Seven Thousand

This, according to the database of my collection that I maintain at Comics Price Guide.com, is my 7000th comic book.  Amazing Spider-Man #539, featuring the return of his black costume, tying the look in with the movie out this summer.  He's back in the black because Aunt May got shot by the Kingpin's men (even though Fisk is in prison on Ryker's right now) and she's in a coma, and because he's a little darker in tone following the events of Marvel's little Civil War.  Spidey's an outlaw these days.  This is likely a good thing, since Spidey is (and stories about him are) better under pressure.

7000 probably seems low to some of you, especially if you've ever helped me move my comics from one house to another.  I don't think it's an entirely accurate number, either - there are some trades in that number, some collections, and some stuff I have that's not in there - foreign language comics, really random stuff that the CPG people have no listings for...but it's close.  I figure it's a good, close number.  Since the age of six, when my dad got me Defenders #92 and the Incredible Hulk #254 at a 7 Eleven, I have been collecting.  I stopped in 1992, when I decided I was too old for comics, sold most of them and bought a truck.  I started again in 1993 when Doomsday killed Superman.  I went into the Great Escape in Nashville to get the Superman stuff, and found one other thing that piqued my interest while I was there, Strangers In Paradise #1.  SIP's ending in May of this year, incidentally.

Between 1993 and 2007, I have bought, searched, added, sold, and hunted down various comics.  At this point, I have replaced a large percentage of what I sold in '92, and the good stuff I kept from my original collection is the financial backbone of my current collection. I have met Warren Ellis, David Mack, Terry Moore, Stan Lee, Harry Lampert, Garth Ennis and many, many others.  I have been to two cons.  Only two, one in 2000, and another in 2002.  I would like to go back.  I have hosted countless "comics nights" and I give comics as gifts as often as I can get away with it.  I know I'm responsible for introducing a large number of people to comics, and some of them got the bug, one way or another.  Use the comments field to represent, if you're in that number.

Some fun math, to round this out:

Approximate worth of my collection (according to CPG.com): $29,647.43

DC Comic worth the most money: Jonah Hex #1 (1977) $112.50

Marvel Comic worth the most money: Amazing Spider-Man #300 (1988) $120.00

What do I have the most of?: X-Men, beyond a doubt.  Not counting anything but the 'Uncanny X-Men' title (leaving out Wolverine titles, "Astonishing," "New" & "X-Treme" and all limited series), they alone are 245 issues strong, and worth a little over two grand all by themselves.

Approximate amount I've spent on bags and boards and boxes in the past 13 years: $1050

Approximate amount of time it would take to re-read everything: 29 straight days (based on a reading time of 6 minutes per issue, which is fairly realistic for an average monthly superhero comic.)

It's midnight, more or less.  Guess what I'm going to go do now instead of sleeping?

Comments

[julia]

hey g. You did give me my first comics... the Death series. I actually came across them recently when I was re-arranging my bookshelves and remembered the day when you took me with you to blue-something comics and showed me around. You spotted the three part series up high on the wall display and asked to see them, included them in your pile of goods and bought them. As the cashier was bagging the comics, you separated the Death series out and plopped them in my hands. I remember you saying something like, "Here, start with these. I'm pretty sure you'll like em, and there are a limited number in print. Just count them towards some birthday I've missed." Thanks. I'm glad i know you. And I liked them more than I thought I would.

[Sam]

G, I'm making up bigtime for forgetting to puting this site on my blogroll. Go there and Squidbag now has a spot there. Please don't hate me...