gamble pays off.
And finally, what do you use to catalogue your collection? Easy. There are lots of options, but only one choice. CLZ comics. This is a subscription service, the app will cost you around £2.50 a month, but there really is no competition. You can scan your book's barcode, add them by series, or individually. It's fantastic, and it's the most widely used cataloguing app, with a fantastic reputation and background in the industry. Check it out here.
Now, say you don't want to collect for value. You want to, dare I say it, Read those shiny bits of paper? That's fine. Like I said, there is no wrong way to collect. My advice here, and again, it is advice, and not a definitive fact, would be to refine your collection. For some people, this means collecting Characters, starting with their first appearance, main runs, then crossovers and guest appearances. To other people, specific writers. They would collect the writer's first work, then slowly move out into other runs and stories. Artists, or superhero teams, or even creative teams that work on comics. The options are limitless. Doing this, ensures that you have a focus for your collection, it eradicates the random impulse purchases, and even cuts down the storage space for your precious books. Don't get me wrong, it can be a difficult journey, and it can be pricey. For example, say you picked Wolverine as your focus. Great, it's a wide range of silver into modern books, tonnes of miniseries, solo series and the like, but the first appearance? You're looking at anywhere between £1 to 10k. Fantastic Four? I hope that when you use the loo, the toilet bowl sparkles with gold. Xmen? Shoot Logan Paul a DM and see if he wants to fix another fight to slap you about on Netflix for a few mils. Sorted.
