“How many comics do you have at home – and what are some of your favorite back issues in your collection?”
Dimitrios Fragiskatos, manager, Midtown Comics’ Grand Central location, 459 Lexington Ave., corner of 45th St., Manhattan
I have approximately 1,500 comics and 500 graphic novels at home.
My favorite back issues are my Aquaman Vol. 5 run; Atlantis Chronicles miniseries and the New Titans #71-84. The reason is simply because they were amazing stories that have tragically not seen the light of day as graphic novels.
To me Peter David’s run of Aquaman was the best iteration of the character to date, and it’s a tragedy that many fans haven’t been exposed to it. Many people point to the fact that he had a hook hand and long hair as a joke, another exaggeration of ‘90s trends, but Mr. David also gave the character a rich back story and Atlantis a cohesive history that could have fueled Aquaman’s book for years.
Meanwhile, New Titans #71-84 was the overshadowed “Titans Hunt” storyline. Again in the ‘90s, and an example of ultra-violence, yet the culmination of more than a decade of story lines that most fans fondly remember.
Mitch Cutler, St. Mark’s Comics, 11 St. Marks Place, Manhattan
I have fewer than 10 back issues, and just one shelf of trades. It’s a holdover from when we first started, and we couldn’t afford for me to take stuff home. I truly enjoy being surrounded by vintage comics — nothing is cooler than those covers — but I’m here to sell stuff. That’s why the highest praise I can give a book is “I took one
home.”
Aimee LoSecco, assistant manager, JHU Comic Books, 32 East 32nd St., between Madison & Park, Manhattan
I have approximately 2,000 books in my collection, after having recently parted with about 500 issues and books. It takes up a ton of space I just don’t have. My favorites are ones I bought as a kid — Groo, Elfquest, Peter Porker: The Spectacular Spider-Ham.
Kat O’Neill, general manager, JHU Comic Books, 32 East 32nd St., between Madison & Park, Manhattan
I probably only have about 200 or so in terms of single issues. I have tons in trade format. My bookshelves are currently threatening to collapse from the weight so I’ve been attempting to purge some stuff from the collection, with somewhat limited success.
Ted Alexander, manager, Midtown Comics’ Downtown location, 64 Fulton St., corner of Gold St., Manhattan
Back in California, I have 20 long boxes of comics in storage and here in Brooklyn I have about 7. One thing I learned when moving to New York six years ago is that storage space is rare.
Menachem Luchins, owner, Escape Pod Comics, 302 Main Street, Huntington, L.I.
I denuded myself of almost every one of my back issues when I opened the site, mixed them in with the rest of our thousands of $1 books. What I kept were my Sandman issues, my Cerebus issues, a whole ton of trades and graphic novels, plus the recent stuff I’ve amassed since we opened the store. Ballpark figure? 1,500, maybe.
Mike Zapcic, AMC’s television show “Comic Book Men” and Jay and Silent Bob’s Secret Stash, Red Bank, N.J.
I used to have in excess of 5,000 … after Superstorm Sandy, not so many. I actually upgraded to hardcover collections. Looks much more attractive on a bookshelf!
A version of this story first appeared at the New York Post’s Parallel Worlds blog.
