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Introduction

Tired of having the ugly white long boxes lying around taking space and making your collection look more like a cosmetic burden that detracts from the beauty of collecting comics rather than adding to the overall experience? VOLSTOR may save you. This product is designed to store on your bookshelf with attractive and colorful inserts that will make your collection look like it belongs on the shelf, as well as being a great way to protect them from damage in the long run.
The basic concept behind the VOLSTOR system is to be able to store your comics on a bookshelf in a nice plastic and vinyl storage system that also allows you to customize it with covers and inserts that will alert others as to what is in the case.

The will fit multiple bagged and boarded comic books and even graphic novels that will allow you to put whole runs together and keep them safe at the same time. From their website:

“The VOLSTOR story is a quite simple one actually. A desire to create a brand new and unique storage system for comics and magazines, and to give collectors an alternative from the only other two choices: long white box or short white box.”

Construction

The VOLSTOR comic case is made of a solid cardboard covered in black plastic vinyl. The cover and spine is also covered with a clear plastic insert that allows you to insert a printed piece of paper to showcase the contents. You can put a comic or even a bagged and boarded comic in the insert, but it was rather tight and when I put a bare comic in, one of the corners got creased. I would stick with something I printed myself and keep the comics inside.
The case is held together with a small round Velcro button that secures rather nicely and keeps the cover from flying open.

The sides of the spine that act as a hinge are made of the same durable vinyl that has been treated to make it more durable. It opened well, but was obviously reinforced for repeated use. The inner case is covered in the same black vinyl and there is a half circle cut out of the end where the comics go into the case, allowing easy access so you don’t have to shake the case to get them out.

Customization

One of the greatest things about the VOLSTOR case is that it allows you to decide what to show the world. Regular storage boxes are white cardboard boxes that seem out of place with the rest of your things. Not so with the VOSLTOR case. Being able to insert a printed piece of paper allows you to put any kind of display you want to show. The one they sent me had a cover from the Lucifer comic that had a wonderful look on the cover and spine. It really made it stand out as something that would be attractive and add to the décor of a room, rather than take away from it. There are lots of ways to secure images from comics, from getting them from publisher sites, to scanning in your favorites and printing them out. You could even design your own covers to insert into the display with the templates from the VOLSTOR website. This is one of the great strengths of the VOLSTOR system as I see it being able to enhance the storage experience, rather than taking away from it.

The Cost

Probably the only downside I can think of with this system is the cost. The case will add on around another dollar to fifty cents for each comic stored, depending on if you use both bags and boards. This can really add up with your comics if you have hundreds or thousands of comics in your collection.
That being said, the VOLSTOR case can really change the way to display your collection. I could see it being used to display the gems of your collection, out in the living room for all to see, without any negative repercussions, which is just not possible for most of us with the current cardboard storage boxes. Another idea would be to keep the ones you are most likely to want to read again close at hand and the case would also work very well for transportation to a convention or to loan to a friend. I’d probably approach using the VOLSTOR case this way and keeping the rest of the collection in that closet out of sight.

Vital Specs

The VOLSTOR comes in two main sizes that house current comics, with plans on releasing sizes for Magazine and Gold and Silver age comics.
CB-40
Cost: $9.95 (Be warned that prices may vary.)
Size: 7.68” wide, 1.5” deep, and 11.25" tall.
Capacity: 15 with bags and boards, 20 with just bags.

CB-80
Cost: $19.95 (Be warned that prices may vary.)
Size: 8.88" wide, 3” deep, and 11.25" tall.
Capacity: 26 with bags and boards, 30 with just bags.

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Heavyweight Durable Construction
• Compact Storage
• Fits On Existing Bookshelf
• Customizable

Cons

• Cost – Putting your entire collection in the cases will be very expensive.
• Limited availabilty. Here’s a list of stores that carry VOLSTOR cases.

In Conclusion

I really liked the VOLSTOR system. It is a great way to fit your collection into your current lifestyle in a way that allows you to showcase your comics in a way that will draw attention to them with the customizable inserts. I don’t know that I would think about converting your whole collection in one go as that might be to overwhelming. Just pick your favorite run and put them in a case or two and build up over time. In the end this a great addition to the way collectors can store their comic books.
Manufacturer's Site