Technolandy

Day 169 (of 2024/25) thinking about comics…

Reading Scott McClouds Reinventing Comics and saw this panel and made a quick connection…

Earlier this week I passed on a limited edition superman comic to a superman fan but have since heard that they haven’t read it yet – they don’t want to take it out of the plastic.

Sigh.

I have some in plastic admittedly – but shoulda put some more in if I was into comics for the $$$ but instead of Punisher #1 being bagged it was Groo’s epic (publishing company pre-marvel) appearances

I have a different perspective of comic collections. I know some want pristine “unopened” mint options. I have some doubles that way – I bought two box sets when Disney started to publish their own comics / one to open and see what it looked like and another to remain sealed up.

I don’t mind “aged” copies – much as I said to my tattooist when I got a “family one” under the location of my watch – I’m good with fades and visible symbols of things being loved. So my “final Star Wars comic” and “final superman” (an early final edition…) have been read (to the gasps of some who are still wondering why my punisher #1 is not vacuum sealed).

Yep. I dog-ear some books (flip the pages corner down). Some pages are yellowed cuz they were left where the sun could sully the pages. I would weigh the cheaper price of a damaged cover because I have always been more interested in the story inside.

I have a weird collection. A series of Vancouver Sun & Province comic inserts when comics would influence newspaper purchases (now gocomics.com has them all!) a range of marvel and dc and golden age titles – love my Bob Hope comic * enemy ace * sgt rock * Batman * etc. but my “keepers” are my Disney’s. Some old Dells through to Gladstone and Disney! Love my $crooge McDuck and Donald and the nephews. Think I’m missing a couple Groo the Wanderers. Maybe I’ll reread that series and see where i lost connectivity…!

Comics have always been in my home… classroom – bin of ones that I did not kind of they ended up being ripped – in fact one of my comic-con stations is “can comics without covers still be loved?”; and in my office – more than one parent has been amazed that I let them take some home to just enjoy…. ; and expanding in my current school with a comic book library (honour system sign out) and year-end comic con that had some surprise successes in year one (a dad walking outside commented to me how this was the first time he could leave his boy (young man) alone and just go for a walk on his own – a couple comments about “first ever school event” and this year some who saw the livestream are planning a trip to attend live. No pressure. But more than a few comments and emails from students and parents checking in to see about attending…

Comics have power (even if they’re graphic novels). Fabulous literary genre <— tell me I’m wrong… comics got me to be an English literature and history double major. Just not a fortune in mint condition classics…