The iFanboy Letter Column – 08.05.2011

Friday means many things to many people. For some, Friday is all about drinking away the realities of the global economy. For others, it’s about lighting cigars with hundred dollar bills and quietly chuckling to themselves.

At iFanboy, Friday means it’s letter column time.

You write. We answer. Very simple.

As always, if you want to have your e-mail read on the any of our shows or answered here, keep them coming — contact@ifanboy.com

 


 

I would love to hear Conor’s thoughts on the changes DC is making to Superman. I really don’t like them. Also what is your favorite Superman origin? I prefer John Byrne’s Man of Steel and I think it doesn’t get the credit it deserves.

Chris C.

To be completely honest, Chris, I haven’t formulated a whole lot of thoughts on the changes that DC has made to Superman mostly because I haven’t read the books yet. I’m trying to go into this new DC Universe with a completely open mind. That’s why I’m going to sample all 52 first issues: everything is going to get an equal chance to wow me or bore me.

Of course I’m not completely blind to what DC has announced about the new Superman status quo; running a comic book website makes it hard to stay away from such things. And despite my best effort to stay completely neutral on the new DC Universe, I have formulated some early thoughts.

Right off the bat I’m not a big fan of the “current costume”, the one seen in Superman and Justice League. I understand wanting to update the costume and get rid of the red trunks, and I’m all for that. They should have simplified the design and not made it overly complicated. I’m willing to be won over by the “current costume” but I remain skeptical. As for the “old costume”, the one seen in Action Comics (see right), I love that one to pieces. Especially when you couple it with the little tidbits of story and character that Grant Morrison has dropped so far. Having just read Supergods I found myself totally falling in love with Morrison’s thoughts on early Superman — less powerful champion of the people and scourge of social oppressors — and if that’s the Superman we’re going to get in the new DC Universe, at least in Action Comics, I’ll be thrilled. I’m also fine with having his parents dead (they were dead in the comics at one point, remember) and I’m a hug fan of the return of the Superman-Lois-Clark love triangle.

All that’s left now is to see how the creators execute which is, of course, everything.

As for my favorite Superman origin, that one is simple. It begins and ends with John Byrne’s Man of Steel. It’s one of my favorite stories of all time, and certainly one of my favorite Superman stories. For more on my thoughts on Man of Steel check out this show we did a while ago.

Conor Kilpatrick

 


 

When Iโ€™m not laying down smooth jazz riffs, I often read comics. And when I have a number of them to read, I have a stack of books that are not bagged-and-boarded. Unfortunately, the books can be easily damaged by a variety of things, so I wanted to find a way to protect them while I have them out and being read. So far, I have seen D-ring binders with big clear sleeves, which donโ€™t actually let you read a book without removing it. I also saw a folio that seems sturdy, but again you have to remove the comics to read them. Do you guys know of a better solution? Thanks!

Ken

I’ll be straight with you, Ken. You’re only here because of the first clause of your opening sentence. That being said, it doesn’t seem to jive with someone laying down smooth jazz riffs that you’d be so anal about comics. I have stacks of books everywhere, and haven’t bagged or boarded a comic in many years, and most of them are just fine for my intended purpose. Perhaps you live in a tornado zone, or have no roof, but how pristine do you want your comics to be and why? I shit you not, and this is 100% accurate: comics you buy today will not be worth anything. They are disposable and valuable only in relation to how much you enjoy them. Issues are magazines and when I’m done with a magazine, I throw them away. Recycle actually.

The point is, why? Why are you so concerned with keeping them new? What is the point? What is the goal? Do you go back and read them? If so, does a crease in the cover affect that reading? Perhaps you just need to eat saucy meat sandwiches at a different time than you’re reading your books. I don’t know.

This isn’t the point of view of everyone, I know. Some feel very differently, as is their right. But having come from a place where I bagged and boarded everything to the point where I am now was very liberating, and a bit more freeing. I’ll be in a comic shop from time to time, and there will be a dude thumbing through the available copies, trying to find a perfect version, and I just feel bad for them. It’s a waste of energy. There is no gold at the end of this rainbow.

In terms of money, that is.

