inspired by l&r’s comic-talk
i wish there was a way to trade in your individual issues for trade paperbacks
i know it makes no sense and it’ll never happen, but i wish it would
i buy the individual issues so i don’t have to wait and because i want the comics to keep going, and they’ll only keep going if people buy them
but FUCK do i hate storing them
longboxes are ugly and hard to find space for, and i don’t want to have to board all of my comics (I BAG THEM WHAT MORE DO YOU WANT FROM ME GOSH) but they just flop all over like sleepy kittens and ugh
it’s so much easier to store tpbs (even if marvel refuses to use a standard size so they’re all slightly different which makes shelving them ugly or disorganized) but i don’t want to buy them twice because buying them twice means i could only buy half of the comics that i buy now
buying them digitally gets rid of the storage issue but i like being able to hold them in my hands and hug them and sleep with them under my pillow if i want because i am a baby and that’s my right as a baby
See, I’m just the opposite. I hate trades. I mean, they are good to lend to people I guess. And it’s nice to pick up a trade to get a feel for a new series. But I like collecting individual issues. I love going to the store every week to pick up my new issues. I like thumbing thru stacks of old comics. I like hunting for the gaps in my collection. I like bagging and boarding them up. I love seeing my stacks of long-boxes. I like collecting comic books.
Unfortunately for me, the industry is encouraging more trades. Story-arcs are plotted specifically to be published as trades later. They really only publish monthly titles for folks like me. If they could just put out a 6-8 issue TPB once or twice a year, they would. It would save them money but i fear it would also put a grip of people out of work.
What we need is a website that connects the two opposite kinds of people. The LFBs of the world can post “I have Batgirl 1 - 10 first editions in gorgeous condition. Who wants to buy me the trade and we can trade?” Then the BAPs of the world who just discovered Batgirl at issue 11 can get the comic books they want.
