Showerthought: A new collector at my shop in Toledo said my grading talk was gatekeeping new fans.

I realized I was making comics sound like a test you had to pass, so now I just show people my favorite page from a book first and talk about why the art hits me, which actually gets them to pick it up and read it.

3 comments

3 Comments

craig.john7d ago

Ever worry that grading talk just makes the hobby feel like homework?

the_anthony7d ago

Watch people ruin everything fun by turning it into a job.

matthewmartin7d ago

Totally get where you're coming from, @craig.john. My buddy started grading every single game he played and it just sucked the fun right out. He was so focused on giving everything a number that he forgot to just enjoy playing them. Feels like we're turning fun into a spreadsheet sometimes. Honestly, the best nights are when you just grab something off the shelf and don't think about it at all.