The Case for Foreign Comic Book Collecting (Part 1)

One thing you realize with a large collection is the majority of the comics in the collection are easily replaceable.  Almost all domestic comics published from the 1960s to the present are obtainable; it is just a matter of if you have the funds for the comic or not.  This is not the case for foreign comic books however.  Collecting foreign comic books is not as easy as raising the funds and visiting the local comic shop, bidding on eBay, or attending a pop culture convention.  In some cases if you are lucky, it can be that easy, but in most cases, you need to do research and generate contacts before you can make a purchase.

Unlike domestic comics where the particulars of a comic are known, in many cases, just knowing about the existing of a foreign comic can be part of the challenge.  One good place to start is to talk to other foreign comic book collectors like those found on the Foreign Comics Forum.  Talking to other foreign comic collectors will help you get an understanding of what foreign comics are known to exist, but the job does not end there.  In my pursuit of foreign Star Wars comics, I have been surprised by how many comics are not generally known about.  Sure, everyone knows about the elusive Filipino Star Wars #1, but I was amazed to learn about the South African Super Comix Star Wars comic.  It is these discoveries that makes foreign comic book collecting both challenging and rewarding.  Generally, the foreign collecting community has great information about what comics exist from Western countries, but when it comes to non-Western countries, that information gets harder to obtain.

Once you have an idea of what is available, finding those comics is the next obstacle to overcome.  I found with regards to Western countries, many of the Star Wars comics I want are listed on eBay, but knowing how to search for them can be tricky.  First of all, not all comics are going to be listed by the English name.  Today, "Star Wars" is the title used on all merchandise for Star Wars, but in the 1970s and parts of the 1980s, "Star Wars" was not used in the title for all countries, but instead the title was translated to that country's language.  I have searches setup to look for comics titled 'Guerre des Etoiles', 'Krieg der Sterne', 'Guerre Stellari', 'Guerra de las Galaxias', and a myriad of other names.  I am constantly revising these searches, adding new names as I learn about more titles.  Additionally, while Star Wars may have its own comic title in many countries, in some countries it was published in an anthology along with other comics.  For example, in France, Star Wars was published along with other Marvel characters in a title called Titans.  So, 'Titans' is included in my search.  Another thing to consider, not all comics are listed in the comics categories, but can be listed in other categories as well.

Using searches similar to those I use on eBay, I also scour the web for information about Star Wars comics.  This helps me learn even more about what is available.  For example, I have found the alternative auction site to eBay in South America called Mercado Libre can be helpful.  But, there is a trick to Mercado Libre, they have several sites for countries such as Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Chile, Mexico, Peru, Venezuela, etc.  There are other auction sites in Europe, Asia, and Africa that also can be useful too.  I have also found foreign comic shops using this method.  Searching the web has also uncovered forums and blogs written in many languages that talk about Star Wars in general and in some cases Star Wars comics in particular.  This site is not the only site available to you to read and learn about Star Wars comics!