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2000 AD => General => Topic started by: Michael Knight on 18 July, 2021, 07:27:30 PM

Title: Comic and book storage ideas?
Post by: Michael Knight on 18 July, 2021, 07:27:30 PM
Just wondering if any of you lovely people would be willing to share tips as how you store your collections to maximize storage space etc.
Do you have a designated thrill power storage unit in your home where you an show off your collection in its entirety? or is it a case of storing comics and books in spaces where you can find free space (as im currently doing).
Title: Re: Comic and book storage ideas?
Post by: Colin YNWA on 18 July, 2021, 07:57:04 PM
I'm really luckly I have a whole room set aside form my comics. I even did a whole thread when we moved into our current house and I started doing it out.

https://forums.2000ad.com/index.php?topic=39695.msg798391#msg798391 (https://forums.2000ad.com/index.php?topic=39695.msg798391#msg798391)

we also had an old thread about how other folks stored their comics which might be full of useful tips?

https://forums.2000ad.com/index.php?topic=33880.msg619186#msg619186 (https://forums.2000ad.com/index.php?topic=33880.msg619186#msg619186)

Title: Re: Comic and book storage ideas?
Post by: milstar on 18 July, 2021, 08:11:35 PM
Quote from: Colin YNWA on 18 July, 2021, 07:57:04 PM
I'm really luckly I have a whole room set aside form my comics. I even did a whole thread when we moved into our current house and I started doing it out.

https://forums.2000ad.com/index.php?topic=39695.msg798391#msg798391 (https://forums.2000ad.com/index.php?topic=39695.msg798391#msg798391)

we also had an old thread about how other folks stored their comics which might be full of useful tips?

https://forums.2000ad.com/index.php?topic=33880.msg619186#msg619186 (https://forums.2000ad.com/index.php?topic=33880.msg619186#msg619186)

Colin, I know this is a bit off-topic, how you managed to get those Sgt Rock issues? I went once to amazon, but couldn't find any in print.
Title: Re: Comic and book storage ideas?
Post by: rogue69 on 18 July, 2021, 08:50:22 PM
I use old filing cabinets to store my comics and good old bookshelves for my TPBs
You can get a bit carried away &have a card index system to tell you whats in each draw of the cabinet, I have not done this yet but I do know a couple people who have
Title: Re: Comic and book storage ideas?
Post by: Colin YNWA on 18 July, 2021, 09:01:13 PM
Quote from: milstar on 18 July, 2021, 08:11:35 PM
Colin, I know this is a bit off-topic, how you managed to get those Sgt Rock issues? I went once to amazon, but couldn't find any in print.

Do you mean the Showcase Presents issues - if so I'm afraid I can't be much help as I got them when they first came out.
Title: Re: Comic and book storage ideas?
Post by: IndigoPrime on 18 July, 2021, 09:49:23 PM
Previously: 2000 ADs and Megs were stacked on metal shelving in my office. Until we noticed the floor had dropped. They spent a few years more evenly spread under the spare room double bed, but now live in our semi-converted garage in white comic boxes on a wire shelving unit. Books/trades and CDs are in our TV room, on a set of four IVAR units.
Title: Re: Comic and book storage ideas?
Post by: milstar on 18 July, 2021, 11:47:05 PM
Quote from: Colin YNWA on 18 July, 2021, 09:01:13 PM
Quote from: milstar on 18 July, 2021, 08:11:35 PM
Colin, I know this is a bit off-topic, how you managed to get those Sgt Rock issues? I went once to amazon, but couldn't find any in print.

Do you mean the Showcase Presents issues - if so I'm afraid I can't be much help as I got them when they first came out.

Oh, I mean on those two, second image from the above, next right to the The Haunted Tank.
Title: Re: Comic and book storage ideas?
Post by: Colin YNWA on 19 July, 2021, 06:17:07 AM
Quote from: milstar on 18 July, 2021, 11:47:05 PM
Quote from: Colin YNWA on 18 July, 2021, 09:01:13 PM
Quote from: milstar on 18 July, 2021, 08:11:35 PM
Colin, I know this is a bit off-topic, how you managed to get those Sgt Rock issues? I went once to amazon, but couldn't find any in print.

