Got a lot of great responses to last week’s blog. So here’s a follow-up question tackling even more concerns with print vs digital comics. Do people even collect modern comics anymore? And more importantly, storage: what the heck to do with all those hard copies?

Andrew Lovuolo from Graphic Illusions Studios (and also the fine gentleman who created both the Sire and Descendant logo for Mikebooks) brought up an interesting point on Facebook:

“I’m making the switch to digital not really by choice, but out of necessity. There’s not much room in a 2-bdrm for all of these toys and Im trying to lock it it in 4 long boxes. There are still fans who prefer printed books, but more and more people are doing apps.”

And that got me thinking…do people still collect comic books anymore? Now obviously there is still a vital back issue market when it comes to Gold and Silver age books and it makes sense. Long before the days of speculators in the early 90s the number of hard copies for comics, especially those from the 40s, 50s and 60s, were slim to none, thus creating a demand. (Economics 101 here people, low supply + high demand = big market) The problem, as most comic fans are repeatedly reminded, is that people outside the comic book industry started planning their retirement funds around new issues. When a million copies of Superman dying or being reborn are printed, the supply side of the equation kind of goes away no?

So with that being said I look at my collection (or what’s left of it after having donated or trashed so many books I used to collect. Generation X? Come one Mike, what were you thinking?) and honestly I don’t consider myself much a collector anymore. I consider myself a reader. Forget the fact that all my Image books i bought in 1992 are pretty near worthless as are any Marvel book post X-Men #1 too. Now they just take up space in storage. Which my fiancee constantly reminds me that we need to empty out. (Really I should be consulting my friend Matt Baier who is a professional organizer, but that’s a blog for another day.)

So what do you guys think? Hit me up on Facebook or Twitter or in the comments below. Do you still collect modern day comics anymore? Is there any value in doing so or do you collect because you’re a reader?

Tune in next week as I discuss another hot button issue in our industry: The future of brick-and-mortar retailers: what comic book shops must become to survive.
Michael Dolce is the creator of The Sire for After Hours Press/MBD Studios Inc and Descendant for Image Comics. He’s also got some cool things coming down the pipeline that he is sure to subliminally plug while he merciliessly preaches to you in this blog.

Got a lot of great responses to last week’s blog. So here’s a follow-up question tackling even more concerns with print vs digital comics. Do people even collect modern comics anymore? And more importantly, storage: what the heck to do with all those hard copies?

Andrew Lovuolo from Graphic Illusions Studios (and also the fine gentleman who created both the Sire and Descendant logo for Mikebooks) brought up an interesting point on Facebook:

“I’m making the switch to digital not really by choice, but out of necessity. There’s not much room in a 2-bdrm for all of these toys and Im trying to lock it it in 4 long boxes. There are still fans who prefer printed books, but more and more people are doing apps.”

And that got me thinking…do people still collect comic books anymore? Now obviously there is still a vital back issue market when it comes to Gold and Silver age books and it makes sense. Long before the days of speculators in the early 90s the number of hard copies for comics, especially those from the 40s, 50s and 60s, were slim to none, thus creating a demand. (Economics 101 here people, low supply + high demand = big market) The problem, as most comic fans are repeatedly reminded, is that people outside the comic book industry started planning their retirement funds around new issues. When a million copies of Superman dying or being reborn are printed, the supply side of the equation kind of goes away no?

So with that being said I look at my collection (or what’s left of it after having donated or trashed so many books I used to collect. Generation X? Come one Mike, what were you thinking?) and honestly I don’t consider myself much a collector anymore. I consider myself a reader. Forget the fact that all my Image books i bought in 1992 are pretty near worthless as are any Marvel book post X-Men #1 too. Now they just take up space in storage. Which my fiancee constantly reminds me that we need to empty out. (Really I should be consulting my friend Matt Baier who is a professional organizer, but that’s a blog for another day.)

So what do you guys think? Hit me up on Facebook or Twitter or in the comments below. Do you still collect modern day comics anymore? Is there any value in doing so or do you collect because you’re a reader?

Tune in next week as I discuss another hot button issue in our industry: The future of brick-and-mortar retailers: what comic book shops must become to survive.
Michael Dolce is the creator of The Sire for After Hours Press/MBD Studios Inc and Descendant for Image Comics. He’s also got some cool things coming down the pipeline that he is sure to subliminally plug while he merciliessly preaches to you in this blog.