How do you organise your comics?

[dingo]

So how do you organise your comics.

I would have thought that chronologically would be just asking for an aneurysm with trying to figure out what goes where, but I have just come across two people that do it that way...

[DracoMalfoy]

Orrrr-gaaaa-nizzze? What's that? I just throw the shit any ole' place.

[dingo]

Orrrr-gaaaa-nizzze? What's that? I just throw the shit any ole' place.

I knew I would miss a popular option.

[i_mmmchocolate]

All TPBs and graphic novels go on bookshelves, and there is no order at all. It's very random.

Single issues are organized according to title.

[DrewTheXenocide]

My graphic novels are on my bookshelf too. (Note the singular. I'm gonna have to get my ass to the Container Store or something for some shelves).

The singles are in alphabetical order by title in boxes.

[The Son of Arzonist]

I used to organize them by the creative team. I used to be a huge Joe Madueria fanboy. I still have all of my Battle Chasers comics :o

[nonhosonno]

In boxes! :D

[Aelo]

In boxes! :D

Yeah, I do the box thing too. It's so convenient, why would I organize my comics any other way?

[macul]

I sort mine by title and issue number. They are stored in numbered boxes. All of that is tied together by a SQL database with a web based front end allowing me to add, remove, list, or whatever I want to do. I've written queries that tell me what issues I'm missing in a series, how many titles of varoius publishers I own, et cetera. It was a lot of work to put everything in to the database and to write the code base, but now it is very easy to maintain and I can write a query to find out anything I want.

[DrewTheXenocide]

I sort mine by title and issue number. They are stored in numbered boxes. All of that is tied together by a SQL database with a web based front end allowing me to add, remove, list, or whatever I want to do. I've written queries that tell me what issues I'm missing in a series, how many titles of varoius publishers I own, et cetera. It was a lot of work to put everything in to the database and to write the code base, but now it is very easy to maintain and I can write a query to find out anything I want.
I lost you at "tied together".

[dingo]

I have mine in boxes too, but how do you sort them in the boxes?

[DracoMalfoy]

I have mine in boxes too, but how do you sort them in the boxes?

It kinda goes like this:

On top: This week's comics

On Bottom: Torn comic from 1992.

[Pól Rua]

By width.









________________________________
Pól.

[innocentboy]

by height :D

[Violently Apathetic]

However they land when I toss them into the closet. If I'm feeling ambitious I'll organize them by series. In fact looking around my apartment they seem to be everywhere...I should probably do something about that at some point...

[ragnarok_2012]

By depth!

I have a great many long boxes full of comics. I have them alphabetized inside each box, but titles can be spread over multiple boxes. It's not a perfect system, but I can find things quickly inside any given box.

[Harlock]

Mostly alphabetically, but some books I am no longer pulling, nor collecting back issues so those stay boxed and are hardly looked at unless I need to for some reason. Books I am actively collecting have their own boxes usually by title.

[Forefinger]

So how do you organise your comics.

I would have thought that chronologically would be just asking for an aneurysm with trying to figure out what goes where, but I have just come across two people that do it that way...
I have a big pile of them on the floor. I roll around in that pile naked until one sticks to something and that's the one that I read.

[ragnarok_2012]

I have a big pile of them on the floor. I roll around in that pile naked until one sticks to something and that's the one that I read.

The word "fetish" springs to mind.

[Quarterwolf]

Title/number/universe(company).

Usually I have the marvels in the first 12, DC in the next 12 and indys in the next 3. Now those are only the ongoing series.

The cancelled series are all in the next set of long boxes with minis/one shots taking up the last 6.

I recently got Short boxes to house my ongoing series until I get up the ambitions to put them away. Which usually take a good year or so before I do that.

[DrewTheXenocide]

Well what I do is I have one short box and a couple long boxes. Whenever I get done reading, the books go into the short box, in no order whatsoever. When that gets full, I put them into the long boxes in alphabetical and numerical order.

I think I saw the thread you were talking about with the people that organize chronologically by story. I think that's a crapshoot because after a while, it'll drive you nutty.

[Sir Tim Drake]

My comic books are arranged alphabetically by title, regardless of company. There are some exceptions to this. I file both Action Comics and Amazing Spider-Man under S, for example. I'd kind of like to reorganize the boxes so everything would be in strict alphabetical order, but I don't have the time.