So I don’t mean to fob off your question, but I have no idea how to answer it in another way.ย  I did find this link that might be a start.

Also, are you looking for a guitar player?

Josh Flanagan

 


 

Do you guys remember the new female Captain Britain from a few years back? She was introduced in a very good 4 or 5 issue Avengers story, drawn by Olivier Coipel, shortly before Avengers Disassembled. She appeared in 1 or 2 issues after that first story and I haven’t seen her since. I thought she was one the best new characters to come along in awhile and wish someone would bring her back. Do y’all know of any stories with her that I missed? Brian Braddock was involved in her origin and his character has changed and is now Captain Britain again, maybe this has something to do with it.

Shane

Do I remember the female Captain Britain?!?! OF COURSE I Remember the female Captain Britain!

For those who don’t recall, the new Captain Britain was introduced in the pages of The Avengers, Vol. 3 #77 in 2004, created by none other than Chuck Austen and Oliver Coipel. She was a single mother and a school teacher who got caught in the crossfire of a battle between The Avengers and the Wrecking Crew. She used Captain America’s shield to protect a downed Cap and The Wasp from an attack, and then died from the act. While she was dead, she saw a vision of Brian Braddock (the Captain Britain we know and love), who at the time was ruling the Otherworld and he awarded her the Sword of Might and made her the new Captain Britain, but at a cost. There was a catch with the Sword of Might, that if she revealed her identity to her children, they would perish. (Which seems kind of extreme and not really justified, but I guess it caused conflict. Chuck Austen has never been a very good writer.) So she joined The Avengers and was on the team through Avengers: Disassembled, after which she left the team and returned to England.

So what happened to her after that? Well, once Brian Braddock returned as Captain Britain, she took the name Lionheart and kept her powers. She allied with Albion, a dark version of Braddock, to exact revenge on him for the whole “can’t tell my kids or they’ll perish” thing. This all happened in the most recent Excalibur series (before Captain Britain and the MI:13). Ultimately she does the right thing, turns on Albion and helps Excalibur defeat him and then inexplicably is able to be re-united with her children and still keep her powers as Lionheart. As far as I know, she hasn’t been used in a comic since.

I too liked her as a character, if for no other reason than her costume. Hopefully they return to England and give us a new Excalibur series down the line and perhaps she could be a part of that, but for now, she’s back on the bench waiting for some editor or writer to remember she exists and come up with a story featuring her.

Ron Richards

Comments

  1. I bag and board purely out of lessons learned from when I was a kid: I wish I had taken better care of my shit. I wish I hadn’t mangled and tossed my books from the 80’s. I wish I still had all the accessories and limbs for my He-Man figures (and my Castle Greyskull for that matter). I wish I still had the box and instructions for my golden Legend of Zelda cartridges, so that they would look even sharper on the shelves of my man-cave.

    It’s not about money, it’s about preparing for the future. Maybe one day I will be sitting in the old folks home measuring afternoons with coffee spoons and think, “damn, I have a lot of time on my hands. maybe I’ll read those 20 years worth of comics I saved”. Maybe not. Maybe 10 years down the road my kids will covet my longboxes the way I suddenly coveted my dad’s vinyl collection when I turned 14. Maybe not. Either way, I don’t see it as much of a biggie. If they just get tossed in the end, who cares. it takes me 5 minutes to bag a dozen books at the end of the week…

  2. Chris C. sounds suspiciously like me a few years ago (what with the name and all).  I can certainly remember a time when the big DC change would have bothered me.  I credit this website with helping me open up to the pontential a change like this creates.  My suggestion to Chris is to give the Superman books a legitimate chance to impress you.  If they don’t, you can express your opinion with your purchasing decisions (that’s likely the only form of expression DC will be paying attention to).  If you do like it, then you’ll be happy you gave them a chance.

    That’s what I plan on doing. 

  3. Woah, I knew about Betsy Braddock’s turn as Captain Britain, but I somehow missed this version. Also I definitely dig that take on Brian’s classic supersuit.

