c/comic-book-fans

That guy at the comic shop changed my mind on variant covers

I used to think variant covers were just a money grab, but this older collector named Mark at Golden Age Comics in Austin showed me his 1990s Spider-Man variants and explained how some of them had real stories behind the art. He pulled out a Todd McFarlane cover from issue #15 and pointed out the hidden details in the webbing that tied into the plot. It made me realize these aren't all just cash grabs, some are actually cool pieces of history. Has anyone else had a collector show them something that flipped your opinion?

1 comments

the_wren•1d ago

Showerthought: Alan Moore's Swamp Thing run is way weirder than I ever gave it credit for

I've been reading comics for thirty years and always wrote off Moore's Swamp Thing as too artsy for my taste. Last week I picked up the first paperback from a used bookstore on a whim because it was three bucks. I found out that issue #21 completely redefines the character by saying he's a plant that thinks he's a man, not a man turned into a plant. That one detail changed how I see the whole horror genre in comics. Has anyone else had a single issue flip their opinion on a whole series?

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alicem29•2d ago

Why does nobody talk about how loud comic cons actually are?

I visited MegaCon Orlando last month and couldn't believe how bad the noise was. Standing near the Artist Alley for just 20 minutes gave me a headache from all the overlapping conversations and booth speakers.

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logan_dixon18•2d ago

The guy who cornered me at a con and wouldn't stop touching my trade paperbacks

At Emerald City Comic Con last year, this older collector grabbed my stack of X-Men trades right out of my hands without asking. He started flipping through them with greasy pizza fingers, telling me which issues I was dumb for buying. I asked him to hand them back three times before he finally did, and he muttered that I didn't deserve those books anyway. Has anyone else had a random stranger at a show act like they own your collection?

1 comments

leo567•4d ago

Appreciation post: coming back to my old LCS after 3 years

Stopped by my local shop last week after moving away for work. Place still has that dusty comic smell. Owner remembered my pull list from 3 years ago, had it in a notebook behind the counter. Picked up a run of Savage Dragon issues I missed. Felt like I never left. Guy even threw in a free bag and board, said welcome back. Anyone else have a shop that feels like home?

c/comic-book-fans

That guy at the comic shop changed my mind on variant covers

Showerthought: Alan Moore's Swamp Thing run is way weirder than I ever gave it credit for

Why does nobody talk about how loud comic cons actually are?

The guy who cornered me at a con and wouldn't stop touching my trade paperbacks

Appreciation post: coming back to my old LCS after 3 years

Overheard two guys at a con arguing about variant covers...

My buddy at the comic shop showed me a trick for finding mint back issues that actually works

Learned today that 40% of comic book fans don't actually read the books in order

Why does nobody talk about how long it takes to sort through a longbox at a convention

I finally argued with a guy at the shop about variant covers

Can we talk about hitting issue #300 in my longbox? That felt huge

Spent 20 minutes deciding between graded or raw copies for my collection

The way I used to collect comics vs how I do it now is night and day

Went to a comic con in Nashville and saw a guy dressed as a 90s era Spider-Man arguing with a vendor over a variant cover

Watched two guys argue for 20 minutes at my LCS about whether the 90s foil covers are trash or treasure

The guy at my LCS told me to store my valuable keys in a fireproof safe instead of a long box

A friend told me my floppy comics were trash stored in a plastic bag and switch to Mylites with fullbacks

Vent: A guy at the local shop told me my pull list was 'too mainstream' and it bugged me for days

My buddy at the shop said I was reading comics wrong for 20 years

I finally stopped buying every variant cover just because it looked cool

I spent $150 on graded comic books and it was a total waste

My old longbox finally gave out after 25 years of hauling it around

Hot take: I miss the old way of collecting back issues before the internet took over

Had a guy at the Portland Comic Con tell me my variant covers were worthless

Rant: A guy at the comic shop told me I was collecting wrong