c/comic-book-fans

That guy at my LCS was dead wrong about Swamp Thing

I had a regular at my local shop back in Portland who swore Alan Moore's Swamp Thing run was overhyped and just 'weird for the sake of it.' He convinced me to skip it for a year until I grabbed issue 21 on a whim last month. Now I'm 40 issues deep and wondering how many other bad takes he's talked me into ignoring before I check them myself - did anyone else have a comic shop friend whose opinions were completely off base?

That comment at my local shop about Wolverine's origin made me rethink the whole thing

Was at Cosmic Comics in Portland last Saturday and this older guy was telling the clerk that Wolverine's real origin story got butchered by the movies and most fans. He said the whole Weapon X thing and the adamantium is cool but what makes Logan tick is way simpler - just a guy who keeps getting back up no matter how many times life knocks him down. Never really thought about it that way before. I always focused on the claws and the healing factor. Now I wonder if I've been missing the point of other characters too. Anyone else ever have a random comment from a stranger totally shift how you look at a character?

Best comic convention day I ever had was at a small show in Des Moines

Found a long box full of 90s Image comics that some guy was practically giving away at $1 each, and I pulled a near mint copy of Spawn #1 that I flipped for $80 same day to a dealer three tables down; has anyone else ever had a random find like that completely save a slow con weekend?

Vent: The one trick that got me into Silver Age comics without breaking the bank

I was tired of paying $50-$100 for beat-up copies of early X-Men or Spider-Man at my local shop in Portland. Then I started buying raw, lower-grade issues from estate sales online instead of graded slabs. I got a 1972 issue of Giant-Size X-Men for $15 that way. Anyone else find a sneaky source for old back issues?

I finally caught a fan damaging books at my local shop last week

I go to Comic Kingdom in Cleveland every Wednesday for new releases. Last Thursday I saw this guy flipping through a first printing of Saga #1 and he ripped the cover with his thumb. He just put it back on the shelf like nothing happened. I told the owner and he pulled the guy aside. Turns out this same dude had been doing it for 3 years and they never caught him until now. They banned him from the store. Has anyone else seen people wrecking books at their shop?

Can we talk about gatekeepers at comic shops?

I was at my local shop in Portland yesterday picking up the new issue of something and this guy behind the counter literally laughed at a kid for asking about a trade paperback. The kid was maybe 12 and just wanted to know if they had the one with the blue cover. The employee said 'you don't even know what you're looking for, do you?' and the kid just walked out. Why do some people working there act like you need a degree in comic history to buy a book? Has anyone else seen this kind of stuff drive new readers away?

Kid at the shop made me rethink my whole pull list the other day

I was standing at my local shop in Portland flipping through the new releases when this teenager maybe 15 asks if I read Department of Truth. Told him nah I've been reading the same Batman and X-Men books for 20 years. He just goes 'that's cool but you're missing the whole conversation happening right now'. He pulled out like 5 different indie comics from the shelf showed me how they all tie together thematically. Made me realize I've been stuck in a loop for over a decade without even noticing. Has anyone else had a younger fan call them out like that?

Went from hating Frank Miller to loving him after reading Batman Year One again

I used to think Frank Miller was just overrated edge lord stuff after The Dark Knight Returns felt too grim to me. But last month I pulled out my old copy of Batman Year One from 1987 and actually paid attention to the panel layouts and dialogue pacing. The way he builds Gotham as a character in just 4 issues is something I totally missed when I was 17. Has anyone else had a total 180 on a creator after revisiting their early work?

Noticed a guy at the comic shop pulling keys wrong from dollar bins

This dude at my LCS last Saturday was flipping through dollar bins and skipped a copy of New Mutants #98 because the cover was a little bent. I grabbed it after he left, got it graded at a 7.5, and sold it online for $180 last week. Have you ever seen someone miss a big key over a small cover crease?

Saw a huge shift in how fans talk about Batman in just 5 years

I remember back in 2019 at a con in Chicago everyone was all about the dark gritty Batman. Now I see posts everywhere praising the campy Adam West style. It's like people got tired of the gloom and started embracing the fun side. Anyone else notice this flip in the online comic fan spaces?

Swapped my weekly pull list from a paper notebook to a Google Keep list back in March

I used to write down my pull list on a scrap of paper every Wednesday at my local shop in Denver, but after I forgot it three weeks in a row and missed a first print of Hickman's new book, I switched to a shared Keep list with my buddy so we can both add stuff we want and not double up on variants anyone else grabbed yet.

Just realized I was bagging my comics wrong for 15 years

I was at a small con in Austin last weekend and a guy at the next table over showed me how he bags his books. He puts the book in spine first, not the bottom edge first like I always did. I thought it was just preference but he showed me how bottom-first can crease the cover over time if the bag is a tight fit. I never even considered that and I have 400+ books all bagged wrong. Anyone else hear about this or am I the last person to figure it out?

