Forsgren: A super guide to getting started with comic books
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Are superheroes taking over the world? It sure looks that way.
Cast your gaze around and you’ll see heroes from the pages of comics just about everywhere. They’re on T-shirts, backpacks and school supplies. They soar across our TV and movie screens. Their symbols adorn keychains and bumper stickers. People even wear them as tattoos.
With superheroes more visible than ever, it’s perhaps the best time ever to start collecting comic books. However, prospective comics collectors are faced with one big question: “Where do I start?”
“There’s a comic out there for everybody.”
For answers, East Idaho News dropped into Outland Comics in Idaho Falls to bounce some questions off Brent Huball. A collector for nearly 30 years, Huball manages Outland and provided some pointers for those looking to get into collecting comics.
Huball says the thing that hooked him on comics was the way the medium uses art and text to tell stories.
“The day-to-day things you see a lot of people deal with, you also see superheroes deal with,” he says. That relatability is something that initially attracts readers to comics.
Superheroes also appeal to readers’ sense of goodness, giving us examples of selflessness and decency. These stories appeal to our love and action and adventure, as well as our most idealistic hopes.
And there are a lot of them, going back decades. To catch up on continuity, Huball recommends pick up some trade paperbacks.Trade paperbacks gather whole story arcs into one volume.
“They’re essentially several issues bound together into a book,” Huball says. “It’ll like one through seven or one through eight. They continue on and you can get the various volumes.”
Trade paperbacks allow readers to burn through lots of continuity without having to wait weeks for the next issue to be released. And bonus: They’re a little more economical.
Huball also recommends you “collect what you like.” With so many characters and so many titles floating around out there, it’s a good idea to focus on a few key characters. Trying to keep up with everything in comicdom is a Sisyphean task that’s doomed to failure. It can get pricey too.
And what if you want a lot of bang for your superhero character buck? Huball says team books are the way to go.
“You can learn about all those characters (Batman, Superman, etc.) in ‘Justice League,’” he says. On the Marvel side, team books like “The Avengers” give readers a chance to read about a bunch of different characters for the price of one book.
If you want to keep your book nice, Huball says you’ll also need to pick up a few supplies.
“Bags and boards,” he says.
Acid-free storage bag and backing boards keep your comics in pristine shape, helping keep the spines unbent and prevents weathering.
“I would recommend keeping your comics in a nice, cool place,” he says. “Not too damp.”
Keeping your comics out of any kind of light is also important, as exposure to light will cause the ink to fade. Storing your comics in comic boxes in a cool, dry place that’s out of the light will help ensure that they keep their value.
Huball also suggests you avoid collecting comics for the possible financial rewards.
“If you’re lucky or if you’re good at it, you can make a little money,” he says. “But that’s not going to satisfy a collector. You’ve got to really love, you’ve got to enjoy what you’re doing.”
The big scores are few and far between, so people who get into comics for the payday are likely to wind up disappointed.
But if you’re getting comics for the enjoyment of the medium, Huball says you will be rewarded.
“It’s something you can go back to again and again and get something from. And it’s a chance to get away from all the problems of the world.”
If this sounds like fun to you, why not stop by your local shop and pick up a comic book or two? You may open the door to a lifetime of enjoyment.
“I like to say there’s a comic out there for everybody,” says Huball. “Everybody can find something they enjoy.”