Do you mean the Showcase Presents issues - if so I'm afraid I can't be much help as I got them when they first came out.

Oh, I mean on those two, second image from the above, next right to the The Haunted Tank.

Yeah they're are the Showcase Presents Collections (I think there were 4 volumes in all by th end) - black and white 'phonebooks. One of those scenarios where a book goes for daft money now - or don't as they normally just sit there at that elevated price. I've passed mine in (not for silly money I should point out).
Title: Re: Comic and book storage ideas?
Post by: IndigoPrime on 19 July, 2021, 08:40:50 AM
You must have a very dry loft with a strong floor, Colin. I recently headed up to ours to try and find a box of books, and they're now going to have to be recycled—all warped and musty. Lesson learned. Fortunately, they mostly weren't things I cared that much about (hence why they were up there in the first place).
Title: Re: Comic and book storage ideas?
Post by: Colin YNWA on 19 July, 2021, 08:42:41 AM
Quote from: IndigoPrime on 19 July, 2021, 08:40:50 AM
You must have a very dry loft with a strong floor, Colin. I recently headed up to ours to try and find a box of books, and they're now going to have to be recycled—all warped and musty. Lesson learned. Fortunately, they mostly weren't things I cared that much about (hence why they were up there in the first place).

Arh the loft was a conversation BUT more significent in the old house - there's no way I could put my comics in the loft in the current house - but I do have the lovely nerdcave. I've been very, very lucky for nerd space in our various houses.
Title: Re: Comic and book storage ideas?
Post by: AlexF on 19 July, 2021, 09:00:57 AM
Collections / graphic novels go nicely on bookshelves, but I have to say the more I get the harder it feels to justify keeping those longboxes full of original Progs - certainly for those Progs that exist within the digital era. Gonna be moving house soon and although the new house has a loft that will host those longboxes happily I'm starting to wonder if it's time to say goodbye...
Title: Re: Comic and book storage ideas?
Post by: IndigoPrime on 19 July, 2021, 10:43:50 AM
I've honestly been wondering the same here. We have a certain amount of space in our garage, and I... just don't re-read them. Or, more accurately, I don't have the time. Perhaps I will one day. My wife's certainly of the type to say not to be hasty about getting rid of things. But we do both share a "well, there's only so much space" line of thinking. The decision for 2000 AD and the Meg is probably about 2–3 years away, I think. (Collections are more of an issue. I have relatively little room left, but then quite a few series I follow are winding down, or there aren't any obvious new books on the horizon I'd like to buy, like with IDW not doing HC Usagi collections yet.)
Title: Re: Comic and book storage ideas?
Post by: Michael Knight on 19 July, 2021, 11:06:24 PM
Thanks to you all for the links to threads and recommendations. Its much appreciated.
Title: Re: Comic and book storage ideas?
Post by: SmallBlueThing(Reborn) on 20 July, 2021, 10:36:08 AM
A year of so ago I bought 2 Screwfix metal shelves- then I purposely put them together "wrong", spacing the shelves equally and so allowing my entire 17 boxes of 2000ADs/ Megs and 12 of my standard US comic short boxes to sit on them. I don't have room for shelving for the other ten boxes, so they are stacked. To be honest the spare room looks a bit of a disaster at the moment, but that's because I'm doing something very nerdy of which I am not prepared to speak.

All my progs are bagged, *most* are boarded (I think I need a couple of hundred boards to complete- and probably replacement bags for those as well). The whole lot sits in 13 magazine boxes. Last week's prog finished off box #13, and box #14 is sitting ready to be made up and used. The Megs I store in groups of five or so to a bag- but I intend to individually bag and board them sometime "soon". They take up four boxes and a stack. The specials/ Crisis/ Revolver/ Toxic/ Scream/ Starlord/ Tornado and sundries take up another two boxes- and there are another couple of boxes of 'other uk magazines and comics'.

The shelves though- they were a gamechanger. Strong, easy to assemble and quite pleasing.

