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Post by G on Oct 1, 2011 10:49:15 GMT -5
I've done enough negativity about comics in the past year or two where I've bitched enough to make myself sick. I'm finding this to be a self fulfilling prophecy. You bitch about comics enough, you'll eventually start hating them. And I'm someone who truly loves comics and have since I was a kid in the 1970s. I truly don't want to hate comics. I want to have reasons to like them and I want to keep collecting them. But I've been having a time figuring out the reasons why I want to keep collecting. I've done built up a big enough list not to in my mind and I don't want to rehash that here but I need a list of reasons why I should continue to buy. I know every time I post something negative on most comic message boards I am met with some response that I am way off base and its me with the problem. So I'm going to post it here and hope I get some responses.....
What is good about comics these days? Give me your best.....
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Post by defiant1 on Oct 1, 2011 12:58:19 GMT -5
I've done enough negativity about comics in the past year or two where I've bitched enough to make myself sick. I'm finding this to be a self fulfilling prophecy. You bitch about comics enough, you'll eventually start hating them. And I'm someone who truly loves comics and have since I was a kid in the 1970s. I truly don't want to hate comics. I want to have reasons to like them and I want to keep collecting them. But I've been having a time figuring out the reasons why I want to keep collecting. I've done built up a big enough list not to in my mind and I don't want to rehash that here but I need a list of reasons why I should continue to buy. I know every time I post something negative on most comic message boards I am met with some response that I am way off base and its me with the problem. So I'm going to post it here and hope I get some responses..... What is good about comics these days? Give me your best..... I don't hate comics in general. I hate buying long boxes of comics to find 3 that I like. I hate buying a good series just to see it immediately canceled. I hate that comics are overall so shallow that there is no likelihood that much will ever be worth the money you put into them. Reasons to buy Comics: 1) You want a hobby 2) You like them 3)you want something to read That's all it really takes. If you want to focus on comics that have a potential to be worth more: 4) Established back issue keys (the big ones) retain and increase in value 5) Peer Pressure (you want to conform) Reasons not to buy comics. 1) They are a huge disappointment (cancellations, inconsistent quality etc.) 2) You've outgrown them (not enough inspiring work in them) 3) They cost too much (not a great enough value) and other things are more desirable. Too much trouble/expense to find what you really want 4) They take up too much space (and content is available online for free) 5) Peer Pressure (You don't care about conforming) Quitting is right for me now. I don't think it's necessarily right for you. I may buy select back issues again some day. If a consistent quality creative team under a new publisher that I believed in came to exist, I'd definitely consider buying their product. I'm not going to go buy comics every month just to sample them and cross my fingers that the value was will be worth it. I did that from 1996 to 2000 and I have a lot of crap to show for it. My expectations are more specific now. I won't say higher, but they are more specific. df1 |
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Post by G on Oct 2, 2011 10:54:16 GMT -5
Great post!
I think I have a few of those characteristics from both sides and they seem to be in constant battle. I tend to get into comics and start buying a lot of things and then I discover I haven't actually appreciated what I have purchased. I try and be as selective as possible and do a little research and look at creative teams and publishers and track records and so on as well as read the synopsis of the upcoming issue but even with all of that in mind, I still feel like its a crapshoot. I still end up getting more comics I don't like than I do. I had such a bad run of it this past year that I finally decided I needed to stop. I needed to take a break from it and rethink what I wanted to buy again. It felt so negative that I almost feel like I need to quit new comics entirely, but really what I need is a way for me to be even more selective and sure that I'm truly buying things I want and will appreciate once I have them in my hands at my house.
I decided that I will start with returning to selective back issues. Even there I have to be selective. I want it to meet criteria. I either want it to fill in gaps in some large collections I have that I want to move closer to completing or I want it to have some importance or significance. I want it to have some value. I want it to have potential to retain its value and even be a true investment. To be honest, some of my favorite moments in comics is not so much the new issues, its when I get a gem of a back issue, especially in outstanding shape and even moreso if at a fantastic price. That's when the juices of comic collecting really get going for me. This typically has an affect on me with newer comics. The more I get into my back issues the more I want to keep up with what is going on with new comics.
I find new comics to be something too vast and something constantly leaving me behind. I've been trying to work my way into knowing what's going on. Some people would come here from time to time like Azbatx or bigW and know what was going on with new comics like they've kept up for years. Years ago I used to be just like this. I could tell you what was going on with new comics and I could easily pick out what new comics were going to be hot and worth money. I've completely lost that touch. In fact I've struggled just to know what's going on in most cases. Even after buying new comics for nearly 2 years straight, I found myself with more questions than answers.
A part of me believes that comics have made itself too complicated for the new user to jump right in and know what is going on right away. This to me is a major weakness and just one reason why comics fails with new readers. You can't have major crossovers and events if the readers don't understand whats going on in the first place. Only the die hard enthusiasts get it. The rest are left scratching their heads. This is one area I think comics can learn from the past and where they can ease off on what they are doing. I don't agree with the directions they have taken but often when I express these feelings I am told it is me that needs to update my feelings and get with the program. I'm not sure how I really feel about this. So for the time being I am regressing and going back to my basic roots and hoping the cycle regenerates my interest and I do a better job when it comes to new comics should I get myself back to them. If the problem is me, I want to fix it. I'm not so sure I am the problem but I'm not so sure I'm not. In any event, I am at a period of reevaluation. I'm pretty sure I'll work my way back full circle eventually and hopefully do a better job once I get there.
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Post by cyberstrike on Oct 2, 2011 20:41:26 GMT -5
The variety of titles, concepts, creators, and companies.
The price. Even at $4 for a single issue, it's still in a lot aways the cheapest form of entertainment out there.
Most comics are just escapist fun.
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Post by G on Oct 3, 2011 20:19:28 GMT -5
The variety of titles, concepts, creators, and companies. The price. Even at $4 for a single issue, it's still in a lot aways the cheapest form of entertainment out there. Most comics are just escapist fun. The trick is finding a good escape, otherwise its throwing nearly a fiver down the drain. It can be done, it just seems a bit harder these days. |
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