Aren't you supposed to READ Comic Books?

Am I missing something? As I recall from being a kid, back in the olden days before cable and computers…before My Space and four Star Trek spin off series, that you were actually supposed to READ comic books. Now I have admittedly come back to the hobby only recently but my assumption was that the whole reading thing was unchanged. I certainly read MY comics, both old and new. So can someone explain this whole CGC thing to me? Maybe I am being dense but hermetically sealing a comic so that it cannot be read seems to be defeating the purpose just a bit here doesn’t it? Yes I understand the whole idea of grading and keeping a comic in collectible condition but do I really need to go to a service for that? Back in the olden days all we needed were a fairly good set of eyes and the rules in the Overstreet Guide. In other words I can tell for myself whether a comic is mint, near mint or just plain beat up! I can also place a book, all by myself in a nice mylar sleeve or even buy a fancy capsule to seal it all up in. Now I am sure that the nice people providing this service are doing an outstanding job of it but I don’t see how a NM copy of  Superman #111 is any more valuable if it has been put through that process. If it is in NM condition, it is the SAME book, sealed or not. PLUS I can actually read it and, if I am careful, not lower it’s grade in the process. I am certainly not suggesting that collectors who enjoy the whole CGC thing abandon it on my say so. I actually like the idea of Batman #1 being preserved in such a fashion. It is a truly rare book and SHOULD be preserved. But how “rare” really is Buffy The Vampire Slayer #7 with attendant variant covers (and don’t get me started on THAT!)? At the end of the day I think every collector should follow the hobby in their own way, however it pleases them. As for me I still like taking a stack of comic books, sitting out on the stoop on a sunny day and giving them a good read. I will let you know how the stories come out!

That’s 30

Holmes