What does your family/friends think about you collecting comics

[Jonah Hex]

I think its a pretty mainstream hobby. A lot of people seem to love being the under-appreciated lost soul, which is cool, but simply not true. I've collected for 20plus years, made no secret about it. I also played/play D&D and Magic but never really heard anything negative or questionable being said about it. I guess it helps that I was and am your stereotypical jock

1) My girlfriend does want them out of the way but thinks its our retirement fund so she doesn't say too much. My 3 year old daughter has a small collection of Disney and Simpsons comics that she keeps in her special drawer so I know she understands! My students ( I'm a Phys.ed teacher), think all of the above are very cool and a lot try to start. Not as many stick to it,but some do.

2)I usually only spend the profit of what I sell,but I have been know to max out my credit card for something I really want. I wouldn't go out extremely out of my way for a convention,but If I can tie it in with a road trip or tournament I usually go.

3) When I was younger I used to fraternize with a lot of Comic and D&D types,but most have moved on. I dont feel the need to fill that void, although I must admit I do enjoy reading this message board and posting the occasional post.

[Secret Son]

I have been asked to sell my collection for the past 5 years by my wife. She doesn't push too hard but she doesn't understand the attachment I have to my books. I don't expect her to understand, I expect her to lend me a hand at comic conventions though

[BaltimoreLauren]

Honestly, since my dad got me into comic books, it seems unusual to be whenever I heard of a family member bein against collecting. My boyfriend is also a big comic collector, but only in Spiderman, so he would never ask me to sell my collection, since he knows how much some of these comics will be worth years from now.

 

Actually most people I tell (I make no secret of my love for comics) are usually surprised by it. I've had one person tell me they would never expect me to be into comics, but whatever, to each their own!

[s-man]

My pop used to call them funny books back when I first got started (irritated the hell out of me!) My mom could care less as long as I picked them up when I lived under their roof. Now I have friends who collect as well and my family doesn't really say much about it either way!

[Boozad]

My wife hates comic books and anything to do with them as they take up most of my time. But she supports me in the collecting side as she knows how much they mean to me. She even helps me bag/board/grade/catalogue etc.

 

My Mom has always been very supportive and really she started me off collecting as she bought me comics when I was a kid. She thought it was a good idea but never realised how much I'd spend on them in years to come!

 

I don't give a what my friends think, if they can't be supportive in something you do, or at worst find it funny, they're not real friends.

[Limited66]

Most people think its weird at first since I am an adult, but once you explain some history and some current events in comic books, they usually find it pretty interesting.

 

Plus everyone loves the idea that they might have or find something worth a fortune (as unlikely as that is).

 

I even put 1950s horror comics as an interest on my resume and I've had lots of interviews (I'm a law student)that mainly focused on comic books that led to job offers.

 

[s-man]

I even put 1950s horror comics as an interest on my resume and I've had lots of interviews (I'm a law student)that mainly focused on comic books that led to job offers.

 

You been applying to comic shops?

[druss84]

I love this thread. To be honest, most my friends think that it's pretty cool and a lot like to check out my new purchases. My family is kind of neutral on it, but I will note my father who was a stockbroker before he retired thinks Spider-Man comics are a great investment. Now as far as my girlfriend goes here are my answers.

 

For 1) She is cool with it and even plays along when I'm excited about new books. I'd say she is pretty supportive.

 

For 2) I don't think she realizes how much I do spend, but I still pay the majority of the rent and bills so she can't really complain.

 

For 3) I don't do conventions or travel for comics.. She has voiced out that she would be pretty concerned if I started going to conventions though.

[John A III]

I think my wife was a little iffy when she first found out I collected comics back when we were dating, but she quickly became ok with it and I have assimilated her into the geek side for the most part. She enjoys the artwork, watches star trek, and is happy to attend conventions with me. She has actually become very intrested in the Jack O' Lantern series and always buys the new books and has them signed at the ECCC. She roles her eyes sometimes when she finds out the money I've spent on a book or two here and there, but for the most part she is fine as long as the bills get paid and we have money to spend on our needs. I consider myself a very lucky man to have her

[Limited66]

I even put 1950s horror comics as an interest on my resume and I've had lots of interviews (I'm a law student)that mainly focused on comic books that led to job offers.

 

You been applying to comic shops?

 

Nope, monster law firms

[Comicopolis]

2.) I get this face a lot :o ....... followed by then

 

(thumbs u Most people just don't think it is normal for a grown man to collect funny books.

 

[tangelwood42]

What a sad thread...I just stumbled upon it

[TijuanaDagger-migration]

My wife never read a comic before dating me. Now she collects and reads as much as I do.

[tangelwood42]

wow! you have a real keeper there

[Arsenalherd]

My wife never read a comic before dating me. Now she collects and reads as much as I do.

 

same as partner, used to call me sad and now she is as sad as me

[TupennyConan]

3) Fly around the country to buy comics/ have dinner with fellow collectors, etc. & drink like college.

 

Improved.

[ydanusas]

From the book "Why I Like Stamp Collecting" by Ayn Rand:

 

Hobbies and relaxation

 

Hobbies and relaxation serve the same function as a vacation; they are ways to refuel your body and mind. A hobby can be a remedy for mental fatigue resulting from a profession that involves bringing work home. Often, an hour at a hobby will make you able to resume your work. It can be an effective brain-restorer.

 

The more you have done to take a vacation from work, the more purposeful you are, the more rewarding a vacation or a hobby can be. But not just any hobby. It also must meet your need for purpose. Collecting soap from different hotels will not do.

 

To the extent that a hobby resembles a career, it has the added benefit of a career; you can maintain a purpose over a long period of time. Although people can find pleasure in single occasions, such as a party or a show or even a vacation, this is a pleasure that ends right then and there, with no further consequences. Yet they need relaxation and rest from their constant, single-tracked drive. What they need is another track, but for the same train - that is, a change of subject, but using part of the same method of mental functioning.

 

A hobby allows the individual hobbyist to remain in his own private world, under his control. Depending on the hobby, he can avoid the dishonesty and irrationality of other people he often must deal with in a career. Nobody can interfere with his hobby, nobody needs to be considered or questioned or worried about. The choices, the work, the responsibility - and the enjoyment - are one's own. So is the great sense of freedom and privacy. For this reason, when one deals with fellow hobbyists, it is on a cheerful, benevolent basis. There is the sense of a "brotherhood" of people with shared values.

 

GE

 

 

Thank you. Good read and actually applies to all my hobbies.

 

[AnastasiasCollect]

My wife never read a comic before dating me. Now she collects and reads as much as I do.

 

you are a lucky man. My wife laughs at me and just says I'm never gonna grow up.

[Batman1fan]

My folks hated it when I was a kid, probably because I would read comics instead of doing my schoolwork. My wife doesn't care, and will even buy me comics for Christmas and birthday presents.

[Deanokeeno]

My wife never read a comic before dating me. Now she collects and reads as much as I do.

 

Lucky, lucky fella.

 

Where do I find one of those? If CGC slabbed women she would be at least a 9.4, and if she could cook, a 9.8.