SBT
Title: Re: Comic and book storage ideas?
Post by: sintec on 20 July, 2021, 03:42:03 PM
Quote from: Colin YNWA on 18 July, 2021, 07:57:04 PM
I'm really luckly I have a whole room set aside form my comics. I even did a whole thread when we moved into our current house and I started doing it out.

https://forums.2000ad.com/index.php?topic=39695.msg798391#msg798391 (https://forums.2000ad.com/index.php?topic=39695.msg798391#msg798391)

we also had an old thread about how other folks stored their comics which might be full of useful tips?

https://forums.2000ad.com/index.php?topic=33880.msg619186#msg619186 (https://forums.2000ad.com/index.php?topic=33880.msg619186#msg619186)

Those old threads are glorious - I have wasted far too much of today nerding out over those rather than fixing bugs.

Going to have a project of my own coming up to shelve one of the downstairs rooms and turn it into a "library". Just need to let my bank balance recover from all the other house move associated costs first. Will post some before/after pics when we get there.
Title: Re: Comic and book storage ideas?
Post by: Colin YNWA on 20 July, 2021, 05:48:30 PM
Quote from: sintec on 20 July, 2021, 03:42:03 PM
Going to have a project of my own coming up to shelve one of the downstairs rooms and turn it into a "library". Just need to let my bank balance recover from all the other house move associated costs first. Will post some before/after pics when we get there.

That kinda talk gets my nerd glands all kinda excited. Yeah when you get going post as many pictures as you can. We like it blow by blow here!
Title: Re: Comic and book storage ideas?
Post by: Rogue Judge on 20 July, 2021, 08:24:20 PM
I'm also lucky enough to have a "Comic Cave", like some of you, a room dedicated to comics and entertainment. I built in shelves and use long boxes to store the comics. I placed the boxes in their lids and can slide them out for easy access. See the following pictures, including the comic wall and bookshelf for trades.

(https://i.ibb.co/37YDSVk/20210718-213107.jpg) (https://ibb.co/L8hL9Bv)

(https://i.ibb.co/WFzMzLj/20210718-213124.jpg) (https://ibb.co/4MSXSH3)

(https://i.ibb.co/Yb5Wwx6/20210718-213409.jpg) (https://ibb.co/4Jbf3Hc)

(https://i.ibb.co/MgMxRYt/20210720-131811.jpg) (https://ibb.co/Cwh3nkY)

The other wall is a projector screen, for basically watching Dredd on repeat! Next step is to get the original art I have framed and on the walls.
Title: Re: Comic and book storage ideas?
Post by: IndigoPrime on 20 July, 2021, 08:59:29 PM
That longbox store is really interesting. It certainly beats shoving all your comics under a double bed, when it comes to access!
Title: Re: Comic and book storage ideas?
Post by: paddykafka on 20 July, 2021, 09:13:15 PM
OMG, Rogue Judge, but that is seriously impressive. Kudos!

Title: Re: Comic and book storage ideas?
Post by: Colin YNWA on 20 July, 2021, 10:31:16 PM
Well Rogue Judge you win... you win... well whatever there is to win really. That is a wonderful set up. The quiet, simple genius of how you have used the lid of your comic boxes to display issue is such a simple delight. One I will know be stealing I need you to know.

Also you bought Rio. That collection is a delight and I have a strong admiration for your Planet of ther Apes stuff (hope you have the rest of the Boom! issues in those long boxes they hit gold with their Apes comics.

My only, only gripe is that lovely Complete Calvin and Hobbes seems a bit set aside up there.

Gosh fella that is an amazing set up!
Title: Re: Comic and book storage ideas?
Post by: AlexF on 21 July, 2021, 09:19:50 AM
That's a thing of beauty that room. Jealous!
Title: Re: Comic and book storage ideas?
Post by: wedgeski on 21 July, 2021, 09:52:20 AM
Quote from: Colin YNWA on 20 July, 2021, 10:31:16 PM
My only, only gripe is that lovely Complete Calvin and Hobbes seems a bit set aside up there.
That's because the stupid thing is such a weird size, it doesn't fit anywhere! I have that collection and it's kind of just... projecting from the top of one of my book shelves.
Title: Re: Comic and book storage ideas?
Post by: GoGilesGo on 21 July, 2021, 02:44:57 PM
outstanding, Rogue Judge.

