Collecting Comics, Graphic Novels and Collected Editions

Yesterday I discussed my DVD and Blu-ray collection, so today I’d like to talk about comics, graphic novels and collected editions. Well, I guess I should say mainly graphic novels and collected editions since I buy very few individual comics these days. (Most of the ones I have would fit into one long box.)

As with movies, I really don’t have that many graphic novels and/or collected editions, so what you’re seeing in these photos is quite a bit of it – but it’s expanding rapidly. First, I shelve my Marvel collected editions/graphic novels first, putting the omnibus editions on top. I only own seven omnibus editions (and couldn’t quite get the second volume of that Lee/Kirby The Mighty Thor on the top shelf) and only plan to get two, possibly three more in 2015. Following the omnibus editions, we have graphic novels and collections by title/character.

I never was a huge DC fan growing up, so I don’t have too many of those, but I am interested in checking out some of the Showcase editions. I only own one Absolute edition and that one’s missing here due to size considerations. The only DC “omnibus” editions I own are the Jack Kirby Fourth World books, so everything is pretty much together. After the DC proper books come the DC Vertigo books.

Once the Vertigo titles are done, everything else follows by title regardless of publisher. I thought about arranging them all by publisher, but decided against it, since in many cases I only have one or two titles by certain publishers. It’s just easier to put everything that’s not Marvel or DC together by title. (Although sometimes I think it would be cool having all my Image and Fantagraphics titles together.)

This photo, frankly, is a mess. Eventually I want to get all of my newspaper strip collections together (which they sort of are now), my comics history titles together, my comics studies titles together, etc. I also want to start putting together collections/art books/retrospectives by artist, such as some of the titles you see on the left side of the bottom row, books on Gene Colan, Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, Joe Kubert, Wally Wood, etc. (Right now even those aren’t in order! I told you, it’s a mess.) The big problem with all of these books is their size, so it’s doubtful I’ll ever be able to shelve these books exactly where I want them. You do the best you can.

Right now I also have one artist’s edition and one of the oversized Little Nemo editions. I have no idea where I’m going to store those suckers.

So, feel free to share how you handle your collections.