Comic Clear boards review

Comic Clear Comic Boards 






One of the most important parts of comic book collecting is the products that you use to protect those comics. Most comics can be stored in just your avaerage bag and board but when it comes to those higher end books that you spend time and money hunting down, special key issues, or store exclusive variants, you want to use only the best products available to protect those books or to display them proudly in your collection.

As a reviewer and comic collector myself, I love getting to go to cons and meeting fellow collectors out there and talk to them about the products they use or products they have come up with themselves and in my search to bring you guys the latest and greatest, I came across a company called, Comic Clear.

Comic Clear is a company that manufactures crystal clear backing boards for comics that collectors can use with a standard bag or Mylar bag to not only protect their comics,but to show off the back side of them as well. Some of you may be asking, “why would I want a clear board for my comics?” And most of the time, you probably wouldn’t need to, but if you’re more of a die hard collector, you’ve seen various comics out there that have a wrap around cover or store exclusive covers that feature wrap around cover art or have an extension of art on the back side and a normal board covers that up.
I was so excited as a collector when I came across this company because I have quite a few books that I thought would be cool to use with a clear board so I immediately sent an email over to Comic Clear and I was introduced to Steven, a fellow comic book collector who wanted to help his fellow collectors out with this issue and created his own company to do it. After going back and forth a bit, I knew I had to introduce fellow collectors to not on,y this product,  it Steven himself. I did a little interview with him to get some insight into him and why he not only started this company but why he thought it would be a worthy investment to get his product out to other collectors. 



Introduction

My name's Steven and I'm the owner of Comic Clear. I like long walks on the beach, candle-lit dinners, and introducing discerning comic collectors to 100% archival and transparent backing boards
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Let’s talk Comics!

I got started collecting in the mid-90s. My first job was in a mall, and across the hallway was a card and comic shop, so a good chunk of every paycheck went to getting a handful of comics. Image Comics was just starting out, so Shadowhawk and Spawn were my go-to books. I took an extended break from collecting during college, and then got back into seriously collecting about 7 years ago. I have a few books on a pull list, but recently my focus is in building out my silver and golden-age collection. 

What was your inspiration for Comic Clear?

The idea for Comic Clear came to me when I started acquiring more and more silver and golden-age books. My professional background is in marketing and advertising, and the way ads have evolved over the last 70 years or so is absolutely fascinating to me. Especially for golden-age comics, I see the back cover ads as part of the history of the book. Originally I explored producing clear boards just for my personal collection. Once I had a prototype in-hand, I felt like I was onto something that the broader comic collecting community could benefit from. A designer buddy of mine created the branding and packaging artwork in exchange for whisky. By the time my first shipment arrived, about 80% of them were already pre-sold. Folks have been absolutely loving these things, and it's been super rewarding to see the way peoples' faces light up when they try them for the first time.

What are your hopes for Comic Clear?

I really just want as many collectors to experience the product as possible. It's not a money thing for me (although it would be great to grow Comic Clear to be my full-time gig) -- I'm a collector first and a supply company a distant second. I still get a little thrill when I remove the protective film and pair a clear board with a comic. There's just something so cool about being able to see a comic in 360 and knowing that the backing board is going to protect the book for 150 years. 

Why would a collector want to use tComkc Clear boards?...

First of all, they're truly archival. Every paper backing board on the market, from standard boards to Full-Backs, has an expiration date. They claim to be "acid-free," but that statement is only true at the time of manufacturing. As soon as you match a paper board up with a comic, the acidic off-gassing coming from your book begins to absorb into your paper backing board. Eventually, the ratio of acid to calcium carbonate (the chemical coated on or embedded into paper boards...always use the shiny side of the board against your comic, folks) will reach an equilibrium, and from that point onwards, you have an acidic paper sponge trapped in a bag with your comic. Not good. The material Comic Clear boards are made from, PET plastic, is inert, acid-free, and doesn't absorb acid over time. The off-gassing from your comic escapes through natural openings in the bag, and you never have to change out the board. 

Second, they're clear. If you have a wrap-around cover, store exclusive or virgin cover with the issue info on the back cover, an older book with a cool ad on the back....you'll want to be able to see those things without handling the comic. 