  4. RE: bagging and boarding, I follow the practice, except with mini-series and story arcs, which usually get lumped into one bag with no board.  But the primary reason I do it is because I find it easier to flip through my comics that way.  Going through a longbox of issues with no bags or boards is more difficult than going through a longbox with bagged and boarded comics.  At least that’s been my experience.

  5. I just dont get why you wouldn’t read the hell out of a story you love. Again and again. Thats the first point. I’m anal with stuff I like but I keep them neatly on a shelf (usually trades to be fair) and they are in quite good condition. The ones that aren’t? Who cares, I buy them based on quality meaning I don’t have any intention of giving them away or selling them so its only me who has to live with them being worn and I think wear and tear is the sign of something worthwhile. And unless you live in a tornado hot spot (like Josh said) its unlikely wear and tear will be more than a crease on a spine or a crinkle on a page. A coffee/tea splash at worst. I love them enough to be careful with them when reading them and that saves me a lot of hastle.

  6. Value depends only on whether there’s someone who is willing to pay. A comic may be valued by Overstreet or whatever at $500.00, but if no one is willing to pay it then it’s worthless. Sometimes, though, the reverse happens. I think as digital becomes more prominent in the coming years, we may see a rise in the collectibility of the single issue as a nitch thing.

  7. If and when physical comics dissapear due to the digital market
    Some of those bagged and boarded issues might start to see some value.
    Rare=value.
    And there isn’t any way to know for sure but it’s a logical assumption that it might not be
    so crazy to hold on to those floppys.
    Also it’s pretty cavalier to  imply someone might be crazy to want to take care of their books.

  8. the worst part of bagging and boarding was getting the tape stuck on the cover and ruining it.

    I wanna bag and board my iPad…cause i’m pretty sure that has more resale value than most of my floppy comics. =)

  9. I bagged and boarded when I got back into comics for the first few months but no more! They get stacked into long boxes raw and unprotected because I’m crazy like that.

  10. I bought a bunch of bags to put my issues into. So far, I’ve only bagged one: My copy of Batman #700 signed by Grant Morrison. I actually bought them solely to protect that issue. Maybe I should put that bag inside another bag and so on until I use them all. Hehe, that’s dumb.

  11. My response to the bagging and boarding issue was to simply do an end run on the whole thing and go completely digital.  Luckily I’ve only accumulated about 8 long boxes and I don’t plan on buying anything in print except indie trades that won’t be available digitally.  My nightmare was to end up with a storage unit full of stuff that would be difficult to access and digital comics has rendered that fear moot.

  12. I still bag and board but have revamped my process a little. I don’t bag and board everything, only the books that I love and want to keep in great shape. I still bag other books that may not be my favorite, but may be part of a run I’m enjoying.

    I also just love collecting. I love having the orginal first prints of a writer or artist’s work. I also love having first appearances of characters. It’s just a fun thing to do and a satisfaction digital can’t give me. Digital comics are cool for some and are a necessity for others. But for me, a comic on a computer screen or iPad looks and feels like a program or computer image. Print books give me a greater appreciate for the art, the pencils, inks, colors, etc. Doesn’t mean digital doesn’t have it’s purpose. It’s just not my preference.

  13. I bag and board all of my comics but I am just like that…I think my Dad passed down the “take extremely good care of your stuff” no matter what it is.  I’m even OCD about keeping my paperback novels in good condition, much to my own personal aggravation because I honestly wish I would care less.

  14. Josh, thanks for replying to my email. Although you should have put my site handle (kennyg) instead of my name, it would have made my opening make more sense. And yes, that opening line was to get your attention. Glad it worked!

    With a wife, two kids, and two (mostly housebroken) dogs, there are numerous possibilities for my comics, which may even be new and unread, to be damaged. Not to mention any number of other calamities (oops, I spilled my drink!) that could occur. I did have a water heater burst once, which ruined a couple hundred comics, although the vast majority of bagged and boarded ones were unharmed.

    I don’t bag and board everything (usually just signed or really scarce things). I don’t expect them to be worth anything monetarily. Their value to me is the enjoyment I (and others I might share them with) get from reading them. However, I pay, and have paid, a lot for comics. I have over 6000, so even if I only paid on average $1 for each, that’s still a lot of money I’ve spent. I don’t expect to recoup the money, but I choose to take decent care of them, since I spent the money. I just want my stuff in decent shape long enough to read it, at the very least.

