OK - after reviewing the problem William linked above - I found the issue - .ini files are somehow corrupted. The selections are there, but they're not being read.
I renamed settings and preferences .ini and restarted ComicBase. Settings.ini was recreated, Preferences.ini was not. From there I renamed the fields and everything is back. Up higher I noted how my preference for backup location sometimes disappears. This is still happening even after I just did this so there appears to be an issue with how these files are handled. In my case preferences.ini does not appear to be used.
One other note: In Windows 10, the AppData folder is a hidden file. Because, you, know, Microsoft.
If anyone else is having this issue and wants to take a stab at it, I've attached a PDF showing what I did.
ComicBase ini Files.pdf