GearheadPT

Interesting. I have never sold any of my comics. Dropping down to 30 from where I am now seems too daunting but I do need to curb my acquisitions. Thank you for posting this.

Ok. I'll give it a go. Mind you, I have predominately read superhero genre comics. I am limited. I think that when we are younger or new to comics, it's very character driven. Character in a sense of what the lead hero has as special abilities, how relatable they are etc. My answer to this would be much different 20 years ago. I grew up in NY. Spider-man was it. Now, for me, the writer leads the way. Speaking from a plot driven perspective my examples would be: Frank Miller Daredevil, Silver Surfer (vol 1), any Dark Knight, Preacher, Amazing Spider-man/'The Last Hunt' with Kraven, Lone Wolf and Cub. Some of Mark Millars stuff is good. Early Avengers, Claremont X-men. Don't laugh, I liked Year of the Rat by Crossgen. From a cultural view, Marvel introduced inter-racial relationships with Powerman and Ironfist in the '70s as well as the liberated professional woman with Ms. Marvel. Reading them with regard to the era they were written has been interesting for me. Claremont's X-men was a tone set against racism as well. I haven't gotten into War comics but they encompass a huge genre. Seems like they should be mandatory reading. Batman and Superman had a hand in selling war bonds I believe. John Carter of Mars was written in the early 1900's. Read those with regard to what classified as science fiction for the time. I think its important to read some amateur comics. Maybe pick up some indies with mediocre art. The professional stuff tends to shine better afterwards. It helps you figure out what you like. I don't know much about the Golden Age. I just starting to dig a bit. Just picked up a few Batman, Superman, and Mystery in Space. I'm happy to take your recommendations on others. To answer the question, look for what has been popular by each publisher in every genre and era that you can afford. Sorry the post is so long. Remember, I'm a newb.

So you're asking "What is the essential reading list for the comic collector?"