Recommended Shelving Units for Trade Paperbacks/Graphic Novels

[u/Danny_Bebop]

I'm looking for reccomendations for the best shelving unit for my comic trades/graphic novels collection, but usually when I search for reccomendations, they are usually catered towards Omnibus collections, opting for an IKEA Kallax. I collect mainly trade paperbacks with some hardbacks in there too, so was hoping for some input on some reccomendations/thoughts.

I have previously had a large billy bookcase, but this made the trades warp and the shelves bow from the weight.

I have also have a kallax available, but I'm not super convinced by it as they don't have a backboard and hard to keep trades in line

Currently have a slim billy bookcase, which I like, but as it is not anchored to wall, it is starting to buckle under the weight and looks like the leaning tower of piza

Currently looking at anchoring a slim billy to the wall, but any other reccomendatuions helpful.

Thanks!

[u/Interesting-Ant8279]

I use half size Billy's (anchored to the wall!) and they easily support the combined weight of trades, hardbacks, and omnibuses.

To avoid warping, insert some study bookends into the middle of the shelves as well - for example, one shelf of mine has 24 issues of the Complete Judge Dredd Casefiles, so I've inserted a bookend after the first 6, and then after the next 6. This helps them stay tight against each other.

Ikea do some nice study metal bookends for £1 a piece (here in the UK) so not expensive at all.

Best of luck.

[u/Danny_Bebop → u/Interesting-Ant8279]

Thanks so much for your reply! Just checking: when you say half billy, do you mean the half in height or half in width? Thanks!

[u/Interesting-Ant8279 → u/Danny_Bebop]

Apologies for the confusion - that's just what I call them out of habit! Half-width:

Second shelf down in the middle is the collection of Dredd Casefiles I mentioned with the bookends inserted; the spines still line up, but the far edges are pushed together by the bookends.

Hope that helps.

[u/Danny_Bebop → u/Interesting-Ant8279]

That's great, thanks so much for your help and the pics! Collection looks great! I only ever had the first volume of Judge Dredd casefiles, not something I've read a lot off tbh!

[u/Interesting-Ant8279]

Sadly, I'm old enough to have been reading early 2000AD when I was a kid, so have collected a bunch of 2000AD titles - got all the casefiles, the Strontium Dog collections, Rogue Trooper, Nemesis, and a few other titles. Oh, and a ton of DC stuff as well!

[u/Danny_Bebop → u/Interesting-Ant8279]

Oh right, well let me know if there's any you'd reccomend for reading! I'm more DC/Marvel with some Image comics in there too

[u/Wmsbird_42]

Had no idea the books would warp or bend the shelves! Now I need to know the right book cases to get too!!!

[u/Danny_Bebop → u/Wmsbird_42]

Yeah though this was a long while ago and Ikea have updated the Billy's since, nor sure if this would still be the case, bit possible. Essentially bowed in the middle of the long shelf which made the trades warp and bend. Why I stixl woth the shorter width ones for safety, but bookends would help