A Four-Color Farewell?

I've talked about trimming away some of the ephemera that has attached itself to me over five-and-a-third decades; I've trimmed back on some of my books, I've jettisoned a large number of laserdiscs, I've given away some CD's, I've disposed of some VHS tapes, I've abandoned my Beta tapes once my final Beta player quit working reliably... and now, I'm looking at a hundred-plus boxes of comics and considering sending them on their way as well.

I have a comic shop, but I don't know that I'll try to sell my comics through the store. Instead, I may see if I can find another buyer who'll take them all at once. That may sound odd, but there are financial considerations behind it; if I sell to the store, I have to worry about paying myself a fair sum without overpaying myself, I have to consider how I'll sell them there, and the books don't really go away--they just get relocated from a room in my house to a room in the store.

Haven't made the decision yet, but I'm more inclined to part with the comics with each passing day. I love the nostalgia that goes with the comics... but the real truth is, I don't get them out of their boxes any longer, and the only reason I know I still have them is (a) I have to work around the boxes when I go in that room, and (b) I have a little blue notebook with titles and numbers. Thanks to DC Archives and Marvel Masterworks, I can enjoy most of those remarkable stories whenever I want--and now, with Marvel's Omnibus format hardcovers including letters columns and pinups and other related items, I have everything but the ads.

There are some comics that will likely never be reprinted--I have large numbers of pre-hero Marvels, a lot of Sugar and Spike, and other such things that I may never see again. But the truth is, I'm not seeing them now... and even if I got a real urge to read them, I don't know that I could lay hands on them in anything approximating a reasonable amount of time, due to the chaotic disorder of the boxes (I tended to simply box comics as I acquired them at cons, so the bulk of the collection is in no order whatsoever).

I got rid of my science fiction magazines and pulps because I wasn't enjoying them any more, and I thought it best that they go to someone who would appreciate them more. I'm thinking that it might be about time for the comics to follow the same path...