How To Read Comics On A Budget

With all of the series being published today, it can be extremely hard to find and collect every comic listed on a reading order, so I thought I'd take some time to put together a quick guide on reading and collecting comics both digitally and physically. This will be a 100% legal guide, so no scan or download recommendations, but it should still help to cut some expenses.

Disclaimer: I am located in the U.S., so some of these recommendations may not apply to all of you, but I'm hoping this will provide some helpful information for most of you.

1) Utilize your library: I'm sure everyone knows you can get graphic novels and manga at the library, but you may not know that they offer digital collections as well.

• Hoopla is a digital service connected to your library card that will allow you to check out a certain number of digital items per month. Last I checked, they had all new Image and DC collected editions on the day of release. They only offer single issues for a few independent publishers, but if you're willing to be patient, you can read most new DC collections legally without spending any money. They don't have brand new Marvel releases, but they do have a backlog of popular books if that's what you're looking for.
• Overdrive is also a digital service offered by the library that offers primarily books and audiobooks, but may also have comic book listings. This service is more tied to your local library branch, so it can be limited based on your library but you can request titles be added. There are limitations on how many books you can checkout at once but, as long as you return books when you're finished, you can checkout unlimited books per month. The other nice thing about Overdrive is that a lot of the books are checked out to you as Kindle copies, which means you can sync it to your tablet or computer and read directly through Amazon or the Kindle app. I also highly recommend this for audiobooks, but that's a whole other topic :)

2) Pre-Order your comics: Sometimes your local comic shop will offer discounts if you pre-order your comics and pay in advance. I had positive experiences at a couple of shops that did this while I was in college, but when they stopped offering the discount I unfortunately had to find alternate ways to keep collecting within my budget.

• DCBS has become a pretty widely used service now, but when I started using them about 8 years ago they were still fairly small and new. DCBS allows you to pre-order your comics a couple of weeks after solicitations are released. This means that, with some exceptions, you are pre-ordering all of your comics about two months in advance. The amazing thing is, if you do pre-order through them, most comics are 40% off cover price and some new titles can go up to 50% off. This is a great way to stay within a budget without having to cut any series. The only thing to keep in mind is that shipping costs about $8 per shipment, so if you want your comics weekly it can get expensive.
• InStockTrades is a website owned by the same people as DCBS but is focused solely on paperback and hardcover collections, instead of single issue comics. I don't know if you can really consider it pre-ordering, but they allow you to place an order on Tuesday for books releasing on Wednesday and they also offer about 40% off most big titles. With omnibus and hardcover collecting getting so popular now, I highly recommend using these websites to grab books before they're out of stock or out of print. There are also a number of similar websites, but this is the one I have the most experience with.
• Going directly through the publisher can also save you about 40% or so on your comic purchases. Marvel and DC both offer discounts for mail subscriptions and mail you your comics on release, so this is also a way to save but not have to wait until the end of the month to get all of your comics. In my experience this isn't the safest way to order comics (single issues can get pretty dinged up in the mail) but it may have improved over the years.

3) Read Digitally: Some people still can't get behind buying and reading digitally, but with all the amazing tablets and e-readers on the market now, and constant discounts on Comixology and Amazon, reading digitally can be the most cost effect way to read everything on your list.

• Comixology & Amazon are great services to use if you specifically want to own the digital comics you are reading. I wouldn't recommend buying new releases for full price every Wednesday, but if you're able to wait a month, you can usually get your comics at a discount AND if you wait for sales, you can get your comics for a HUGE discount. Marvel collected editions go on sale every week and often go down to about $2 for the equivalent of 5 or 6 issues. Dark Horse has $0.99 and 50% off sales all the time. Image offers $0.99 sales multiple times a year, and DC...well DC has sales but they're usually not so great. I'm also a huge Valiant fan and if I'm patient, I can always get those series for $0.99 an issue or $4.99 for a collected edition.
• Marvel Unlimited tried out a lot of gimmicks like adding sound or integrating AR when they were newer, but for the past few years they've been focused on improving the user interface and adding as much material as possible. I now use this as my primary way of reading Marvel comics and keeping up with my reading orders. Yes, you'll have to be about 3 months behind on your reading, but at the same time you get to read unlimited comics on your tablet for the price of buying one graphic novel on Comixology. They also have the complete back catalog of Star Wars comics, which is nice to visit every once in a while.
• DC Universe Infinite is the new Marvel Unlimited competitor service offered by DC. I was a day 1 subscriber to DC Universe when it first started and although I watched a few of the shows, I really only used the service a handful of times. Since they converted over to the new Infinite version focusing entirely on comics, I've massively increased my usage of the app. Whenever I have time to get caught up on my Rebirth Reading Order, this is the most convenient way to find and read a comic (especially when you decide to read on a whim). They've also started adding Vertigo series like Lucifer and Preacher and new issues are added about 6 months after they hit shelves. If I remember correctly, this service is only $60 a year which is much much cheaper than trying to buy everything you're looking to read.

4) Buying second hand is also a good option if you're willing to take the chance. There are a number of Subreddits and Facebook groups where you can connect with other collectors and trade/buy/sell comics and books. This can be a great way to find physical comics or books that aren't available locally, but can also be a risk depending on the person you're buying from. Ebay is also a great option that offers nice buyer protection, if you find a set of comics for a great deal and they show up damaged, Ebay will usually have your back and help you get your money back from the seller. I'm a regular seller on Ebay, so I know there are honest sellers out there that package securely to make sure you get your purchase in perfect condition.

That's all I can think of for now, but if you have any recommendations, please add a comment!

I'm still waiting on DC and Marvel July 2021 solicitations, but I'm hoping I can get both of those reading orders updated next week or the week after.

I'm also working on getting a Reading Order Recommendation survey built and sent out within the next few days. I'll be asking for your top three reading order requests, so start thinking ;)