    I also like collecting them, having them in order, catalogued, etc. I’m a bit of a pack-rat (you’d think I grew up during the Depression sometimes). Look for me on a future episode of “Hoarders.”

    And thanks, but I also play guitar, so, you know…

  15. @kennyg  But I didn’t know it was your username.

    Hey, it’s your thing man. But like I said, I completely didn’t help solve your problem.

  16. I neither bag nor board, but I do keep my books. And, between you and me, I do it thinking, “Surely, I can make a buck on these used magazines somehow.” The difference between now and 1989 is that when I say “make a buck,” I don’t mean “a chest full of doubloons and gems”; I mean “fifty cents a book in store credit.” My shop will take back the good stuff, which beats the fireplace.

  17. I consider comic books important works of art thus care for them to the best of my ability. You ask why bag? I ask why wouldn’t you bag if you love the medium?

  18. @ericmci  If and when physical comics dissapear due to the digital market
    Some of those bagged and boarded issues might start to see some value.
    Rare=value.

    Um, even if everything does go digital it doesn’t mean it will increase the value on printed books nor will it make them rare. Keep them to collect or for nostalgia reasons but God help you if you’re holding them thinking you’ll get rick some day. Won’t happen.

  19. Oh and I completly disagree with Conor on the costume pictured. HATE IT. Looks like Jethro from the Beverly Hillbillies wearing a cape. Can’t stand it or the new armor look in Justice League. But I’m hoping they’ll grow on me. I also do not want a Lois Clark Superman love triangle. That’s been done to death. I’m kind of hoping that they have Lois hate and mistrust Superman. Having her try to expose Superman because seh thinks he’s an alien menace sounds more interesting than her swooning over Supes and ignorning Clark.
    But I’m also going to get all 52 and give them a chance. Kind of excited about it truth be known.

  20. @josh  Not a prob. I assumed there was some website magic that would correlate me to that username. But no worries!

    I think I am going to have to solve my problem myself. Look for a patent from me soon.

  21. http://www.avclub.com/articles/cleveland-the-superman-house,57356/

    If you guys want to see the real “Secret Origin”, check it out. The home where Siegel came up with the idea of Superman.  If I’m ever in Cleveland, I’ll definitely stop and take a photo. 

    Imagine living in that house!

  22. @JNewcomb  Because not everything is worth keeping.

  23. I get free bags and boards from my shop, but I don’t think I’ve bothered to tape them shut in years. I sell many of my unwanted books back for somehwere beterrn 1/4-2/3 the cost, which isn’t great, but saves me a good deal of money in the long run.

  24. I don’t really like to be like how I’m about to be, but you kind of make a person feel bad for bagging and boarding. That person that you describe that you feel bad for is a person like me. If I’m getting an issue off the shelf and the top one is bent or has creases, I’ll check to see if there is a better one. However, I’m the same way with everything. I’ll check through the books at Borders or DVD cases at Best Buy to find one that is perfect enough for me. I usually even check if there’s another cereal box if the front one is kind of smashed. I bag and board all my comics not because they’ll be worth money in the future but because of my OCD and hoarding tendicies in the present

  25. Whatever happened to Brian Braddock. Wasn’t he supposed to be an Avenger in one of thos Age of Heroes specials?

  26. I dont really care for the changes announced for superman. I like the marriage, I liked his parents being alive (BOTH of them) I dont like the new costume (i dont get why everyone hates the red undies. sure they are strange, but no moreso that a flying man who shoots heat rays out of his eys who can be killed by a rock from where he was born. Hell the glasses thing is far sillier, yet they done seem to feel the need to give him a mask as superman) and i think the alienation aspect of it is kind of played out.

    but i think the books will be good and as long as they are ill buy them.

    i dont really bag and board regularly and havent in 20 years. I almost wish i had. many older books are deteriorating. others get damaged when just moving things around in the boxes (moving around a lot & shifting in boxes can start to pull at the covers making them start to come off the staples. 20 years of that and your cover can come off). I do bag and board my silver age and valuable bronze and modern books. Key silver age and golden age are all in mylar.

    you can still sell comics. maybe not easily available stuff for a huge profit, but bronze stuff that wasnt worth much a decade ago is now starting to go up and price. even crappy stuff. a friend of mine a couple years back sold his entire collection $1 a pop. He got a table at a small local show (the kind in a VFW hall, no guests, only dealers) and made about $2000. Less than he paid for them to be sure, but still a pretty good take.

