The Humble Comic Collector
July 30th 2010 08:06
Frankly I was gobsmacked the other week when cruisin' past a collectors fair in the western suburbs of Sydney to be immersed in a sea of comic book 'fanatics'.
As a bit of a hoarder of vinyl and assorted pop culture social antiquities - I make it a rule to never question an individual's passion for collecting anything from autographs through to fishing reels and strangely enough just this week, a fellow who confided to me that he's been collecting wine corks for over 10 years!
But the comic book crowd are special.
I mean where else would you see collectors rumaging through boxes of comics - some dressed as Fred Flintstone, some as Batman and others as Lil Abner?
Depending on how you view it - it's either refreshing that these collectors have such free spirit and genuine passion (undeterred by what the rest of the world thinks) or just a little weird.
From what I picked up on the day - apparently collectors categorize comics into five ‘Ages’: Platinum (1897-1937), Golden (1938-55), Silver (1956-69), Bronze (1970-79) and Modern (1980-present).
Rarity, title/issue, and condition determine value. Some popular titles include Spider-Man, Superman, X-Men, Batman, Green Lantern, and Incredible Hulk.
In 1938 a revolutionary new series, Action Comics #1, introduced Superman, the first comic book character with superhuman abilities, Batman followed a year later followd by characters such as Captain Marvel, The Green Lantern, The Flash, Captain America and Wonder Woman.
But all that aside - it was great to 'escape' the real world for an hour or two and put your troubles behind you. No matter what your lot in life - as a collector (of no matter what) you're part of a social culture, a clique of like-minded people who accept you for who you are - without the facades of dress, social status, religion or race.
Now, would that be a novel idea for us all to heed of!
As a bit of a hoarder of vinyl and assorted pop culture social antiquities - I make it a rule to never question an individual's passion for collecting anything from autographs through to fishing reels and strangely enough just this week, a fellow who confided to me that he's been collecting wine corks for over 10 years!
But the comic book crowd are special.
I mean where else would you see collectors rumaging through boxes of comics - some dressed as Fred Flintstone, some as Batman and others as Lil Abner?
Depending on how you view it - it's either refreshing that these collectors have such free spirit and genuine passion (undeterred by what the rest of the world thinks) or just a little weird.
From what I picked up on the day - apparently collectors categorize comics into five ‘Ages’: Platinum (1897-1937), Golden (1938-55), Silver (1956-69), Bronze (1970-79) and Modern (1980-present).
Rarity, title/issue, and condition determine value. Some popular titles include Spider-Man, Superman, X-Men, Batman, Green Lantern, and Incredible Hulk.
In 1938 a revolutionary new series, Action Comics #1, introduced Superman, the first comic book character with superhuman abilities, Batman followed a year later followd by characters such as Captain Marvel, The Green Lantern, The Flash, Captain America and Wonder Woman.
But all that aside - it was great to 'escape' the real world for an hour or two and put your troubles behind you. No matter what your lot in life - as a collector (of no matter what) you're part of a social culture, a clique of like-minded people who accept you for who you are - without the facades of dress, social status, religion or race.
Now, would that be a novel idea for us all to heed of!
| 97 |
| Vote |
subscribe to this blog
















