Wide world of comic collecting

Ahmed Ciangiulli moved his Time Out for Comics! store of 15 years in Queens, N.Y., to Main Street, Kennebunk, after taking a vacation here and falling in love with the area.

By Steve Bodnar

yccs@seacoastonline.com

August 19, 2008 6:00 AM

Perhaps it's the way a writer expounds a superhero's journey, or perhaps it's the meticulously crafted artwork, or maybe it's just a way to pass the time; whatever the draw, comic book collecting is a multifaceted experience.

"You make of it what you want to make of it," said Ahmed Ciangiulli, owner of Time Out For Comics! in Kennebunk. "What type of collector do you want to be?"

Ciangiulli said currently collectors are obsessing over Joker memorabilia due to acclaim spouted over the Warner Bros. film "The Dark Knight" and specifically the late Health Ledger's role as the diabolical villain from the Batman universe. To date, "The Dark Knight" has grossed more than $400 million in ticket sales since opening July 18.

Whether the interest in collecting comics stems from a summer blockbuster or a childhood hobby, Ciangiulli said comic collecting is versatile in that there is not only a variety of comic publications — traditional, graphic novel and manga — but that collectors can get interested in trading cards, posters, action figures and games.

Ciangiulli said while he believes comics are interesting in and of themselves, he also thinks that comic collecting can help keep youthful memories not so distant.

"Even if you're an adult and you read a book, it takes you back to when you were younger," said Ciangiulli. "I still remember the first day my grandmother bought me a book. It was great."

Ciangiulli said his grandmother bought him a Spider-man comic book about 30 years ago and that he's been a collector ever since — eventually working for a comic book store during the 1980s and opening up his own shop in the early 1990s.

After 30 years of collecting, Ciangiulli said he's amassed about 15,000 comic books in his personal collection.

"Give or take a thousand," he said with a laugh late last week at his downtown store, which had its grand-opening early in July.

Who is a collector?

While owning thousands of comics can certainly make someone a "collector," Greg Brunelle, a Sanford resident who volunteers at Maiden Games in Biddeford, said the notion of the traditional comic book collector has changed over the years.

"You talk to a lot of people and they assume that there aren't any new comic book collectors," said Brunelle at Maiden Games last week. "It's not just people from the '60s and '70s."

Brunelle looked at a group of teenagers playing the Yu-Gi-Oh trading card game, which is based on a Japanese comic or manga. He pointed out that comic book collecting has helped to spark related interests over the years.

"Comics have changed a lot, it's not just Spider-Man and Fantastic Four and what you see in the movies right now," said Brunelle. "They even write 'Moby Dick' and 'Last of the Mohicans' and a lot of classic books."

Brunelle said that while he used to consider himself a bigger comic book collector, he still dabbles in the hobby, but that he has customized the way he collects.

"There's a comic for everyone," he said. "You don't have to just follow a superhero anymore."

And depending on your interest, you don't have to collect comic books to find something to collect at a comic book shop.

Last week, George Quinlan, decided to check out Time Out For Comics! for the first time. He was looking for accessories to Warhammer, a tabletop role-playing game often found at many comic book stores.

Quinlan, a Kennebunk resident who started playing Warhammer in 2002, called the game "wicked addicting."

"You're always looking for that unique piece," he said. "That's the best part about collecting."

Joe Loubier, owner of Zimmie's Comics in Lewiston, said that for many comic collectors, finding an exclusively released product is often a goal of a collector, but not the main pursuit.

"It's a lot like any other kind of collecting, in that people are complete-ists" said Loubier, who has owned Zimmie's for 18 years. "They don't just want issue number 12 and 35 ...; it occupies your time for completing something."

However, Loubier said getting every comic a person can desire can be the downfall of the collector.

"I don't think it's the final goal of having them all," he said. "It's the trip there, once the guys have it all they lose interest and want to sell it."

Superfans

Time Out For Comics! is a relatively new store to Kennebunk, but it's not relatively new to Ciangiulli.

Ciangiulli owned Time Out For Comics! in Queens for about 15 years, until he took a vacation in Maine, fell in love with the atmosphere and quality of life, and decided to pack up shop and head north.

"There are more kids into the books up here," said Ciangiulli. "Back in New York it was more adults — about 90 percent."

In either case, Ciangiulli said one of the best parts about his job is talking to comic enthusiasts.

"From a store owner perspective, you get to talk to a ton of fans and get to talk about what you think can happen," he said.

Leigh Hinkley, a Gardiner resident, can definitely be considered a comic book fan

Hinkley started reading comics about 50 years ago, when he first picked up an issue of Justice League.

He now has a collection of about 22,000 Marvel comics and a few hundred DC, along with a variety comic-related items.

Hinkley said that comic book collecting has always faced highs and lows as far as collecting goes, but that it's currently facing a high period.

"Collecting is a habit," Hinkley wrote in an e-mail earlier this week. "And a good habit — one that won't hurt your health (maybe your wallet) and is something that is different from one book to the next."