Collecting DC Comic Books: What You Need Know

Although the demand for DC comic books has dwindled since the early nineties due to the increasing popularity of the Internet and satellite TV, fans and aficionados still buy and collect them. The comic book industry has not been as badly affected as the others like the book industry and the newspapers because there are still a great number of people out there who enjoy them. Although the entertainment industry are producing TV shows and movies that adopt comic book series, characters and stories, they are just not the same are reading the comics themselves. Comic books are presented in a way that they are engaging and entertaining to people and since they are visual, reading a comic book is almost like watching a movie or a TV show.

With a new generation of young people getting into reading and collecting them, comic books are getting more in demand again.

Most comic book collectors start out because they are big fans of a particular series or a particular superhero or because comic books are a good form of entertainment. Novice collectors of DC comic books do not really consider a book's market value at first; they just collect for the love of the books and the stories. Then pretty soon, when they get their collection going, they start collecting limited editions, first editions, first appearances, rare issues, and so on. These items cost a lot more, some of them even cost a fortune and their market values only go up as time passes.

Collecting DC comics for profit, however, takes a lot of research, as you do not want to invest tons of money on things that will not sell or will not have great market value. Extensive research must be done so you will know which books will give you revenue. You must also learn about the history of comic books so you can find out which issues or series are sought after and sell at higher prices.

Comic Book Eras

In order to know which series or past issues are in demand in the market today, you must read up on the history of comic books.

There are five eras in the comic book history. Each comic book is classified according to the year it was written, published and distributed. These are as follows:

• Platinum Age. 1800s to 1937.
• Golden Age. 1938 to 1955.
• Silver Age. 1956 to 1969.
• Bronze Age. 1970 to 1979.
• Modern Age. 1980 to present.

The most valuable (and most expensive) books are the ones from the older eras. However, because of special editions, limited editions, first appearances, etc., many comic books from the modern age are also valuable.