Most of my TPBs and graphic novels are in alphabetical order by the last name of the primary author--e.g. I have Watchmen and From Hell alphabetized under M. But some of my TPBs are alphabetized by title, especially if the author's name doesn't appear on the spine.

[mpg]

I am trying to get all my junk organized

and I am trying to see how sorting by the creator will work

because those are my buying habits

any writer or artist that is a must read to me has a section

i dont know how its going to work out, but it will take a lot of time, which i dont have right now

[Weapon Ick]

"Autobiographically"

- High Fidelity

[howyadoin]

I pretty much don't, actually.

Yes, it's a pain in the ass.

[David Bedlam]

I just put my comics into the box in alphabetical order, except for spin offs for a series, like those Conan minis, which I put in front of the main series, and are also aranged alphabeticly.

[Sentinel K]

I used to just have everything in the best chronological order I could get.

But due to overlapping, and things taking place at the same time, it became to hard and confusing so I reecntly gave it up.

I just have issues from each title bundled together in their own chronology now.

My headaches gone.

[shaxper]

Most of it is alphabetical and separated by publisher. In the case of a few favorite characters, they get their own boxes organized by chronological appearances.

I've considered organizing my newer stuff by chronological order, just because so much of it overlaps and affects other titles. I don't know how I'll ever read through the Infinite Crisis stuff again without a chronological order...

[Slam_Bradley]

I pretty much don't, actually.

Yes, it's a pain in the ass.


What he said.


Well except the ass part. I've never had any comics near my ass.

[Cei-U!]

The main body of my collection is stored aphabetically by title and in numeric order within the title. Some (about a third) are stored together by subject matter (e.g., Batman titles, post-Crisis JSA, undergrounds, etc.). All of the above are in boxes; none of them are bagged or boarded. My trades are on bookshelves and my Golden Age books are kept in a cabinet securely wrapped in Mylar snugs.

Cei-U!
I summon the system!

[Valmore]

Chronologically by series. After that, I put the ones I'm more likely to re-read over and over in different boxes from ones I'm less likely to.

[Expletive Deleted]

Alphabetically for the regular issues.

For the trades, I organize by category and preference. Basically, I group by whatever subset of writer, genre, format, and publisher appeals to me. I have a shelf for Moore and Morrison, a shelf for Ennis, Miller, and Azzarello, a shelf for runs of superhero trades (STARMAN, Simonson's THOR, etc.), a shelf for miscellaneous superhero trades, a shelf for Marvel Essentials and DC Showcases (excepting Kirby and Ditko, who get their own shelf), a shelf of miscellaneous non-superhero trades, and so on and so forth.

It's not really the best system, but it keeps me happy.

[Guapo Méndez]

First, by language. My spanish issues of Superman, Batman, Spider-Man and Karmatron y los Transformables go on top of the shelf. They are stored by size (spideys in the back, supes-bats-karmatron in the front).

Comics in english go alphabetically. Trades and graphic novels go by size.

I gotta do my census again. It's been 2 years since my last and there's comics everywhere.

[Forefinger]

What he said.


Well except the ass part. I've never had any comics near my ass.
I read comics while I poop. I guess they are close to my ass. Sometimes I run out of TP and have to use an issue of Youngblood or something.....

[Slam_Bradley]

I read comics while I poop. I guess they are close to my ass. Sometimes I run out of TP and have to use an issue of Youngblood or something.....


I fear anal paper-cuts.

[Guapo Méndez]

I pretty much don't, actually.

Yes, it's a pain in the ass.


I hear you. Last census took me over 12 hours -grabbing the big piles of comics all over the house, separating them by title, taking down the ordered issue run from the shelf, adding the new issues and the old issues I pulled out to read; checking for missing numbers and counting how many issues of that title I have- and lots of 'oh, I haven't read this one in a while, so I must take a read-break' breaks.

This year I have to multiply that and add 2 kids anxious to see the stuff that is inside Dad's Locked Comics Den -and at least Marco loves comic-books; Barbara just grabs magazines and wrinkles/breaks them-.

ugh.

[Paradox]

**looks around bedroom floor**

Some over there....some over there...there's these right here...and those over there.

:D

[west3man]

I arrange'em alphabetically by main character/group.

