November 9, 2012 by

I own about 3,000 comics. I have probably read about 60% of my collection. The other 40% is a huge bulk of comics I will never, ever, ever, ever read. Why? Because I have no idea where to start!

Loose comic books (the ones you find the magazine stands that feel like they are 20 pages long) are impossible to sort through. I was, at one point, a pretty consistent collector. I would purchase 30 or so comics a month. I mean, 30 comics shouldn't be too difficult to sort through, right? Well, let's put this into perspective:

  • I buy an issue of Uncanny X-Men.
  • So I put that issue of Uncanny X-Men away with the other 30 comics I bought that month.
  • The story will be continued in next month's issue of Uncanny X-Men.
  • Next month comes around and the latest Uncanny X-Men comes out.
  • Now I have to dig through last week's 30 comics to find the first issue of Uncanny X-Men. Not too big of an endeavor...
  • But then what about next month? Now, I have to dig through 60 comics to find those 2 issues of Uncanny X-Men...

Fast forward a decade, and I don't know where to find a single given issue.

Thankfully, I found a solution to this problem: trade paperbacks.

Trade paperbacks are God's gift to comic book collectors. No more do we have to fiddle through thousands of comics to piece a storyline together (especially one that crosses over to other publications). Trade paperbacks are a collection of comic books made into a single square-bound book that can stand on it's own, should you want to place it in a bookshelf.

DC has been on the ball with trade paperbacks ("TPB" for short) for years. They have published high-quality TPBs for a long time. Every TPB is the same dimensions as the last, so they look GREAT in bookshelves together. They often publish every major storyline sequentially after the last.

It wasn't until the early 2000's when Marvel started churning out some high-quality TPBs. Their older TPBs were different sizes from one-another, and often had issues missing within the book. So then, if there were size and quality inconsistencies, what's the point in collecting them as pieces to a greater collection? If there were issues missing, what's the point in even collecting them as readable material? Why not just buy the issues and get everything? (oh yeah, the complete and utter disorder I mentioned in the first paragraph...)

Anyways, that was before. NOW, Marvel has really stepped up their game. Marvel's latest TPBs have been... marvelous. They all feel like they belong in place next to one another. The TPBs are now printed as every story is now completed, so instead of going out and buying 12 issues and piecing them all together, you have the full story in a nice little book format. When you're done with them, you no longer have to shove them into a box and forget about them, you can place these on a bookshelf and make it part of your decor.

But anyways, this brings me back to my original point from Part 1 of this article... the comic book (the leaflet format that's about 20 pages long) is near extinction.

Even die-hard collectors are hesitant to buy these books, because they are overproduced and thereby worthless! So I just can't get rid of them! I can't sell them, because no one wants them! And I refuse to throw them away, because they hold a special place in my heart! But honestly, it gets more tempting everyday...

My prediction is that this format will eventually be replaced with digital comics. Monthly, we'll receive the comics digitally (albeit with a very small print order that will make comic books a rarity, and people will have hunt for these, or reserve a copy, making them more of a treat to collect). Then immediately after an individual storyline is completed, a physical TPB and (after the eventual invention of) digital TPB will be released.

And one thing is for certain: Comic books aren't for the general public. They confuse the hell out of people. I tried to explain to a couple friends just how comic books work-- and why Spider-Man has 4 publications and what the publication numbers actually mean-- maybe I'm an awful teacher, but no one really grasped what I said. The general public do not want to deal with publication numbers or multiple publications, or cross-over issues, or anything of the sort. They just want "[Hero]: [Story]". The end.

And thankfully, trade paperbacks do just that.

One thing I think TPBs should do is do a really in-depth "Previously," splash page, that mentions the last storyline the characters dealt with and what book they should pick up, should they want to get the full story. And on the last page, they should mention exactly what book should be picked up next. Multiple books if there are multiple storylines carried over to multiple books. But something that tells you where to go. Currently, the only thing you can do is read the backcover of a TPB and it will show you "X-Men #111-#115". So you have to check the backcover of every X-Men book until you find "#116-#120". Confusing, right? Right.

So now that I'm done ranting... will somebody please buy these 3,000 issues from me? Please!?

This is me, but instead of money, it's comics. (Also, I'm not as content.)


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