Drunkwooky gets visitors from all different experience levels. Comic shop owners, online retailers, experienced collectors, and those brand new to comics and collecting.
The questions below are some of the more common questions I get or see posted online. While an experienced collector may know the terminology like the back of their hand someone who is just starting out may not.
Should I Buy Comics At A Local Comic Shop (LCS) or Online?
This is a tough one to answer. I personally do both. Here’s why. I am very close friends with the guys who own my local comic shop (LCS). I genuinely enjoy going in every week to get my comics, shooting the shit, and hanging out with those guys. Also, local comic shops are the backbone of the industry and I love to support them whenever possible. My local shop is Altered State Comics in St. Louis.
On the other hand, if you don’t have a relationship with the shops in your area or you live in an area that doesn’t have any (or any good) options to go in person then buying your comics online is probably the right move.
Online is usually cheaper and more convenient but you won’t get your books the day they come out and you miss the social aspect of collecting. Your choice.
What Is The Best Place To Buy Comics Online?
If you are looking to buy physical copies of comics then I highly suggest Things from Another World (TFAW). They offer the best prices that I’ve seen online and when you pre-order before the cutoff final order cutoff date you get 20-35% off of your comic books.
If you are looking to get every new book for a certain run of comic book TFAW also has one of the best subscription options in the industry. All you have to do is create an account, add a payment method, and then add the comics that you want sent to you every month. The really cool part is that you can choose how often you want them shipped to you. Why is this cool? Because it lowers shipping significantly. Let’s say you wanted to subscribe to every Star Wars comic that came out each month.
Some runs may come out the first week of the month, others the second week, and so on. TFAW lets you choose weekly, biweekly, and monthly shipping schedules so that you can combine all of your comics into one package. Paying for shipping only once.
Get the full guide on setting up your account here.
What Does FOC Mean?
FOC, or Final Order Cut Off, is when publishers and distributors require retailers to get their orders in. Printers then print according to that number (sometimes with overages). So, if you want to absolutely guarantee you get a book, best bet is to order it before FOC.
Check out this week’s FOC Coming Soon books here.
What is a “Pull List” for comic books?
A pull list is another word for a subscription. If you set up a pull list for a specific run of comics your local comic shop or online retailer will hold a copy for you every month. The cool part is that since you are essentially pre-ordering your comics you typically get them at a significant discount. When you set up your pull list through TFAW.com you get anywhere from 25%-35% off your comics.
This is a great way for retailers to know exactly how many comics they should order, reward their customers with discounts for their loyalty, and make sure you don’t miss a thing.
What Is A Retailer Incentive Variant for comic books?
A retailer incentive variant (sometimes referred to as a “ration variant”) for comic books is a variant that is only available to retailers who hit specific order limits for individual comic issues.
For example, Star Wars #20 from the run that started in 2020 has a variant that is a 1:25. That means to get one copy a comic shop has to order 25 copies that have the regular covers. So for every twenty-five, open covers printed there is only one of the 1:25 variants printed. Making it 25x more rare than the normal version and typically more valuable.
How Should I Store My Comics?
This, again, is a subjective thing but the best way to store your comics is in a bag and board standing upright in a comic box.
I personally use Comic Pro Line Comic bags and boards. In my opinion, they are the best bang for your buck. Much sturdier than lower-end bags and far less expensive than the high-end mylar bags. Just make sure you buy boards that match your bags. For example, if you buy “modern” sized comic bags be sure that you buy “modern” sized comic boards to make sure everything fits snug.
For storage, I used two different kinds of boxes. One kind for displaying comics and one for simply storing them. Regardless I want my boxes to look nice. I am not a fan of cardboard long or short boxes to store comics. They are easily damaged and, while cheaper, don’t look the best in my opinion.
For storing comics I really like these linen short boxes from amazon. They look pretty, are solidly built, are stackable,, and are relatively inexpensive compared to similar boxes. I had my 4-year-old son sit on the top of one to test the strength and it held up fine.
For storing AND displaying comics I absolutely love these boxes that Komiq makes and sells on Amazon. They are the size of a normal short box but have a window in the front for displaying comics. Pricey compared to normal boxes but considering how nice they look I think they are worth the money if you want to show off your favorite books while still getting room for storage.
Here’s how they look in my office right now.
How Can I Contribute To Drunk Wooky?
If you enjoy the DrunkWooky site I first just want to say that your support means the world to me. The two of us that put together content have day jobs. This is a hobby for us just like it is you. While money is not the reason this site exists there are two ways you can support the site and help us out.
If you buy comics online then consider buying from TFAW.com using a link on this site. We get a small commission when we refer business their way. This commission is taken out of their profit. You don’t pay anything extra. Also, they are legitimately the best place to buy comics online.
Follow our Instagram page and let us know if you hear any news that we have not covered. Tips from readers is one of the best ways for us to get the latest, most up to date, information as quickly as possible.