So well put together. Please do post pictures of the original art when you hang it.
Title: Re: Comic and book storage ideas?
Post by: Rogue Judge on 22 July, 2021, 02:10:53 AM
Thanks for the kind words all, much appreciated. The room is a work in progress, I've been picking at it for the past few years. Where the shelves are there used to be a closet on the left that I tore out and the right was a door, which I covered with plywood and painted. Then I covered the walls with the brick paneling and built the shelves with 2x4s and MDF sheets and stained  the wood. Loaded the comic boxes, organized by publishers and alphabetically (in a way that makes sense to me).

Glad you like the lid setup Colin, its an easy way to access the books while displaying a comic from the box - they slide neatly between the lid and box. Do borrow the concept, and share pics!

I do love westerns and Rio is a favorite! Nice to know someone else who enjoys this collection. And yes I have the full run of the Boom! PoTA comics, they are gold to an Apes fan! A Carlos Magno Apes page from that series is an original that I intend on hanging.

Fair point on Calvin and Hobbes...I'll do something about that by the time I post more pictures. It is a treasure!

Thanks again, progress pics to follow...eventually!
Title: Re: Comic and book storage ideas?
Post by: Dash Decent on 22 July, 2021, 05:29:42 AM
Fantastic set up, Rogue Judge, and glad to see someone else has some Carl Barks Library in their collection.  The 'flat' colour reproduction on these is superb.

Your 2000AD titles look amazingly flush, not just at the spines but all the way down the top of the pages to the opening end.  Do you interleave them with cardboard?  I find that the spines are always slightly thicker than the rest of the books, and putting them together on the shelf doesn't give such a neat effect.  It's like slowly forming the circumference of what will eventually be an enormous doughnut of books.

Title: Re: Comic and book storage ideas?
Post by: IndigoPrime on 22 July, 2021, 08:48:37 AM
I found the same, to the point my books became horribly warped and needed months of being placed flat to get them back to normal. And then I mostly switched to HC. And of course all the larger books now have page droop instead. Argh.
Title: Re: Comic and book storage ideas?
Post by: Colin YNWA on 22 July, 2021, 08:57:33 AM
Quote from: Rogue Judge on 22 July, 2021, 02:10:53 AM
A Carlos Magno Apes page from that series is an original that I intend on hanging.

Arh man that's on my list of things to get and I've never seen one - actually I did see one in the wild but it wasn't a page I particularly liked - one day, one day. As you say the whole Boom! line is pretty much golden to a PotA fan.
Title: Re: Comic and book storage ideas?
Post by: Rogue Judge on 23 July, 2021, 11:21:44 PM
Quote from: Dash Decent on 22 July, 2021, 05:29:42 AM
Fantastic set up, Rogue Judge, and glad to see someone else has some Carl Barks Library in their collection.  The 'flat' colour reproduction on these is superb.

Your 2000AD titles look amazingly flush, not just at the spines but all the way down the top of the pages to the opening end.  Do you interleave them with cardboard?  I find that the spines are always slightly thicker than the rest of the books, and putting them together on the shelf doesn't give such a neat effect.  It's like slowly forming the circumference of what will eventually be an enormous doughnut of books.

Yes those Carl Barks Duck books are fantastic, I enjoy reading them to my kids - good for all ages. Clean simple art and colours with entertaining stories.

I just keep all the books lined up spine to spine, regardless of the size (some are slid all the way back, others slid forward), and pack them together tight enough that there is no room to squeeze another in but not so tight I have to force a book in. I've never had issues as long as the books are close together and spines aligned.
Title: Re: Comic and book storage ideas?
Post by: Rogue Judge on 24 July, 2021, 03:41:30 AM
Quote from: Colin YNWA on 22 July, 2021, 08:57:33 AM
Quote from: Rogue Judge on 22 July, 2021, 02:10:53 AM
A Carlos Magno Apes page from that series is an original that I intend on hanging.

Arh man that's on my list of things to get and I've never seen one - actually I did see one in the wild but it wasn't a page I particularly liked - one day, one day. As you say the whole Boom! line is pretty much golden to a PotA fan.

Magno actually has the majority of his original pages still. He provides pricing and sells if you contact him directly. One day when you have some extra cash lying about...