Exploring The World Of Comic Book Collecting
Recently a reader sent Luxist a note regarding comic book collecting and the value of a particular Spiderman comic. I'll confess I wasn't much help except for steering him toward a couple of the more well-regarded comic book guides. But on our sister blog WalletPop you can get some real advice on comic book collecting. WalletPop's Jason Cochran sat down with a bunch of respected figures in the comic book world: artist and writer Phil Jimenez from Marvel's Astonishing X-Men; Paul Litch, vice-president of Certified Guaranty Company (CGC), a grader of comic books ; Laura Hudson, a blogger from the ComicsAlliance.com website; and Kevin Frost, who is a back-issue buyer for Midtown Comics, one of the busiest comic stores in America. The discussion is fascinating not just for anyone with an interest in collecting. Should you get your comic books graded? It may make a big difference in terms of price. Are those old comic books in the attic actually worth something and is comic book collecting a good investment? Like the world of sports collectibles, the comic book market is subject to a lot of different factors. While you may not make your fortune by collecting there are a few books that are worth quite a bit (last year an Action Comics #1 from 1938 sold for $317,200 in an internet auction). As with art or any other collecting, the rule remains the same, buy for love first and profit second.
In the world of superheroes, Superman may be have the most other-worldly power, but it's Spider-Man who twinges the heart-strings. Perhaps it's his familiarity -- weren't you, too, that nerd in high school? -- or perhaps it's his tragedy, what with his unknowing part in his uncle's death. Either way, two of the most expensive comic books ever sold at auction are 
