DAE have a moment where cataloging your collection shifted from chore to therapy?

I used to dread updating my spreadsheet, seeing it as a tedious task to track issue numbers and values. One rainy weekend, I decided to tackle it while listening to a podcast about comic history, and something clicked. As I entered data for my Bronze Age runs, I started recalling where I bought each issue, the conversations with shop owners, and the friends I made hunting for them. The process became less about inventory and more about reliving those moments, turning a mundane activity into a reflective journey. Now, I actually look forward to these sessions, as they reinforce why I fell in love with this hobby in the first place. It’s not just about owning paper, it’s about the stories behind the acquisitions. This epiphany helped me appreciate the communal aspect of fandom that often gets overlooked. Who knew that organizing could feel like flipping through a photo album of your geekiest memories?

2 comments

2 Comments

thomas.ruby2h ago

Wait, I think you buried the lede. The therapy part wasn't the podcast, it was letting your brain wander to those shop conversations and friends.

jason_henderson36m ago

Sorting through my longboxes last year, I found a beat-up issue of Swamp Thing I'd forgotten about. It was from a flea market in the 90s, and I remembered haggling with the vendor over a quarter. That single comic brought back a whole afternoon of hunting with my brother, who doesn't collect anymore. The value wasn't in the book itself but in the shared experience it represented. Cataloging forces you to confront those stories you've packed away with the comics.