Advice and tips for those who wish to start collecting comic books and what to consider and look for when buying comics for your collection.
Getting started in comic book collecting is real easy if you just wish to collect. Go to the local comic book store and just pick up the latest issues of whatever comic it is that attracts you the most. Right there you have the beginnings of a comic book collection. If you just buy the new issues from month to month your collection will grow and there will be times when you get rare or sought after issues without knowing it.
One thing about comic book collecting that one needs to keep in mind is that there really is no way to know which comics will be the most valuable or rare. It really becomes a hit or miss situation.
A lot of people get all the first issues they can, but first issues generally have a huge production run and it may end up being the second or third issue of a series that will end up the most valuable or rare if the series is hot and the production runs on those issues do not meet demands created by issue one. It takes several months before a comic book company really can get a feel as to just how popular a series is and so there are often a few issue after the first one that either are too high or too low for the demand. That is generally the key area as to when a series gains it popularity and becomes either a hit or miss concept. So the first few issues of a huge miss of a comic may end up being very rare, but have no value at all if no one wishes to collect them. So you can either take a chance and buy all the first issues and hope they are popular, or you can play it safe and pick up just those that really interest you the most.
Some of the most sought after issues of a comic book are very often the most unassuming ones to begin with. They can be very uninteresting or common story lines with nothing special happening to the characters, but this is a first issue for an artist or writer of that series and in a year or two that artist or writer will suddenly be popular and so the early stuff done by them is suddenly in demand. Of course once more there is no way to know which new artists or writers will get those kinds of followings. A general rule for collecting is if you find an artist or writer you like and you think there will be a huge demand for them in the near future, start then looking for any of the less known works. If they hit it big, the best time to buy their out of print stuff is before everyone else wants it.
Big story events such as deaths and weddings are often sought after issues, but are normally not very rare. They can be key issues to storylines but generally are not going to end up being the most valuable. They may sky rocket at one point, but most often end up coming down in value a lot and then settling in a modest price. Those issues very often have some of the larger production runs since there is a general assumption that people who normally do not buy the series will pick up these special events issues.
One thing to always keep an eye for are the hidden treasures. Many comic book stores often have dump areas with 5-for-a-dollar comics. Many of these will seem uninteresting, but if you look through you can find a good grouping of issue to make complete story lines. This is a great way for people just getting into a series to go and find older issue that may give some of the back stories that are affecting the storyline. And it is always possible that those junk comics may some day end up being in demand for whatever reasons. At such cheap prices it is worth it and can help build up a collection.
Of course for those who have the money, you can just go and buy the rare and valuable issues. Best way to do this is through auctions. You are more likely to get an issue for bellow book value by winning it in an auction above picking it up at a collector shop. The shop will most likely charge book value, although some do have membership programs or special deal where you can get the back issues for cheaper. However if you know what you are doing and pay attention you can get some real great deals for back issues at auction.
Of course remember to take care of your comics. All comic shops sell bags and boards and boxes to place your comics in and protect them. Most times when you buy back issues they will already be bagged and have a protecting back to them to prevent bending. The bags and backs are really cheap, but if you wait to long to start you will find it adds up real quickly.
Collecting comic books, just like collecting anything, is not as easy as just buying them and having them gain in value. You really will not know what issues will end up being the most sought after and most valuable. It sometimes takes years for the value of a comic to come to light. Your best bet is to just go after what you like the most and hope that others like it as well. Of course many do not worry about value when collecting and so very often are the ones most likely to be happy with their collections.
