Becoming A True Believer: One Geek's Journey Into Comics [Part 5/Finale]

By: Mithrandiel

A few months ago, I found myself with some seed money for a new hobby. I decided that hobby would be comics, and in the interim 12 week period, my once-paltry collection of trade paperbacks from select series has since exploded into a collection of over 500 individual issues, as well as dozens of trades and, more recently, over a dozen omnibuses.

That's right, I like big books...and I cannot lie.

In my early days of collecting, I was advised that trades aren't the best investment, since they often lose value right away and are mainly good for reading through the story while preserving key issues and runs in your personal collection.

Omnibuses, however, are a slightly different story.

These behemoths don't merely contain a limited run of a series, as trades typically do. Instead, they aim for thoroughness - a complete accounting of either an extensive run for individual series, or universe-wide events that spans across various titles. Often clocking in at 1,000 pages or more, gathering 40-50+ comic issues, omnibuses, or "Omnis", as their fans call them, are a staple on many comic lovers shelves...including mine!

Not only that, there are often some great deals on these tomes, such as what was offered recently on Amazon and Target, where buyers could purchase 2 and get 1 for free. Other times, Amazon offers staggering coupons in addition to already reduced prices, bringing books that usually sell for ~$150 each down to $40-60.

I'm delighted with how my collection has grown over these past few months, largely spurred by a series of successful comic lot purchases and "flips". While I'm currently in the middle of a move, I'm looking forward to setting up a new space to conduct online sales and put together my own little packing and shipping operation. Using elements of my hobby to pay for itself is a win-win! It even allows me to start picking up some "Grail" books, like Amazing Spiderman 300 - the first full appearance of Venom:

While I'm sure that my love of comics has only begun, this is where I will conclude my series on my journey into the fandom. It's unfortunate that it's kicked off in a season where there are no conventions for me to go to, but trust that when The Geekly Grind returns to the con circuit, there will be a newfound appreciation and excitement for comic book content. Meeting great creators and artists, seeking out convention exclusives...a fresh breath of life into my world of geekdom.

Look forward to more comic book reviews from me in the future, and stay tuned every other Wednesday to hear Lance & Chris discuss their favorite series and heroes on Comic Book Keepers! I have even been known to join them on occasion...

I guess it shouldn't be too much of a surprise that comic books have won me over so handily, but it happened: I'm a True Believer!