Oh comics. Most of us as kids at the very least knew someone that was an adamant collector or read one during those years. Comics are pretty nifty and present art and stories that might be harder to tell without visuals in an easy to consume format. I was never a collector as a kid, but in my early twenties I started collecting thanks to The Walking Dead phenomenon that was taking America (and the world for that matter) by storm.
I loved Revival. It was a modern noir set in the cold town of Wausau, Wisconsin. Our main characters were sisters one of which was a Police Officer named Dana and her college student sister was Em. Em was a "reviver". Basically, anyone that died on Revival Day (January 1st) near Wausau would return to life as an immortal the next day as a "reviver". They were still people, but would heal instantly and some would exhibit super-human powers, which would start to corrupt their minds and make them evil gods. However, some of them turned into these alien like creatures that stalked the woods and preyed on the townsfolk. Sort of Zombie survival, sort of melodrama but a good story and beautiful artwork nonetheless.
I spent so much time and money attempting to collect every issue possible in every variant they came in that I could find. I think the only variants I didn't have were the Phantom Comic variants as they were selling for upwards of $50+ per comic at the time (and they were only for issues #1-10. Some of my favorites I have listed below for your viewing pleasure. There was even one that looked identical to issue #1 of The Walking Dead that came out during the 10th Anniversary of that comic series:
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Although I loved the story and art by Tim Seeley and Mike Norton, I had one thing in my mind: AMC acquisition for TV production and the money I would be raking in. Where did I learn this? From the most reliable source known to man, eBay auctions... I had even gone so far to create a website known as RevivalEvent.com in order to post about the comics, rumors surrounding the impending show, and any other industry news relating to the comic and it's artists. Did I research to see if the show was actually happening? Not as much as I could've or should've. AMC was optioning a lot of comics after the success of The Walking Dead so it made sense that it could happen. I was so sure that this was going to blow up and become the next The Walking Dead. I had so many variants and first prints of issues 1-10 that I knew I would be a millionaire once that happened.
Obviously, I am not a millionaire now from selling my website, the AMC show that never came to be, or any of my comics/variants that I spent well over what I know I should have for them. Do I regret it? Some parts, but not owning the comics themselves. As I've stated before, they are art in a medium that I enjoy. Do I read them? Yes, but only my digital copies of them. The physical ones have never left the Mylar bag they were shipped or purchased in just in case.
This story can have the contents changed to crypto coins and buying the "HOT HOT HOT" coin of the moment only to watch it fall from the sky like a two ton brick. We all have a bit of FOMO (fear of missing out) when it comes to things that are happening and hot in the moment. My TWD comics that I had (issues 80-105 with all the issue 100 variants) were sold on eBay as a lot for a mere $100~. I had spent well over that to obtain them. Bad listing on my part I know and horrible timing as well. I was attempting to "day trade" comics essentially. I would buy them locally, hold on to them for a month or so, then list them on eBay. What a horrible business model. I lost so much money doing stupid things like this in my early twenties.
While day trading crypto isn't a bad idea for some coins, just keep in mind that not all coins (most coins that will stand the test of time) will produce high gains in a single day, week, or even a month. That's why we must research!
Currently the crypto currency universe (the cryptoverse?) is being bombarded by a lot of new folks. I'm some what green still when it comes to crypto even though I remember being in an IRC room when Bitcoin first hit the scene. To this day I remember laughing at the person talking about it thinking that no one would ever buy in to it. Well, again, look at me now. Hindsight is a beautiful yet disturbing feature we humans love to hate. My coworker and I even minded DOGE coin on some of our old server hardware at work when it was trading at 0.0000001 cent. I have the public key to our wallet, but alas, not the private. We had a good bit of it too.
For my current venture into the crypyoverse, I use LiveCoinWatch.com to keep track of my portfolio up to the second across all my wallets. LCW also provides thorough analysis and links to resources around each coin they track. I know some people hate the Crypto Youtube space, but one gentleman I've found and seems to be decent at explaining how things work is Benjamin Cowen. There are a few others, but his videos are nice for newer folks that want to understand the basics of how the markets work, what to look out for, and how to avoid "too good to be true" scenarios. You can also support him using the Brave browser's Basic Authentication Tokens (BAT) if you find his videos useful. In this playlist, he walks you through risk management in your crypto portfolio:
To conclude this little rambling post, do your research on reputable sites from reputable sources on anything you're into collecting. Whether that's comics, trading cards, Funkos, or crypto make sure you understand how the market for your hobby/collectable works. Don't hop in with the TO THE MOON 🚀 🌙 mentality and start throwing your hard earned money at things you have no idea how their market works or you'll end up with a cardboard box filled with comics you paid a few thousand to obtain that are now worth a months supply of toilet tissue.