Types of Comic Book Collectors

For many people, the love of comic books starts from a young age. It happens when you’re a kid and you lose yourself for hours in your favorite comics. The next thing that you know, you have a growing collection. This is how most people start out, but, it isn’t the rule. Once collectors reach adulthood, you’ll begin to see that people fall into certain categories. If you’re a comics enthusiast or a beginner comic book investor, you’ll no doubt meet some of these types. In fact, maybe you are one of them.

The Completist

The completist wants every issue from a specific publisher. Sometimes, this type to collector will have a range of years in which they collect. For instance, they may have all the DC comic books from the 1970s and 1980s. This is one of the most serious collectors. He or she will be an encyclopedia of comic knowledge. Now, the completist will also usually keep their comics safer than most. This is an investor that takes a lot of time and care into keeping his or her comic books in mint condition.

The Artist

The artist collects comics for study. While the artist may enjoy the story, he or she is most interested in the art. He or she collects comics to study the pencil work, anatomy, camera angles and shading. The artist loves comic books and aspires to be a comic artist. So, naturally, his or her collection is going to have comics from beloved artists. For this investor, it is all about honing their craft.

Old Man

Now, the old man collector only collects comics from the past. This type of investor is more likely to scoff at newer comic books. Sometimes, it might be nostalgia or just a general love for the classic comic style. As comic books change, a collector may not like the direction that the books take. So, this is where you have someone who wants to stick to the older comics, most likely comics that he or she knew best in childhood.

The Married

Don’t get this mixed up with a comic book collector who is married to a person. The married collector is the one who attaches to a specific character or artist and collects everything to do with it. For instance, if an investor loves Captain America, that collector will try to have every Captain America comic, statue and action figure. Likewise, if a collector loves an artist, he or she may strive to own every comic drawn by that person.

The Investor

The investor is all about business. This is someone who collects with an understanding of the market. As certain comic books begin to rise in value, this person knows to invest. Likewise, if one comic series begins to take popularity over another one, an investor will liquidate the old collection to make way for the new. It’s about watching the market and making money for the investor.

The “Look There’s a Squirrel” Collector

If you look at this type’s collection, it is going to be all kinds of different comics. This is someone who may love the look of random covers or this person may simply have a wide array of tastes that allows for him or her to collect a wide variety of comics based on taste. This collection isn’t specific and it isn’t about the money. It’s about what appeals to the collector at the time.

A comic book investor may fall into a variety of different categories. Some collectors may even fall into several different categories at the same time. There is no right or wrong way to collect comics. It is a hobby that most people pick up from a young age and continue to find fulfilment in during adulthood.