Welcome to one of the most rewarding, complex, and deeply personal hobbies in the world. Stepping into comic book collecting in 2026 can feel overwhelming, like trying to navigate an 80-year-old city with no map. But at its core, this hobby is a simple, powerful reflection of "who you are and who you want to be". It is a multifaceted pursuit driven by a psychology of discovery, nostalgia, investment, community, escapism, completionism, and personal identity.