Attacking the Stack

You know, I'm usually pretty good about filing away my comics.

I seldom let more than a few weeks go by before finding a place for them in those familiar white boxes. Ahh, but sometimes...well, sometimes I don't quite keep up.  When I don't keep up, things can get ugly.  Really, really ugly.  Like this past weekend, for example.

First, a little background.  Prior to building our current house in 1995, I'd always kept my comic book storage boxes out in the open within my home art studio.  Not only did they take up precious space, but they were also a big eyesore.  When my wife and I were designing our home in '95, I took the opportunity to include a cute little room (well, basically a glorified closet) just off my studio that could be used exclusively for comic book storage. Using sturdy steel shelving, I've been able to expand my collection while keeping all of those bland looking boxes out of sight (not to mention climate controlled and out of the light). 

So...maintaining and growing the collection while preventing it from taking dominating the room?  Best of both worlds, right?  Well...yeah, most of the time.  When I'm on a "discipline jag", it's a great thing.  Buy comics, put 'em in bags, then into the box. Just like clockwork.  However, when an extremely busy time hits (like summer or the Christmas season) or, frankly, when my discipline runs out of gas, the comics I need to file start multiplying like rabbits.  Really affectionate rabbits.

Adding to the stack of new comics to put away are older comics that I, as an active comics blogger, occasionally remove from their boxes to reference, scan, or skim for material.  The logical thing would be to put away any comics I use for that purpose, but when I'm in the middle of gathering material for a fun post, it's easy to set them aside to put away at some nebulous future date.

Which brings us to this past weekend.  After ignoring the messy stacks of comics to file (or "CTF's") for months, I finally broke when I realized every single storage box had comics stacked on top of them...which had to be shifted out of the way to remove the box lids...which pretty much defeats the entire purpose of having storage boxes, right?

Having seen the light, I grudgingly began the time-consuming process of sorting, bagging, occasionally boarding, taping, alphabetizing, and...yes...filing away nearly four months of CTF's (both old and new).  Two hours later, as I placed the final comic book into its proper box, I vowed, "Never again will I let it come to this!"

Yeah....right!

What about you?  I don't really see this sort of mundane "housekeeping" stuff discussed in the comics blogosphere...but at the same time, every collector has to do it, right?  So, how often do you "Tackle the Stack"?  Are you a highly-disciplined soldier who files them away as soon as you're done reading them?  Do you keep them around a few weeks before they hit the white boxes...or do you just toss 'em wherever they land and deal with them "later"?  Let me know...I'd love to find out how different people handle the always daunting task of "stack management".

Comments

[Siskoid]

Mine's out of control and I don't even buy comics regularly anymore. For the past few years, I've stored my long boxes along the walls of my tiny room(s), 3-4 high, creating a wall of cardboard and high shelf for my cat to look out the window from. So those lower boxes are hard to get to, especially with my bed against that wall.

Basically, that means that comics I take out (for reading or scanning, or new purchases) don't get to their proper box immediately. So there are stacks on a dresser that only get attention if I open boxes for some other reason. Everything that can stand upright (graphic novels, prestige format books, trades) are in actual shelves, so at least there's that.

And then there are strays. Stuff I've recently used, or want to use, just taking space on my computer desk... I can see some Marvel Doctor Whos from here.

It's a paper and staple hell ;)

[Mark Engblom]

"It's a paper and staple hell ;)"

I feel your pain! As for comic boxes, I've heard some good things about the boxes with pull-out "drawers" rather than the traditional lid. It make accessing the comics much easier, especially if you have other boxes (or other crap) laying on top of them. Although all of my comic boxes aren't stacked like they used to be, I still end up putting plenty of junk on top of 'em. Maybe the drawer-style boxes would be a good investment.

[cinephile]

Ha! I read your post while surrounded by three mini-stacks of comics, both recently purchased items and old comics pulled out for re-reading. I used to be very disciplined, but now find myself piling in exactly the on-top-of-the-lid way you describe. I'm of two minds about it-- on the one hand, yes, it's neater (and better for the books) to put them away sooner, but on the other hand, not stressing over it too much is also healthy, I think-- I love comics, but don't want to be one of those anal "it must be boarded and bagged immediately!," Simpsons-style Comic Book Guys, either. (: So, embrace your messiness, Mark! It's a sign of being human.

