How do you store your comic collection?

[Dreadstar]

I buy every issue of certain books just to keep the run going. When I go back & reread series, I end up running out & buying the issues I stopping buying just to see where the story will go. So I figure, why stop in the 1st place?

I buy every issue of Amazing, Avengers, CAP, DD, FF, GotG, Ms. Marvel, Moon Knight, Nova, T-bolts, Thor. I am almost done chasing down all the issues of GotG from the 90s & West Coast Avengers! WOOHOO

Batman, Detective (have about 400 issues of each of those books) JSA, WW, Supergirl.

I also buy every issue of the Red Circle Heroes. I have almost all of the Impact comics, PLUS the Red Circle comics from the early 80s. I also love the Atlas/Seaboard Comics from the 70s. Those occupy the 1st & 2nd spots on the top shelf at the start of my collection, Then Marvel, then DC, then Alternatives. I figure CAP should not be next to Catwoman on the shelf!

You see, I converted a spare bedroom in my house into a comic library. SO I have 7 ft shelf son 3 of the walls filled with my comics. Now if I want to access any issue, I know exactly where it is. I have dividers with labels telling me exactly whats between each divider.

For example, I have Marvel Westerns listed under the letter "M" in my Marvel section. In this section, every one shot/mini/or unlimited series is listed along with volume & year it started. All my Marvel western books are in there, regardless of where they may fall in the alphabet. I figure, if I want to read a western book, I will not remember the exact title, so I might not find it... and I want all the western books in one place, making it easier to find. They are mostly mini series, so if I put them in alphabetical order, they would be all over the place. Same goes for Marvel Monsters, Dark Reign, Secret Invasion. Other than that, everything is by company, then alphabet.

 

[Dreadstar]

Here is an example of what I mean. Man Thing has his own listing in my Marvel section. I list the title, year it started, volume & how many issues the series lasted. I find I have to do this when companies reboot a series, like Cap for example, and assign it a new volume number.

 

[Morg]

I read them, bag and board them and put them in comic boxes

 

[Dreadstar]

ok, i use to do that. But what if I want to read one that is at the back of the room, at the bottom?

How do you know exactly what is in each box?

 

[Manic]

I have a horrible system in place. I put my comics in old shoe boxes. I currently have 6 shoe boxes scattered throughout my bedroom. I'm not a collector, and I usually give away my comics with candy on Halloween. I need to find a hospital's pediatrics ward to donate a large chunk of my non-mature comics to.

 

[Morg]

ok, i use to do that. But what if I want to read one that is at the back of the room, at the bottom?

How do you know exactly what is in each box?

Good memory, used to had 30+K and could recall which books I have and since they are in comic boxes I don't have a 'bottom'

I usually keep them them in order by the titles

Just got a drag having so many and buying tons of bags and boards so only buy books I like to read or interested in. Screw those cross overs issues, I just buy the trade paperback

 

[Kable24]

back and board and place them in a comic book box in order and with markers to show where one series ends and another begins. I also download the digital ones through the DCP/minutmen stuff if I want to reread my comics. Plus it gives me a nice digital backup

 

[Steel Thunder]

just all in a random nig box, no order - in a pile.

 

[Mister J]

Mine are bagged and boarded in longboxes, and, of course, alphabetized by title (respective to company), placed in order of run.

I keep an updated spreadsheet with the same info, with the added bit of specifying arcs and crossovers (for ease in finding for re-reads when I need to dig deep).

edit: Looking at Kable's remark, I should look into getting some markers.

 

[Addendum]

Since I buy trades or hardcovers: on a bookshelf

 

[knightrightnow]

Dreadstar, impressive, but doesnt doing that make it alot of work. How long did it take you to do that? I wish I had that kind of nack for organization. I bag, board, and put em in long boxes. I need to get some dividers, but right now, everything is mixed with everything.

 

[Kable24]

Mine are bagged and boarded in longboxes, and, of course, alphabetized by title (respective to company), placed in order of run.

I keep an updated spreadsheet with the same info, with the added bit of specifying arcs and crossovers (for ease in finding for re-reads when I need to dig deep).

edit: Looking at Kable's remark, I should look into getting some markers.

Mine are the same except I use small boxes. The markers are really nice and so cheap at my local comic book store. I also have an access database of all of my comics.

 

[lyc70]

tks for sharing your experience here. It's quite well if some illustrations were following here.

 

[WOLVERINE25TH]

I file them alphabetically and numerically. It then becomes a simple matter of determining what box has what and then progressing to the box I need. Like if I need Mystique, and the box I pick has Marvel Team-Up, then I need to go down about 2 boxes. Simple.

I also try to split it all by letter, meaning if I run out of As before I fill up a box I start a new box for the Bs regardless.

 

[Jolly Rolly]

I bag and board all my comics, right now I have 14 long boxes full of regular comics and 5 long boxes of TPB's, GN's.

Also keep a checklist of all my comics, one in my harddrive and another to carry around to conventions which I update every 6 months.

 

[[A]]

DVD-Rs.

 

[Dark Victory]

There are three piles sitting in my closet.

 

[Jolly Rolly]

DVD-Rs.

I've always been curious about those, do you flip a page by clicking the mouse? me personally I like the smell of comics and to hold it in my hands.

 

[O.J. Pimpson]

My comic book collection is the most unorganized collection in Massachusetts. They are all crammed into old T.V. boxes, shoe boxes, and banana boxes in my room, garage, and basement.

 

[yenaled]

I just to box and organise them now I do this.

 

[slothbp]

I have my comics organized by company starting with the my favorite titles, from oldest to newest. I buy alot more Trades then issues, but I keep them the same way. i don't backboard or bag them. I hate bags. I don't use longboxes because they're flimsy. I use plastic containers that hold about 80-85 each.

 

[PaleRider]

I bag and board them and put them in long boxes. I have 3 "comic tables" from a store I worked at that went out of business I can fit 6 boxes on top and 6 underneath them. I am out of space with those. As far as in side the boxes I have them seperated into company with dividers. I have those in my own order, I put minis and one shots in with the character and any titles that were spinoffs or related to those characters. the ones that don't fit in with any of those I put at the end of the company into "random one shots and minis". Alot of it has to do with personal memory.

 

[O.J. Pimpson]

I have my comics organized by company starting with the my favorite titles, from oldest to newest. I buy alot more Trades then issues, but I keep them the same way. i don't backboard or bag them. I hate bags. I don't use longboxes because they're flimsy. I use plastic containers that hold about 80-85 each.

Dang, isn't that a lot of work?

 

[Lord Valumart]

I got a box for my Batman, box for my FF/UFF, box for my movie/tv tie-ins and getting a box for Ghost Rider and Deadpool. Other than that I put mini series in the one bag, lable the side and put them on the shelf or in a magazine holder. I also don't bored my comics cause I just get annoyed by that.

 

[BigSams50]

A box full of my green lantern comics (Rebirth-Blackest Night), A box full of my Nightwing comics (Every Issue), a box for my Iron Man comics ( Issue 190-Civil War), and the rest are just scrambled around in other various boxes