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Over on the "Introduce yourself" thread, a lot of people mention a bit about themselves and what got them into collecting & their favorite things to collect.

I thought we could have a "collection" centric thread with the following types of info (feel free to add stuff I may have forgotten):

What started you collecting?

Approximate size of your collection?

What are the major "runs" in your collection?

What (if anything) do you collect besides comics?

Take a shot at your current "Top 10" of comics

What started you collecting? Just happened to pick up a few Amazing Spider-man comics back in '86 or so. I had watched the cartoon with Iceman and Firestarter, not to mention every other cartoon on TV.

Approximate size of your collection?

~2000. I took a ~15 year break, just got back into it 6 months ago.

What are the major "runs" in your collection?

Amazing Spider-Man #181-current, only missing a handful within the 100s and maybe 50 in the first 100, but I'm more proud that almost all of them are high grade (>6.5, which is high for 30+ yr. old comics IMO). I have entire runs, almost all NM, of all the other sister titles over the years.

What (if anything) do you collect besides comics?

Nothing, but I read a lot of fantasy/sci-fi/horror novels so I have shelves and boxes full of books.

Take a shot at your current "Top 10" of comics

Like I said, I only just started reading and most of my stuff is independent, but my favorite titles right now are, in no order:

1. Irredeemable
2. Walking Dead
3. Crossed
4. Traveler
5. Fables
6. Hack/Slash
7. Incorruptible
8. Locke & Key

Despite my collection, I'm mostly reading Spider-man at this point due to collecting it, at this moment I'm not really looking forward to each issue as with the above titles.

What started you collecting?
I don't remember when I started to read comics. In other words, I started to read comics at a very early age. I was six when Star Wars came out and saw that there were comics. So Star Wars was my first comic book that I tried to get on a regular basis. It was mostly comic books based on toys and TV, like the Micronauts and Battlestar Galactica. I read a few super-hero comics here and there. But it was really Batman # 339 that eventually made me the comic book reader I am today. I loved that comic book so much that I started to pick up all the Batman titles (there were only THREE back then), Legion and New Teen Titans, my favorite series. I eventually started to read Marvel comics a couple years later (primarily X-Men books).


Approximate size of your collection?
This is a hard question. First, I should mentioned that I once got rid of 75% of my collection, 25 long boxes. It was the 90s and while I still was reading comics, I never thought I would want to go back re-read my collection. So I ended up selling them through various ways (i.e going to comic book shows) or giving them to my cousin. My biggest regret was getting rid of my runs on Batman and Uncanny X-Men. At this point, I had every Batman issue since issue 300. With Uncanny X-Men, I had every issue from #150 onwards.

Now, my collection is probably 20 to 22 long box. I say probably because I
have some runs in bookcases in magazine holders. I also have what I consider to be a large size of hardcovers and trades.


What are the major "runs" in your collection?
While I did get rid of a lot of my comics back in the 90s, I eventually purchased some classic runs, like the Legion of Super-heroes from the late 70s and early 80s and New Teen Titans.


What (if anything) do you collect besides comics?
I do buy some action figures and statues. I have some original art but not much. Outside of comics, I don't collect much.

Take a shot at your current "Top 10" of comics
This is hard but here is my list (not in any particular order)

Green Lantern
Flash
Batman and Robin
Batman Incorporated
American Vampire
Fables
Brightest Day
New Avengers
Avengers
Fantastic Four

Sorry, this is going to be kind of long.....

What started you collecting?
I started out with Amazing Spider-Man #88 in 1970. Before this I had picked up a comic here & there, some Harveys (Hot Stuff, Richie Rich, etc.) some Disney ducks, etc., but it was that ASM #88 that got me coming back for the next issue and the next one after that, etc.

The next ongoing series I started collecting was Marvel Tales (with #32) about a year later because I discovered that had more Spider-Man stories.

In 1972 I branched out to more Marvel titles. Here is where I started my monthly collecting on some major Marvel books:
Daredevil #86
Marvel Team-Up #2
X-Men #77
Captain America #155
Fantastic Four #128
Avengers #106
Conan #25
Thor #216
Sub-Mariner #67
Iron Man #71

I got on board right out of the gates with some cool new Marvel Heroes:
Special Marvel Edition #15 (Shang Chi, Master of Kung Fu)
Marvel Premiere #16 (Iron Fist)
Marvel Spotlight #17 (Son of Satan)
- Around this time I also jumped onto all the weird Sci-Fi & horror books from Marvel: Killraven, Deathlok, Werewolf by Night, Tomb of Dracula, The Living Mummy, Man Thing, Ghost RIder

Then in 1975 I got my first taste of something new. I got almost the entire output of Atlas comics during the 8 months that they existed. My favorites were Phoenix & Planet of the Vampires.

