I have a few boxes of the SW: CCG from Decipher still. A few of the first released complete sets. They're probably worth shit now, but I actually played the game so it wasn't completely worthless.

Because most comics are crap? (I say this as an avid comics reader.)

The thing about comics is that they're marketed as "collectibles" and it encourages you to buy shit you otherwise wouldn't care about.

It's like "Guess I'd better buy all of those Ultraverse comics now because they'll be selling for $20 a piece in six months if it takes off." Even if you aren't explicitly investing for the money, then it still sort of forces even the readers to behave like they are. Nobody would've bought into things like Valiant, Defiant, and Ultraverse if they had known that within a couple of years the companies would be gone and nobody would give a rat's ass about the back issues.

And it also sort of encourages you to buy things you may not necessarily want or need. Like crossovers. Anyone remember "War of the Gods?" Or you keep buying things you're no longer interested in out of habit. And all of those miniseries really start to pile up over time. And, in very short order, DC went from publising two Batman comics (Batman and Detective) to four (Batman, Detective, LOTDK, Shadow of the Bat) and then started doing constant minis and Elseworlds and spin-offs (Batwoman, Robin, Azrael, Batgirl, Catwoman)... if you're not careful, the shit starts piling up fast and eating up money even faster.

Never mind that comics are fragile things, difficult to store, and quickly pile up those big heavy boxes.

Think long and hard about this... ten years from now are you really going to give two shits about House of M, Marvel Civil War, 52, One Year Later, or Infinite Crisis? Are you going to look at those one-hundred issues worth of Civil War crossovers and be proud that you spent over three hundred dollars on them? Will they still give you enjoyment then years from now? Or will they just sit on a big dusty cardboard box?

And, really, wouldn't you rather have all of the Pink Floyd or Rolling Stones CDs than a full run of "Shadow of the Bat" and "Green Lantern: Mosaic?"

The key to a successful comic book collection is RESTRAINT. I learned my lession about fifteen years ago to avoid hype and crap and crossovers and just read what I enjoy reading.

So I'm actually pretty proud of my collection of full runs of things like Sandman, Preacher, Invisibles, Grendel, Miracleman, Hellblazer, Grimjack, Hitman, Kabuki, Shade the Changing Man, Promethea, etc.

Give us hell Josh!

Josh, I understand what you're saying, but I never really got into any of the "hype" books, or anything I consider crap - which is why I've kept almost 99% of my collection - because it still holds up. Like how I was able to drop Xmen after Claremont left for the first time, but picked it back up during Grant Morrison's tenure, and dropped after that, and started buying the Whedon stuff. I've been good at following the good stuff without falling for much hype. But I'd stil give it all back if I could just have that time and money it took up - but I wouldn't want to do that with my music, movies and even video games for some weird reason I don't seem to understand. As if, even though I dig comics, part of me hates it and wishes I never got into it - as if the hobby was an abusive relationship that I can't end, because it's a source of comfort...

It's mainly the weekly/monthly fix that keeps me in the hobby. Videogames/movies/music don't offer that type of regularity for consistent interaction (it's more hit-or-miss as to what you'd be offered in videogames/movies/music on a weekly basis, not so with comics).

I agree with some of what Josh wrote, but as I read it I had 5 or 10 different replies to various parts of it. I'll forget most of it as I write, so this shouldn't be too verbose.

Yes, most comics are crap, but that applies to everything (Sturgeon's law was it?).

One problem that affects comics more than other media is it is harder to know the final quality of it before buying much of it. In buying single issues, you spend a lot of money before you find out it is crap. With CDs, you can hear samples on the radio/internet, movies have trailers, and most non-comic media have more available reviews. Sure, there are comic book reviews, and you can browse single issues before buying, but these are more limited in three ways. One, you must admit that there are fewer comic book reviews available than other book/music/movie reviews. Two, if you buy single issues you risk missing issues if you wait for the reviews, even just for the first issue let alone multiple. Three, to get a good discount you usually have to buy things up to 3 months in advance.

As mentioned, the monthly installment aspect of our hobby encourages buying things that we end up not liking. One, the collecting/hoarding/competists aspect of the hobby can keep me buying things even when the story is crap. Two, we have to buy several issues before we know we don't like a certain title, and if you do mailorder, even after you decide to stop collecting a title you have already pre-ordered the next 2-3 months.

These limitations are another reason for my switching to mainly trades only. One, trades are more likely to be non-crap as they don't collect everything. Two, you don't run the risk of a storyline never being finished. Three, reviews of the entire story are out, not just the beginning of it.

I'd like to think that most of my collection is non-crap, as I don't buy for speculation, but mainly to read authors that I enjoy. But alas, I also compulsively follow certain characters. I must buy every Swamp Thing appearance for example. He was my favorite character when I first started reading, and was blessed with some great writers/artists in his first couple of incarnations. But even though I don't love the last few years of his/her various adventures, I still have this silly "need" to buy everything that has a Swamp Thing appearance.

I'll stop now, as a book is forming in my mind......

According to Sturgeon's Law, it will probably be crap.

I love comics. Can't get enough of 'em. But I too think that most comics suck. Too many of them are plot driven. Too many of them are designed to increase hype and make money instead of telling a quality story. As an editor, it really stinks to see a medium I love so much flounder with stories that just don't work. What makes a good movie or novel? It all starts with a good story. Throw in some drama, some solid characters, and some emotion, and you have something. Most comics are still based on gimmicks or action instead of based on characters.

Okay, sorry for that little rant. This discussion isn't about the stories per se, so I'll stick to the fact that comics are still serialized stories that cater to those of us who need that fix. How many of us have read a title because we've always read it? I know I have. Probably all of us have. And until we start to change our buying habits, nothing will change. There are a lot of smaller titles that no one reads (just ask Sessa) because everyone is still wasting money on the same ol crap called X-Men and Batman and whatever. Sure, there are some great X-Men stories, and some great Batman stories, but it sucks that so much of what we read is recycled crap while the new creators who are trying to tell great stories are still off in the corner unread.

What it boils down to is people's spending habits. We say we're tired of the same ol' comics, but those are the books we're still buying. We'll continue getting crappy comics until we start speaking with our wallets. Either that, or until the industry gets a little more mainstream and "non-comic" readers start spending their money on the good stuff, thus sending a signal to publishers that we the readers are ready for better material.

Honestly, the only regret I have about comics is that I didn't get in on Sandman during its initial run. I've got a fantastic collection (augmented by my father's extensive early Marvel comics collection), and I wouldn't sell any of them for the world. I'm more into comics now than I've been in years, and I'm glad I never got rid of a single one.

I stopped buying current issues since '98 after 26yrs collecting because of the high prices and most of the stuff just simply wasn't good anymore. I still read the occasional graphic novel and hit up conventions for vintage stuff.

I recently scored a very fine condition of Green Lantern#1 (1960) for free. Well, not really. I was doing some graphic design work for a friend; sometimes I do that for friends just for the hell of it. After finishing the work (took me all of 2 hrs)and taking it to his work he pulls out a box full of vintage comics---about 200 books total. Golden Age, Silver Age and early 70's Marvel and DC books. He was just letting me look through them and without really give me a choice hands me GL#1. Told me I could have it for the work I've done. At first I refused knowing how much it was worth. I took it eventually knowing it would have been rude not to.

Biggest regret....

Somewhere, behind the clothes I wore in college and a very big bong.....I have an entire longbox on early 90's Image (Brigade, Youngblood, Shadow Hawk, Wildc.a.t.s, etc.).

I'm so ashamed.