So all the Spider-titles are together instead of Amazing Spidey being in the A's and Web of (yeah, I've still got some of those) being in the W's.

That can be problematic, sometimes, but it's the best way I can think of.

[Lorendiac]

I clicked on "Alphabetical" because that's mostly how I do it, within each "section" of my collection.

First, I keep them sorted by publisher -- if the publisher is sufficiently well-represented in my collection that I think it needs its own "section." It breaks down something like this:

Ultraverse: 1 box
Image: 4 boxes (or maybe 5 by now?)
DC and Marvel each have lots of boxes!
Everything else: lumped together into several boxes labelled "Misc." (for miscellaneous).

Each of those "sections" is sorted out by title in alphabetical order, and then sorted within that title's area by issue number. I don't care if it's a long-running regular series, a miniseries, a TPB collection of several issues, or an Original Graphic Novel (OGN). It gets alphabetized by default; mixed in with everything else.

Except for a few special cases. Superman has four boxes all to himself, for any series, miniseries, one-shot special, or TPB that features him as the central character. In theory, if I wanted to be strictly alphabetical, I wouldn't do it that way. I would have copies of "Action Comics" and "Adventures of Superman" filed under "A" in my general DC section, and "Superman" and "Superman: Man of Steel" filed way over in "S", far away from the "A" stuff, but I don't think that's efficient.

Same rule applies to Batman, Spider-Man, and the X-Men (and titles about affiliated groups or individuals who are part of Marvel's mutant continuity -- Wolverine, X-Factor, Excalibur, Magneto, etc.).

A while back, I actually started a thread similar to this one, except I was only talking about some of the peculiar rules I've invented for myself when filing DC comics in particular. If anyone is actually dying to see what I said, in more detail, you can follow this link: Organizing my DC Comics (http://forums.comicbookresources.com/showthread.php?t=110471)

[howyadoin]

What he said.

Well except the ass part. I've never had any comics near my ass.Not the way I hear it.
I hear you. Last census took me over 12 hours -grabbing the big piles of comics all over the house, separating them by title, taking down the ordered issue run from the shelf, adding the new issues and the old issues I pulled out to read; checking for missing numbers and counting how many issues of that title I have- and lots of 'oh, I haven't read this one in a while, so I must take a read-break' breaks.I did that three years ago, and filled 14 short boxes. That's pretty much the only part of my collection that's organized.

[west3man]

My comic books are arranged alphabetically by title, regardless of company. There are some exceptions to this. I file both Action Comics and Amazing Spider-Man under S, for example. I'd kind of like to reorganize the boxes so everything would be in strict alphabetical order, but I don't have the time.

Most of my TPBs and graphic novels are in alphabetical order by the last name of the primary author--e.g. I have Watchmen and From Hell alphabetized under M. But some of my TPBs are alphabetized by title, especially if the author's name doesn't appear on the spine.
Aw hell.

I forgot about the tpb's n hc's. Those are in absolutely no freaking order, I'm afraid. That's going to have to change, at some point, I suppose.

[west3man]

I hear you. Last census took me over 12 hours -grabbing the big piles of comics all over the house, separating them by title, taking down the ordered issue run from the shelf, adding the new issues and the old issues I pulled out to read; checking for missing numbers and counting how many issues of that title I have- and lots of 'oh, I haven't read this one in a while, so I must take a read-break' breaks.

This year I have to multiply that and add 2 kids anxious to see the stuff that is inside Dad's Locked Comics Den -and at least Marco loves comic-books; Barbara just grabs magazines and wrinkles/breaks them-.

ugh.
Oy.

That's the thing right there. It makes me chuckle just thinking that there are a few (or maybe a bunch) of us out there who do this. "This" being taking reading breaks while supposedly organizing the collection.

If I want to get something done, the worst thing I can do is even glance in the direction of my comics. Lemme tell ya, sorting comics with your eyes closed is no fun, at all.

[howyadoin]

Aw hell.

I forgot about the tpb's n hc's. Those are in absolutely no freaking order, I'm afraid. That's going to have to change, at some point, I suppose.Mine are roughly grouped by creator, or by character.

Except when they're not, of course.

[west3man]

Mine are roughly grouped by creator, or by character.

Except when they're not, of course.
Pft. You've certainly got ME beat. I'm doing good to keep'em off the floor by my bed.

