The Forensic Comicologist

A childhood comic book fan turned comic book retailer, the author soon discovered the prevalence of scams in the world of comics collecting. This book is his tutorial on how to collect wisely and reduce risks. Drawing on skills learned from 20 years with the San Diego Police Department and as a Comic-Con attendee since 1970, he covers in detail the history and culture of collecting comic books and describes the pitfalls, including common deceptions of grading, pricing, as well as theft, and mail and insurance fraud.

Retired police officer turned comic book dealer, Jamie Newbold lives in San Diego, California.

Jamie Newbold

Foreword by Michelle Nolan

Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 270
Bibliographic Info: ca. 60 photos, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2018
pISBN: 978-1-4766-7267-0
eISBN: 978-1-4766-3122-6
Imprint: McFarland

Foreword by Michelle Nolan 1

Preface 5

Introduction: A Collecting Culture 7

1. Forensic Comicology 29

2. A Brief History of Comic Collecting 41

3. A Learning Curve 56

4. Deconstructing Comics (Part 1) 67

5. Deconstructing Comics (Part 2) 77

6. Demand 86

7. Fast Forward 98

8. Pedigree Comics 114

9. Eras and Genres: Platinum Age, 1897–1938 125

10. Eras and Genres: Golden Age, 1938–1956 134

11. Eras and Genres: Golden Age Part 2: The Atomic Age! 147

12. Collecting Gold 156

13. Silver Age: Last of the ­Ten-Centers 171

14. Silver and Bronze Ages: Marvel Rules in the Age of Fandom 186

15. Bronze Age: Marvel, Large and in Charge 202

16. Generation Termination (or, Changing of the Guard) 210

17. Third-Party Grading 221

18. Pricing 240

Bibliography 257

Index 259