Help me to understand Sperman comics ...

[yvel]

Hello eveyone,
years after years I bought some Superman comics... I picked randomly, I didn't fallow any story, any writers or series, just selected covers I liked.

But now, I have more than 150 comics, and I try to understand ... but I don't

I have comics from '80s to 2010.
I classified them in 5 catherories :
Superman
The adventures of superman
The man of steel
Superman Adventures
And others (like 3D, annuals, special series...)

I really don't understand what comics goes after witch one.
I was reading a "The adventures of Superman N°36" and at the end it says To bo conitued on "Superman in Action Comics N° 37"

Are they not supposed to be differents storyline (or comics) ?

other question :
On the cover I have a number followed by the price and the date
but I have an other number with the year.
How does that works ?

ex :
550 (3.5$ us) Set 97

and

1997
36

Do I have to follow the 550 number on every Superman comics, of should I keep 1997 - 36 , 37, 38 ...
If so, how many comics per year ?

Please help

[jayfort]

Hi Yvel,

Let me take a crack at this for you. I don’t quite understand your level of understanding, so I apologize if I simplify this too much.

1.   You need to understand the various levels of comic book collectors.

a)   The occasional reader is someone who picks up an issue of a given comic book title from time to time.

b)   The semi-serious collector who picks up partial runs (several sequential issues within a title) over time and stops; then resumes with another run at a later date.

c)   The serious collector who picks up each issue of a comic book title (or of several comic book titles) for many years.

2.   What you call categories are called titles (ie: Action Comics, Superman, The Adventures of Superman, etc…). In the Golden, Silver, and Bronze Ages of Comics (roughly 1938 – 1986), stories usually were short only appearing in one issue and, very rarely, over a couple of issues, most often within a title. In the late 1980s, DC Comics began running over-arcing storylines that continued through multiple issues of one or more titles. For example, the death and return of Superman storyline crossed over multiple issues of Action Comics, Superman, Adventures of Superman, Man of Steel, and even a couple of issues of other DC Comics titles such as Justice League and Batman, if I remember correctly.

3.   Issue numbers do indeed appear on the cover along with the month and year. DC Comics has occasionally used a special sequence number when story arcs have crossed over into multiple titles. If I recall correctly, there was a special sequence number assigned to each issue of Action Comics, Adventures of Superman, Superman, and Man of Steel during the death and return of Superman storyline to help readers understand which order to read the stories in.

4.   Most serious collectors organize their collection by the title first, then the individual issues in sequential number/date order. For example, I began my collection in 1971 with Superman (1st series) issue #233 and continued that “run” until issue #423 in September 1986.

5.   DC Comics often published an “annual” issue of special stories or reprints for their best titles though not every year as the name “annual” might indicate. These annuals are numbered differently than the parent series and most collectors place these annuals in sequential order behind the parent title.

6.   Most titles are published monthly with 12 issues coming out in a year plus an occasional annual to make 13 comics.

7.   Serious collectors like to protect their investment in their comics, so they purchase comic book storage boxes through their local comic book shop or online. There are two types of these boxes, long and short. The type you get should depend upon your storage space. These boxes are easy to assemble and help organize the comics.

8.   Most comic book shops now individually bag the comics but if you purchase comics through another location, they may not be bagged. Bagging helps protect the comics from moisture, tears, and other damage. Some collectors place special cardboard inserts into the bag with each comic book. Comic book bags and inserts are also available through local comic book shops, some book stores, and online.

9.   Here’s how I have my collection set up:

a)   I bag and box my comics but am not a big fan of the cardboard inserts (it’s a personal preference).
b)   I currently have 14 boxes of comics. (I used to have MANY more but I sold about 2/3 of my collection many years ago and basically started over.)
c)   My comic books are organized by title, issue # sequence within the title, followed by the annuals for that title in issue # sequence.
d)   I print paper labels for each box (ie: Box 1 is A – Aq, Box 2 is Ar through Brightest Day, etc…). I use transparent contact paper to attach the labels to the front of the comic book boxes.
e)   Box 1 contains Action Comics (in sequential issue order) follow by Action Comics annuals (in sequential issue order), Adam Strange, Adventures of Superman, All-Star Squadron, All-Star Superman, and so on.
f)   I used to keep my comic book boxes in my closet on a low 2x4 platform to keep them off the floor in case of flooding. My wife encouraged me to construct shelves in our den to hold them with I did. (You can see them in my Hubpage on Comic Book Storage at http://jayfort.hubpages.com/hub/ComicBookStorage.)

I hope this was helpful and not too simplified.

Jayfort