Organize Your Comics in Style: Discover the Top 3 Comic Book Racks for Display and Storage
Presentation is everything, especially if you’re a hobbyist or invest in collectibles. People who invest in precious rugs sometimes prominently display their most expensive ones on rugs. Many people have fancy display racks for all of their watches or jewelry. Well, it’s also the same for hardcore comic book collectors. We derive pride is exhibiting what is important to us. So, what are the best comic book racks, also known as display racks, for collectors?
I consider comic books to be an art form. Art is meant to be appreciated. And investing in the best comic book racks help you to appreciate them better.
Before I list the best comic book racks for you to purchase, let me briefly explain their importance.
What is a Comic Book Rack?
A comic book rack is a display stand that organized and displays comic books. Have you ever seen magazines on metal racks in a pharmacy? It’s the same thing, just for comic books. The local comic book store is a “direct market,” business for selling comic books.
Before the mid-1990s, comic books were primarily sold via the “newsstand,” market on comic book racks. The rack held dozens of comic books that would entice you with the company logos located in the upper left corner and the main logo. (Those visual cues were the most prominent aesthetics you would see on a comic book rack.
When I was a kid, I bought 20 to 30 comic books monthly and organized them in stacks on a desk. But now, I display them on the best comic book racks I can find, rotate them out, and bag them as I buy new ones.
But comic books are meant to be seen and appreciated, not stacked on a desk. There is also the geek allure of making your reading room or space look like a personalized local comic book store.
The Best Comic Book Racks (Why You Should Invest in Them)
Let me start by briefly showing how people prefer physical comic books over digital comics.
Many people read comic books in digital and scanned formats now. But you would be amazed by how small the demographic of digital comic book readers is compared to those who love physical comic books. About 94 million copy comic books were sold in the United States in 2021.
Only 8% of comic book sales were in the digital format in 2021. However, people seem to progressively prefer physical comic book issues over time. In 2020, during the height of the pandemic, digital comic book sales ballooned to 12.5%. Yet they fell over 4% a year later.
There is something about feeling a comic book in your hands that is still relevant to a reader. And there is something extremely satisfying about displaying them prominently for visual appreciation too.
And while it is important to store comic books in mylar sleeves, or third-party-graded authenticated slabs if they are valuable, there is something about displaying them on the best comic book racks that are aesthetically pleasing as well.
The best comic book rack displays the visual allure of comic books, organizes them, and creates the euphoric anticipation of the reading order. If you buy 20 comic books, you first sort them into a reading order before reading them. Then, you rate which was the most entertaining to gauge what you will buy next.
Sometimes, the best comic book racks are just a tool for aesthetic appreciation. Comic books are like any other product in that they have to hook you with an aesthetically pleasing cover. The best part of a comic book rack is that they enable you to appreciate the cover.
The best comic book racks now come in a variety of styles and are affordable. So, which ones are right for you?
Safco Products Rotary Floor Display (Traditional Spinning Comic Book Newsstand-Style Rack)
The Safco Products Rotary Floor Display is the updated version of the 20th-century newsstand comic book.
This is a traditional and rolling comic book rack. If you still buy magazines in bookstores or pharmacies, this is the kind of rack you see but may not pay attention to in stores.
This product’s dimensions are 15″D x 15″W x 60″H. It’s five feet high and features 4 tiers of shelves. Each tier has four forward-facing shelves. So, you can prominently display 16 comic books at any time. (You could stuff as many as you want on each shelf tier, but that could damage the comics and negates the point of displaying the aesthetics of the covers.)
Each shelf tier can rotate independently and in different directions from each other tier. This product weighs eight pounds and features a charcoal-black powdered paint finish.
It is pricey at $165, but its original price was $404. It is durable, won’t tip over unless you jump on it, and is long-lasting. And it is one of the best comic book racks out there because of its nostalgic, old-school, and buying-comics-at-the-newsstand appeal.
Displayfactory Foldable Magazine Rack Literature Rack
Of the best comic book racks on the market, the Displayfactory Foldable Magazine Rack is one of the most aesthetically dynamic.
It is basically a five-foot-high magazine rack with a collapsible, accordion-style aesthetic. You may have seen these collapsible magazine-type displays in doctors’ and generic business offices.
You can actually collapse this product into a flatter solid form and carry it in a case that comes with each purchase.
The design of this rack always you to display six comic books at any given time. I think the design is very appealing visually, but you will end up having one comic book displayed very close to the floor.
But it’s very affordable at $81.
Vmsiuory 4-Layer Iron Magazine Rack with Wheels
This product is one of the best comic book racks for unobtrusively adding geek comic book flair to any wall in your room. While I love the spinning comic book rack, the Vmsiuory 4-Layer Iron Magazine Rack with Wheels is more laterally spacious and displays comic books in a visually broader manner.
It’s a five-foot-tall free-standing rack with thin shelves that are four tiers high. Each shelf is less than three inches in depth and almost three feet wide. So, there is plenty of room to display your favorite comics in a wide wall-like display.
It weighs about 10 pounds, is made of durable carbon steel, and is white in color.
You can get it at Amazon for $119.
Potential Drawbacks of the Best Comic Book Racks
I am a hardcore comic book fan, so comic book racks are cool to me. But unless you really enjoy physical comic books, then dealing with maintenance issues could become a problem.
Comic book racks get dusty, so you will have to clean them, under them, and around them often.
You have to enjoy displaying comic books and rotating them off and on shelves as you buy new comics. Doing this is intense fun for me, but may become tedious and monotonous for casual readers. (I used to be a librarian long ago, so periodical and book display maintenance is my jam!)
You, and whoever you live with, will also have to be OK with turning a room, wall, or section of your home into a comic book chic aesthetic.
Get My Comic Book Guide
Ever wondered how you could make money investing in something you love? If so, then comic book investing might be for you! In this guide, I cover everything the casual investor needs to know in order to get started. Learn about what makes a comic book valuable, how to determine value on your own, and strategies for making a sale. Plus, find out why now is the best time to start investing in comic books.
The Casual’s Guide: Why You Should Get Into Comic Book Investing
Read More:
The 7 Best Comic Book Sleeves For Your Collection
Comic Book Investing Guide: Miracleman Omnibus
Comic Book Investing Guide: Avengers 1,000,000 B.C. #1
Allen Francis is a full-time writer, prolific comic book investor and author of The Casual’s Guide: Why You Should Get Into Comic Book Investing. Allen holds a BA degree from Marymount Manhattan College. Before becoming a writer Allen was an academic advisor, librarian, and college adjunct for many years. Allen is an advocate of best personal financial practices including saving and investing in your own small business.
