On my last post I showed some of my prodigious haul of loot from the recent Baltimore Comic Con, and @steemmatt asked...
How do you properly display your comics at home? Aside from large drawers/bins where there's mostly out of view, are there display systems that allow you to have them on the walls, or does daylight ruin them?
I started snapping a couple pics for a quick reply... got carried away and figured why not turn the reply into a full fledged post of my own! So @steemmatt, this one is for you and anyone who is a fan of geeky stuff and "shelf porn!"
So yes, 99.99% of my collection is in drawers, or more correctly DrawerBoxes specifically designed for comic books. While perhaps awe inspiring in quantity, it's not exactly a beautiful display.
For display purposes I've always loved classic comic book racks and got my first one at a flea market several years ago. It's a true vintage rack probably from the 70's or 80's when comics were readily found in most grocery stores, convenience stores, newsstands, etc. I was displaying some of my comic collection on it for a time, but between sunlight, cats, and just the nature of these racks, they were taking a bit of damage so I switched over to only displaying some of the trade paperbacks and graphic novels from my regularly overflowing bookshelves.
Recently I acquired a second rack, this one being a classic spinner rack which rotates... I always wanted one of those! True vintage models are very hard to find and rather expensive so this particular one is a modern reproduction of great quality. It's home is next to my drafting table and it makes a fine display piece but I keep it to a singular purpose. I regularly purchase duplicate copies of comic books by some of my favorite artists whose work I want to further study or I regularly turn to for reference as I'm doing my own artwork. So this rack holds all those issues within easy reach, and since I buy these duplicates specifically as "beater" copies to read and study with abandon; I'm not concerned with the rack storage deteriorating their condition at all.
I've just started a small display area near my entryway which I aim to keep "geeky seasonal." It still needs some work but I've got it switched out with an art print and cover on theme for Thanksgiving, both by the great Frank Cho. The comic frame I believe was rated with UV protection, but I'm honestly not 100% sure. I'm not too concerned about the light exposure/condition of the few pieces I'll rotate here.
Finally, in my studio room, I do display a few of my more valuable comics. Most of these are of the "certified" graded variety which come encased in protective plastic... but surprisingly these "slabs" as they are called are not UV protective!
I did find a company that makes custom shelves which have a groove for the comics to stand in, as well as a groove where a supplied piece of UV protective plexi is inserted. These can mount directly to the wall but I simply set them on some larger picture ledges I've already installed.
And here's the spinner rack, UV protected slabs, and more shelf porn as a group on the one wall of my studio. (Complete with IKEA cat bed and Hulk statue crushing a pair of glasses in his hand to always remind me never to go back to being an optician...)
So there's a long winded response to a very simple question... but it gave me a great opportunity to show off my rack! I'm thinking next Sunday I may do another "Show and Tell" focused more on my studio area as I'm now working pretty much full time on my comic "I Thought It Would Be Zombies..." and will have lots of upcoming content centered around that.
Got any shelf porn of your own? I'd love to see it either in the comments or a post of your own! (I'm seriously the type who tries to zoom in and see what every book in the picture is...)
Until next time, keep geekin' out and having fun!
-Bryan "the Imp" Imhoff
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