Comic Collector Software

BobBretall · Post by **BobBretall** » Wed Dec 10, 2008 1:13 pm

Skyhawke wrote:Because this thread gets a bump in it once in awhile, I think one of the things we need to put in our discussion is the criteria we are looking for when it comes to storing information about our collection. It would help us recommend websites/software and talk about the pros and cons of any of them.

I need to track the following (at a minimum):

* Comic Title
* Issue #
* Quantity
* Condition
* Where it is stored (this is a custom field I added in Comic Base, & is the Box # the book is in).

In general, I like the software to have pre-existing knowledge about the titles so I don't have to enter them in myself. Ideally, the software knows (for any given title name):

* When it was published (month/year)
* Cover Price
* Writer(s)
* Artist(s)
-- Cover Image (nice to have, but not critical)

The software also needs to be EASY TO USE!

* Should not have to take that much time to enter in an issue.
-- ComicBase's UPC scanning ability is ideal for this
* Being able to enter a run of issues in one shot
* Software needs to run fast. I don't want to wait around to get replies to my mouse-clicks. This is an issue with some on-line solutions.
* EDIT(thanks to IanG): Database needs to be stored on my machine, not externally on a web-site (so I can backup independently, and also so I can use if not connected to the internet.

Things like price guide value of an issue are really not something I need from my collection software, since I tend to go by Overstreet values, and software that I have seen tends to have some "home-brewed" valuation (like ComicBase's Atomic Avenue info)

EXTRA REQUIREMENTS:
* The database needs to be able to handle a LARGE amount of data. I now have > 50,000 comics and my database is pretty huge. Not every program is going to scale for usage by someone like me.

IanG · Post by **IanG** » Wed Dec 10, 2008 1:39 pm

I agree with Bob on all of the above points but my comic collection software has to work on a Mac. I don't want to have to open it in Windows emulation or have to restart in Windows using Boot Camp. I want the database to be stored on my local hard drive and not through a website.

The cover art is important to me. I think that is what makes using the comic collection software more fun for me. The cover art image doesn't have to be large though, certainly not full size, maybe 1/4 size.

BobBretall · Post by **BobBretall** » Wed Dec 10, 2008 1:49 pm

IanG wrote:I want the database to be stored on my local hard drive and not through a website.

This is an excellent point. I agree with this one, and it's a must have. I'm editing this into my post above.....

Frank Castle · Post by **Frank Castle** » Wed Dec 10, 2008 2:04 pm

It took some doing but I got all my books (covers too) into bookapedia then transfered them to the iPhone. Now when at a sale I can just flip thru to see if I have a certain issue. I'm toying with the idea of doing a want list with cover images, it would help when looking for variants or Turner covers!!

Just Bill · Post by **Just Bill** » Wed Dec 10, 2008 2:04 pm

I want a database to track the title, issues number, publication date, purchase date, cover price, price paid and physical location primarily, with the ability to classify as "wanted" "in collection" or "for sale" somewhere. Then the ability to print out simple lists, or export to a handheld device of some sort. And performance... I don't want to wait around for the program to open or close, or sort data, search, etc.

That's the barebones necessity.

The second tier requirements:

*Creator and character appearances.
*The program should have (or have the ability to download) at least a skeleton amount of data, if not complete data including the characters and creators.
*The ability to track cross-overs.
* Cover scan field, if not already providing the scans.
* Customizable fields to add and track data that perhaps the creators of the program had not thought of... like for example the Average Net Press Run information.
* Somewhere to store personal information on a particular comic, like whether or not it was a birthday present or something.
*The ability to track pre-ordered items including order # and shop, with the ability to easily update the record when the book ships.

Uhm... and I guess the final thing would be to have the ability to export the data into a non-proprietary format like a csv file or something to I don't feel like I'm a slave to a single program forever should I feel like giving something else a go at some point. So I guess import/export as a single line item somewhere...

Just Bill · Post by **Just Bill** » Wed Dec 10, 2008 2:08 pm

BobBretall wrote: The software also needs to be EASY TO USE!
* Should not have to take that much time to enter in an issue.

Maybe I was using it wrong, but when I was testing the eval, I did not find that the scanner saved any time at all. At least not over simply checking a box and hitting download as with Collectorz.com.

Can you give me a run down on the specific steps you need to do in order to use the scanner? I don't really remember, I just have a vague memory that I found it to be a cloogy sort of process that didn't have much benefit overall.

BobBretall · Post by **BobBretall** » Wed Dec 10, 2008 3:48 pm

Just Bill wrote:
BobBretall wrote: The software also needs to be EASY TO USE!
* Should not have to take that much time to enter in an issue.

Maybe I was using it wrong, but when I was testing the eval, I did not find that the scanner saved any time at all. At least not over simply checking a box and hitting download as with Collectorz.com.

Can you give me a run down on the specific steps you need to do in order to use the scanner? I don't really remember, I just have a vague memory that I found it to be a cloogy sort of process that didn't have much benefit overall.

Maybe it has to do with how you are entering comics. I tend to read comics and toss them in a long box, when the long box is full, I want to enter them all into the database. Using the scanner, you zap each barcode, the issue gets entered, then you zap the next one. My wife has done an entire longbox in about 20 minutes. Compare this to 2-3 hours to enter a longbox of comics manually. YMMV, it is obviously quicker to enter comics that are in runs, etc.

I'm also no expert on how any of this might work on the eval copy, which I think is kind of a stripped-down crippled version of the software. I have only been using the full-on version for probably 6-7 years.

This also makes me think of another requirement that is not going to apply to everyone. The database needs to be able to handle a LARGE amount of data. I now have > 50,000 comics and my database is pretty huge. Not every program is going to scale for usage by someone like me.

Now, as to the specific steps, I have no idea. My sainted wife does all the data entry for me, but when I bought the barcode scanner (from the ComicBase folks), I seem to recall that she just followed the steps that came with it and was up and running fairly quickly.