Mike Grell was my entry point to DC collecting in 1976 with:
Warlord #1
Green Lantern #90
Superboy & the Legion of Super-Heroes #221

I branched out into a lot of other DC titles around this time. I particularly liked the Justice League of America & the Brave & the Bold with the Batman team-ups.

In 1980 I discovered my 1st really "Indie" comics:
Elfquest #6
Cerebus #16

Then the "Indie boom" around 1982/1983:

Pacific comics with Starslayer, Rocketeer, & Groo.

Comico with Grendel, Mage & Elementals

Eclipse with Airboy, Aztec Ace, DNAgents, Ms. Tree, Scout & Zot!

First Comics with Grimjack, Jon Sable Freelance & American Flagg

From there I was pretty much a voracious of almost everything from Marvel & DC as well as much of the output of a host of Indie companies popping up like mushrooms: Now Comics, Aircel, Mirage, and many more.

I cooled off quite a bit in the 1990s during the "clone sage" & "leather jacket era", I had little kids, my wife was staying home to care for them so we were knocked down from 2 incomes to a single paycheck, and I just had to cut back.

I was back to getting a lot of stuff by around 2000 because my Master's degree couple with some job moves & promotions landed me with a decent amount of disposable income.

Fast forward to 2007 when I fell in with my pal John Mayo who let me co-host the ComicBookPage podcast with him, and the rest is history....

Approximate size of your collection?
Janine just entered long box #250 into ComicBase. ComicBase tells me I have 74,916 comics. Since I have a pile that are not in the database yet, let's call it 75k.

What are the major "runs" in your collection?
Marvel:
Amazing Spider-Man #1 up (complete run). Full runs of Spectacular & Web of also.
Avengers #1 & #5 up
Captain America #100 up (complete run, #ing from ToS)
Daredevil #2 up
Fantastic Four #28 up (and a handful of earlier issues including #3 & #6
Iron Man #2 up (except #55)
Incredible Hulk #102 up (complete run, #ing from TtA) (though I don't have the original #1-6 series)
Marvel Team-up #1 up (complete run)
Strange Tales #115 up
Tales of Suspense #60 up
Tales to Astonish #58 up
Thor #127 up
X-Men #93 up to around #350 when I stopped getting this regularly

DC:
Action Comics #325 up (except #347)
Adventure Comics #311 up
Batman #235 up
Brave & the Bold #46 up (I do have the JLA issues #28-30)
Detective Comics #333 up
Flash #140 up
Green Lantern #14 up (except #76)
Superman #177 up
Wonder Woman #189 up
World's Finest #171 up

What (if anything) do you collect besides comics?
A lot of comics HCs (full run of DC Archives, most Marvel Masterworks, a lot of Absolutes & other HC collection of some of my favorites from comics) I also have the complete Carl Barks library & complete EC library sets from Another Rainbow & Russ Cochran
>100 pages of original comics art
>100 original sketches by a variety of my favorite artists
>300 Bowen designs Marvel busts
Lots of Bowen & DC direct statues
Full sets of the Marvel & DC Eaglemoss lead collector figures
A variety of Sci-Fi & Fantasy novel series in HC
DVDs & Blu-Rays (2000+ movies & TV show discs)

Take a shot at your current "Top 10" of comics
* Amazing Spider-Man
* Avengers Academy
* Elephantmen
* Fables
* Fantastic Four
* Green Lantern
* Irreedeemable
* Superboy
* Usagi Yojimbo
* Walking Dead

What started you collecting?

I started Collecting when they started putting out 2000AD and Starlord reprints in Trade.

Approximate size of your collection?

Approximately 300 Trades of which I have read about 160

What are the major "runs" in your collection?

As I collect trades I am pretty much a completest on stuff I like. I suppose I have some major runs of 2000AD stuff and just about everything Garth Ennis has written. I hate having holes in runs (such as Daredevil and Hellblazer) but some of the stuff just isn't collected or is out of print.

What (if anything) do you collect besides comics?

