Trade Paperbacks Offer Limited Collectible Value But Major Win for Readers

Anyone that has been to a comic book shop or book store has likely realized something that gets missed a lot—There is a lot of stuff on the shelves. Comic books present a lot of options for readers of all tastes and personalities. Not everything is for everyone. Since comic books are built around on going stories, readers are also presented with another interesting challenge, and that is jumping into a title without knowing what is going on.

It’s intimidating jumping into like issue #300 or so of a series and playing catch up with characters, events, and other situations. This is something that has become less of a problem these days thanks to what seems like a brand new #1 every other week or so. Is it working? Well, I don’t really have the answer to that.

The easiest way to get caught up on a series are those trade paperbacks that can be found in most comic shops. These hard or soft-bound tomes contain a year or more of the designated series. Furthermore, these cost-effective books can get readers acquainted with special events or crossover events. Stories like The Infinity Gauntlet and more can be picked up for one low price rather than collecting each individual comic, which can cost significantly more.

Of course, trade paperbacks (trades or TPB as they are often referred to) have a pretty big downside for investors in the hobby. The secondary market value of these types of publications rarely rises. It’s not that they don’t (a few in fact do climb in price over the years), but from an investment perspective trades are rarely worth it. From a reader’s perspective though, trades are invaluable.

So Can Trades Affect Collectibility?

This is a tricky question. It’s no secret that supply and demand drive the prices of comic books, so along that line a trade can affect the price of a certain issue. The thing is, most collectors want the actual comic rather than the trade containing every other issue as well. After all, anyone can buy the TPB of early Amazing Spider-Man comics, but few can actually own those books.

The reverse of that equation is also true. In talking with another comic book professional recently we touched on the subject of the Marvel Comics mainstay Alf. That’s right, Alf the fifty issue run that dates back to 1988. There is a TPB of these books somewhere, several different ones comprising a whole lot of the issues, but the chances of Alf being reprinted are pretty slim. Therefore, the chances of Alf comics holding value is a bit better than say, some nominal X-Men run, that could be trotted out at any given moment in TPB form. Does that mean Alf is going to skyrocket in value? Well, probably not, it just means that demand is going to stay fairly steady. (Unless he joins the Marvel Cinematic Universe~again, unlikely).

So there you have it. Instead of plunking down what could be thousands of dollars for a classic comic book run, think about picking up the trade paperback version to experience some great stories. Find an issue you like? Hey, try to pick up that original issue.

Trades are a great part of the hobby, and while some collectors take a solid pass on them, others are happy to scoop them up. It’s all about what you are into and what you like, because there is no wrong way to collect and no wrong way to read. Just take a look at what you might be missing, you might be surprised.