When I was a kid, the first comic books that I read were the “Shaman” and “Gothic” arcs from Batman: Legends of The Dark Knight. I didn’t know Grant Morrison back then. A couple of Batman comics, Batman vs. Predator II, and Batman: Year Two followed in what was then my older brother’s comic book collection. This was way back in the 90's.
But when we moved out of the apartment that we were staying in, I never saw those comic books again. But somehow, with the movies coming out at that time and the ever-famous animated series was being shown on Friday nights on TV, Batman was stuck in my system.
Fast forward to College. I can’t remember what transpired or what made me go for it, but one day I decided to buy a Batman comic book. Maybe it was my subconscious, telling me to revive the passion that my brother had before. So going to the comic book store, my first comic book that I bought was the 2nd printing of Batman #608. I didn’t imagine or thought that the “Hush” storyline will be one of the best Batman stories ever written. And pardon for my ignorance — I didn’t know back then that Jim Lee is one of the people in the upper echelons of comic book art. All I know is that his artwork is awesome.
As I completed the “Hush” storyline and moved on to follow The Caped Crusader’s adventures, I got curious on what the other superheroes are up to. So I bought other comic books — to the point that I wasn’t saving money at all. The expenses I made in comic book collecting was burning my pockets and for a college student, it was catastrophic. Because of that, I had a fallout. I stopped collecting.
Years went on without a single comic book purchase until I graduated from college. With having a job, working, and getting paid for — the passion for collecting was re-ignited once more. So going back to where I started, I picked up where I left off — Batman #700. At that time also, Scott Snyder was starting his run on Detective Comics. I didn’t know Jock at that time but I thought his art was kinda awesome (pretty much the same reaction when I first saw Jim Lee’s artworks), so I picked it up as well.
Once again I followed Batman’s exploits. But little did I realize that it was like college all over again which is following other superheroes and collecting other comic books, which again consumed a considerable amount of money. From where I’m at, comic books are sold with prices a little bit higher (because of the shipping and tax fees) and I have to get my money’s worth in every comic book that I’m pulling from the shop. So I came up with a firm resolution and strategy to still enjoy comic book collecting.
As years went by and the interest in this medium of storytelling grew — I learned a couple of things that I think I can share. Whether one is just starting or having trouble managing the expenses that you make into this hobby, these lessons and realizations from my experience I hope may be of good use. But I think this applies to people who are tight on the budget but still wants to collect, or to any reader who might be living in a third world country wherein you have to spend wisely your hard-earned money. Regardless, here are a few tips:
- Stick with the comic books that has/had a connection with you.
Whether it was a part of your childhood and/or got interested with him/her/them by way of other forms of media — If you somehow felt like there’s this longing curiosity to know and follow their stories and adventures to satisfy your fascination and love for a character/group/franchise, then stories from their comic books might be the one for you. - Stick with a genre/category
If you wanna go and follow those established/tried and tested superheroes over at Marvel/DC/Dark Horse/Image/IDW/etc, or just looking for other reads in the form of creator-owned stories from various publishers (I think Image Comics has the most creator-owned books? Correct me if I’m wrong.) — Feel free to mix and match on what you go on collecting. - Research
There are comic book related sites in the internet that offers previews and news for upcoming comic books. Use it to your advantage. - Manage your budget
Set a limit on how much you’ll spend and on how many comic books you’ll pull in a month. With tips 1-3 in mind, pretty much you’ve decided and settled on what/who to collect. - Everything else — TPBs
If you still want to follow the other comic books or story arcs that you don’t collect monthly, you can opt to buy the trade paper backs of a particular comic. In that way, you still stick to your monthly budget of pulls since you can plan and save on what to buy. - Go to Comic Conventions, if there is one from where you’re at
If you have time and schedule permits, attend one. There might be a couple of booths set up selling comic books and TPBs at a lower/bargain price. Take for example, the “Gothic” story arc that my brother had before that was lost — I managed to get a complete set again from a comics convention for a reasonable price. - Join online comic book groups
This is another avenue on getting comic books/TPBs. There are those who are willing to let go of their books, and you might get what you want for the same or at cheaper price. - The Internet is your friend
If still your budget is really tight, then the last option is the world wide web. From character bios, to synopsis and summaries of a storyline — the internet is a huge place to search upon and catch up to any comic book story that’s out there. - Enjoy
‘nuff said.
From these lessons and realizations, I hope you learned a thing or two. As much as I’ve enjoyed writing this and sharing my thoughts about this hobby, I think it would be cool or awesome if someone reads this and takes something positive out of it. Whether if I encouraged someone to pick up a comic book for the first time or re-igniting the passion to collect again — It would be nice to know that I inspired someone — a stranger somewhere in this world.
So, go. Read. Enjoy.