I collect British TV comedy and drama series and have over 1000 DVD's and Bluray's.

I also collect classic video games although I have pretty much stopped this over the past few years as I have everything I want.

I used to collect Fantasy and Science Fiction novels by many authors although the majority were by Piers Anthony and William Horwood and I had a pretty much complete set when I stopped in 1997. I still have them all.

I also used to collect model cars and have thousands of them although they now mainly live in boxes in the loft.

Take a shot at your current "Top 10" of comics

Looking through my ratings it seems that most of my favorite comics are no longer being written or they are so far removed from the original that they dont count as the same series. Here is my current favorites......I think.

* Hotwire
* Walking Dead
* Chew
* Boys
* Jonah Hex
* Fallen Angel
* Battlefields
* Sweet Tooth
* The Goon
* Hatter M

What started you collecting?
I was in 7th grade, hadn't really read many comics except for a few when I was a little kid that my dad gave me to read, and I met a kid name DJ and he handed me Punisher War Journal 43 with a JRJR cover. It blew my mind, I re read that issue every day at school. He started bringing in more and more comics to school and we became friends because of that. I started mowing lawns and using my allowance to buy comics and it was awesome!!


Approximate size of your collection?
I'm sitting on about 4k comics.

What are the major "runs" in your collection?
Every Punisher run, limited series and one shot. Not all his guest apperances though. I'm also a variant whore of sorts. So I'm trying to get a full run of Jacen Burrows and Mike Turner covers. Only need 9 more for Jacen but still a bunch for Mike.

What (if anything) do you collect besides comics?
Original Art, lots of original art. CAF says I have 186 Punisher skeches. Another 60 original pages and then at least 100 other sketches, prints and what not for my collection. You can view my collection here:
http://www.comicartfans.com/GalleryDeta ... GCat=23719

Take a shot at your current "Top 10" of comics
Avatar Press (just about anything they publish)
Boys
Chew
Echoes
Invincible
Morning Glories
Powers
Punisher
Sweet Tooth
Walking Dead

What started you collecting?
finding US comics in a Danish shop while on holiday with a German Family

Approximate size of your collection?
I estimate around 6,000+ but I alwas get sidetracked when logging them in Comic Book Real

What are the major "runs" in your collection?
Walking Dead 1 - Present
Invincible 1 - Present
Flash V2 #85 - 225
Fables 1 - Present
New Warriors 25 - 75
Jack Of Fables 1 - Present
X- Force 1 - 100
Every Ultraverse book (With the exception of a few MArvel published ones)

What (if anything) do you collect besides comics?

TV Series DVD's.... I'd hate to think how long it'd take to watch all those CSI's again.

Take a shot at your current "Top 10" of comics

Irredeemable
Invincible
Walking Dead
Skull Kickers
Avengers Academy
THUNDER Agents
Incorruptible
28 Days Later
The Traveler
Proof

What started you collecting?

A friend in school had Daredevil #228, part 2 of the Born Again storyline, and I read it. Needless to say, even without having read part 1 I was amazed, and that got me started. That weekend my dad took me to a comic shop and I've been hooked ever since.

Approximate size of your collection?

Around 15,000 comics, 500 trades and hardcovers.

What are the major "runs" in your collection?

The only really long run I have is Batman #393 to current. While I consider myself a collector, I have dropped titles quite a bit over the years and picked them back up later. For example, I probably have 90% of the Amazing Spider-Man comics published from #275 to now, but there are gaps in my collection. Same with Superman/Adventures of, Action and Detective Comics, Daredevil, Captain America, Fantastic Four, and Uncanny X-Men (going back to the late 80's). I have a complete run of Nightwing, Robin up to somewhere during the Willingham run, and all of the Ennis Punisher comics. For shorter series, I have a complete run of Hitman and Y The Last Man, and Fables into the late 70's (I started picking it up again in the 90's).

What (if anything) do you collect besides comics?

Action figures, although I've cut back to the point where I only focus on DCU Classics and Star Wars from the original trilogy.

Take a shot at your current "Top 10" of comics

In random order:

Amazing Spider-Man
Secret Six
Batgirl
Detective Comics
X-Factor
Izombie
Birds of Prey
Avengers Academy
Zatanna
Starborn

What started you collecting?

