So if you're a pretty big geek like me, you have boxes and drawers full of comic issues. Some vintage, some new. However as we accumulate greater amounts of these issues, finding space can be a real pain. Most of the time we end up putting these prized possessions in storage boxes and tuck them away in garages and closets.
I create a
weekly webcomic, so I tend to need comic issues a lot for reference. That creates a bit of clutter and I can never seem to find the right issue.
Whether you're an avid collector or an illustrator, the piles of comics seem to just get higher and higher.
So is there a solution?
Digital declutteringDigital comics has gained enormous popularity in recent years with the ease of access to comic company's direct line of products. Websites like
Comixology allow you to read indie comics as well as those from the big two. In many ways, people have access to comics that they just wouldn't have had before. This is great news for people who live in small or secluded towns with no access to comic book shops.
College comic dazeWhen I was in college, I lived in a city with only two tiny comic book stores, and both had very few issues that I was interested in, so I had to resort to buying the issues on eBay or going to Baton Rouge (an hour away) to buy the issues at larger comic stores there. Had I access to these digital comics, I wouldn't have had to make such big trips for a single issue.
(That said, I want to encourage you to continue to support local comic book stores. I go to local stores often, because I'd rather support local stores than buy from Amazon, eBay, or online, if I can help it.)
Types of digital comics availableMarvel has offered a unlimited digital comic viewing as part of a monthly subscription, and now has a substantial number of issues and titles that make subscriptions wholly worth while.
Marvel's
subscription service is about $10 per month (or you can pay for a year up front for about $60), but it gives you unlimited access to every digitized issue they carry (which is about 10,000 so far). Their comic reader works on desktop, and they've announced plans for mobile and tablet MDCU viewing soon. You can still view comics you've purchased through their store on mobile and digital platforms. DC Comics and Image comics offer similar digital comic services.
Even though I still go to local comic shops to buy the foil-wrapped X-Men and Generation X comics as well as clear out their racks from toys and games, I have begun to buy more digital comics and it has reduced my clutter enormously.
I definitely recommend checking these services out to help with the mile-high comic problems as well as giving you a full-screen view of some of your favorite titles.
Do you have a topic you would like the Prairie Nerds to address? Let us know at PrairieNerds@tulsaworld.com
