The Great Comic Purge

[packerbacker180]

For as long as I can remember I'd usually buy at least 4+ comics a week. If I didn't have 4 in my pull that week I would usually pick up a random book or two if they seemed interesting. Then last spring something changed. Instead of going to the bookstore weekly I started going every two weeks. And that led to a few books getting cut. Then in August I just started going once a month, which meant I cut even more books. I went last week. That was the first time I'd been to my LCS in six weeks!

And you know what? I really didn't miss going. There wasn't a single book or storyline that got me so excited that I just couldn't wait a week for a title to come out. So I've decided to cut that list even more. Forever Evil? Gone. In fact, after Johns leaves Aquaman I'm just about done with DC. The only book I plan to continue is Batman, And the funniest thing is I'm not a Bat-fan. I never really read any Batbooks regularly outside of the Hush storyline. But Scott Snyder has really been the only DC writer who hasn't lost my interest. Justice League books? Too many, not a single one good regularly. Earth-2? Was okay, but for me it'll never be the JSA, just an Elseworlds title. And with Robinson's departure, I too shall leave.

So really here's what I'm looking as far as the few books that rarely make me feel like I wasted money:

Superior Spiderman
Avengers
Uncanny Avengers
Batman
Walking Dead

And that's it. Maybe I'll try Robinson's Marvel struff, but besides that I'm done. Bendis? Ugh, no. X-men? Too many books of subpar, convoluted stories and characters. And DC? Gave the New 52 a really fair chance, but they lost me. All the books besides Batman just feel soulless to me.

[Bo-rilla Grodd]

I dont blame you. I dont agree with you, but thats not the point. If you dont want to spend your hard earned money on comics that you dont enjoy, you have every right NOT to. I wish you luck in finding a solid title that speaks to you.

But, I have to say, there are plenty of books out there that have some "soul" to them. It is just a matter of looking. I'm not s#!t-ing on your opinion, I am just defending the comics that are out there that are really saying something. Also, there are plenty of titles that are just fun. The same 'Soulless" argument could be made for the marvel titles on your list.

[Avalon]

I might actually be growing out of some of the comics that I'm reading now. I feel like reading a lot of them is a chore. Still some good titles out there, though, that I'm liking. I think I'm just ready to retire most of the titles I'm on. I might actually get a few long boxes of older runs and read them through like I did at one point.

[secondwhiteline]

I've promoted it for ages, but Michel Fiffe's Copra is the only monthly book I still read. I've also been picking up the Gerard Way/Becky Cloonan Fabulous Killjoys mini, which has been fun. Reminds me that I need to check out Umbrella Academy at some point. I've also been meaning to check out Brandon Graham's Prophet, because I really like King City. But aside from all that, most of the stuff I've been interested in is self-published or small press stuff. Michael DeForge, Benjamin Marra, Chuck Forsman, guys like that.

[Webslinger]

I used to own a comic shop guys... that way of thinking makes me sad for the other shops out there and how they are losing their customer base. I may not have my store anymore but I still shop at my local comic shop.

[packerbacker180]

But, I have to say, there are plenty of books out there that have some "soul" to them. It is just a matter of looking. I'm not s#!t-ing on your opinion, I am just defending the comics that are out there that are really saying something. Also, there are plenty of titles that are just fun. The same 'Soulless" argument could be made for the marvel titles on your list.

I'm not picking Marvel over DC or anything. The thing is, I started to realize many books I was reading were more out of habit than anything. I wanted to like the Justice League, I wanted to enjoy Suicide Squad or Stormwatch. I just wasn't. And truth be told, I don't want to spend $3+ on 'fun books'. I want books that keep me interested and don't take three minutes to read.

The Superior Spiderman series has been hit or miss and I'm hoping Spider-Ock wraps up sooner or later, but I give Slott some leeway because he packs a whole lot of story into each issue. One issue of his book is the equivalent six issues of a Bendis book.

Hickman and Remeder just always seem to feel like they're striving for something different, something big. So many DC books jus feel like they're going over the same old ground while not trying to, and I guess that's part of relaunching a universe, but it's tiresome to me.

Walking Dead is kind of the exception. If I'm being honest it's not as good as it used to be. I actually avoided the comic for the first 90 issues or so but the TV series got me sucked in so I know if I were to drop it the show would just pull me back in.

But I grew up on Marvel and DC superheroes, so even though Image and other publishers might be putting out great stuf, it just doesn't attract me. I liked Fatale. It was pretty good. But after six or seven issues I just stopped caring. Same with Saga. I don't know, if I want to experience those types of stories (or non-superhero stories in general) I'll pick up a novel or go check out a movie.

