Comic Book Purists Shouldn’t Be Taken Seriously

 Let’s get this out of the way: comic book purists—the loudest, most rigid, gatekeeping voices in the hobby—are doing more harm than good, and the industry would lose absolutely nothing by ignoring them.

Purism in comics isn’t about preservation or history anymore. It’s about control.

The Myth of the “One True Way” to Collect

Purists love rules.
What counts.
What doesn’t.
What you’re “allowed” to like, collect, slab, read, or display.

But comics have never existed in a vacuum. The medium evolved through reinvention, reinterpretation, international editions, reprints, homages, facsimiles, and experimental formats. Pretending otherwise is historical illiteracy dressed up as superiority.

Facsimiles: The Dumbest Hill to Die On

The outrage over grading facsimiles is one of the most unserious arguments in the hobby.

No one—no one—is confusing a facsimile with an original first print.
They are clearly labeled.
They exist to be accessible.
They allow collectors to own iconic books without needing a second mortgage.

Grading a facsimile isn’t “destroying the hobby.”
It’s preserving interest in it.

If anything, facsimiles protect originals by reducing handling and demand pressure. Screaming about slabs on facsimiles is just performative outrage from people who need something to feel important about.

Foreign Editions: The Purists’ Biggest Blind Spot

The dismissal of Foreign Editions is where purists expose themselves completely.

Foreign Editions are not reprints in the dismissive sense they love to imply.
They are licensed, paid-for, country-specific editions, often with:

• Unique print runs

• Distinct cover stock

• Different color separations

• Cultural and historical context

• Entirely different market histories

Countries paid for publishing rights. They printed locally. They distributed locally. That makes them legitimate Editions, full stop.

Calling them “lesser” isn’t just wrong—it’s American-centric nonsense that ignores how global comics actually became global.

If anything, Foreign Editions represent the true expansion of comics as a medium beyond U.S. borders. Dismissing them is ignorance masquerading as expertise.

Grading Isn’t Validation—It’s Documentation

Another purist fantasy is that grading is about approval or status.

It isn’t.

Grading is documentation:

• Condition

• Authenticity

• Preservation

That’s it.

If someone wants a facsimile graded? Fine.
If someone wants a Foreign Edition slabbed? Fine.
If someone collects raw books in Mylar and never grades a thing? Also fine.

The hobby does not belong to purists. It belongs to collectors.

Gatekeeping Is Not Passion

The loudest purists often claim they’re protecting comics. They’re not.

They’re protecting:

• Their perceived authority

• Their shrinking definition of legitimacy

• Their discomfort with change

Comics survived the Golden Age, the Comics Code, the speculator crash, digital publishing, global markets, and modern diversification. They’ll survive facsimiles, Foreign Editions, and collectors who don’t ask permission.

Final Thought

Comics are not a religion.
There is no orthodoxy.
There is no sacred checklist.

If your enjoyment of comics depends on telling others they’re “doing it wrong,” you don’t love the medium—you love gatekeeping.

And that’s why comic book purists shouldn’t be taken seriously.