Part of the reason I started Chasing Amazing was because I felt the site filled a niche on the blogosphere that was otherwise unfilled – a site dedicated to the passion of collecting comic books that also delves a little bit into the mindset of what possess someone to “collect.” While there are scores of excellent comic book sites out there that talk about current issues and old, industry news, artwork, etc., finding material about collecting that wasn’t buried in message forums was harder to come by.

That’s why I’m happy to share with you a couple of other blogs out there that I recently discovered that are in a similar vein as mine. Over at Comic Book Daily’s “Whoever Holds This Hammer” blog, Anthony Falcone has great premise that puts my “quest” to shame. Similar to the blogger who made himself famous for trading a red paper clip for a house, Falcone is looking to trade his way up to the holy grail of Marvel comic books, Amazing Fantasy #15, the first appearance of Spider-Man. Falcone is already well on his way, having recently traded two X-Men comics that featured the first appearance Juggernaut, for a super key book, Incredible Hulk #181, the first appearance of Marvel superstar Wolverine. I’m going to watch this blog carefully, as I would love to see what it’s going to take for him to nab AF #15.

On the other side of the pond, Gavin in the UK is citing Chasing Amazing as one of the sites inspiring him to go on his own quest – the quest to collect every issue of Batman. His site is aptly named, “The Batman Quest.”  He’s got a tall order in front of him, as the Caped Crusader’s adventures date back to the 1940s, which means those issues are going to be particularly tough to track down (and afford). I don’t envy him. But more power to him if he can do it. Because it would unquestionably be a more impressive feat than my Spider-Man quest. And I’m obviously flattered that he mentioned CA as an influence. Personally, the more sites that are out there that are passionate meditations on collecting, the better.

Of course, in a post like this, I’d be remiss in not mentioning a source of influence for Chasing Amazing. While he doesn’t deal with comic books, Josh Wilker’s Cardboard Gods blog about his childhood baseball card collection is really one of the best written sites you can find. Wilker’s posts are about more than just cards – each card is a transformative trip for him, as it conjures up specific memories and emotions about his life. I definitely base my approach on my “Remembrance of Comics Past” posts on what Wilker has put forward on his site. His book, also called Cardboard Gods, was just a fantastic read. Wilker has led a fascinating life and his ability to conceptualize his tale around his baseball card collection is one of those brilliant ideas that just make me green with envy.