Best way to get an old comic series

Cafe Society
1

I would like to get the Excalibur (Marvel) series. I randomly bought a couple as a kid–something like numbers 1, 2, 5, 25, and 37. So I couldn’t follow the story and that was probably all the comic book shop had. But it it did seem like a fun zany series.

So what would be the best way to get all of the series, if you live in Japan. And with “best” being defined as cheapest without requiring me to individually buy each one from a different person.

And yes I am aware of eBay. I just wanted to know if there is any sort of thing where you can say buy compilated issues in book format directly from Marvel or anything all nice and happy like that? Or is the only way to get old series still to buy the original comics from some guy who has kept them in a plastic bag for fifteen years?

2

Look for the Excalibur Classic trade paperbacks. Each one runs 150-200 pages and covers five or six original issues. They sell for around fifteen bucks on Amazon. I don’t know if they’re the original color or black & white reprints however, nor do I know how many issues were collected in this format.

3

These?

One
Two

So then in the future if I want to find an old series, “trade paperbacks” are what I am looking for?

4

Yes, exactly. If you’re buying for the stories & art, rather than for collecting, TPBs are the way to go.

5

Yes, indeed. Not all series are available that way. But the trend is for it to occur. It provides a nifty alternative revenue stream for the companies and allows them some extra leverage out of dead product.

6

You’ve got it. Trade paperbacks are the wave of the future for collectors, and don’t let anybody tell you different. The advantages:

  1. Not as inherently “collectible,” so you don’t have to worry about their condition.
  2. No questing for back issues to complete stories, or paying secondary market prices.
  3. Since they’re actually books, complete with ISBN numbers, you can order them from Amazon.com for 30% discounts.
  4. No distracting ads to break up the story.
  5. They look nice on a bookshelf and are eay to loan to friends.
  6. You get entire stories in convenient volumes.

Singles are dead, man. They just don’t know it yet.

Also, I’m going to give you a link that is worth bookmarking, as it is a fantastic resource: The Trade Paperback List, a comprehensive site that tells you pretty much everything available in TPB format, plot synopses, creative teams, and even exactly which single issues are reprinted in what TPBs, so you always know by the titles which ones you’re getting:

http://tplist.millarworld.net/index.html

Happy collecting!

7

Bah! Where’s the fun in that?

–Cliffy