I had read comics from the time I can remember. First with Harvey and Archie and later with Marvel books. At some point in the early 80's one of my friends showed me how to store books in bags and another friend's father was a collector who would take us all to the shop regularly in the summer. There was a used bookstore we would walk to that had older books for sale and we would go there probably once a week after getting out allowance to buy books.

Approximate size of your collection?

I would say it is probably 3-5k books. 20 short boxes and 12 medium drawer boxes.

What are the major "runs" in your collection?

There are a few runs I'm working on that I would say are 60% or more complete. Fantastic Four through the end of the Byrne run. The first 300 or so issues of Avengers and X-men GS1 through 250 or so.

What (if anything) do you collect besides comics?

Nothing really.

Take a shot at your current "Top 10" of comics

I think i'm only buying 10-15 books a month. So would guess that almost all the titles are in the 'top 10' for me. Off had, they are (in no particular order):

* Brightest Day
* Justice League: Generation Lost
* Green Lantern
* Green Lantern Corps
* Chew
* Fables
* Fantastic Four
* Captain America

What started you collecting?

Approximately Dec 1968 (Batman #207), when I was 6. I really can't recall what started me off - my assumption has always been that it was the Batman TV show which must have somehow prompted me to ask my parents to get me the comic. I dabbled in DC for the following year, but then one day in October 1969, I purchased FF #94 and Spidey #80, and I was hooked. The bulk of Marvel's line at the time followed. I still bought DC's, but Marvel is what captured my heart. I've been collecting continuously ever since (i.e., I've picked up the week's new comics every single week since then) (although with the advent of DCBS, it's been approx. every 2 weeks).

Approximate size of your collection?

About 42 longboxes - I bag groups of comics together, so I fit at least 350+ per box - so approx. 14-15,000

Plus several hundred TPBs/HCs

You can see a good chunk (about 9,000) of my collection (entered off the top of my head) here:

http://comicbookdb.com/collection.php?ID=5045

What are the major "runs" in your collection?

In approx order of # of issues (100 minimum):

1. Amazing Spider-Man (AF 15, 9, 11-current) (approx. 645)
2. Avengers (1, 4-current) (approx 600) (perhaps 700 if you include Mighty & Initiative)
3. Captain America (complete) (TOS 59-99; Cap 100-current) (approx. 560)
4. Iron Man (TOS 42-99; Iron Man 1-current) (approx. 560)
5. Uncanny X-Men (GS 1, 94-current) (approx. 440)
6. Fantastic Four (175ish-current) (approx. 400)
7. Cerebus (16-300) (285)
8. Hellblazer (1-230ish) (approx230)
9. Marvel Team Up (complete) (old & new) (approx 150)
10. DD (complete Miller, Bendis, Brubaker runs) (158ish-200, 225-30, 1-current) (approx. 150)
11. Defenders (complete run) (approx. 150)
12. New Teen Titans/Titans (complete Wolfman/Perez) (approx. 150?)
13. Conan (1-115ish) (complete Roy Thomas run) (approx 115)
14. MOKF (15-125ish) complete Moench run) (approx 110)
15. Nexus (1-102) (102)
16. Peter Parker TSS 1-100 (100)
17. Astro City (complete) (approx. 100?)

What (if anything) do you collect besides comics?

Used to collect baseball cards - still have a complete Topps 1975 set

Take a shot at your current "Top 10" of comics

Tough one - in very rough order:

1. Walking Dead
2. Scalped
3. Fables
4. Invincible
5. Criminal
6. Sweet Tooth
7. Avengers
8. Captain America
9. Ultimate Comics Spider-Man
10. Batwoman (when drawn by JHWIII)

All-time Top 10 Favorite Runs

Roughly:

1. Dave Sim/Gerhard Cerebus
2. Miller/Janson DD
3. Lee/Ditko Spider-man
4. Lee/Kirby FF
5. Moore/Bisette/Tottlebon Swamp Thing
6. Chaykin's American Flagg!
7. Kirkman/Moore/Adlard Walking Dead
8. Moench's Master of Kung Fu
9. Wolfman/Perez Teen Titans
10. Englehart/Rogers Batman

e
L nny

ctowner1 wrote:What started you collecting?

Approximately Dec 1968 (Batman #207), when I was 6. I really can't recall what started me off - my assumption has always been that it was the Batman TV show which must have somehow prompted me to ask my parents to get me the comic. I dabbled in DC for the following year, but then one day in October 1969, I purchased FF #94 and Spidey #80

You precocious (bleep)! We are EXACTLY the same age (to the day) and you snaked me on both FF (my first was #97) & Spider-Man (my first was #88 )

Interestingly, we both started on the exact same issue of Cerebus (#16)

BobBretall wrote:

ctowner1 wrote:What started you collecting?

