I think I am going to start collecting comic books, just need to learn a bit about them first
I collected as a kid. My favorite comicbook or comic magazine was called Lobo. 
I know The first modern comic book, Famous Funnies, was released in the U.S. in 1933 
I thought it dated back to 18th century Japan and 1830s Europe
The term comic book derives from American comic books once being a compilation of comic strips of a humorous tone
Do you prefer books that focus on the page size or panel position?
Page size for sure and I read that the largest comic book market is Japan.
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook, also called comic magazine or simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are often accompanied by descriptive prose and written narrative, usually, dialog contained in word balloons emblematic of the comics art form. Although some origins in 18th century Japan, comic books were first popularized in the United States and the United Kingdom during the 1930s. The first modern comic book, "Famous Funnies", was released
my childhood was eaten up by comic books and television. My skepticism was first tweaked by Superman... I was most interested in Superman’s ability to fly. Just how did he do that? How did he actually make himself fly? Did the act of putting his fist forward make him fly? Or did he just think about it and lift off the ground? Did he have some localized mental control over gravity? I wanted to know; I wanted to understand."
His favorite comic hero, Spider-Man