An average comic book collector can purchase more than thirty standard titles and addition special issues a month. Their houses are full of white long boxes carefully labeled holding comics in individual plastic bags. They have busts of favorite characters and movie poster from comic inspired cinema on their walls. What else could they possible need besides more? Magazines. Comic collectors have found a host of magazine choices made to encourage their passions to even higher levels of collecting.



By The Numbers

For serious collectors the ultimate magazine to purchase is Comic Buyer's Guide. Besides articles on individual characters or development through the golden or silver age of comics, the guide also prints a list of valuation for major titles. A fun approach to the same topic comes from Wizard Magazine. Dedicated to all things comic, Wizard Magazine publishes reviews, articles about storylines, major developments, motion pictures with comic tie-ins, convention pictures, video games and toys. It's the one-stop-shopping for comic lovers. Combined with the information and value lists is a wonderful sense of humor to the magazine every fanboy or fangirl can appreciate. Captions underneath pictures, essays and letters (both real and made-up) make Wizard Magazine one of the most fun things in a collector's month even if their mint edition copy of Red Sonja # 23 is going down in value.

The World According To Geeks

Comic lovers also tend to share other bonds, such as science fiction movies, gadgets, and electronics. No longer the kids in school with tape on their glasses and school books a mile high, comic nerds are now IT specialists, film directors, and writers. They are experiencing a renaissance in our culture commonly known was geek chic. They also have their own magazine. Geek Magazine began publication in 2006 and has had a startling opening run. A periodical filled with interviews with stars who are also comic fans, electronics gadgetry, movie reviews, book and comic information, and photo essays it could be called "Entertainment Nerdly". The humor begins at the title and goes all the way to the last page which often features a comical personal essay. Geek Magazine is a sign to all the scrawny kids never picked for P.E that their time is now.

Such Wonderful Toys

An offshoot of comic collecting is action figures and toys. Its not really enough to read Ultimate Spider-Man or The Batman Strikes without having several action figures adorning your shelves and computer desk. Like comics, toy collecting is as much investment as it is passion and several magazines exist to preview, advise and catalogue the value of toys. Lee's Toy Review and Tomart's Action Figure Digest are two niche magazines that are rising in popularity, but the dominant publication in the field is Toyfare. Over ten years in publication Toyfare prints articles on artist's and toy reviews, features toys of the month and convention spots and is famous for its "Twisted Toyfare Theatre" where action figures are posed and act our scenes to famous movies with comical results.

Of course comic magazines also have an after life of their own. Comic collectors don't throw anything away and end up collecting the magazines as well. Although they don't add up to much investment they do give the collector many hours of memories and pleasure and that's what comic books are really all about.