(Part 2) Top products from r/comicbookcollecting

With that budget, you could do a great Venom-themed Spider-Man collection!

(Before that, though, heed the words of another poster of if he is a reader or a collector. If he wants to read great stories, hardcover and omnibuses are the way to go. One of my favorite Hardcovers is Spider-Man: Blue, or you could get him the Maximum Carnage collection/omnibus).

Now, with $1,200, you could get a good CGC copy of Amazing Spider-Man #300 (first appearance of Venom). This should be between $300-$600 or so unless you go CGC 9.8 graded.

I paired mine with Secret Wars #8 (which was the first appearance of the "symbiote" that later turns into venom. You could go CGC for this one as well (mine's a 9.0 and it displays beautifully).

Next, you could pair this with Marvel Team-Up #141 which is a black costume "key" issue. However, for my money, a nicely graded Web of Spider-Man #1 is preferable due to an awesome cover.

If you want to go really out of the box, try one of the Sideshow Collectible statues (https://www.sideshowtoy.com/) or eBay Sideshow Collectibles Spider-Man or Spider-Man Back in Black for awesome black costume/Venom statues and busts. I have the Back in Black: Legendary Scale Bust and it is just ridiculously awesome. Be aware though, they charge a big premium because they're the best in the business.

Regardless, I hope this gives you some good ideas of where to start. You're an awesome SO for doing this, I love it when my wife gives me comics for presents. Good luck!

So I'll start with DC as i know more about that. Flash and GL might confuse you a bit at the start but don't worry just persist through and google when needed.

For Green Lantern I would definitely start with Geoff Johns run on the character, it's a personal favourite and has had quite the hand in settng up Green Lantern and the corps as it is today. Now since you haven't read and 90s GL you might be confused but dont worry, Johns retells a lot of the main stuff you need to know from the 90s stuff and helps new readers understand, and of course google as well! He also does a retold origin of Hal Jordan a little bit into it.


For Johns run start at Green Lantern: Rebirth (not to be confused with the current DC line revival). Its a series that can be purchased in a Trade Paperback (the totality of a story arc collected into one grapic novel) here https://www.amazon.ca/Green-Lantern-Rebirth-Geoff-Johns/dp/1401227554 . After done reading this you can continue on by following this reading order https://www.comicbookherald.com/reading-dc-comics/green-lantern-reading-order/ . This site is really handy for new readers. It has reading orders for a ton of different titles that can help guide you, this specific list breaks it down in the trades and then single issues that make up a trade.


Ok i didn't plan to write this much lol. I will DM you Flash and Spider-man as well so youdont have to read a big wall of text. And you can also DM me any questions anytime, always happy to guide new readers.

I use 48"w x 18"d x 74"h wire shelving, 5 shelves, with 1/4" wood liner shelves. Each unit holds 25 short boxes, and they are easy to get on and off the shelves. I just added a second shelf unit tonight so I have a picture handy:
http://imgur.com/BTytifp

Edit: Here are the shelves I use:

• Lowe's, $74.98.
  
• The chrome ones are currently on sale for $59.98.
  
  I can't find a link to the wood I use for shelf liners, but it's fantastic - it's a reddish-stained smooth plywood which comes in a 4'x8' sheet for about $14 - it's sold as 1/4" but it's closer to 1/8". I cut it to 17" x 46.75" shelves, and then cut off about 1.25" inches off of each corner so that the liners sit right into each wire shelf. Short boxes slide in and out very easily.
  
  While I'm at it, I highly recommend using business card holders and printable business cards to label your short boxes, it's really improved everything for me... recommended:
  
  
• Business card holders
  
• Printable business cards
  
  I also use a sharpie on the backs of old business cards to help organize whatever boxes I'm using for filing.

From back in the day - the 1990s. A friend at school showed me a copy of Infinity Gauntlet #4 that showcased Iron Man, Namor, Cyclops, Spiderman and so many others deaths. I was like "Wow they killed Spiderman?!" So that brought me into comics.

When I started collecting - my parents bought me this book for Christmas and I wanted to get a few of the books in the pages there just to say I owned them. The only ones I recall being able to afford were the Spiderman wedding annual and I think the 1st appearance black costume Amazing Spiderman.

Recently I got back into it after years of only collecting graphic novels. I basically view it as something I can leave my son when I pass on and getting the original issues of books I loved when I was a kid and getting first appearances of characters I love. That's why I'm into it again.

