Yo, ho, ho, pirates! I’m back with another edition of Comic Cave Makeover!
The last couple of weeks have been extremely busy. We moved in last weekend and have been hurriedly trying to get settled into the new place. There is still a ways to go, but we’re getting close. Thanks for your patience and your well-wishes as we’ve made the transition.
I actually already wrote this column once, but since I was bumming off a neighbor’s wi-fi signal, somehow it didn’t save, so after a few days of apathetic frustration, I decided to pump this one out.
Today, I want to talk about carpet. A while back, I asked you all what you would do with the floors to your very own Comic Cave. The overwhelming response was hardwood. I agree completely. Hardwood is the way to go, and is really what I would ultimately like to do in the Comic Cave. However, finances are the issue, and my wife and I had to make some crucial decisions. We did go hardwood on the downstairs. In fact, we pulled up the carpet to find awesome original heart pine floors underneath. We had those refinished and they look awesome. We also did the hallway upstairs with hardwood. But in the rooms upstairs, we chose carpet.
I actually like carpet. I’m not crazy about my feet feeling dirty all the time like they do downstairs (even though I’m well aware that carpet is actually much dirtier than hardwood). But it makes the room actually feel cozy, which is exactly what I’m going for.
We went with a neutral color of carpet because all the rooms are painted different colors. This carpet is called Wonderland Creme, if anyone is interested. Here are some shots of the finished product, the room with no carpet, and the room before we started remodeling.
So I’m really happy with the room thus far. I’m now in the process of figuring out how to arrange the furniture, and how to decorate the walls.
What do you do in your comic caves? Do you cover the wall in posters? Do you have framed art? Do you decorate with statues or action figures?
Here are some thoughts that I have for mine. Let me know what you think:
1. I have a ton of old Wizard Magazines that are collecting dust. I’d like to devote one wall to a mural of characters cut from those magazines.
2. I am an Episcopal priest (in between reading comics), so one wall will probably be devoted to some religious art. I have an old church sign I’d like to hang.
3. I’d love to invest in some original comic art. I’ve found some great sites, but those are quite an investment. I have some commissioned pieces from artist Otis Frampton that I’d like to get framed.
4. I would love to use a wall as a gallery for any art that Comicattack.net readers would like to send me (or copies). If you are so inclined, e-mail me, and I’ll hang your stuff and do an article about your work. Might be a cool way to get recognized. I plan on working on my own stuff more, and will hang it as well.
Also, feel free to post links to your Comic Cave ideas or your own comic caves in the comments below. We all would love to see what you’ve done to make your place unique to your style.
That’s it for now! Next time, I’ll be talking about moving in and will show you more pictures of the development of the room.
Click here to see how far the Cave has come!
Jeff Jackson
jeff@comicattack.net
Ah, my husband passed by while I was looking at this and started laughing. I had to explain to him the totally serious and complicated process behind creating the proper room like this. He just laughed at me. 🙁
@Kris- He isn’t a collector? For shame!
@Jeff- I think it looks great so far Jeff! I would definitely put up a ton of posters (even on the ceiling)!
I’d say all of the above, but original art should get first dibs always. Shelves are great to showcase the action figures and statues, but a fun collecting thing for you to do now is original art as you have a place to properly display it.
Cutting up Wizard magazines isn’t a bad idea, but can look pretty tacky. Maybe do this for the door? I just think it’d be awesome to showcase as much original art as you can collect over the coming years!!
I agree with Andy about the original art idea and if you have some go ahead and display those statues as well. Just remember to keep them out of direct sunlight and not to have too many bunched up together in one place.
the idea for the door though Andy would that go outside or inside of it?
Oh, I forgot I wanted to say…..
I decorate my comic boxes. Every time I go to the comic store, I grab all the new ad/promotional posters and postcard things. Then I tape them to the sides of the boxes.
Also, no, my hubbie is not a collector. I think he used to read comics; he doesn’t anymore. It’s just me. The only things he’s really into anymore are Dungeons and Dragons, Elder Scrolls, Fallout, Final Fantasy 8, me, and Civilization.
My daughter customizes all of my comic boxes since she was 1 lol She’s four now and a brand new white box is nothing but a canvas for her!
Jeff, those are all great decoration ideas for your Comic Cave. You can’t go wrong with any of them. ESPECIALLY shelves full of figures and statues! Just don’t bump the shelf or you have to set them all back up! Ha!
Kristin, I’m glad to see you were able to add yourself to that list. But is it in THAT order? Ha! 🙂
Speech, you can get your daughter to read comics? How’d you do it?! The only comics I can get my daughter to read (12 yr. old) are the GHOST WHISPERER comics. I’ve thought about getting some Spider-Girl trades and seeing how those went. Hmmm…
@Aron:
Well, it’s probably more like…. Dungeons and Dragons, me, then everything else. 🙂
BTW, have you tried giving your daughter the Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane comics?
Actually Aron I’m still reading to her lol but yeah she’s always seen me reading something. I always let her pick out a book (it always ends up being mickey mouse) when she comes with me to the LCS too
Kristin- Movin’ up in the list! Good for you! 🙂 No, I hadn’t thought about that one. I may try that too! Thanks! 🙂
Speech- Oh yeah? That’s awesome! I read some to my 4 year-old son. His favorite is Super Hero Squad. Especially the newer ones written by Todd Dezago. Those crack him up pretty good! 🙂
I have a combination of stuff on the walls of my comic room. I try to keep it tidy looking though, with display cases and laminated posters. There are action figures on the walls too, but those are my wife’s.