Redartz: It's sometimes hard to imagine, in these days of big screen comics adventure being big box office draw, how it used to be; back before everyone you meet could name the membership of the Avengers, or Iron Man's secret identity. Back in that era we affectionately call the "Bronze Age", many of us comic fans dwelt in some degree of isolation, enjoying those four color fantasies in the solitude of our own rooms. Some of us were fortunate enough to have a friend or two who also 'had the bug'; but even then the sense was one of a very secret, very exclusive club. This is not to say that attempts weren't made to educate others on the wonders of comics: Marvel Comics even had a specific 'rank' for those who recruited others, the "K.O.F."...
Anyone among you ever try 'spreading the word' about comics? How successful were you at rousing someone's interest in checking out a book or two? Did your peers seem receptive, or were they dismissive of all that "Zap, Wham, Kapow!" they only knew from the 1966 Batman TV show? Or, did you pretty much keep your hobby to yourself? That's the basis for today's discussion.
For my part, I was one of those lucky enough to have a comic collecting friend (indeed, he's the one who got me started in the first place). Nevertheless, I was so fired up about what I was reading and collecting, I just had to share. Starting with my brother, and continuing through most of my friends and acquaintances, I told tales of exciting stories, dramatic artwork, eye-catching covers, fascinating characters, and thrilling 'treasure hunts' seeking elusive back issues. It wasn't long before I was universally known for my comic mania (which may or may not have been a good thing at the time). Most everyone I talked to was polite, of course they may have had a few comments after I left. But I was actually somewhat successful at gaining a few converts. One friend started collecting, but only stuck with it for a year or so. A neighbor was enticed enough to buy quite a stack of comics, many of which I purchased from him some years later when his interest waned. A bit later, one of my girlfriends was so intrigued by my hobby that she started collecting. She actually haunted flea markets with me and competed for the boxes! Whether she still collects, I have no idea.
Yet for all that, my greatest success in 'recruitment' involved the next generation. Both of my sons caught my comics fever, and more recently two of my grandsons also have started reading and collecting comics. It is quite satisfying to pass along a stack of books to a young person who is excited to receive them. It's also great to hear from a grandson how he scored some Bronze Age Marvels from a flea market on his own. Ah, there's hope for the future after all; and perhaps I've earned that rank of "K.O.F." after all.
Redartz: You know how some tasks can be both a pleasure and a nuisance? I've been undertaking such a task this week. What task, you may ask? That of taking inventory of my entire comic collection.
Previously, I'd had my comics listed on a particular database, one which required thirty dollars annually to update. It's been impossible to justify such an outlay over the last 7 years, so consequently the information is ludicrously outdated. I supplemented it with a spreadsheet, but that is too slow and too inconvenient.
In fact, the past several flea market excursions have resulted in a few duplicate purchases, because I don't have a tally of what I need and don't need. Thus, after shopping around and getting some advice for a good app, I chose CLZ Comics: it required only a reasonable one-time purchase to get going, seemed comprehensive,and offered bar-code scanning (only functional on modern comics, not vintage, but still a colossal time-saver).
So, one quick download later, it was time to start pulling books. And therein lies the good and the bad. As most of you probably know, I've been trimming my collection over the past few years. However, it still includes about 2000 individual comics and magazines, along with a growing shelf of tpb's. So the process of going through every comic individually is a pretty gargantuan effort. And time consuming; I'm doing about sixty each evening to spread it out a bit.
And that's the nuisance part: a lot of repetitive work on the old smartphone. But what about the good part? Well, it's an opportunity to rediscover every book I have. And there are many I'd forgotten about; it often seems as though I pull the same books repeatedly to reread, leaf through, or research into. Going through each shelf, each short box, I find books that have been hidden away for eons. So the slow process of entering issues is frequently broken up by looking over a forgotten treasure! And of course, there's the simple joy of just admiring the comics and their covers; stopping to open up a choice book and remembering why you bought it in the first place. It becomes a treat rather than a travail...
So far I've entered all my DC's, and have done a few Marvels and Archies. My latest session resulted in the perusal of a House of Mystery and a Betty and Veronica. Who knows what the next session will find? I don't, but I anticipate the reveal.
As for all of you: several questions to consider today. What means do you use, if any, to keep track of your collection? Is it working well for you, or is a change in the cards? When you turn to your comics, do you usually have a specific book in mind, or do you just wade through a box to find something interesting? Over the course of your comic career, how often have you 'taken stock': deciding what to keep and what to part with? And is a comic a quick diversion for you, or do you like to bury yourself in four color wonderment for a while, surrounded by piles of books (picture Scrooge McDuck jumping into, and burrowing through, his Money Bin)? Fill us all in on your details. And if you get the urge to retreat to the basement with a long box, we'll all understand.