Buying The Best Comic For You
It's A Delicate Process
Comics can be a great time for anyone looking for a story that people won’t demand you turn off. Because if you can’t play a video game or video with all the noise, and looking at words make your eyes tired, a comic might be the best thing for you.
But what happens when you want the most control? Meaning you don’t want to go through archives just to get intimidated by the large amount of stuff. Or start somewhere that looks like you got lost.
But here’s what they don’t tell you. Buying comics can get expensive, like any other hobby. Maybe that doesn’t bother you as well as others. But that’s not the point.
What I’m gonna do is ask some questions and leave suggestions.
Most Important Questions To Ask
What do you want out of your comics? Great art? An engaging story? Follow a popular title to prevent FOMO? Or are you a collector of rare and valuable things?
What do you do when you don't know what you like? Personally I prefer going on places that offer free looks at comics. There are loads of places, with the most patient people getting library cards. Of course if you’re looking to buy comic books and graphic novels, webcomics are a safer bet than Webtoon websites. Why? That comes later. Besides finding the best ones depending on the genre is easy, especially if that narrows your interests down. That said, please pay attention to the ratings.
What if I want to expand my horizons? Perfectly fine. Just don’t go getting everything on a hunch. Try to limit to one thing and try to finish it. If you can’t, then toss it, resell it, or give it to somebody else. You shouldn’t have to force yourself to enjoy something.
How do you prefer to read? If it’s convenience you want, try searching your phone’s app store for the comics app that comes up first. Or the Library service apps. You might prefer the infinite scroll like on Webtoons, the panel-by-panel experience, or reading manga pages whole.
If you actually prefer to interact with a comic page, maybe finding something that can be easily carried around is your preference. Because if your day is busy and you don’t have any power, you never know when it could come in handy. Your best chance at finding anything in those dimensions is probably your local super market (websites too). Usual stuff like Manga or printed Webtoons, but also Young Adult graphic novels like Beast Boy and Raven, should mention Kids aimed stuff like Dog Man too.
Meanwhile if you’re a collector you better prepare yourself. Single issues are a tall order, especially if you plan on collecting extremely popular characters like Batman or Spider-Man. From long boxes, bags, boards, and tape for preservation less the comics fall apart quicker. Hardcover albums have longer lifespans but not all series, especially cult classics have them. Not to mention finding storage for that storage. Not just physical, but digital; the latter tends to be more comics per volume. If you’re anything like me, you better be prepared to have an entire desktop dedicated to storing your digital downloads.
If you’re a speculator, buying comics just to sell them off, go here and here. It’s basically collectibles on the stock market.
Should I buy the most popular comics? You don’t have to. If you have any fear or missing out, just go online and check out Fandom encyclopedias or videos, especially in relation to A-List characters like the above cash cows and Superman. Besides, just because something is popular doesn’t mean that it’s enjoyable, especially on a reread.
Where To Buy
If your local super market isn’t available, try a bookstore like Barnes & Noble. Then… sigh… Amazon… To be fair this is the best place to buy the Marvel Omnibuses in digital, $40 over $120 for nearly 50 comics is a real steal. And that’s just the normal price, there are sales all of the time to pick and choose what suits you. The DC Omnibuses (as of now) are only in print and depending on fuel or shipping budgets, keep your local comic store in mind.
But you could pay a fraction of that on Marvel Unlimited to read all sorts of comics from the past. Same with DC Universe… but the service is kind of lousy. Personally when it comes to comic services not involving Marvel or DC, GlobalComix is your best bet. Manga with Shonen Jump is an even cheaper price. As for everyone who isn’t Marvel, DC, Viz, or Webtoon, bundle websites like Humble Bundle, Groupees, and (less often) Fanatical give the best deals. Be prepared to get a torrent downloads too.
As for the speculators and collectors this guy has better suggestions than I do.
But for those hard to find new comics, the place to go (for English speakers) is Midtown Comics, Golden Apple, and Forbidden Planet. Anything on crowdfunders are hit or miss.
Comics For Everyone
Never believe for a second that comics are for select groups of people. Everybody’s got their preferences, just pick the one best for you.