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Post by wildfire2099 on Mar 7, 2017 7:33:46 GMT -5
I want to be able to read the whole story without noticing the condition... so as long as everything is there, and no one has scribbled on anything. I mostly stay away from water damage, too, because it annoys me.
Similar to what others have said, I like collected editions as a cheap way to read stuff I can't afford, or whose price point exceeds my interest, but for things I really like (or that are just inexpensive) having the original with the ads, letters, etc is alot of fun.
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Post by tingramretro on Mar 7, 2017 7:34:34 GMT -5
As long as it doesn't smell like mildew. I can't do water damage. This is my one big no-no. I prefer a book to be in good condition, but I've no time for the modern grading system, and I'm quite happy to buy a book that's less than perfect if it fills a gap in my collection. But I absolutely cannot stand water damaged books. |
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Post by tingramretro on Mar 7, 2017 7:36:26 GMT -5
I avoid collected editions for a few reasons: 1) I collect comics to own the comics...not necessarily the stories. I value a comic book in its original presented form (again, not original art but as it was intended for the masses when it first came out) 2) The lack of newsprint makes me sad 3) There is a great amount of joy that the first photo brings, compared to the second. Plus, I can always find the second if I have to read (be it in book form or online) but the joy of owning the book itself as a piece of art, history and a story is the reason I collect.  Couldn't agree more! |
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Post by brutalis on Mar 7, 2017 7:52:04 GMT -5
What i want is a decent enough copy to enjoy reading. If there is a tear or rip or bend/crease in a cover or comics it doesn't really cause me any grief. For back issues i usually purchase low to mid grade but damn if some of my favorite's aren't the well worn crinkled up pulp paper smelling issues with a cover hanging on by a staple.
A torn, folded, crumpled comic shows it is a well loved and often read comic. I bought 3 collected bags from my comic shop last summer specifically for lazing in the back yard reading after mowing the yard to read and recapture those faded days of youth. Each bag was $9.99 and had between 8-12 comics inside and all were old, torn, faded glorious oldies. 1 bag of various Marvel Westerns. 1 Bag of Kirby Eternals issues 1-11. Final bag various Kirby/Ditko from Marvel and DC including a couple of Machine Man's, a couple of Shade the Changing Man, a Demon issue and a Super Power's issue, a Creeper and a Hawk and Dove issue.
All are well worn and beyond sale value to most of the collector or younger crowd but for me they were calling to be taken home and enjoyed as the simple joy they were meant to be. And darn if i don't keep those 23 bags handy for a quick pleasurable instance every now and then when sitting in the back yard enjoying the end of a busy work day to relax and unwind. Best therapy ever!
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Post by Roquefort Raider on Mar 7, 2017 8:31:21 GMT -5
Strangely enough, I probably care more about the condition of collections than that of original comics.
Comic-books were created as cheap, disposable entertainment. We old fans want to preserve these very fragile items, sometimes out of a sense of nostalgia, sometimes because there's a market for them. I personally amass boxes and boxes of comics so that I can read them again, not so I can sell them some day; I have next to zero business sense. That means the comics' condition has very little importance to me, provided they're not falling apart so badly as to be unreadable. In fact I'm really happy with a dog eared and creased old book, if only so I can guarantee it a good home, like I would an old dog. If I don't love that fair/good yellowish comic, who will?
Collections, however, are clearly not cheap entertainment; they come with a high price right from the get-go. The ones I buy are often lovely hardcovers printed on high quality paper, and I'd really be upset if their sturdy spine had been broken. They are also, usually, less of a collector's item than original comics and unless I desperately want one that's gone out of print, I will clearly wait for an intact copy to show up.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 7, 2017 9:27:21 GMT -5
When I used to buy floppies I liked them to be in readable condition, as that's what I was generally buying them for. So I've a lot of comics in boxes that ain't worth much as they were just read copies. I did like the covers to be intact though, as I like those old covers... sometimes more than the actual story! Nowadays, my collector bug goes for the hardcover collected editions so that I can have a nice archive of those stories on my shelves, whilst also being able to re-read my favourite runs at my leisure.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 7, 2017 10:42:12 GMT -5
I always call myself a reader first, and a collector second, so the only time I'm really stingy is when I'm buying a brand new comic off the shelf.
