Comic Book Buyer’s Guide #3 - Adding Books to Your Pull List - Part 2
Jan 13, 2009 Comic Book Buyer's Guide
This is Part 2 of the Adding Books to Your Pull List entry that was posted yesterday. This entry will continue with methods designed to help you stay on the right path towards your ultimate comic collection and will focus on the following methods:
“So, uh… What do YOU like?”
“How Many Stars Did It Get?”
The Previews Catalog. It’s BIG, But It Can Be Beaten
“So, uh… What do YOU like?”
This is a method that I use quite often. I ask my Local Comic Book Shop owner what he reads or what he hears is good. He’s surrounded by comics all day and by people who read them, so he must have some insight on what is might interest me. Of course, this is very subjective. You’ll need to tell the shop owner what you like and what your interests are. You can’t just ask “what’s good” because you and the owner may have completely opposite ideas of “good”. You may like Superhero-man and he may hate superheroes all together. BUT, any good comic shop owner will take the time to find out what you like and can make suggestions to you based on your preferences. It’s in their best interest after all. If they can’t be bothered to take the time to help you find what you want, you can always go find someone who can.
“How Many Stars Did It Get?”
If you are on the fence about a comic and want to know more about it, you need go no further than you trusty computer. There are plenty of online review sites that offer their 2 cents on most all comics that are released, often times before they have even hit the shops. This is perfect for you. You can read these reviews and apply their opinions to your own thoughts. Remember though, it is only OPINION. A reviewer can offer their opinion, but you need to decide if you are going to let that effect your decision. Alternatively, many sites also offer previews of actual comic pages which are much more beneficial as you yourself can see the comic and formulate your own opinion (the only one that matters). A couple of web sites that consistently offer previews are www.newsarama.com and www.comicbookresources.com
The Previews Catalog. It’s BIG, But It Can Be Beaten
At the end of every month, the phone book sized Previews Catalog is released. This catalog contains most all the comics and comics related items that will be released 2 months later. Comics need to be ordered 2 months in advance, so the catalog contains a brief text preview accompanied by a cover image preview for most releases. Many comic shops offer these catalogs at no cost so that comic fans can go through them and order exactly what they want. Or, you can check them out online at www.diamondcomics.com
Admittedly, the Previews Catalog can be a bit intimidating with the number of titles available, but with a little investigating, it can be one of your best tools when selecting comics for your Pull List. I will do a full ”How to Use the Previews Catalog” entry in the future, but for now I recommend simply flipping through the pages and seeing what grabs your interest. You can treat it like trailers for upcoming movies.
All of the methods mentioned in Part 1 and Part 2 of Adding Books to Your Pull List are valid and can be used at any time. The trick is deciding which best fits you and then sticking with them. You may find that many, or all the methods, work for you and that is great too. Do whatever it takes to find the right direction for your collection. Once you have decided what comics you want to add, simply let your local comic shop owner or online provider know and sit back and wait for the issues to roll in. I truly hope you discover some great comics!
That is where I will wrap up for today. I will be continuing this series soon with Comic Book Buyer’s Guide #4. Keeps your eyes open for it!
Tags: buyer's guide, Comic book, newsarama, pull list
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