Broken Frontier

Once again I have to move. I loathe moving. I have accumulated a ton of stuff, and fitting it all into boxes is no easy task. But alas, my disdain for apartment life outweighs my hatred for lifting heavy boxes. So away we go.

Included in my array of useless junk are of course my comics. I’m a long box user, and I’ve got five of those puppies lined up in my closet. And they are not light. It’s not a stretch of the imagination to say that a typical, full long box will probably be one of the heaviest items in your move, not including furniture of course. It’s about this time that I begin going through my library and deciding what’s essential and what can go on eBay. Sadly, I put it off this time until it was too late. So it’s all got to go. Five almost filled long boxes and a slew of comics that haven’t been sorted out yet. This is not going to be good.

Every since the first move I ever made at the age of 21 I’ve been cursed with moving long boxes. Seven years later and I still have about four long boxes in my mother’s house in Connecticut that I may never see again. It’s the eternal plight of the comic collector. I’ve started switching over to trades in some cases, but moving a Rubbermaid bin filled with graphic novels is no easy task either.

Don’t get me started on finding a place in your home to keep the damned things. I got lucky at our current apartment that our guest bedroom has walk in closets big enough to hold a ton of long boxes. But I’m not so lucky in the house we’re moving into. I’m thinking of investing in some drawer boxes. They’re a bit pricey, and they only hold half as many comics (which of course means twice as many boxes) but at least they’ll stack up nicely and stay out of the way.

Why does a hobby that the target audience is overweight males have to be so labor intensive? Apple’s already helped solve the solution of lugging around all my CDs, why can’t someone make my comics digital? But I know that’s no the answer. There are a ton of digital comics out there and they’re constantly putting old comics onto the computer screen, but that’s not practical. I love the feel and look of a good old fashioned paper comic. But why do they have to become so heavy en masse?!

Fortunately we’re not moving far away enough where I have to change comic shops, which is a disaster as well. The best thing I can recommend to those who find themselves having to move comics, is to have as many friends helping them move as long boxes you own. That way everyone gets one to carry and there won’t be any unexpected calls to 911.

I feel for anyone who’s had to move their collection. This is the predicament many folks forget when you’re dazzling them with the enormity of your library. I’m sure most fans will agree it’s worth it in the end. I’ll gladly trade a tube of Icy Hot for knowing I’m the only person for miles with a full run of Transmetropolitan. Sorry for cutting it short this week kids, but I’ve still got packing to do.