Approximately Dec 1968 (Batman #207), when I was 6. I really can't recall what started me off - my assumption has always been that it was the Batman TV show which must have somehow prompted me to ask my parents to get me the comic. I dabbled in DC for the following year, but then one day in October 1969, I purchased FF #94 and Spidey #80

You precocious (bleep)! We are EXACTLY the same age (to the day) and you snaked me on both FF (my first was #97) & Spider-Man (my first was #88 )

Interestingly, we both started on the exact same issue of Cerebus (#16)

heh. Actually, you beat me on Cerebus. Cerebus #24 was my first Cerebus. I then went back and got the backissues, and my LCS only went as far as issue 16.

e
L nny

I added an "All-time Top 10 Favorite Runs" to my post - would be curious to hear what other people's favorite runs are. I didn't include short runs that are single graphic novels (ex. Watchmen or V for Vendetta), which I figure are more of a single story. although I guess a short aborted run of a great comic should qualify (ex. Englehart/Rogers Batman, which just came to mind, and is inducing me to add it to my list! lol).

e
L nny

ctowner1 wrote:I added an "All-time Top 10 Favorite Runs" to my post - would be curious to hear what other people's favorite runs are. I didn't include short runs that are single graphic novels (ex. Watchmen or V for Vendetta), which I figure are more of a single story. although I guess a short aborted run of a great comic should qualify (ex. Englehart/Rogers Batman, which just came to mind, and is inducing me to add it to my list! lol).

e
L nny

OK, I'm Game..... But I am going to name more than 10!!

All-time Top 10 Favorite Runs (company-owned)
1. Stan Lee / John Romita Sr. - Amazing Spider-Man
2. Roy Thomas / John Buscema - Conan the Barbarian + Savage Sword of Conan
3. Doug Moench / Paul Gulacy - Master of Kung Fu
4. Stan Lee / Gene Colan - Iron Man (in Tales of Suspense)
5. Stan Lee + Roy Thomas + Gerry Conway / Gene Colan - Daredevil
6. Mike Grell - Warlord
7. Doug Moench / Bill Sienkiewicz - Moon Knight
8. Carl Barks - Uncle Scrooge
9. Denny O'Neil / Neal Adams - Green Lantern / Green Arrow
10. Neil Gaiman / various artists - Sandman


All-time Top 10 Favorite Runs (creator-owned)
1. Dave Stevens - Rocketeer
2. Dave Sim / Gerhard - Cerebus
3. Matt Wagner - Mage
4. Robert Kirkman / Charlie Adlard - Walking Dead
5. Jolly R. Blackburn - Knights of the Dinner Table
6. Kurt Busiek / Brent Anderson- Astro City
7. Stan Sakai - Usagi Yojimbo
8. Mike Mignola - Hellboy
9. Richard Starkings - Elephantmen
10. Howard Chaykin - American Flagg


Some shorter runs that get an honorable mention:
* Alan Moore / John Totleben - Miracleman
* Don McGregor / Billy Graham - Black Panther (Panther's Rage in Jungle Action)
* Mike Fleischer / Jim Aparo - Spectre (in Adventure Comics)


All-time favorite minis:
* Alan Moore / Dave Gibobns - Watchmen
* Alan Moore / David Lloyd - V for Vendetta
* Darwyn Cooke - New Frontier
* Mark Waid / Alex Ross - Kingdom Come

What started you collecting?
I loved reading comic books ever since I can remember. Batman, Superman, and getting my first paycheck got me started to collect comics.

Approximate size of your collection?
25 short boxes of single comics. Some TPB's, HC's and lots of over-sized books (Absolute, Omnibus, Archives, Library Editions).

What are the major "runs" in your collection?
Strangers in Paradise (complete)

What (if anything) do you collect besides comics?
Statues

Take a shot at your current "Top 10" of comics
Walking Dead
Usagi Yojimbo
Fables
Invincible
Conan

... and I'm into collecting by author now -- Mike Mignola (Hellboy, BPRD), Neil Gaiman (all sorts of Sandman), anything Alan Moore, Frank Miller, Stephen King graphic novels