[Z Ryan]

I don't bag and board. What, am I going to make a bunch of money selling Amazing Spider-Man 426 someday? I don't vacuum seal my novels either. It's not like I would ever make any more money from comics than I could from an hour of work.

What's worth more, those comics or the two hours you spent bagging and boarding? Plus, when they're not in a bag, it's less daunting to read 'em and you look through them more often and casually.

I think comics need to be more casual, not unlikely yet hopeful collectors items.

[felgekarp]

I have a decent sized stack to read, which I then move to a smaller stack which then gets re-bagged and shelved/boxed at some point, this happens especially with any mini series I'm reading as they won't get bagged and shelved/boxed until I've read the full series.

[Mark Engblom]

"I love comics, but don't want to be one of those anal "it must be boarded and bagged immediately!," Simpsons-style Comic Book Guys, either. (: So, embrace your messiness, Mark! It's a sign of being human."

Yeah, I know....but I guess it hasn't gotten this out of control in a long time. I forgot to mention I normally have a small "comics to file" box where I can keep my new comics out of the way until I get a chance to bag and file them...but even THAT seems to have been completely blown off. See, the messy comic book stuff is usually just a symptom of a larger laziness that has to be reversed from time to time...meaning my studio usually needs a good going-over at the same time the comics start piling up.

[Mark Engblom]

"I don't bag and board. What, am I going to make a bunch of money selling Amazing Spider-Man 426 someday? "

I usually bag each comic book I buy (unless it's an issue I just didn't like at all), but not with the intent to sell them some day. I realize most of them won't be worth much in the long run, I just like keeping them nice for myself.

As for boarding, I'm doing more than I used to, but not for everything I buy. Usually it's just the stuff I really like and want to keep in good condition. An even smaller percentage of my collection is stored in those mylar bags they're always going on about (I've found them far too expensive to use for more of my collection).

However, you have a good point on collectors needing to relax a little bit. I've never been a big nut for high grade condition on the back issues I buy, being perfectly happy with VG or even G comics (not to mention being a little less broke as a result).

[Mark Engblom]

"I have a decent sized stack to read, which I then move to a smaller stack which then gets re-bagged and shelved/boxed at some point, this happens especially with any mini series I'm reading as they won't get bagged and shelved/boxed until I've read the full series."

Sounds like a good system. Like I said, the "comics to file" box usually works pretty good for me, but not when I refuse to do even the simple step lifting the lid and sticking them in there. My laziness knows no bounds!

[Z Ryan]

But I wonder what the heck is happening to your comics that they aren't safe just in a box or just in a magazine holder on the bookshelf. You want to keep your comics in nice condition, but I wonder if putting them in plastic bags is necessary---or excessive.

Are we talking about degradation over a quarter-century?

My comics don't fall apart the way I keep them (which is the magazine holders on a bookshelf). I couldn't tell a difference in condition between a comic I bought last month and a comic I bought last decade. Even my worst conditioned comics, ones I've taken canoeing and camping, have only a slight curl as damage---nothing that hurts the read in any way.

I treat my comics like I would any other magazine. I leave 'em on the coffee table and keep 'em in baskets until they're ready to be moved to the shelf and replaced by new ones. But that may just be an effect of my desire for comics to be like any other magazine (not likely at $3 for 22 pages though).

[Mark Engblom]

"But I wonder what the heck is happening to your comics that they aren't safe just in a box or just in a magazine holder on the bookshelf. You want to keep your comics in nice condition, but I wonder if putting them in plastic bags is necessary---or excessive."

Oh, there's nothing really happening to them. In fact, I've got a bunch of unbagged comics in boxes that look just as nice today as the day I bought them...so you may be on to something when it comes to bags being excessive for most comics.

What's I've found with bagging and boarding is that the comic book spines don't roll or become crimped as they do with only bags or no bag...especially in a box that's packed a little tighter.

It sounds like your system is working just fine....though I wonder how many comics we're talking about here. Hundreds? Thousands? I think when you get into the "thousands" range (like I am), bigger boxes and more discreet storage locations become a necessity.

[Z Ryan]

I'm certain you have more comics than I do. A lot more. I've only been reading comics for as long as you've had a personal comics storage room built.

I'm not arguing there is anything wrong with the boxes and storage room. You have to have some place to put them. Wouldn't they take up half the space if you ditched the bags and boards for most of 'em? Is there a single Green Arrow comic in the world that needs to be in a plastic wrapper?

