Hi, I'm venturing into this topic of what makes a good collection and may seem a little off base as it means different things to different people.  How I mean this is that there are large dealers who specialize in selling the very rarest of books in the best possible shape merely for the collectibility of it, in other words an investment.  Now this doesn't mean it's wrong, you shouldn't be ashamed of purchasing something expensive simply because it's expensive but maybe open it up and find out what it took to make it that way.  I can't stress enough that these fabulous pieces of North American folklore deserve better than to cover a love that someone has for this genre with a focus on it being an investment.  This being said it's time to focus on the matter at hand and sorry about the small rant "NOT", I digress.

What makes a good collection is love and I mean what is it you are interested in.  In the beginning of my collecting era as an adult it was all about the money and some rather unscrupulous dealers of which there are many and the way they think of it is "hey I have overhead and whatever it takes" so the minute a newbie walks in the store they know almost like a predator can smell them.  Like a predator they will steer you to what they need to sell so you will get some good quality stuff but you will also get a healthy dose of "what I ordered to much of" and it will be down hill from there.  What saved me at this point was a small store with a caring dealer and some good collecting friends.  Herein is the point and that is collect what you find the most interesting from some leg work investigating a healthy dose of what's out there to buy and or read.  Now dive in with both feet and read to your hearts delight and with some luck from an investment viewpoint you may have hit the jackpot on a certain title that you saw as a great read and everyone else didn't.  Now you will find all around you patting you on the back and trying to pick them up at very inflated prices.  A prime example of this for me came years ago when I wanted to pick up a new title that I read up on from an independent and just didn't have the cash because other titles I had on file and in retrospect the other titles didn't pan out as a very good read at the time, the book I speak of was The Crow by James O'Barr, oh well.

I guess I should clarify a little is that its not that the other books weren't a good read in and of them selves, as that is a matter of opinion but that I should have picked these up irregardless and not just in hindsight because of investment but they were a very good read as well.  You can start a collection anywhere and not worry about what number you start at and still amass a fantastic collection and to quantify this statement you can buy runs of early Amazing Spiderman titles for a better price than Amazing number 129 (first punisher) and the same with volume one Incredible Hulk as opposed to number 181 (first wolverine) if you see what I'm getting at.  I hate to sound as if I'm droning on but I'm trying to hammer home the point that it's never a bad time to start collecting and you can fill any holes in at a later date by turning to a reputable dealer or online with an auction site you are comfortable with.  As for a reputable dealer, it took me 15  years to find mine but now I am happy and the search may be long for you to but do the research and start by asking around usually with a friend that collects and find out their thoughts on the subject.

Primarily if you are happy with what you have once you have it then you have started a great collection and let none tell you otherwise.  Now for some tips on what back issues to pick up and the first place to start is find out whats hot now and research what the first appearance of a particular character or place or thing is much like a noun.  You will quite often be pleasantly surprised at how little you will have to pay to buy this first appearance and if luck holds it will only go up in price.  A personal rule here is that your not climbing on the bandwagon just trying to understand the foundation of the story by investigating the beginnings or origins of this person, place or thing.  The investment will quickly become a secondary interest when you read the origins of the storyline you are investigating and trust me it can quickly get out of hand with how much you want to or will become convinced to expand your horizons on the origin or the storyline at hand or both.  Keep in mind that some people seem to have a little OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) on this subject and will want so much as a one panel appearance in another title which isn't even a significant point in the story.  My point here is for you to determine what is enough and what is to much for you to bare in your collection or what is significant and what isn't.

If you find something you truly like you may want to buy multiple copies for a later date to sell or trade mainly for the purpose of expanding your own collection a little further without a heavy cash outlay or maybe even trade for something desirable.  Take into account that most publishers will offer a collectible variant cover which are nice to have and will bring instant collectibility as in an artificially inflated price off the bat so to say.  These can be nice if you get a good deal but decades down the road it's doubtful that they will hold the greater value over an original first print with a first appearance.  Where do these variants come from and that is a good question and they come from many different sources so let's discuss that.  1.) Retailer Incentives-if a retailer orders X amount of copies from the wholesaler the publisher provides a book that is the same in every detail except the cover is different 2.) One in X amount-the retailer can order X amount of copies and get a certain amount of different covers for how many ordered, somewhat similar to number one but the retailer will usually pole customers to find out who wants one for a lesser price than the retailer incentive but still a premium price none the less. 3.) Second Print-this one can be somewhat tricky as the publisher will cover the fact that it is a second print by calling it a variant although sometimes they will catagorize it as a second print variant and these on rare occasions can become quite valuable due to short print and light distribution.

I hope this helps any who read it in particular the first time or new to the hobby collector and get you off to the right start thus making your experience with this hobby an enjoyable one.  Lastly remember first and foremost do it for the great stories and the amazing art as these two things can actually make your day in the world you live in a kinder, gentler place be it action and destruction to help you vent or a seriously needed laugh to mellow your day.  Happy collecting and welcome to the hobby.