And, let's just say that right now, I ain't doin' so good.

[howyadoin]

Pft. You've certainly got ME beat. I'm doing good to keep'em off the floor by my bed.

And, let's just say that right now, I ain't doin' so good.I don't have much floor space to start with, so piling trades there just isn't an option.

[Calamas]

All DC, including their various imprints, alphabetically.
All Marvel, including their various imprints, alphabetically.
All “Independents,” irregardless of company, alphabetically.

The last is a result of the way series tended to jump around a lot in the early days of creator ownership, as companies folded or creators were offered better deals.

In this age of perpetual re-launches, my rule of thumb is, “What came first, comes first.” Annuals and specials are filed with the series that was in print at the time.

[Lorendiac]

I don't have much floor space to start with, so piling trades there just isn't an option.

Come on! Be imaginative! I bet you could get about a hundred of them piled up in one narrow stack over in the corner of the room if you just tried hard enough! Granted, it would be a real pain moving the top 80 out of the way whenever you wanted to reread something that was currently 81st-from-the-top in the pile, but the rest of the time it wouldn't take up much floor space at all! :)

[Lorendiac]

All DC, including their various imprints, alphabetically.
All Marvel, including their various imprints, alphabetically.
All “Independents,” irregardless of company, alphabetically.

The last is a result of the way series tended to jump around a lot in the early days of creator ownership, as companies folded or creators were offered better deals.

Interesting . . . I have a slightly different approach to that problem. I gave Image its own boxes, with titles arranged alphabetically, but my attitude now is: "What started at Image, stays with Image."

Hence, my copies of Alan Moore's run on Rob Liefeld's "Supreme" concept are all filed under "S" in the Image boxes, even though different issues of Moore's run were published by at least three different companies during his tenure. (Image, Maximum, and Awesome, I believe.) And anything that started with a connection to any of Jim Lee's Image-related activities (ABC, Wildstorm, Homage) stays in the Image boxes. Astro City, Tom Strong, Planetary, whatever.

[west3man]

Organizing by company seems like more trouble than it's worth. If it works for you, cool. I don't need the added level of complexity.

When properties switch ownership or are joint efforts, things can get a lil odd. That's on top of the "regular" oddities.

For those of you who do it, anyway, what added benefits do you enjoy? Or do you just do it because you're grown and you wanna do it that way (which is cool, too)?

[Guapo Méndez]

Oy.

That's the thing right there. It makes me chuckle just thinking that there are a few (or maybe a bunch) of us out there who do this. "This" being taking reading breaks while supposedly organizing the collection.

If I want to get something done, the worst thing I can do is even glance in the direction of my comics. Lemme tell ya, sorting comics with your eyes closed is no fun, at all.


I hear you. But I'm addicted to reading. I consider "lowly read" a book I've read less than 10 times.

[west3man]

I hear you. But I'm addicted to reading. I consider "lowly read" a book I've read less than 10 times.
Yeah. I have a hard time connecting with the idea that folks used to (and I guess some still do) read their comic, then trash it.

I tend to read the words right off the page. Many's the time I've awakened to find a comic book stuck to my doggone cheek. Luckily I've learned to love'em a bit more gently than that since then.

mmm. Makes me wanna read some of the tpb's I picked up, today.

[Guapo Méndez]

Yeah. I have a hard time connecting with the idea that folks used to (and I guess some still do) read their comic, then trash it.

I tend to read the words right off the page. Many's the time I've awakened to find a comic book stuck to my doggone cheek. Luckily I've learned to love'em a bit more gently than that since then.

mmm. Makes me wanna read some of the tpb's I picked up, today.
Does the Geek Mind Trick

Read them, West, read them. You know you want to.

Having kids is the best incentive to put them away when you finish them. Marco only destroyed one of my Superman comics. It was one "our worlds at war" issue, so it was no big deal. But that was the last time I left my comics unguarded.

[west3man]

Does the Geek Mind Trick

Read them, West, read them. You know you want to.

Having kids is the best incentive to put them away when you finish them. Marco only destroyed one of my Superman comics. It was one "our worlds at war" issue, so it was no big deal. But that was the last time I left my comics unguarded.
That's the scariest thing you've ever said to me.

