
Do you remember the time when comics came out and were simply there to be bought and read? I do and it doesn’t feel that long ago (but that could be because when I was young I didn’t see the over the top lengths some people would go to get a single issue). Either way I kind of miss those days.
For me a comic is meant to be read. That’s the purpose of one being written and released, is it not? Well these days it seems the line between those buying to read and those buying for profit is very much leaning towards the latter. Now, I can’t say I don’t collect older titles and variant covers (I’ll get onto these soon) but most of the ones I buy, I buy because they either remind me of my youth or they fall into criteria that I collect. I rarely buy comics to turn around for profit. If I do sell issues that is either because I no longer enjoy them or I desperately need money. But even then I would prefer to sell a comic for a low price to someone I know would get enjoyment out of it, rather than someone who would just flip it again higher.

The whole world of comic collecting has gone crazy and with the influx of comic book films it’s only gotten worse. When these comics originally came out they were to read and for people to enjoy. It was a new means for telling a story and to get across new kinds of tales. But something changed and it became a large money sucking business with comics once costing mere cents and pence selling for hundreds, thousands and sometimes even millions.
WHY?
It is kind of disgusting in a way as the artists and the writers who actually did all the work, will never see any of the further proceeds of these comics. And at these prices do the comics themselves not lose all meaning? It just becomes a show of who has money and who can show off the most. I like buying old comics as I like the cover artwork for a lot of them (especially the old Tales From The Crypt comics from the 50s) The ones I that managed to get hold of, I’ve read and thoroughly enjoyed in a way that I never feel with comics these days. What would be the point of buying them and never reading them and just having them sit in a storage box? There is none.
This is why I see little point in the whole CGC grading of comics. I have personally had some things graded and I have no idea why. People seem to think ‘if they are in a sealed box then they must be better’, but in my view they really aren’t. It all comes back to the reason that a comic is made. You can’t read something that is sealed away, can you? The other thing worth noting is the fact that the comic can still degrade while in the case, so it kind of nullifies any point of having it done if preservation is all you care about. I personally try and buy comics ungraded, as this way I can flip through them and enjoy the time and effort that has been put into creating it.
This leads me onto the whole ‘variant cover’ scene. It just seems to be a thing created for collectors who want to collect them as collectors’ items. It’s kind of odd when you think about, it as most of these issues are sold as such and most will be put into collections, but what is the point other than garnering to the completest in all of us? The internal comic is the exact same, so why do these different covers vary in price so much? I like some of these covers as I dislike the normal one, but the same is true the other way round sometimes. By advertising the comics as variants it also encourages some people to buy all of ones they see to sell on for profit, which again to me is no different from scalpers selling over-priced concert tickets. This leads to the people actually wanting to read them not being able to at a reasonable price.

I did go through a phase where I wanted to collect for the possibility of issues being worth more in the future, but then I realised how silly that was. And how it was so against the fundamentals of why a comic is made. I have got some comics that I am guilty of not reading due to me being worried about devaluing them and it does anger me, but at the same time I plan on having them framed up on a wall as I love the covers. I want to enjoy them as artwork (not quite how I originally planned, but at least I am still having the enjoyment of seeing them).
It’s a very awkward environment to be in as you see things that you really want but when you actually break it down and think why, most of the time it can’t be justified. I was recently in a comic forum where someone was selling four comics for £100 and someone said this was a good price. To me a good price would be the cover price to someone who would actually sit, read and enjoy the comics for what they are. This is when I start truly questioning what the point is… Especially when it’s hard to stroll into a comic shop to look at new releases when all of an issue has been bought to be scalped. The most recent example of this is Silk #1 which sold out in many places almost instantly and then weirdly hundreds of issues appear on the internet at three times the price. For those who actually want to read the comic that just seems unfair.
It’s something that will hopefully change in the coming years. I hope that prices come crashing down and people realise the mistakes they’ve made spending for profiteering’s sake. I will say again that I am not innocent to all this, as I have bought comics to sell on in the past, but looking back I am partially disgusted in myself. You have to think hard about where you lie in the matter and if you know you can make a quick buck. Like everything, the industry and its followers are trying to make as much money as they can, not caring how much damage they do in the process.
I guess the basic point to my entire rant, is that I feel that many people have forgotten why comics are made, and that is to be read and enjoyed. Am I never going to sell on for profit again? I can’t promise I won’t when I know I could get more, but I know that if it’s to someone that I know will read it I would more than likely give it to them or let them have it for the price of postage.
My advice;
BUY, READ, PASS ON (for whatever you paid, or as a gift or simply for the price of postage), REPEAT!
What's your take on variant covers and flipping for profit? Whatever you think, let us know below!