And that's another factor. I'm not trying to say you're storing them wrong---I'm genuinely wondering what all these comics readers get out of plastic bags and cardboard backings. You wouldn't blame me for suspecting it's just a compulsive streak in comics buyers. I would hate for you to take my advice and in a years time find a box full of paper more delicate than the Dead Sea Scrolls.

If I had a rarity like Miracleman I might keep 'em all together in one bag. But really, do most bag/boarders have any real standards for this?

[suedenim]

I've managed to reduce the once-amazing piles to a somewhat manageable level, by moving them to shortboxes arranged chronologically (e.g., "Late 2006," in which they're arranged by company and title.) It's not a great system, but at least there's a semblance of order.

Frankly, I've got such a huge mass of old, largely uncategorized comics that I either need to get rid of a huge swath of them or... hire a librarian or something. But the same problems that lead to the mess in the first place also lead to the not having time and energy to mount a large-scale "get rid of the stuff I don't need" operation.

[H]

I know exactly what you're talking about. Ironically I got the idea to start blogging back in 2004 when I was trying to index my collection after a decade of indexing and filing neglect.

But all ground I gain indexing and filing is immediately negated when I have to search and pull items for the blog.

I'm getting a lot of enjoyment out of blogging about my comics, but getting everything properly filed and indexed isn't likely to ever happen.

[Mark Engblom]

Yeah, you're right H...the "blog life" definitely keeps the collection in a constant state of flux. However, the internet has really helped make the research and such a little easier (pinpointing issue numbers or creator credits), so it's not as bad as it could be having to manually search comic book after comic book for that one story or throwaway panel you remember.

[SanctumSanctorumComix]

After decades of using the traditional "long-boxes", I finally ditched them when we got our house and bought the DRAWER BOXES.

They are amazing!

You can stack them 5 or 6 high if need be and there is NO damage to the comics on the bottom, due to the boxes increased height and amazing construction.

You can pull out the drawer of the bottom box and it does NOT get crushed by the weight of the full boxes above it.

Slide a drawer out, file your comics, then push in the drawer.

I don't know HOW I lived without them.

(That said, while they DO cut down on the CTF's, every so often, I do fall behind. But with the drawer boxes, it is SO easy to file them away quickly.)

If you buy them in bulk you can get a good deal some places.

Try them.
You'll never go back.

~P~
P-TOR

[Mark Engblom]

Hey, P-Tor....thanks for the info on the drawer boxes. Man...now I'm seriously tempted to invest in some.

Five or six boxes high? Wow...that's pretty impressive.

[SanctumSanctorumComix]

Yes. Yes it is.

The dealer who sold them to me suggests that if you do go higher than 4 high, to maybe place a sheet of plywood at the halfway mark (so, if 5 or 6 high, them after the 3rd row), if only to more evenly distribute the weight.

I have them 3-high (and 8-wide), but only because the room they are in has those slanted walls that go to the ceiling, and only 3 can fit before the walls change pitch.

I WAS thinking, since I'm soon going to need to add another few boxes, perhaps of moving some of them into a nearby closet and then stacking them about 6 high and 2 or 3 wide inside.
That way, they're out of sight AND easy to access.

OH. The other suggested guideline is to place them against at least one wall for support (although, while mine are very close to the walls, they aren't actually touching the walls and they're super-fine).

OK. That's all.
I was just about to go take care of the last few weeks worth of CTF and that reminded me of this post.

Take care.
;-)

~P~
P-TOR

[Joe Cutrone]

Just wondering. I've seen a comic book binder page storage system. You know, the book goes in a plastic bag that is hole punched to fit in a three-ring binder. Has anyone tried this, and would you recommend it?

[Mark Engblom]

Hmmm....I don't recall ever seeing anything like that, Joe. My initial worry is that, when the pages eventually start to sag (as most three-ring binder style pages do), they may damage the comics inside of them. However, maybe the pages are reinforced to stand up to the ravages of gravity. If you give them a try, let me know what you think!

[Joe Cutrone]

Thanks for your reply, Mark. I saw these binder pages on BagsUnlimited.com. I was thinking of storing the binders facing down (like a hanging file)in a file cabinet to prevent the pages from sagging. I have plenty of spare binders and cabinet space, so I might just give it a try. I'll let you know how it works out.