Comic Book Buyer’s Guide #2 - When to Drop a Comic From Your Pull List - Part 2
Jan 6, 2009 Comic Book Buyer's Guide
Todays’ entry continues the Comic Book Buyer’s Guide series and picks up directly from yesterday’s post which can be found here.
This post will include the following topics and points:
Step 3 - What are the Reasons to Continue Buying a Series I Have Lost Interest In?
- Collectors and Completists Do Collect Completely
- Investors Attempting to Invest and Traders Attempting to Trade
Step 4 - Removing the Comic from Your Pull List
- “No Problem. Have a Nice Day.”
- “You Have to Buy the Next 2 Issues. They’ve already been ordered.”
- “Does Not Compute. Input. INPUT!!!”
Step 3 - What are the Reasons to Continue Buying a Series I Have Lost Interest In?
Like all things, there are exceptions to the rules. If you have confirmed that you have lost interest in a comic series, but are still continuing to purchase the book, then there must be a reason. Otherwise, it would be like throwing good money away. I don’t necessarily practise these methods, but they do exist so I will touch on them briefly.
Collectors and Completists Do Collect Completely
There are Collectors and Completists that enjoy putting together full runs of comics and continue purchasing books that they have lost interest in and do not read any longer to keep their runs alive. While I do not engage in this practise, I can definitely understand it. It is partially the thrill of the hunt. The act of tracking down that elusive Superhero-man and Friends #237 they have searched for since they were a child. They must be ecstatic the day they find the coveted book at a random flea market or online store and are able to fill that hole in their collection. The option for a Collector or Completist to drop a monthly book that they have purchased every month for years is almost not an option at all.
Investors Attempting to Invest and Traders Attempting to Trade
You may find yourself losing interest in a particular book in the middle of a story arc. Or it may be a book that has some hype surrounding it and may become valuable in the future. If you buy the remaining issues in the story arc even though you are uninterested in it, you can potentially then attempt to sell or trade in those issues at a later date so that you can put that money towards a series that you are interested in. A quick warning though; note that I said “potentially”. You may find that no one wants those issues you purchased either and then you’re essentially stuck with uninteresting wrapping paper… The same method (and warning) can be applied to buying a book with hype surrounding it. You never know what comics people will want in the future or if their value will go up, so it’s a good idea to simply buy what you like.
If you fall into one of the groups above and are continuing to purchase comics you have little to no interest in, all the power to you. It is completely your choice and that’s what makes the comics industry so great. There are many titles to choose from so keep buying the ones you want. Period. If you want the entire 154 issue run of Superhero-man Goes to Camp, go for it!
Step 4 - Removing the Comic from Your Pull List
Once you have decided that The Return of Superhero-man no longer interests you and you are ready to remove it from your Pull List, there are some steps that need to be taken. Hopefully, you and the owner of your Local Comic Shop are on good terms and they don’t get upset when you want to remove a title from your list. Of course, this may be easier said than done. Depending on your Local Comic Shop, dropping a title from your Pull List may be a bit trickier that you would like. Here are a few replies you may encounter when you say those magic words; “I’d like to drop…”
“No Problem. Have a Nice Day.”
This is obviously the ideal situation and the one I am lucky enough to receive at my Local Comic Shop. Yes, I do mean lucky. Comic shops have to order comics a minimum of 2 months before they are released. So if I decide I’m tired of a book, my Local Comic Shop has to hope that those extra 2 issues that they already ordered for me will spark someone else’s interest so they can be sold and don’t end up in the back issue bins. This kindness shown by the owner should go both ways. If I drop a title I don’t want any longer, I typically pick up something else instead. This helps to offset the cost for my Comic Shop. It’s all about “comic karma”, folks.
“You Have to Buy the Next 2 Issues. They’ve Already Been Ordered For You.”
If this is the reply you receive, you really should go ahead an pick up those 2 issues that have already been pre-ordered on your behalf. It is the correct thing to do and hopefully the person behind the counter isn’t a jerk about it. While it is true you should purchase the final 2 issues you committed to, you are well within your right to cancel any book you want, any time you want. If you continually get a hassle when you want to drop a book, it’s probably time to drop your comic shop… You are the customer and as long as you don’t act like a jerk yourself, you should be able to drop and pick up any comic you want without getting the 3rd degree.
“Does Not Compute. Input. INPUT!!!”
The one wild card is dealing with online stores. If you deal with an online subscription service you are at the mercy of how well their programming does what it is supposed to. Hopefully you can simply check a box and your online Pull List will be updated and you can say good bye to your unwanted comics. But, if there are any glitches, you may find that unwanted issues still get mailed to you. My recommendation is to find a phone number on the web site you use and speak to a human being. This should help to eliminate and technical problems. You might even make a friend on the other end of the phone.
Hopefully the removal of the comic from your Pull List will be quick and painless. As mentioned, as long as you are courteous the your Local Comic Shop, they should treat you with that same courtesy. Removing a comic shouldn’t be a huge production. All that needs to be done is to weigh all the options and then make your informed decision and stick to it. Great comics await you!
That is where I will wrap up for today. I will be continuing this series soon with Comic Book Buyer’s Guide #3. Keeps your eyes open for it!
Tags: brian bendis, buyer's guide, Comic book, drop a comic, mark bagely, pull list, subscription list
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