The end of an era

[khaosworks]

Today I come to a momentous decision: to cut down nearly all of my weekly comic book consumption. It is necessary for the following reasons:

a) It's expensive;
b) I no longer enjoy reading mainstream titles as much as I used to, and even the ones that are good are not that good - to the point where I'm not really going to miss them all that much; and
c) I better get used to not buying comic books at this quantity level if UGA ever gets off its butt and tells me that I've got that TA-ship and MA place.

I realized how much I didn't miss when I left for those two weeks in the UK and came back and saw what had accumulated. So, going over the list with a critical eye, none of the super-hero comics survived the cut, not even Avengers or JSA or even Black Panther. I'll continue with Cerebus until it finishes at #300, but aside from that I'm only going to keep buying a couple of independents, like KODT and Nodwick (even KODT is looking shaky).

These days I find myself buying trades more and more, like archive editions and the Ultimate Spider-Man trades which collect arcs and are more enjoyable to read that way. I also find myself reading web comics more and going back to the small press, independent titles (funny how things go in cycles - it was about 20 years ago that my consumption of indies went up, but back then I didn't give up on my mainstream comics) So nearly all the periodicals have been axed. Thankfully I'm not going cold turkey - I'll still be able to read them off the stands, but the buying and stockpiling shall cease.

Just thought people'd like to know. I haven't really stopped, but the scale back is still quite significant, for a guy who's been reading comics for nearly 30 years.

Someday I'll be back. Just not right now.

Comments

[sdelmonte]

Sorry to hear that our numbers are going to decline by one more, but not surprised. I know more than a few people who have also given up the weekly run. I don't like to say this out loud, but I am beginning to think that the "pamphlet" format is obsolete. It's pricey, and limits the form, and the increasing tendency to turn everything into TPBs makes the monthly pieces read badly.

That said, I find I'm still addicted to the super-hero comic, although I also only buy 10 comics a month. The weekly trip at lunch on Wednesday breaks up the week nicely, and I'm pretty much reading only things that I really like. I also haven't the patience to wait for TPBs (or the belief that most of what I'm reading will be collected). At the same time, the super-hero comic is not doing that well of late. The best books, IMHO, are less conventional things like Catwoman or Gotham Central or Captain Marvel, or by the same three or four writers. But I wouldn't miss what I like for anything. Or at least till the price goes up.

[khaosworks.livejournal.com]

Gotham Central is one of the comics that will survive the cut, and I don't consider it "super-hero", despite it being set in the DCU. I'm a fan of the police procedural, anyway, so that's a gimme.

[cadhla.livejournal.com]

I'm afraid that I'm going to be doing the same thing after I get home -- a resolution made worse by the fact that a) I'm unemployed and comics are a luxury, and b) I have six weeks of books that I have to pick up, according to my contract with my comic book store.

I intend to drop around 80% of my current titles, and just focus on TPBs and borrowing things from friends. Sigh. Depresses the hell out of me, but that's the way it goes, I guess.

[sdelmonte]

You could probably drop Y, Fables and Fantastic Four, as all will be likely be collected into TPBs for a while. Just a question of now or later, as I think the price will ultimately even out. (Even if DC pulled a fast one and sold a Fables TPB of the first story arc at a low price and with a new text story about Bigby.)

Interesting side note: my local libraries carry some TPBs. I've read a lot of good stuff for free that way, like Marvels, Terminal City, the Paul Jenkins Inhumans miniseries, and quite a few of Marvel's Essential reprint books. This alone makes the TPB revolution worth saluting, as comics get their rightful spot in the library.

[tarkrai.livejournal.com]

Been there, done that. Stopped for several years. Started. Realized the cash sink; and that I blew through a three dollar comic in less than 15 minutes; while a six dollar paperback would keep me occupied for a couple hours.

Damn, I've missed them sometimes.

But- Taking a closer look; the only monthly/semi-monthly comics I've felt have been *really* worth it lately are:

KODT (but had to stop... expensive habit.. ;))
Girl Genius (if you ain't reading this - OMG!!! GET IT!)
Vogelein (small indie by local Ann Arbor artist- 5 issue series. It's complete, and worth it)
Mage I and II (Keving Matchstick ROCKS) (yeah- both have completed their runs...)

ok. I shut up now... ;)

It's a quality issue

[osj.livejournal.com]

My comic-buying has dwindled due to gradual attrition...I probably buy less than five titles per month...DAREDEVIL, GLOBAL FREQUENCY, LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN, the new ASTRO CITY...that's about it.

I think it's a quality issue...there is no way we could've cut down on comics if stuff like DARK KNIGHT and WATCHMEN (which both came out around the same time) and SANDMAN was being done. But so much of today's comics have a been-there-done-that feel that there just isn't a need to get stuff anymore. Just re-read old favourites and pick up TPBs.