Browsing through the media today might give one a feeling that the comic book industry is on its last legs. However, while the heavy hitters like Marvel and DC have reduced sales figures each year, there are more comic books being made and sold now than ever before. While this resurgence of independent comic book studios is good for both readers in general and the collectors, the second group has a much tougher time now, as there are far more different books to protect and store for posterity.
Additionally, new production standards made most books—especially those from indie companies—from a more delicate paper, which means that they are easier to tear, break, or even crumble from the sheer oxygen in the air. While traditional comic book storage boxes can now be found in many exciting colors, shapes, and designs, they are not very good for long-term storage, and sleeves books stored inside would deteriorate even without touching them. There are many ways of storing your comic book collection such as using poly bags with corrugated cardboard backing boards or acid-free backing boards, file cabinets, high-density polyethylene bags, standard comic bags, and even the cardboard storage box. But which is best for the long-term protection for storing comics? Read on the find out.
Comic Book Value Retention
The quality of the content primarily determines the overall value of a comic book, and most people collecting now forget that even having a unique book in perfect mint condition is worthless if the story portrayed inside is not interesting to anyone. This quality is hard to determine precisely, but there are some metrics that we can use now that can show us if there is any interest in the books we are collecting. This aspect also changes through time, and some comic books that are uninteresting in the moment of them being printed might develop a cult following and be very popular in the future.
The second parameter is the rarity. This is natural market behavior. The larger the demand on a finite supply, the higher the value of the book. This also means that popular comic books gain value by time, as more and more books are being lost or destroyed.
Finally, the state of the specific book collected will determine the ultimate value. Nobody really expects an old book to be in mint condition, but having a near mint rating will significantly increase the offering price for your book than having it in “good” condition. Comic book collectors know thatgoodcondition is that only in name and that the only good thing about them is that no pages are missing.
Why Are Cardboard Storage Boxes a Bad Idea?
To keep your comic books in mint condition, they need to remain unopened. While there are collectors who sometimes do this, it is not the most rational thing to do. When you don't read the comic book, you lose value as you have not consumed the story. Furthermore, because you don't know what the story is, you will not be able to tell if the book is worth saving.
A good collector should aim for “nearmint+” condition, with the book retaining its gloss and being whole, but one that they have read. And this is where cardboard boxes used for comic book storage fail, as they do not protect from the two main elements that can reduce the book from a near-mint or near-mint+ to a very good+ in about two years without you even looking at the paper.
There are three main enemies of stored comic books, one of them being bugs, which are somewhat easily solved with general household hygiene. The other two are moisture and oxidation, which are much harder to fight against as we usually need air and water anywhere we go, and cardboard is very susceptible in drawing in moisture, as well as being far from air-tight.
This is why we need additional methods to protect our prized comic book collection and keep it in perfect condition for decades to come—or centuries if you have the time!
Protecting Your Collection
Long-term storage must have an answer to questions of air and moisture and the containers we store the books must be airtight and moisture-free. Even the shipping containers that deliver comic books to a comic book store are not perfect when it comes to this matter and rely mostly on the books being sleeved.
And here lies the first answer, as you can always re-sleeve your comic books. Just putting the book back in the paper it came from is not good, as it will never be airtight again once ripped open, but there are ways to place them into dedicated sleeves.
Once the books are protected, you will need to make sure that their surroundings are kept clean and dry, and ideally away from any direct sunlight, as UV radiation breaks the color on the cover page in time. Storing your books this way, even for long-term storage, will ensure that they are in as good condition years after you have bought them and that you can have a whole comic book series to leave to your progeny.
Mylar Sleeves
Mylar sleeves, or mylar bags, are probably the best possible material to keep your books in, provided that you want to see which book it is and to show off your collection from time to time. While most plastic covers will protect from air and moisture, mylar covers will also protect from any fungus, mold, mildew, or any other pests or insects that can ruin your lot.
Products like the Mylites 2 Mylar Sleeves come in the pack of 50 and cost less than half a dozen good quality books—not to mention the prized pieces in your collection. They can also be used to protect action figures and other collectibles that sometimes accompany comic books.
You don’t even need to throw out your cardboard storage boxes, as they can serve for better filing, once the books are safe in their mylar bags. As these sleeves protect from UV radiation and are virtually impossible to tear, you will be able to take them out frequently to show off, or even take to comic book conventions.
Picking out the Right Books to Collect
Once you have your mylar bags, cardboard boxes, and a shipping container worth of clean space, you may focus on the quality of your collection. Not every book will be the Amazing Spider-Man No.1, especially as there are almost as many “No.1” titles pumped out from Marvel today as there are titles in general. Your only option now is to go to comic book conventions, go to Comic-Con, research online, and ultimately to safeguard the stories you like the most. Sometimes, it is not unwise to read digital comics first, as to make an informed purchase for your selection.
Finally, buy the comic books you like. The comic book industry might seem like they only listen to people who draw their authority from their Twitter bios but that is not true. Good comic books mater and they should be bought, read, and protected. Promoting and safeguarding good books now means that we will have even more good books in the future while still preserving the ones we have right now.
