Guest post by by Nancy Silberkleit, Co-CEO/Co-Publisher of Archie Comics
I decided to pen this followup article right away; after receiving interesting comments in response to a recent article I wrote about comic book collecting. As the Co-CEO/ Co-Publisher of Archie Comics, I want to support every aspect of the comic book industry, and my desire is to expound further on the benefits of becoming a comic book collector!
Comic book store owners seemed to resonate with my thoughts about the power of collecting. Their positive feedback inspired me to take the idea further to encourage owners to present a master class on the subject of collecting comics. It’s not only a great hobby, but serves as an investment opportunity and an extraordinary, worthwhile activity to explore — particularly during this time of social distancing.
Collecting comics builds a skillset and helps people to appreciate and identify individual artists by style. For example, a child who collects comic books learns to focus on the characters and to learn as much as he or she can about them. They learn to become creative thinkers by making up their own stories using these characters (or developing their own); sometimes crafting comic books of their own through writing and drawing. Comic characters hold traits and powers, which subconsciously may help people share much about their personal feelings. This aspect may be particularly helpful during the continuing difficulty of COVID-19.
The comic collecting child also gains knowledge about organization, sorting, storage, and preservation; how to file and protect their comics with acid-free bags, boards, or boxes, to keep them out of sunlight, and away from damp areas or pets. Being that comics are released weekly or monthly, the continuing stories give people something to look forward to. For children, this helps them develop patience.
For years, I have been shining a light on the various benefits of reading comics. I have heard stories from parents about how their children will use their comic books to reach reading milestones. In summary, comic book collecting — once thought to be the bane of parents everywhere — can teach young people to develop interest and aptitude in:
- Reading
- Shopping
- Investigation
- Recognition
- Creative writing
- Drawing
- Art appreciation
- Organization
- Storage and preservation
- Math
- Emotional intelligence
- Personal responsibility
- Confidence
- Diversity and inclusion
- Social awareness
- Communication…
- Investing
- Research
- Archiving
… and more!
Comic books are a wonderful investment of time and can prove to offer value that far exceeds their inherent monetary potential!
Nancy Silberkleit is the Co-CEO of Archie Comics. She is a well-respected educator, public speaker, and internationally-recognized entrepreneur. With her background in education and publishing, expertise in child development, and a natural skill-set for entrepreneurship, Nancy has been instrumental in ensuring the graphic platform serves as a means to utilize the entertaining edge of comic books to present information on a wide array of relevant social issues. She developed an Autistic character for Archie named Scarlet Saltee, and coined the phrase Comic Books + Children = Reading.
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