The Forensic Comicologist: Insights from a Life in Comics

I've been a comic book fan since childhood. The child became a man and the fan became a comic book retailer. I wanted more out of life and joined the San Diego Police Department in my mid-20s. I retired after a 20-year stint and returned to comic book collecting and retailing as a full-time job. I re-entered that world wide-eyed, but was shocked to see how much corruption and scamming took place in my hobby. I conveniently found that my legal skills borne from police work gave me the tools to help victims of the flagrant rip-offs happening everyday in the comic book world. I've worked with crime victims and police departments to solve comic book-related crimes and recover stolen comics for the victims. The Forensic Comicologist is both a play on words and a proper description of the science of collecting comic books. To add credence to my book I spend a few chapters delving into the history of comics, coupled with the history of collecting those comics. I include relevance to explain why some comics are popular and others are not. My book is a tutorial on how to collect wisely and reduce risks. I've included colorful anecdotes and memoirs from fan-friends of mine. The job of my book is to de-mystify comic book collecting for novices and explain why things are the way they are.