Otherwise, I'm liable to choose cheap over condition.
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Post by Slam_Bradley on Mar 7, 2017 10:49:50 GMT -5
I avoid collected editions for a few reasons: 1) I collect comics to own the comics...not necessarily the stories. I value a comic book in its original presented form (again, not original art but as it was intended for the masses when it first came out) 2) The lack of newsprint makes me sad 3) There is a great amount of joy that the first photo brings, compared to the second. Plus, I can always find the second if I have to read (be it in book form or online) but the joy of owning the book itself as a piece of art, history and a story is the reason I collect. Couldn't agree more! Couldn't disagree more! |
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Post by Ish Kabbible on Mar 7, 2017 11:52:15 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on Mar 7, 2017 14:32:44 GMT -5
Maybe it's because my first exposure to "classic stories" were in collected editions like Origins of Marvel Comics, Son of Origins, the Tempo paperbacks, and things like Shazam forom the 40s to the 70s and not in actual comics that I bought off the stands, but I never considered format a necessary component of the enjoyment of story. I would take the story in whatever format I could get access to it in. I enjoyed comic books, I enjoyed collections, I even enjoyed experiencing the Red Skull vs. Cap Sleeper saga and the introduction of Hawkeye vs. Iron Man for the first time as a Viewmaster reels rather than in comic format. It was always experiencing the story that mattered, not the format or the condition. So whatever format or condition I can get to access the story in is fine with me. I couldn't be arsed if it's in comic book format, collected edition, reprinted comic (like Marvel Tales or Dreaded Deadline Doom fill in issues), digital, or what not and as long as it is readable then I am good.
-M
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Post by dbutler69 on Mar 7, 2017 16:19:29 GMT -5
Condition doesn't matter that much to me anymore. Of course, I'd prefer something in near mint condition, but al I'm really interested in these days is reading copies. As long as there are no missing pages or large stains, I'm happy.
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Post by tingramretro on Mar 7, 2017 17:17:27 GMT -5
Condition doesn't matter that much to me anymore. Of course, I'd prefer something in near mint condition, but al I'm really interested in these days is reading copies. As long as there are no missing pages or large stains, I'm happy. What about small but suspicious and unidentifiable stains? |
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Post by Phil Maurice on Mar 7, 2017 18:36:50 GMT -5
Like many others here, I'm ambivalent about condition when it comes to comics I simply want to read and enjoy. Almost the entirety of my Master of Kung-Fu run is G - VG+. Similarly, my four issues of Yellow Claw don't rise above VG+ since I enjoy reading and re-reading them immensely and have no plans to sell them. Where condition becomes vitally important is when I purchase books for investment, a practice that some here find vulgar. I don't agree, but I am a guest here and will be respectful of other members' opinions, and of course I generally welcome the opportunity to have my thinking adjusted or expanded.  When purchasing key Gold and Silver Age books for investment, I prefer to have graded copies in the highest grade that I can afford. Depending on the book, this can mean anything from 4.5 up to 9.8. The lower grade is really a hard minimum for me at this point, and I would settle for it only because it is the highest graded copy of a must-have key that I can manage to bring in. This would apply to books whose price is not coming down in my lifetime, Amazing Spider-Man #1 for example. |
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Post by coinkadink on Mar 7, 2017 20:14:22 GMT -5
I used to want the comics to be as pristine as possible. I was a completist collector. I eventually sold a large portion of my collection in the early 90s and I realized there were some issues of certain series I had never read because I hadn't completed the gaps. I started collecting for fun after that. I only bought books I wanted to read. So collections reprints old beat up copies if they're readable I'll take them. I have a mix of nice and terrible copies in my collection. But my goal is the stories and adventures, I could care less if they are pretty or not because I don't ever want to sell them or hang them on the wall or something.
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Post by dbutler69 on Mar 8, 2017 10:15:18 GMT -5
Condition doesn't matter that much to me anymore. Of course, I'd prefer something in near mint condition, but al I'm really interested in these days is reading copies. As long as there are no missing pages or large stains, I'm happy. What about small but suspicious and unidentifiable stains? That depends on what color they are. If they're white, no thanks. |
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