I just found this pressed into a book on a shelf. It's from last summer's Heroes Con in Charlotte, so YMMV, but it'll give you a general idea of prices, turnaround, shipping, etc. I got a FF 48 and a Strange Tales 89 (1st Fin Fang Foom) signed by Stan and had them slabbed at the con. The company that handles Stan's appearances is the same company that handles signature verification.

As an aside, I got my oversized copy of '75 Years of Marvel Comics' book signed by him as well and they offer a really cool "hologram verification sticker" that verifies it's an authentic Stan Lee signature. So there are options if you wanna get something OTHER than a book signed (Funko, statues, action figures, etc).

I'd recommend starting with Brian Bendis' Avengers work, he was very solid for a long time on his various Avengers titles. [This collection will introduce you to an event called Avengers Disassembled](https://www.amazon.com/New-Avengers-Brian-Michael-Bendis/dp/1302903624/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1524720917&sr=8-4&keywords=avengers+brian+michael+bendis), it was a big turning point in the Marvel Universe that many future events share some DNA with.

After that collection [I'd recommend House of M](https://www.amazon.com/House-M-Brian-Michael-Bendis/dp/0785117210/ref=pd_sim_14_7?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=0785117210&pd_rd_r=KEZ2VF9TXA5B281VRGA0&pd_rd_w=FawCu&pd_rd_wg=6bhjT&psc=1&refRID=KEZ2VF9TXA5B281VRGA0), it's a story that is very much a sequel to Avengers Disassembled and is one of the better Marvel events imo.

If you want to continue with events, [Civil War feels like the next step](https://www.amazon.com/Civil-War-Mark-Millar/dp/078512179X/ref=pd_sim_14_4?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=078512179X&pd_rd_r=2JF6NEKVXWVQ6SKMR422&pd_rd_w=qI7Ct&pd_rd_wg=JO7Ag&psc=1&refRID=2JF6NEKVXWVQ6SKMR422) from there so I'd recommend that in case you haven't read it.

[And Planet Hulk is great](https://www.amazon.com/Incredible-Hulk-Planet-Greg-Pak/dp/0785120122/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1524721200&sr=1-1&keywords=planet+hulk), you're in for a treat, I wish I could re-read it again for the first time.

If you continue with the Brian Bendis New Avengers Complete Collections then you're in for a good time, but if you want to stick with events after that initial volume then this is a good way to go.

The two others in this thread gave some good suggestions, and I just want to throw a hardcover collection into the mix: Spider-Man Season One. I know the Season One series got a lot of flack for not being 100% true to the origins, and being slightly creative with the stories, but for a child the Season One series is really good if you ask me.

It gives the origin story of Spider-Man in a "modern" retelling along with his first major villain battle, it's 100+ pages or so and only a few bucks. https://smile.amazon.com/Spider-Man-Season-One-Cullen-Bunn/dp/0785158200?sa-no-redirect=1

Like I said, I wouldn't recommend it for a Spider-Man/Marvel purist, but for people who are new to comics or children I think it's great.

I would also recommend picking up collected editions/hardcovers of longer runs, but you have to be careful not to be overwhelming at the same time.

I was really surprised not only that they did a novel, but that Elliot S! Maggin wrote it...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elliot_S._Maggin

IIRC it was a good read.

Here's another surprise comic book novel:

https://www.amazon.com/Sable-Mike-Grell/dp/0812565509

Assuming that wasn't /s Here are some good sources. I'm sure a google search will also give you some good stuff

Comic book nation

A Complete History of American Comic Books

The Power of Comics: History, Form, and Culture

Is there a specific order I should read these in or do you think this would just cover everything : House of X/Powers of X https://www.amazon.com/dp/1302915703/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_nPERDbACCD8D3

Is this it? https://www.amazon.com/Thats-All-Folks-Warner-Animation/dp/0805008896

Here’s a link:
https://www.amazon.com/Watchmen-Alan-Moore/dp/1401245250/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?keywords=watchmen&qid=1569774346&sr=8-4

I use Scotch Removable tape.

I have this so I can read it and not touch my originals.

https://www.amazon.com/Infinity-Gauntlet-Jim-Starlin/dp/0785156593/ref=nodl_

LUNSY Rechargeable Under Cabinet... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07G2ZL57M?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share