ALEX  When I first began buying comic books as a kid, it was for the pure enjoyment. I never imagined that it would lead me to immersion in such large communities of both comic book and collector cultures – places I find myself happily situated.

Now that my collection has grown to over 1,000 comics and hundreds of pieces of comic book culture paraphanalia, I am so comfortable in this community of like-minded individuals that when I attend any comic-based shop or convention it’s as if I am already friends with everyone there. It’s an embracing world.

Being a collector goes beyond the love for comics, and I am first, and foremost, a collector. I understand the intrinsic value of the collectibles and thus the importance of taking care of my collection, storing it properly and careful cataloguing to protect its value.