  27. People who tend not to read their comics more than once will never understand why some of us still bag and board.

    It’s not because of profit. We know they won’t be worth much of anything. It’s simply because we want our books in nice shape when we reread them. There’s nothing “anal” about that.

    I usually keep 5-6 issues in one polybag with a board placed between the second and third issues. You can fit a whole storyline’s worth of issues into one polybag, I’ve found. Then I put the polybag bundles in a shortbox. I’m not obsessive about it. They’re not filed alphabetically even.

    But, hey, for people who treat comics like disposable art, even though they’re so easily impressed that they rate 90% of comics 4- or 5-stars, of course you’re not going to care about that. Most people just live for the moment. They don’t learn much from history. They think that they really appreciate art and are great connosieurs of the comics craft. But how unsatisfied a consumer are you if you have to buy 20-30 new issues every week? And then you rate most of them 4- or 5-stars, but by the next week you’ve forgotten what happened in the comics you read the previous week, and you care about them so little that they’re crumpled all over your floor. I’ll never understand that mentality.

  28. @froggulper  Mighty high horse you got on with that last paragraph….

  29. @josh  I assume you mean “to you” and that’s fair. Like you point out in your answer to the letter, amongst your agitated disbelief, is that folks should do what pleases them. And evidently it pleases you to casually discard your books.

    It pleases me to preserve the ones I like in the best condition reasonably possible.

  30. @JNewcomb  I don’t even think you have to assume the “to you” part. I’d say the “This isn’t the point of view of everyone, I know. Some feel very differently, as is their right.” line pretty much outright states that.  ๐Ÿ˜‰

  31. @daccampo  Yes and I think the line “like you point out in your answer to the letter” acknowledges this.

     I guess I’m struggling with the dual message I’m getting from the response. On the one hand it says: “Do what you like” and on the other it seems to say “but I don’t why you would want to do that.”

    No biggie.

  32. I didn’t word that last comment properly but frnakly, I’m too lazy to correct it. I’m done.

  33. This is one of the strangest disagreements I have ever seen. If you save your comics shouldn’t you want other people to trash theirs? Scarcity raises value.

    Personally, I eat my comics when I finish reading them.

  34. This is making me want to video tape myself wrecking some comics just to shock the people who have said over and over they do it to preserve their “OCD” and “Hoarding” which were not, last I checked, desirable traits. There’s a whole show about it.

    But seriously, do what you want. I don’t care. I was asked about my opinion. To me, the object is not the same as the art, and my job is probably very different from whatever yours is. No one’s going to do anything any differently than they would have before I spouted my opinion. If you’re going to be offended by something, this shouldn’t be it, quite frankly. Wrap them up in cotton and linen, and pray to the comics, and it won’t make a bit of difference to me.

    I mean, hell, you want to be offended, ask me about religion. Or politics. No wait, don’t do that.

  35. Actually, I wasn’t asked my opinion. I just gave it. But I did make a soapbox, so there you are.

  36. @josh  Your opinion has clout. It’s possible you may not realize how much weight your opinion has due to your status in the online comics pantheon. Things look different on this side sometimes.

  37. Avatar photo Paul Montgomery (@fuzzytypewriter) says:

    Me and Josh were watching TV together in the den one night and there was a story about a woman in a coma. I will always remember Josh turning to me with a q-tip in his ear–the one closest to me–and saying, “If I’m ever in a situation like that, turn off the machines. I don’t want that. Just unplug all that stuff. And when you bury me, I don’t want to be put in any kind of protective sheath or container. Just dump me in the hole in my pajamas and then you and the guys go out to a movies or something. Hey, I think Royal Pains is on.” 

    That’s how I know Josh is serious about not putting worldly things in containers.  