I guess they're just shooting for he next generation of readers or something. I just can't get into books like I used to. Some of it has to do with price, but too many DC and Marvel books these last few years just got read in couple minutes and put into the read pile without really captivating me.

Guess I'm just rambling. Wasn't trying to offend or insult anyone or their favorite books. Just sharing my own experience.

[Skullmaster]

Hey packerbacker I am in a similar spot. I'm falling out of love with a lot of the series that I was buying before. I still go to my LCS to trace older issues so I haven't abandoned them completely and I think to some extent and you would probably know this Webslinger, is there a higher profit margin on the long boxes? I think a lot of shops buy them at 10 cents an issue or a quarter or something so I think I'm still supporting in that way but I am just having a hard time with some of the new comics and this is the case with Wolverine and the X-Men, Deadpool and even the FF throwback material.

I am also finding the same with the DC Universe. I read the Forever Evil material and the JL and also JLDark but yeah the issues are a quick read although I do find some of the subject matter interesting, it doesn't feel like an episode, more like a short. Surprisingly I do like All-Star Western but I feel like I did when I was getting out of the Archie TMNT when they started do the Don & Leatherhead side comics that read in 5 seconds with a cliffhanger at the end. It was like reading a Captain Crunch comic ad where he fights the Soggies. lol. I like stuff like that sometimes but when I pay for a full comic, especially with money tight, I have some more expectations that haven't been met lately. I'm not done with comics, not by a longshot, but I'm going to lay low until I get a shout out for something from someone to try something again. Since getting into comics, I've taken short breaks before and there's a lot of catch up reading I need to do anyway.

[secondwhiteline]

But I grew up on Marvel and DC superheroes, so even though Image and other publishers might be putting out great stuf, it just doesn't attract me. I liked Fatale. It was pretty good. But after six or seven issues I just stopped caring. Same with Saga. I don't know, if I want to experience those types of stories (or non-superhero stories in general) I'll pick up a novel or go check out a movie.

I guess they're just shooting for he next generation of readers or something. I just can't get into books like I used to. Some of it has to do with price, but too many DC and Marvel books these last few years just got read in couple minutes and put into the read pile without really captivating me.

Well, if they're shooting for a new generation of readers, they're doing it wrong. But the most important thing here is the sentence I italicized - the comics being produced now largely don't give you anything other forms of entertainment don't provide, and often more effectively. Very few comics today use the strengths of the medium. Most just feel like some dude's unsold TV pilot or movie pitch. I like reading stuff that feels like it can only be a comic book.

[packerbacker180]

I don't want it to look like I'm just reading the big name characters even though that's what it kind of looks like. I just feel like Snyder, Hickman, Remender, and Slott put out the most consistently solid stories out there. Johns used to be great, but lately his stuff feels tired. Not sure if it's having more responsibilities or writing too many books, but Johns stories lost a lot of magic these last few years.

[beastovjudgement]

I am in nearly 100% agreement. The one difference is, I have stopped buying monthly comics entirely, even abandoning the last few select titles. Over a year ago, when I started saving for my wedding, I dropped monthly comics as a way to cut back expenses. I had not been enjoying them as much for a few years, so it was not a hard decision. My intention was to eventually pick up where I left off with trade paperbacks, the format I prefer anyway. However, when I had the opportunity to pick some up cheap, I realized I did not miss them at all, even the titles I dropped in mid-story. I realized I had been buying out of habit for a long time, wasting hundreds of dollars on a hobby which no longer appealed to me out of some sort of loyalty to the medium. I still occasionally look at the books, and every time, I am unimpressed. There are a very few I will finish in trade, such as Locke and Key, and some of Garth Ennis's stuff. I think I am entirely burned out on superhero books, although I still like a lot of the older ones. I think Brian Bendis may well be the catalyst for my comic book apostasy. I grew up with the Marvel Universe, and Bendis's appropriation of the entire thing, and his arbitrary changing of so many characters' personalities, was a huge contributor to my growing disinterest. The last Marvel or DC book I really enjoyed was Secret Warriors. Hickman's Avengers work looks pretty good, but doesn't grab me enough to want to spend the money. The thing is, I am reading more novels than ever these days, and the difference in storytelling quality and value for money is enormous. I gave up comics the first time in the early 1990's, and came back in 2002. This time, I don't think I will be back.