Third, they're super durable. I dropped a Full-Back board from a height of 3 feet, and let's just say gravity and paper backing boards aren't friends. Anything made from pulp fibers is going to crunch under pressure, so even with the thickest paper backing board, you're always just one accidental drop away from a damaged corner. I dropped a Comic Clear board from the same height, and it left an indentation in my hardwood floor. The board was still in perfect condition. A guy on Instagram took it upon himself to do his own impact testing. The Comic Clear board survived a hammer, a driver, and nunchucks. He even ran over a comic protected by a Comic Clear board with his car. 

Fourth -- they're cool. 

What was it like going from collector to selling to fellow collectors?

The comic community has been super supportive. Folks love innovation, and they really like it when the innovators are one of their own. I can't say enough about some of the advice, encouragement, and all-out love I've gotten from complete strangers. It's really meaningful to have launched something that fellow collectors enjoy. I've had more than a few LCS's email me saying, "so-and-so walked into my shop today and showed me a pack of your clear boards....how do I get them for my store?" -- When you have customers referring you to their local comic shops...that's just cool.
 
I've also gotten a crash course in logistics and finance. You wouldn't believe the number of hoops you have to jump through in order to get a new business off the ground. . At every turn, there's a new form to fill out, a new fee to pay, a new record you have to file. It'll make your head spin.

Where can collectors go to find out more about Comic Clear boards?

My website (www.comicclearsupplies.com) is the best place to go for the basics. Otherwise, people can shoot me an email at ComicClearSupplies@gmail.com, or message me on Instagram (@comicclearboards). I'm always up for answering questions or just talking about comics!

Where can retailers go to learn about carrying your product?

We have our boards in over 50 retail locations, and that number is every week. The best way to get the ball rolling on becoming a retailer is to fill out the "Become a Dealer" form on my website. That gets your info in my system and notifies me that I need to reach out to you with wholesale information. The web address is www.comicclearsupplies.com/become-a-dealer




As you can see, Steven really has a passion for not on,y collecting, but getting his product out to other collectors who can benefit from using his boards in there own collection. Personally, the fact that he is a fellow collector himself was the biggest selling point for me. There are lots of other big name companies out there that sell comic supplies but most of their motivation is sales numbers and they lose focus on the actual collection aspect behind their products where a fellow collector is going to be more passionate about their product and it’s quality because it’s something they take pride in and understand as a collector themselves.

Steven was kind enough to send me out a pack of current sized Comic Clear boards and I’ve been using them for a little over two months now and have fallen absolutely in love with them, 

Each pack of Comic Clear boards comes with 25 boards inside. Each board is covered with a plastic film on both sides that protects the boards from scratched or collecting dust and lint and the film is easily peeled off using a piece of scotch tape. There are directions included with the boards that better explains the best methods to peel the film. After removing the film, you can see just how clear and translucent each one is and they have a really neat looking shine to them that really looks amazing when a book is behind it giving in an allure if you’re displaying your books. 

One thing I’ve been asked most about is, why do they only come in packs of 25? As I stated before, you are not going to want to use these boards for all of your comics. A lot of modern comics now just feature ads for various products or movies and tv shows and they aren’t really anything a collector would care to see. The main types of books you are going to want to use these on these on are going to be golden or silver age books if the ads from back then appeal to you, comics with wrap around covers which is art that extends from the front cover to the back cover, store exclusive covers that feature extended art or logos onto the back covers, or high dollar books that you want to showcase being able to show off all sides of the books to your friends or fellow collectors to show the quality off or enjoy the full beauty of the book. If you are a standard collector, these are going to be minimal compared to your other books you are collecting so you aren’t going to need as many of these as you would standard boards. You can absolutely use these on all of your comics if you wanted too but seeing as most of our comics end up in boxes anyway, it really wouldn’t serve much use.

The quality of these boards lives up to any other product you can find out there on the market from big name companies and the packaging is sleek and simple and really appealing to comic collectors eyes. 

I personally have been using these boards and have tried them out with various bags to see how they would look and while Mylar bags of course give you the best overall visual of your books, they also. Look amazing if used with everyday comic bags and add to the overall aesthetic of the look. I am just truly blown away by these boards and the quality of them and I can’t recommend them enough to fellow collectors. Below are several different photos I took of various comic in various types of bags and top loaders so you can see for yourself just how sharp they look.
 

If you are interested in picking up some Comkc Clear boards for yourself, you can head over to their site and order them here, https://www.comicclearsupplies.com

If you enjoy them and want to spread the word to other collectors, talk to your local comic shops about Comic Clear boards and they can order them direct to carry in their stores following the instructions Steven gave in our interview. 

-Wes Greer