Comics reward reading, and a collection built from things you actually wanted to read tends to be a better collection than one built from a list.
Where the first money should go
A run. Ten or twenty consecutive issues of something you want to read, in reading grades. It is cheap, it teaches you spine wear and page colour across many copies, and you end up with something coherent.
The expensive beginner mistake
Buying key issues in poor condition at key-issue prices. The famous issue in a low grade is still the famous issue, and it is priced accordingly — but a beginner frequently pays a mid-grade price for a low-grade copy because the cover is exciting.
The second is believing a reprint is a first. The indicia settles it, and it takes five seconds. Common mistakes.
How to learn without paying for it
- Compare twenty spines. Lay out a run and sort it by condition.
- Read the published scale, including what restoration does to a book. How comics are graded.
- Buy from sellers who show the spine side-lit — and copy how they do it.
- Ask what they would grade it, and why.
Pick a focus
A title, a creator, an era, an Indian publisher. A complete run of something modest beats a shelf of famous covers in bad shape.
Store it from the first week
Bagged, boarded, upright, dry, off the floor. The monsoon does the damage in this category and it is entirely preventable. Storing comics.
Questions people ask
Should I bag and board everything?
Everything you intend to keep. Bags are a consumable; replace them every few years.
Are reading copies worth collecting?
Yes. They are also the cheapest way to learn.
Is grading worth it early?
No. Learn to assess, then decide.
More: buying comics, what they are worth.