DAE notice a huge shift in how long it takes to sell a slabbed book these days?

Honestly, two years ago I could list a 9.8 key issue on eBay and get a sale within 48 hours. Now I'm sitting on a copy of a major first appearance for over three weeks with barely a watcher. I think the market just got flooded with people cracking and submitting their own books during the pandemic. Has anyone else seen their average sale time drag out this bad?

Hot take: I used to hate going to smaller comic shops but one in Portland changed my mind

I always thought the big chain stores had the best selection and organization, so I avoided the little hole-in-the-wall places. Last month I stopped into Cosmic Monkey Comics in Portland and the owner was just sitting there reading a Silver Age Flash, not bothering me at all. He ended up pulling out a box of 90s indie books from under the counter that weren't even on the floor yet. Found a near-mint copy of a Jim Mahfood book for $3 that I'd been hunting online for months. Anyone else have a small shop that totally flipped their opinion about where to shop?

Tip for new collectors: stop bagging silver age books in modern bags

Spent 4 hours trying to bag and board a silver age comic without damaging the spine

I kept bending the cover crease trying to get it into a standard bag, finally figured out you gotta slide the board in first then the comic goes in at an angle. What dumb trick took you way too long to figure out with older books?

Dude at my local shop last week argued that Batman could beat Superman in a fight using only logic

I was at Cosmic Comics on Tuesday grabbing the new X-Men issue and this guy in his 40s goes on a full 20 minute rant about how Batman would just use kryptonite and win. He even pulled out a printed spreadsheet showing fight scenarios. I tried to say Superman has speed feats that make it impossible but he just talked louder. Has anyone else run into someone at a store that takes comics this seriously?

That $60 variant cover I bought last month had a printing defect I missed

I picked up a foil variant of Ultimate Spider-Man #1 for $60 at my local shop thinking it was a steal. Got home and realized the entire cover is misaligned by almost a quarter inch, cutting off the logo. Has anyone else gotten burned on those pricier variants without checking them under a bright light first?

Had to choose between a full run of 'Saga' or a mint copy of 'Amazing Fantasy #15' last month

A guy at the local con in Phoenix offered me a trade. I could take his complete 'Saga' run, issues 1-66, or a graded 2.0 copy of the first Spider-Man appearance. I went with the 'Saga' books because I actually want to read them, not just own a slab. It was the right call, I'm halfway through and it's incredible. Anyone else ever pass on a grail for something you'd actually use?

Unpopular opinion: The comic shop in my town has a bad vibe now

Last week I went into The Panel Page, the shop I've gone to for three years. The owner used to just let you browse, but now he follows you around and talks over every book you pick up. I was looking at a new Moon Knight issue and he cut in to explain the whole plot... I just wanted to see the art. Has anyone else's local spot gotten weirdly pushy?

PSA: My local shop in Phoenix had a huge line for a new #1 issue last month.

They ran out of copies before I got to the counter, and the guy behind me started yelling at the owner about his pull list. It turned a fun Wednesday into a really tense situation. How do you handle it when a comic shop runs out of a book you really wanted?

Just found out my 'rare' variant cover was a fake print

I paid $80 for a 'first print' of a new indie comic at a con last month. The seller said it was a limited run of 500. Got home, checked the indicia and the barcode, and it's a second printing they just slapped a sticker on. I'm out the cash and the comic isn't worth half that. Felt pretty dumb for not checking it right there. Has anyone else gotten tricked by a fake variant before? What's the best way to spot them?

Spent three hours trying to find a single panel from an old X-Men comic

My buddy swore up and down there was a scene where Cyclops calls Wolverine 'a walking can opener' in Uncanny X-Men #173. I tore through my long boxes and every digital service I have, and it just doesn't exist. The whole night was gone. Has anyone else had a 'mandela effect' moment with a comic quote that wasted your whole evening?

Can we talk about the 2019 San Diego Comic Con panel on fan entitlement?

I was at the 'Future of Fandom' panel when a creator said some fans treat comics like a subscription service, not art. It made me rethink how I interact with writers online. Now I try to critique the work, not demand changes. Has anyone else adjusted their approach after a con moment?

PSA: Don't try to explain a comic book plot to your mom at Thanksgiving

Last year, I tried to tell my mom about the whole 'House of M' Scarlet Witch storyline over pie. I spent 20 minutes on the multiverse, mutants, and 'No more mutants.' She just nodded and asked if Wanda was in that movie with the robot. This year, I just showed her a two-minute YouTube recap video before dinner. She got the gist in seconds and actually remembered Quicksilver. Has anyone else found a better way to bridge the gap with non-fans during family stuff?