*puts away all his goodies*

[Gilda Dent]

Alphabetical appeals to the compulsively neat in me, but it would bug me to much to have the Spider-Man or X-Men or Superman or Batman titles spread out in different locations.

So, I have a tiered system, kinda like a biological taxonomy, with each successive rule being done within each category of those above.

1. By company/universe: DC, Marvel, and Other.

2. Family/Character: At DC, it's Superman, Batman, Teams, Other, for Marvel, it's X-Books, Spider-Man, Avengers, FF, Other. The non Marvel and DC books skip this step.

3. Alphabetical order by title.

4. Volume number/issue number, with most recent in front, oldest in back.

They're organized mostly in short boxes, as I have a lot of difficulty with full long boxes.

Trades and hardcovers are slightly different.

There I go by company/universe, type of book (Masterworks all together, Essentials all together, etc.) and then family/character.

I have all of my comics in a comics software tracking database, and update it religiously before storing comics.

Gilda

[Guapo Méndez]

Oh, one more thing.

I alphabetize them all, but when I get to the "W" (at this point, my legs are killing me, my knees feel like badly oiled joints, my fingers are caked in dust and my old-paper allergies are kicking into high gear) I just chuck them at the end of the bookcase and call them "miscellaneous" and I'm done with it.

[Citizen V]

I put my comics by alphabetical order.

[howyadoin]

Come on! Be imaginative! I bet you could get about a hundred of them piled up in one narrow stack over in the corner of the room if you just tried hard enough! Granted, it would be a real pain moving the top 80 out of the way whenever you wanted to reread something that was currently 81st-from-the-top in the pile, but the rest of the time it wouldn't take up much floor space at all!Funny you should mention that:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v225/howyadoin/Etcetera/DSCF0039.jpg

[Rylon]

I sort my comics in an order known as The Stephen Nicholson Method(tm) Which basicly means that I have no clue. They are sorted though.

[Calamas]

Sounds like Howy's system.

[west3man]

As of yesterday, they're a serious, serious mess. I went through almost all of them (I tend to avoid f'ing with the X's cuz it's just so doggone MUCH), pulling out the stuff I'm prepared to part with. I was surprised at the volume of material.

I wanna get it down to a manageable level then do my best to keep it at that volume - maybe for the rest of my life.

[JeffreyWKramer]

My older stuff is filed in longboxes, alphabetically by title. The past 1 1/2 years or so of stuff isn't filed yet at all.

I have an entire bookshelf dedicated to trades or comic-related books. They are alphabetized by title or - in the case of stuff I haven't organized yet - stacked atop the bookshelf awaiting some time I feel industrious enough to stick them at the appropriate spot on the bookshelf. There are only a few that aren't already in the shelves, though... the past couple LUCIFER trades, the couple SHOWCASE volumes I've bought, the final SLEEPER trade, some of the 100 BULLETS trades and a couple of the LOVE AND ROCKETS books is about it.

[Guapo Méndez]

Those are the comics I organized four years ago. Those from 4 years-present are in one large bookcase (not shown) and on top of my nightstand.

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b197/guapo_mendez/CIMG0002.jpg

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b197/guapo_mendez/CIMG0019.jpg

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b197/guapo_mendez/CIMG0013.jpg

[i_mmmchocolate]

I mostly like the fact that you have twelve shelves. Did you build that yourself? That's a definite space saver.

[JimmyDee]

I do buy the occasional comic, but mostly I read what friends get. I just don't have the space to store all these things. I've got one long box and already I'm thinking I need to thin this out and sell some stuff on eBay.

I do love the trades, though. Got half a book case (one of those cheapy things from Ikea) filled with 'em, which is unusual for me. I'm sort of about minimalist living...not much of a decorator, loathe clutter, so those two shelves of TPBs is huge for me. My biggest problem is collecting the ABC hard backs...that puts a nice dent in the comics wallet.

[Guapo Méndez]

I mostly like the fact that you have twelve shelves. Did you build that yourself? That's a definite space saver.

Oh, no. I was never good with tools and lumber.
When we build the house, I definitely had in mind a space for my books and I got a carpenter to build the closet. Turns out he's as good carpenter as I am: the frames are big, the doors are small and the whole structure is lopsided.

But yeah, it's a great space saver. And the doors have locks, so I can keep them safe until my kids learn about the greatness of keeping comics in pristine condition.