random reflections Archive

You hear me talk a lot about comic book industry gimmicks around here and why not? I’ve been collecting on and off for more than 20 years, including witnessing first-hand how speculators attempting to make fast money through comics nearly killed the industry in the 1990s. These gimmicks, for

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  Collecting comics can be fun and finding some of the older issues in the proper condition can be challenging. But buying many of these comics can also be downright scary. Personally, I’ve managed to avoid any major sticker shock through my lifetime of buying Amazing Spider-Man, but that

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  This post stands to cap off a cranky week for me here at Chasing Amazing, so let me start by stating what should be the obvious: collecting comic books has always brought me joy. This joy goes beyond the artwork on the cover, the witty banter and the

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This past weekend, I decided to journey into a relatively new comic book shop in Brooklyn that had been featured in an episode of one of my favorite shows, HBO’s Bored to Death. When I walked inside, I was blown away by the store’s aesthetics: buffed hardwood floors, wall

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Those familiar with both Spider-Man lore and history, and my personal quest and collection have occasionally asked me about my ultimate intentions to buy Amazing Fantasy #15 – aka the very first appearance of the Spider-Man character and the Holy Grail of Spidey comics. News that a private collector

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Apparently, one million comics is not quite as many as you think it would be – at least not if you’re in my shoes and you’re sifting through the million to try and find about 30 very specific issues. A few weeks back my wife received an e-mail about

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