Number 17: Own a Pointless Collection

Completed/ongoing - 2013 to Current (2024)
Pointless collection: Comics
Current size: 470+ (2024 current)
Value: $2425


Owning a pointless collection happened slowly and without realising, but here we are now 450+ comics in with no sign of stopping,

Phase One Collection:
“The Early Discovery and Joes Comics” 2013-2014: 98 Issues

Main Series: Ten Grand, Lazurus, Sidekick, Protectors Inc.

So originally, I started collecting comics when I discovered that J. Michael Straczynski, the writer of Babylon 5 was releasing some new comic stories under his comic label “Joes Comics”. So I looked up what the best local comic shops were, found Comics Etc as the biggest and most convenient location for me to get to and placed an order for an issue of Ten Grand.

My first comic order in 2013

While I was there I ended up ordering a few other non JMS comics like Dexter, Judge Dredd Classics, Superman Unchained, Lazarus and God is Dead. While I did complete some of these series, I often forgot an issue here and there when I forgot to check Comic Etc’s site for new issues for a week or two. But some series were completed, some in various states of disarray and others that would be completed later on in Phase Two.

Technically the first comics I bought from eBay

Phase One collection

Phase Two Collection:
“Rediscovery and Blade Runner” 2019 to 2024 (Current): 311 Issues

Main Series: Blade Runner (2019, 2029, 2039, Origins and Black Lotus), Cyberpunk 2077 (XOXO, Blackout, You Have My Word, Trauma Team), Critical Role, The Expanse.

In 2019 a new Blade Runner comic series was announced, “Blade Runner 2019” which I was very interested in and alongside it a Critical Role: Vox Machina – Origins comic series was also set to release. With those two titles, I was back in the comic market. For a while, those two series were the only comics I was ordering each month, with the occasional TPB that sounded like it would be worth picking up and then another series Vampire: The Masquerade - Winter's Teeth and then another series for something I loved Cyberpunk 2077: Trauma Team and then an Expanse series. They just kept coming, series after series of show/movie or game that I really loved and wanted more stories from, so I kept ordering.

Comics Etc made it even easier when in June 2021 they started a “Comics Direct” service, that allowed you to order an entire month’s worth of comics several months in advance. An incredibly helpful service, that meant I didn’t need to keep checking their website every week or as would sometimes happen forgetting to order and then having them sell out. Missing out did happen several times over the years before the Direct service was available, and I would often have to look at Kings Comics (Sydney) or Alternate Worlds (Melbourne) for issues missed. 

Sample of my current collection, there is a lot more in boxes

Some of my signed comics

As my collection grew, and I kept adding additional series and buying more variant covers I had to start to order other things like bags and boards and long boxes to keep the collection orderly. The collection had some nice additions when Stanley 'Artgerm' Lau first visited Brisbane one random Tuesday in 2022 and with my boss's approval (who was also a big comic and Artgerm fan) I was able to get us both something signed.

With the colleciton continuing to grow, in 2024 both Stanley 'Artgerm' Lau and JMS (J. Michael Straczynski) were set to be guests at Sydney Supanova. While Sydney was a short hike from Brisbane, there was no chance I was missing the opportunity to meet and get something signed from the pair of them. A short searching and eBay ordering done, I was set with a bunch of items for signing. For Artgerm I bought the Blade Runner 2019 #1 San Diego Comic Con Exclusive Virgin Variant and for JMS I bought a copy of Babylon 5 #1 from 1994, and a prop from the TV series Sense8 (which will be discussed more with 35 and 35b)

With the collection continuing, I can consider Number 17 complete. 

While the collection continues, marking Number 17 as done.

Posted in: Completed, In Progress, Miscellaneous