> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.thefoundrysessions.co.uk/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # How to Start Collecting Comics on a Budget - URL: https://www.thefoundrysessions.co.uk/how-to-start-collecting-comics-on-a-budget/ - Published: 2026-10-15T09:07:17.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-15T09:07:17.000Z - Description: Preowned comics from £1–£3, what to buy first, and how to look after them. - Author: Dave Dangerfield - Tags: Collecting, Comics & Graphic Novels, Preowned, DDMG Blog Cross-post Comic collecting has a reputation for being expensive, and it can be if you're chasing first appearances in high grade. But you can build a rewarding collection for very little. Preowned comics, especially the £1-£3 ones, give you great stories, iconic art and the pleasure of paper without the new-release price. **Set a budget first** Decide what you're comfortable spending before you start browsing. It's easy to buy one more issue, then one more run, and overshoot. Even a £10-20 monthly cap keeps it fun rather than stressful. At the shop, a lot of my preowned comics sit in the £1-£3 range. New comics don’t have to cost much either. Image regularly reprints first issues of its bigger series at £1, and DC’s ‘Start Here’ has just launched its own £1 ‘Start Here’ reprints, starting with four Batman titles. Both are an easy way to try a story or artist cheaply. **Start with what you love** New collectors often chase key issues because they're told those are the ones worth money. Decent copies are rarely cheap, and buying purely as an investment usually ends in disappointment. Start with characters, writers or artists you already love. Grew up on the X-Men cartoon? Start with classic X-Men. Batman fan? There are decades of affordable back issues. Following your interests tends to lead you to the key issues eventually, at prices you can manage. **Embrace the back issue box** Back issue bins, physical or online, are where budget collecting lives. For reading copies, VG or VG+ is perfectly fine. You're buying the story, not a display piece. Look for: - **Full story arcs:** Consecutive issues from one series are more satisfying than single issues. - **Crossover tie-ins:** Events like Secret Wars, Crisis on Infinite Earths and Knightfall often have cheap tie-ins that read well even when the main series costs more. - **Overlooked titles:** Some of the best writing sits in mid-list 80s and 90s series that never sold massively. **Condition vs value** When you're buying to read, condition matters less. A VG+ £2 comic is fine. Save the close inspection for books that cost real money. No missing pages, centrefold attached, no water damage, and for the rest, here’s my grading guide. **Trades are a secret weapon** Trade paperbacks collect several issues in one volume, and preowned trades are often great value. Six issues in a trade can cost less than six singles, and you get the whole story without hunting for the next part. (Out-of-print trades can be pricey, so compare before you buy.) Trades are also a good way in for new collectors, with complete stories and clear creative runs. **Look at the independents** Marvel and DC dominate, but Image, Dark Horse, IDW and Dynamite have all published acclaimed series that usually cost less second-hand, often because they carry less collector premium. Saga, The Walking Dead, Hellboy and Locke & Key are all worth hunting for in trades or singles. The Walking Dead began in black and white and is widely collected in trades. Image has since reissued it in colour as The Walking Dead Deluxe, with additional scenes and artwork, and it’s still running (issue #144 as of September 2026). **Two Vertigo reads** I finally got around to reading a couple of fantastic graphic novel series, Preacher and also American Vampire. Both are spread over several trade paperbacks, but well worth tracking down. They had been on my reading list for some time so I was really happy to finally get the chance to read them. [American Vampire](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American%5FVampire?ref=thefoundrysessions.co.uk) has very stylised art by Rafael Albuquerque and is written by Scott Snyder, with Stephen King writing a story that runs through the first five issues. DC Comics released it under their Vertigo label in 2010\. It's a real classic and well worth taking a look at. [Preacher ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preacher%5F%28comics%29?ref=thefoundrysessions.co.uk)takes no prisoners with its language, violence and adult themes but it is one hell of a ride along the way... not for the easily offended or shocked but well worth reading if that kind of thing doesn't faze you. Written by Garth Ennis and with art by Steve Dillon, and again from DC's Vertigo label, it's another that stays with me long after I'd finished reading. **Look after them** Storage is cheap. Polypropylene bags and acid-free boards cost pennies each in bulk, and a short box holds around 150-200 bagged comics for a few pounds. Store upright, out of direct light and damp. You're protecting something you'll want to keep reading, and if it holds its value, that's a bonus. Polypropylene bags are fine to start with, Mylar is the long-term choice, and avoid heavy stacking. *Originally published on* [*DD Music Geek*](https://www.ddmusicgeek.co.uk/?ref=thefoundrysessions.co.uk)*, updated October 2026.* If you collect records too, here's my [beginner's guide to preowned vinyl](https://www.thefoundrysessions.co.uk/a-beginners-guide-to-collecting-preowned-vinyl-2/). **From the shop** A few of the preowned comics on the shelves right now at my shop: #### DD Music Geek - Useful info Any products shown for purchase are handled via [DD Music Geek](https://www.ddmusicgeek.co.uk/?ref=thefoundrysessions.co.uk), my shop. Terms can be found [here](https://www.thefoundrysessions.co.uk/dd-music-geek-about-the-shop-and-shopping-information/) or you can head to [DD Music Geek](https://www.ddmusicgeek.co.uk/?ref=thefoundrysessions.co.uk) for my full terms and conditions.