X-Ray Vision

Today is a sad day. I am going through my collection of comics and seeing which ones I can bear to part with. I am moving soon and I don’t have enough space for all my comics, plus I need some extra money so I can afford food. I must stay well nourished to provide you with entertaining posts on a daily basis.

Anyways, if you are looking to add to your own comic collection let me know if there are any titles you are looking for in the comments and I’ll see if I can hook you up. I will also be putting stuff on eBay . Now back to something other than a sales pitch. I am thinking about starting comic book giveaway contests for the best comments left. Leave some good comments on this post so I can gauge interest in that sort of thing, it’s always nice to share comics with other fans. And now to please all of you who read through this post, I give you a picture of Laura Vandervoort AKA Supergirl. You’re welcome.

-        Gonzo

A while back Byron Law left a comment on one of my Spider-Man posts , along with information about his new site, comicbookgiveaway.com. It is basically what it sounds like, a website that gives away comics for free. What better day to spread the word about a site that gives comics away for free than on Free Comic Book Day?

I really like this idea, Byron gives away one random book from his collection each week. People can sign up on the Comic Book Giveaway site for free and enter themselves into each week’s drawings. The inaugural drawing just happened, and I am pleased to announce that I won a copy of Conan the Barbarian #67! I didn’t have much competition, and as much as I’d like to win all these comics I figure I better give others a chance, so sign up at Comic Book Giveaway today!

-        Gonzo

Now that I’m done being distracted by the Marvel character creator I can move on to my originally intended post about Chris Giarrusso and his amazing comic strip Mini Marvels. These strips could be found nestled in the pages of various Marvel comics as bullpen bits and were always enjoyable. There’s just something adorable about a pint-sized version of the Hulk.

The Mini Marvels series covers everything from Peanuts parodies to outright nonsensical adventures. A large amount of comic jokes are of course also included. If you are looking for some time to kill I suggest you check out http://www.chrisgcomics.com/ where you can see 7 year old Spider-Man deliver papers or Widdle Wolverine argue calls from an umpire. Mini Marvels are always good for a laugh, plus who can resist miniature heroes? Much like puppies on a streaming webcam, these comics will keep you entertained for hours. If you need more check out his books for full length stories featuring the adorable Avengers and more!

As an aside, I am thinking about running a contest of some sort to promote X-Ray Vision. After being around for a month I figure it’s about time we started getting the name out there so if you have any suggestions drop a note in the comments. I’d like to get t-shirts made as prizes, mainly because I have an unhealthy addiction to shirts. And comics. And comic themed shirts.

-        Gonzo

               After taking several days to catch up on the massive amounts of work I’d been putting off, I am finally back with a new blog post. Originally I was going to post about Giant Man AKA Hank Pym being the biggest Super Jerk of all. He has smacked his wife, planned attacks against the Avengers so he could swoop in and save the day, and created a sentient robot bent on the destruction of pretty much everything.

               Instead, I have decided to write about the Marvel Comics digital comics plan. This allows you to read their online comic library from anywhere with an internet connection. I have to say I am a big fan of this, the selection of comics range from classics to just released issues and covers all the popular titles and some lesser known ones as well. The format of the comics can take some getting used to as you have to adjust window size and zoom in to see text at times, but overall I think it is a good concept. Basically it caters to people like me who get tired of paying attention in class and offers a nice distraction. However, people who don’t spend ridiculous amounts of time on the internet might be better off not paying for the monthly subscription; it is a matter of preferences. If you happen to have lots of idle time on your hands, I highly recommend going to marvel.com and checking it out for yourself.

-        Gonzo

If you’re anything like me, you have been building up that comic collection for years and years, and it has probably cost you quite a pretty penny. Here I have some tips for those building up their collections and keeping the values up.

When gathering more books for your collection there are several ways you can go. If you are just starting a collection I believe it is best to start with several comics from differing series to see which ones jump out at you. In this way you can make sure that the comics you buy afterwards are ones that actually interest you and won’t just collect dust on the shelves. Another way to begin a collection might simply be to find a deal on comics in bulk, such as 100 issues. This probably won’t contain all excellent comics but buying in bulk will be cheaper than individually purchasing comics and will again give variety so you can discover which comics appeal to you.

Once you have a base collection and know what you like I suggest looking for deals wherever you can. Usually buying in bulk will be far cheaper than buying individual comics so be on the lookout for full or partial runs of series being sold on eBay, craigslist, or the guy down the street. Oftentimes unfortunate souls are forced to sell off part of or all of their collections for financial or personal reasons, and these can also be great buys. Also look for stores that are going out of business, as you can usually find some very good deals there too.

It is important to keep your comics organized as you collect them, I suggest bagging all of them right when you buy them, adding backs to support the more valuable comics in your collection. If you are alphabetizing your comics, or grouping them in any way (which you really should be doing if you don’t want to be digging through 3000 books every time you want to read a specific comic) I highly recommend organizing every comic right when it is purchased. I made the mistake of letting my comics fall into disarray and it took many laborious hours of shifting, piling, stacking, and shuffling to get my collection in any sort of form resembling organization.

These are just some basic tips for building and caring for your collection, if you have any specific questions about collecting feel free to ask in the comments section. Until next time comic fans.

-        Gonzo