If you have a collection of comic books--or 'floppies', as they're called by fans to distinguish them from trade paperback collections known as 'trades'--it's important to store them properly if you'd like them to stay in good condition. A lot of the advice on how to do this is excessively technical, though; you hear a lot about how you should only handle them while wearing gloves and how it's important to use "virgin, alkali-buffered boards" with your bags of one specific brand. Surely there's a halfway house? If you're a fan of comics but don't want to spend as much time worrying about them as you do reading them, read on.

Get Them Bagged & Boarded

When people talk about "bagging and boarding", they're referring to the very sensible habit of keeping your comics in plastic bags held flat by a piece of cardboard. It's essential to do this if you want to keep them looking good; they'll be flat, well-protected and totally crease-free. There's a lot of discussion amongst fans regarding what's best: unless you want to lay out all the money for Mylar, however, your best bet is to use thicker high-quality polyethylene bags backed with an acid-free board.

Store In Wood, Not Cardboard

Traditionally, comics are stored in cardboard 'longboxes' designed to hold usually around 200 comics each. There are some problems with this method, though. You'll need to spend extra for acid-free cardboard to keep them safe, for one thing, and cardboard of any sort is terrible protection against damp and mildew. Longboxes of that sort can rip and degrade, especially when stacked, and you may find that they're an awkward shape and size to fit into your storage space. They have a few benefits that make them generally the right choice for the serious mass-scale collector--but for everyone else, there's a better option.

Wooden boxes are a more expensive initial outlay, but they'll last a lifetime, and they can be custom-made to any specification you desire. If you'd like to keep your comics under your bed, for example, your boxes can be put on castors for easy access, open at the top and be made to the correct height for your bed frame. If you have an alcove you'd like to use for comics storage, your boxes can be made in a front-opening drawer style that allows you to smoothly and easily access any comic at any time.

Wood is naturally acidic, but you can get around that by using a low-acidity wood such as poplar and having your boxes lined with acid-free felt. Boxes like these will keep out all the moisture that can be so destructive to a comic book collection, and they have the added benefit of also looking much better--they'll fit beautifully into your home no matter what your tastes!