How do you get your comics?

[Tom Cataldi]

So now I've got 2 jobs and more money than I need. I could just keep buying clothes and alcohol, but I wanna get back into buying comics. I guess I could try and find time to get to a comic store each month or 2 weeks or whenever, but is it worth it to order a subscription? Back in the day it seemed like subscriptions saved you a ton of money, but I don't know how it works exactly. Or is it cheaper to just buy trade paperbacks? Anybody got some advice?

[Missy]

Most comic stores offer subscription services, where you simply tell them what you want and they'll set it aside for you. So you might want to see if your local shops present that option.

If you can wait, trades are your best bet. Marvel has really stepped upped, often releasing TPBs mere weeks after the latest storylines / minis have finished. DC, however, is still a tad slow. And by "tad" I mean "painfully". Oftentimes they release their trades as the more expensive hardcovers first, so you have to wait even longer for the paperback... unless you really want to drop $25 on a six-issue story.

[TheRetreater]

getting a shop to box your stuff is the way to go, assuming you can go to the shop atleast once a month. Plus being in shop to pick up the box lets you see if anything else catches the eye.

As far as price goes, I've noticed that most "real" comic shops give a discount of some kind off the rack, 10% or so. This is opposed to a book store with a comic rack type purchase.

Marvel's TPB are nice. All my Ultimate Xmen and Spiderman are TPB because I haven't been able to get to shops regularly when these books started so it keeps me from missing out. Alot of Marvel's regularly released TPBs are pretty comparable pricewise to if you bought the ishes seperately. And like stated, DC doesn't really release regularly enough for me to pay much attention.

Mainly though I would suggest finding a comic shop you like and getting a box of what you know you want and buying what you see you like.

If you can get to a shop weekly, I would recommend the single ishes unless storing is an issue (which is a plus for TPBs, easier to handle) as well as there is less of a concern of "where's this story arc/mini series"

New Comic Day Wednesday, I'm pumped for it

[James D.]

I generally grab the trade paperbacks. Although, for a few select series, I grab the hardbacks.

[TheSteve]

I have a box at my local comic book shop, I work only a few doors down from it, so when Wednesday comes along I can always get in there to get my comics. I found that having a box is definatly the way to go, because you can add and drop from it as often as you like. As like Retreater said, you notice the other stuff on the racks that catches your eyes. I started reading Exiles and only Exiles, and that quickly blossomed into a whole slew of regulars as well as going after the whole House of M storyline. I also get a 15% discount for having a box at the shop. In the end you spend more money because you will find more things you want to read. But at the same time you get what you want, and everyone enjoys having a good group of nerds to argue with over comics and related stuff.

On a sadder note I just recieved word from the guy who runs my comic book shop that the powers that be have decided to shut him down. Today is the last day that he will have new comics for me, and man does that make me sad. Great little comic book shop, and a place I have been visiting on and off for more than a decade. It will be sorely missed. I would also like to say that 'business' sucks because it tends to take people who actually work towards being a member of a community and doing a service, and destroying them. Big business is bad for humanity as a whole.

[Tom Cataldi]

Box? Like what do I do, say "Yo I want a box?"

[Missy]

Yeah, most people / stores simply call the place where they store your weekly subscriptions "a box". But when you go in, all you have to do is ask them if they offer subscriptions.