Only Single/Only Trade

[Kingcrimsonprog]

I reckon that a lot of fans start off buying either trades and get into singles or vice versa.
Is there any of you out there who ONLY do one or the other?

Is there anyone who has never had one type (or the other)?

[Legion564]

I've only been reading for two years so here's how I went about it. Started off with some of both then bought some hardcovers. Didn't like trade waiting so I've been doing singles only for a while now. But this week I've gotten some batman books that are trades and sort of rare. I bought the frank miller leather batman, plan on getting the leather joker book, and hardcovers if long halloween and dark victory. Also gonna collect most of the better story absolutes which I have some of already.

[Jeff Brady]

I've become more of a book collector than anything else. Hardcovers, omnibii, or Absolute editions only for print. Everything else is a "wait for it to go on a big sale on Comixology or Amazon", whether it's in single issue bundles, or trades.

Of course, I started 20 years ago, so single issues were the only way. Then trades became a thing, and I found that to be much more enjoyable.

[ABH]

I'm all digital now, but when I first returned to the hobby (around '03), I was only getting TPBs. At the time, I was only interested in complete or near complete stories, so I preferred the trades and graphic novels, and I hadn't collected/read comics in so long, that I didn't mind that I was only reading "old" collected stories.

[Kid A]

I'm almost all trade. I read Batman Eternal weekly, and check out first issue monthlies every now and then.

[ngroove]

Although I still have a shelf row devoted to my Batman Archives / Chronicles / Batman in the Decades / Greatest Stories Ever Told / SHOWCASE PRESENTS / a couple of Famous First Editions / Best of Blue Ribbon Digests / Batman: the Complete History / and a DC Comics Classics Library: Batman The Annuals Vol.2....otherwise, solely back issues, and new issues.

[ngroove]

What - none of you guys actually digs for the hunt of treasure, that is what lies in the back issue longboxes?

[Jeff Brady]

What - none of you guys actually digs for the hunt of treasure, that is what lies in the back issue longboxes?

I do not experience "the thrill of the hunt".

[lorec]

LOL @ "thrill of the hunt". I've been collecting for 20+ years, so I've experienced hunting long boxes for complete stories before TPBs came along. I still collect single issues but will pick up a trade of something I find interesting.

[jules]

I've even started experiencing "the thrill of the hunt" with digital comics. Sometimes the gaps in big series get filled in so randomly than you find yourself rummaging through them trying to find things that are on your wants list.

There were very few trades available when I first started collecting, so rummaging through back issues was the way to go and I've never really trained myself out of it, even though I often read in batches rather than week to week nowadays. I've got a handful of trades that I bought to fill in gaps, but still mostly buy as single issues, even when it'd be easier to obtain the trade.

[Legion564]

I do not experience "the thrill of the hunt".

Not sure if I feel sorry for you or am more happy for your wallet.

[byrd156]

I buy only in singles of back issues and the occasion New 52. I only buy trades when I can't find all the singles for a story like Knightfall.

It's more fun to me looking for all the singles in a series.

What - none of you guys actually digs for the hunt of treasure, that is what lies in the back issue longboxes?

That's the best part of going to a comic store.

[Jeff Brady]

The other thing is, I'm not a completist. I used to get some back issues to get a story (example: A Lonely Place of Dying years after it came out, but many, many years before it was reprinted), but I don't need to have Every Single Issue of Batman.

[ngroove]

That's the best part of going to a comic store.

I'd extend the treasure hunt, to flea, antique markets.

Always like, in the middle of all the old junk, a couple of longboxes, "Heyyy, Comics!", suddenly, actually spending some time affixed on spot, feeling like a kid again, scrambling to decide which old comics to spend the few flea / antique market dollars on.

[dancj]

With the exception of The Flash I only get TPBs these days.

They're cheaper, more durable, advert free, better looking and I don't have to mess around with a bag every 20 pages.