  38. @PaulMontgomery  BAHAHAHAHA!

  39. @PaulMontgomery I can only assume you two were wearing matching flannel pajamas.

  40. The Letters Column….Josh’s den of controversy! ๐Ÿ™‚

  41. @JNewcomb  Heh, oh, I got that you were answering your own question within your post. I just wasn’t sure what to make of it, so I tried to sidestep that. Guess I didn’t really feel there was a dual message. Just a guy’s opinion. 

    It’s an opinion I actually share with Josh, for whatever it’s worth in this conversation. I also used to bag and board everything. It became a hassle. At a certain point, I actually came to realize that i was buying into the STORIES, not the pamphlets as an objet d’art or as a collectible. Stories can be read from library books or seen on TV shows… they don’t all HAVE to be appreciated as possessions. Thus, similar to Josh, the actual issues themselves mean less to me (note: I do still like to own BOOKS, and I have way too many, but more on that in a minute). 

    I like my life to be FULL of stories. All the time. Bursting at the seams. Sure, sometimes I do re-read, and a crease or a slight stain doesn’t ruin anything for me. Yes, I’m willing to roll up a comic and stick it in my back pocket. Truly, I do see my WEEKLY comics as they were originally intended — a disposable delivery system for stories.

    Now, I’m also very happy to buy collected editions of very special books. So maybe that’s where I’m different from some. I can love a weekly comic book but not ever feel the need to collect it. Others, I want a really nice hardcover. But in either case, the stories remain with me, whether I still own it or have long since given it away.

  42. @daccampo Agreed (yet again.)

  43. @josh  That kind seems like a personal attack on me since I was the one who used the terms OCD and hoard and I may have made it seem like I was offended. All I was trying to get out was that while you do what you want and I do what I want, I just thought the way this question was being addressed in not only your answer but also in the comments seemed kind of negative. I was just trying to say that some people don’t bag and board to make a profit later, but to preserve their belongings in way that they feel suitable. I honestly don’t care if I can sell them back for a penny because I don’t know if I ever would get rid of my comics. I don’t care if others don’t bag and board and instead use their comics in a way to save on toliet. I would just like to keep the ones I have as perfect as I bought them when I’m a foot in the grave as I am now.

    And you don’t have to tell someone that something about them is a desirable trait. I don’t want to seem offended, but those things about me aren’t something that I can change as easily as say, politics and religion (which I know aren’t easy things to change). I’m not a stage in my life where I’m as bad  as the people on those shows you mentioned, but I guess I’m bad enough where I physically feel the need to bag and board comic books to make myself happy and at peace. I’m sorry I have these undesirable traits about me…

    After saying all that, I can honestly say that after 6 years over listening to the podcast and coming to this site, I cringe everytime this question has been asked. Sorry for ranting. I know anything said wasn’t said to me personally, but I just felt the need to vent my feelings. Sorry

  44. @daccampo  I understand precisely what’s going on here. I suddenly realized that… I’m poor. Ha! So if I’m gonna fork over 3$ for a comic book I want it to friggin’ last!

  45. @Fett02  You don’t have to apologize for anything, and you’re not the only person who’s said that kind of thing. I hear it ALL THE TIME. I also work with these 2 guys, who, well, you’ve heard the show.

    Do your thing. Don’t worry about what anyone else does.

    Also, I take really good care of my books and DVDs, and pretty much everything. My dog is pristine. But when you’ve bought thousands of comic book issues, they tend to not matter so much in their present form.

  46. I believe I may print and then slab this thread.

  47. @josh  Sometimes I forget that while comics are just fun for me and personal issues may come up every once and a while, you guys also are in this for a living and deal with stuff like this constantly. If I cringe at something like this after all the times I’ve heard this issue, I can’t imagine how it is for you.
     When you make that video, make sure you post it for us. I think it would be real entertaining, not to mention therapeutic.

