Are you this type of fan?

[Darkseid Is]

So I've discovered Comicvine. A site that has all the appearances of every comics character ever (pretty much). It's very easy to go through and see what you've read from your favorite characters and what you haven't read and all that great stuff.

Well I've always been a big fan of Ted Kord and I realized there is a ton of stuff he's in that I don't own and haven't read. I've read his original run back in the Ditko days (in the Action Heroes Archives), the 80's run, JLI (even the Formally Known as and I can't Believe it's Not) , Extreme Justice, some Birds of Prey issues and even that L.A.W. Living Assault Weapons book (anyone remember that one with the Charlton characters?). Then I see that there's all these appearances that I'm sure he's in for a panel or two and doesn't have anything to do with the story. One part of my brain knows that, but another part wants to read every story he's in! My question is... is anyone else like that?

Now, with a character like Batman or Superman or someone like that it's next to impossible (although I'm sure there are people alive that have done that)... but if you have favorite characters that aren't on their level, a Booster Gold (another character I'm a big fan of) or an Adam Strange or whoever do you want to grab up all the stuff you can on them? On one hand there might be a panel or a line of dialogue that makes you happy, on the other hand they may just be a background character and a wast of time and money.

[jump]

I've tried that before with a few characters like The Question and Talia al Ghul but tbh after awhile it feels kinda pointless as some takes on the characters are really poor or you have to chug away at a story that doesn't hold your interest.

[Jim Kelly]

Long ago, I realized that it's near impossible to read all the appearances of Superman or Batman, so it's better to specialize in a minor character. With everything online now, it is possible to get all the stories of every character, but you don't have the time to read them. This is why I picked Elongated Man as my special interest. I even have most of the original comic books he's appeared in. But there are still so many small appearances even for Ralph that I haven't got to all of them.

[Jekyll]

Yes! I am trying to do that with Jay Garrick and Ray Palmer. I will find out they were in some random issue and I will actively try to hunt it down to read it

[Robanker]

I try to read all the landmark issues or storylines of characters I love, but if they're just in a crowd shot for a reaction, I won't go out of my way to find it. I'm not made of money!

If DC offers an analogue to Marvel Unlimited with their upcoming service, though, then I'll likely dive rather deep in those back issues.

[HandofPrometheus]

I do that for my favorite characters who barely gets apperances.

[Lee Stone]

That's actually one of the more common approaches to comics that new readers take.

I remember in the '80s, Marvel put out a 'guide to collecting comics' and I think the big Overstreet Price Guide had a similar article, where they guide new readers into how to get into the hobby when first starting out. And buying appearances of a favorite character was listed as one way to collect comics.

I, myself, have done it.
But in the mid- to late-'80s, I shifted more to 'certain characters by specific writer'. Such as 'any JLI members that don't already have a solo title, but only if written by Giffen or DeMatteis'.
This led me to get Mister Miracle and Dr. Fate.

Later, it became 'certain characters (or types of characters) by a specific type of writer'. For example, 'street level heroes by Bendis or Azzarello' or 'spy characters by Rucka or King'.

I've seen too many poor takes on characters to just pick up their every appearance. For example, the post-Zero Hour JLA had Blue Devil, Obsidian and Nuklon, but I like to largely forget that happened. Same with Beetle and Booster in Extreme Justice.
And no matter how much I love Dawnstar and Wildfire, I couldn't stomach New52 Legion Lost. Another to erase from my memory.

Then there was 52. Great story, I'm told, but it was more like a mix of stories with no clear indication of which issues dealt with the characters I was interested in reading (which was the space team). So, I skipped the whole thing to avoid the frustration of buying an occasional issue just for a one page, 'meanwhile on planet X'.

Btw, for those interested, these are two of the best resources for finding appearances:

DC - http://www.mikesamazingworld.com/mikes/index.php
Marvel - https://cmro.travis-starnes.com/character-list.php

[MRP]

I used to be. But then at some point I realized it was leading me to read and spend money on a lot of bad comics, and life is too short to waste time and money on bad comics when there are so many good ones out there. I also find supporting bad comics just because you like the characters rewards and incentivizes more bad comics because they will still sell even if they are bad. Now it takes more than just a character I like for me to try/read a book or hunt down the back issues. Creative team has a lot to do with it too, as well as many other factors. In the end it needs to be a well told story for me to want to sped the time and/or money on it, not just a story with a costume and powers I should recognize.

-M

[j9ac9k]

I've tried that before with a few characters like The Question and Talia al Ghul but tbh after awhile it feels kinda pointless as some takes on the characters are really poor or you have to chug away at a story that doesn't hold your interest.

I was definitely like that for The Question (Vic) for awhile - even picked up some appearances of that whacked "Trinity of Sin" version and one of his (or some guy named Vic Sage) appearances in "Suicide Squad."

I will also almost always pick up any JLA story that has Hal Jordan as the Green Lantern in it.

[SixSpeedSamurai]

I collect Tim Drake stuff, aside from New 52.

[K7P5V]

Mary Marvel is my favorite DC character and I've read most of her "post-Crisis" stories. Unfortunately, I haven't had the chance to read her stories before her DC purchase since those stories haven't been collected yet.

[Pinsir]

I've read nearly every Wonder Woman comic she stars in, with exception to the recent Brave and the Bold and Conan series which I will read this weekend. In part I was driven by a compulsion to document every misdeed the character has ever done. I don't plan on reading every appearance of the character, but at the same time, she tends to act the more violently in cameos than in her actual title. Like I was reading an Aquaman Annual and I discovered a panel in which Wonder Woman amputates some dudes arm. Classic stuff that I wouldn't have thought would be in an Aquaman book.

[TheCape]

Toward certain characthers only, usually B or C list, is almost impossible to get everything about Spider-Man and Wolverine.

[DevilBat66]

I've done this for a few characters but it took me a few decades of collecting.

I have every appearance of Moon Knight up to about a year ago when I dropped Marvel completely. I also have about 99% of his merch.

I could say the same for Ghost Rider until I started selling off a bunch of my collection.

I still have almost every Adam Warlock and Star-Lord ( and pretty much all the GotG really ) comic and until the movie came out, about 99% of their merch too.

I also have damned near everything Jim Starlin has ever done. I guess he's my favorite comics guy.

For DC, there is pretty much no way to have everything but I have ridiculously huge and comprehensive collections of Batman and Green Arrow as well as complete runs of stuff like the Wolfman/ Perez Titans and the pre-Crisis LSH ( bought off the rack! ) The Warlord and tons of small runs.

I have suffered from completism for much of my life but with proper care and medication, I am now a functioning member of society. Mostly.

[Raijin]

Since Krypton, I've taken an interest in Adam Strange and tried hunting down anything he appears in. But it just doesn't work since he shows once in a blue.