Loosing iterest in collecting, and cannot find enough time to read.

[SILLYSHIP--pirate eye--]

I want to believe in comic book stories, but...

Well, my interest in the collecting is diminishing. If there is one point to be made about pressing and other forms of moderation, it is that, Once the possibility of "real books" vs. "enahanced books" is exposed, the market is changed to one of the knowlegeable and the unexperienced novice. and is that good? I cannot say. Will this market come to be one that is nothing more than which lawyer can pay for the "expert advice" and who can afford to buy the "real" books? Well maybe, on that level, CGC really does suck, because disclosure of scams in an open market is nothing more than accepting them. Allowing the scams to be diclosed makes them more viable.Tell me folks, in the 70's was this even an issue? Sure maybe some folks were doing it, but somehow it has become more of a viable option due to the fact that it is $ valuable. From now on I will not buy comics based on $ value according to anyone's stanards. I will buy the books according to how much I want to pay in order to read them. And if I say that, then isn't it true that I will buy the books according to lawyers rules of how and in what format the reading of a book is allowed? In that case I am only allowed to see the past according to their marketing rules. Is not the the reprint value of Marvel Milestones and the subsequential resale value on Amazon etc. a perfect way to really determine the $ value of the books? Is this the medium point between Stalinism and Reaganism? OK, I'm done for now.

[oxbladder]

As I said in my PM to you. I wish you wouldn't leave the hobby. Find what you want to collect and collect it ignoring outside politics and such. Take steps to protect yourself of course but there are LOTS of really decent sellers out there.

One thing to think about with restoration and pressing no matter how much you may not want such books it doesn't change the fact that you can still enjoy them. Pressing isn't ever really adding anthing unoriginal to the book.

Anyway, I still find the hobby fun but it gets rough sometimes if you take forums and politics too seriously. Just do what you can to promote positives. Also do what you can to bring new people into the hobby. Let everyone else worry about the politics. If you are a good and honest person and treat people with respect who cares about the rest? You will be far more of a positive influence on the hobby than they ever will be.

[StlComics]

I've never been a collector of high grade books. Most of those kinds of problems have passed me over. Anytime I get a real money book, I sell it. There's a few I've hung onto, but most of them are long gone. I'd rather have readers for most of it. Now that I've gotten more and more into TPB & HC reprints, there's really even less I want to chase just to read it. The kind of stuff I'll be sitting on in the future is really only my very favorite titles, and my variant collections.

[SILLYSHIP--pirate eye--]

Thanks guys, I really appreciate knowing that I am not the only one who is looking mostly to read. I like books in about 6.0, no rips nor water damage, just because it tends to make the books harder to read and I just don't feel like I should be damaging a book just by reading it. I guess I do care about grade, I just don't need a book that is such high grade that I can't touch it without loosing money. Any collector cares somehow when they hurt a book that is in 9.2, it's just part of our nature. I guess I just don't want to own something I feel is so precious that it NEEDS to be encased in a hard plastic case to protect it.

[rowand]

Collect coverless comics! Find a series or thing that DOES interest you! Colors of Kryptonite, Beatles, Bizarros, first appearances, Steranko written and drawn stories, Simonson art, Go-GO Check comics, What was on the spinner rack the day the Kara Ze - Supergirl came out of that rocket looking very much like a Sonja Henny impersonator.

What floats your boat? What can you do about within your price range?

The Legion of Super Heroes is cheap right now start there! Great 70's stories. Better 80's stories!

[marvelguy]

I remember seeing a lot of coverless Silver Age comics that went for like 10 dollars on Ebay last week. I didn't bother to see what was in it cause coverless is.........meh, except of course you mean something else.

[iron maniac]

I feel your pain dude. I too have lost a considerable amount of interest in the hobby over the last few months. I'm not just tired of all the ridiculous scandals, I'm tired of the mediocre product most of the comic companies are putting out. So after buying a few chogokins from a guy on Ebay, the seller skipped out on us, screwing everyone that bought one. The only thing that saved me was that I paid with Paypal buyer credit or else I would have been completely screwed(I bought $300 worth). My point is, no matter what you collect there is always some unscrupulous jerk out there to try and screw you some way. You just have to take the good with the bad with any hobby.

[SILLYSHIP--pirate eye--]

Yeah, well, it comes and goes, the passion of comics that is. Right now, I'm into my art and listening to records again. And reading books, the one's with no pictures in them. I'm currently reading "The Golden Compass" which is soon to be a movie with Nicole Kidman.

[StlComics]

If all you want to do is read, I'd highly suggest collected editions. TPB's are usually cheaper than buying all the single issues, and damn near everything from the big two gets collected these days. Anything that is worth reading is sure to be done. Take a look at Fables, Walking Dead, and Y the Last Man. I'm sure you won't be disappointed.