  48. @stuclach  People are still commenting on it. And they’re the best comments ever.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixY02QaZfbA

  49. @stuclach and then serve it on a plate with some fava beans?
    I save playbills from Broadway shows I’ve seen, Issues of Sports Illustrated when the cover story is something momentous.I know people that save ticket stubs to games they have gone to. However, I only “preserve” my comics by bagging and boarding.
    Hell,I know people that buy action figures and NEVER take them out the pkg! Do what suits you, BUT it is fun to go back and reread an old issue minus the tears, wet stains etc.(admittedly this is done not as often as I would like)

  50. @Jesse1125 I actually have a metro pass card from my NYCC visit in October of last your in my wallet. Though that is primarily because I’m a massive cheapskate, not out of any desire to preserve anything. It probably has enough on it to pay for a oneway trip.

  51. @josh That’s one of my all time favorite ifanboy moments. That comment section is so atypical for YouTube. It’s typically such a bastion of intelligent discourse.

  52. @stuclach  The video itself is also a very smart discussion opener.

  53. @JNewcomb In my humble opinion it is the equivalent of Martin Luthor’s 95 theses.

  54. /RAGEQUIT

  55. Ken,

    Here are two link that might help you; at least with options. BCW is a great vendor for all thing s collectable. The first link is for all their comic products, the second is what I keep variant covers and comics that are potentially worth something. I highly recomend the Comic Book Stor-folio if you want something sturdy. I would recommend you still bag and bored your books though.

    http://www.bcwsupplies.com/products/comic-book-supplies/?search_text=&params%5Bignore_limit%5D=1&

    http://www.bcwsupplies.com/products/comic-accessories/comic-book-stor-folio-1_5-inch.htm

    I hope this helped.

    Beau

  56. I don’t know if you want the magazine intact but many folks bind their collections together.

  57. @josh  LOL that video is hilarious. I’ve always wanted to see someone do that. I think CGC is pretty much a load of crap too.

    Sorry, I didn’t mean for my question to start a shitstorm.

  58. @kennyg Shitstorms are the spice of life. That was a perfectly legitimate question.

  59. @thejetcazet  Thanks for the links. I had actually looked at that site, and that folio isn’t bad. Not quite what I envision, but not bad.

    @JNewcomb  I had stumbled across the places that will bind them, but that’s not really what I am looking for at this time. Kind of to make your own hardcover TPB, especially if one is not offered by the publishers. But it seems too permanent.

    @stuclach  My lead-in was silly, but I asked it with all sincerity.

    Thanks for the ideas, all.

  60. @kennyg  You have nothing to apologize for!

  61. @kennyg But it was a wonderful shitstorm, filled with entertaining and enlightening characters! The comments are almost as great as the original article!

  62. On a side note, what’s going on with the original Captain Britain, Brian Braddock? In one of the Age of Heroes specials, he was supposed to join the Avengers or something. Whatever came of that?

  63. I expect the new-ish female Captain Britain will sppear the next time a Big Crossover needs some 3rd tier cannon-fodder to show that shit’s just got real.

  64. Bag and board?  Yes please.  One, I am a reader-collector and want my stuff to last.  As it is filed on a shelf the bags and boards make it easier to flip through stuff to find.  Second, I resell a ton of books on eBay and people tend to only buy stuff in good condition.

  65. After moving from a two bedroom apartment with storage space to a tine one bedroom with none, I’ve become much less attached to my issues. I’ve kept a handful of uncollected issues that I love, as well as sentimental favorites (like the issue of Silver Surfer that started my decent into the Marvel U at 12).

    Luckily, I work for a non-profit that gives away books to underprivileged kids, so I have an excellent place to bring my unwanted (age-appropriate) floppies, and the kids go friggin’ NUTS for ’em! Can’t get enough. With a little research I’m sure that most people ccould find a place like this to donate their books when they’re done.

    For me, even though I don’t have any desire to keep most of my comics (trades notwithstanding), I don’t like the idea of throwing away a book or any kind. Regardless of all of our bitching about getting kids reading comics, young people friggin’ love reading these things, and anything that gets kids excited about reading is valuable.

  66. Single issues are good if you want to read in the moment, but they are magazines. They’re a disposable way to consume the comics. I think of them like TV episodes you DVR. It’s just how you get the story. Trades are like DVD sets. Those I store and shelve, but at the end of the day I just want it all digitally without the clutter.