Now that's MAGIC!

Screen grab from the BBC website.

The BBC are reporting that a bound collection of DC Thomson's pre-war Magic comic has sold for £15,600 at an auction. See here for the full article:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-tayside-central-30903799

While I'm pleased for the seller in gaining that amount I always think that the problem with such news reports is that they put the focus on monetary rather than artistic value. Naturally when comics do sell for high figures then it's news and worth reporting, but it would be good to have more of a balance.

The attitude I've often encountered over the years from non-collectors is that the only reason an adult would collect comics must be for financial investment. Some people just can't get their heads around any artistic or historical merit a comic could have. To some, if collectors buy comics and they're not for profit then those collectors must have arrested development. 

This way of thinking isn't entirely the public's fault of course. It's been encouraged by the media and its 'cash in your attic' mentality whilst at the same time hardly ever promoting comics as an art form or as socio-historical documents. It's the old adage about 'knowing the price of everything but the value of nothing'. If Britain respected comic art in the same way as France for example perhaps a more balanced attitude would be the result. 

I may be preaching to the converted here but if you have any opinion on this please leave a comment.