Author Topic: Comic Book Thread  (Read 135934 times)

Offline Diddly

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Re: Comic Book Thread
« Reply #480 on: September 18, 2017, 03:06 PM »
I've dropped down to only Star Wars. Just the main series plus whatever else I feel like getting. I used to be a completist but there's so much now and a lot of it is uninteresting.

I had also been buying Walking Dead and Amazing Spider-Man but wasn't actually reading them, so I stopped buying them.
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Offline Brian

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Re: Comic Book Thread
« Reply #481 on: September 18, 2017, 06:04 PM »
Looks like I'm not the only one cutting down then 🙂. A couple of my friends locally quit entirely as well, citing that if they picked up only one or two it would be too easy to backslide. I should probably cut down even further, and may be headed there eventually. It is just so much pricier than it used to be, and adds up fast.

Offline JediJman

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Re: Comic Book Thread
« Reply #482 on: September 19, 2017, 10:21 AM »
It is more expensive, but I'd counter that I have a lot more disposable income these days too.  Beyond increasing wages, I'm buying a lot less toys with each passing year.  Comics take up very little space as well, so neither of those are big factors for me.  I just don't like what they're doing with the characters and stories.  The continuity is all shot to hell at Marvel (and DC from what I hear), and there's too much emphasis on "look at the big spread picture we drew" versus " think about the interesting twists and relationships in the stories we're building."  When I look back on some of favorite comics, it wasn't the art that blew me away, it was the story.  Stark losing everything due to alcoholism, Pym's insecurities causing the birth of Ultron and getting him kicked off the team, Hawkeye & Cap's debates about what's best for the team, the weird love triangle with Scarlet Witch, Wonderman, and Vision.  I even really liked Rhodey taking over the Iron Man armor (gasp a Black Iron Man!), but now that's all they can come up with.  Loki's reborn as a woman, then as a kid.  Iron Man goes on a crusade to prevent anyone from using his tech...except a black college girl.  Cap was a secret agent for Hydra all these years.  Thor's a chick.  Wolverine's a chick.  Hawkeye's a chick.   It's so utterly disappointing when they could be doing so much more. 
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Offline Diddly

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Re: Comic Book Thread
« Reply #483 on: September 19, 2017, 10:38 AM »
Don't forget the huge emphasis on the big events like Secret Wars II that are truly terrible
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Offline BillCable

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Re: Comic Book Thread
« Reply #484 on: September 19, 2017, 12:22 PM »
I spend $30-40 per month on comics.  Punisher.  Jessica Jones.  She-Hulk (new series is pretty blah).  Iron Heart (actually quite good).  Pretty much anything Mark Millar releases.  Shaolin Cowboy (brilliant artwork).
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Offline Brian

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Re: Comic Book Thread
« Reply #485 on: September 19, 2017, 05:52 PM »
I've been going back and revisiting some early 80s comics, and it is just surprising how much more there us to them, reading-wise. Sure seems to take a lot longer to get through them than it does with many modern books. Not that I dint enjoy the modern books, I do, but there is definitely a difference.

Offline Dave

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Re: Comic Book Thread
« Reply #486 on: September 19, 2017, 06:40 PM »
I've had my Star Wars comics stacking up lately and going unread, and as a result have considered stopping my subscription service for these.  Its not a huge amount of money, and not a huge amount of space, but I'm not sure why I still get them.

I think half the problem is that I've grown frustrated with "how comics work".  Maybe this worked better in the past, maybe I'm just getting old, maybe I've got too much other stuff going on, but I don't think they've changed their model in the 45+ years I've been alive. 

I don't like getting a monthly story snippet that is part of a larger story arc that I last read 30+ days ago and won't read again for 30+ days.  Nobody reads a novel a couple chapters a month taking six months to finish it.  I think I would be much happier about reading comics if they could move from a monthly model to a quarterly larger bound story arc where they would combine four normal monthly issues in to one larger "book".  You could still string these together to have a continuing title, but I grow frustrated with reading the stories in small bites. 

TV and cable doesn't work this way - Game of Thrones doesn't show one episode a month on HBO.  They build them all up and show them back to back for two months.  I feel comics need to move to this model as my attention span can't handle the way they've continue to operate.

Offline Phrubruh

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Re: Comic Book Thread
« Reply #487 on: September 20, 2017, 09:50 AM »
I agree. The monthly stories really don't advance the plot very much. By the time you get the next issue, you forget what is happening. If they were an hour long tv show, one book would be about four minutes before a month long commercial. There just isn't much content in each book.
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Offline Brian

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Re: Comic Book Thread
« Reply #488 on: November 7, 2017, 09:56 AM »
A bit of a surprise this morning, as it has been announced (and confirmed) that Brian Michael Bendis is leaving Marvel and signing an exclusive deal with DC. Curious what he will be working on.

Offline Qui-Gon Jim

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Re: Comic Book Thread
« Reply #489 on: November 12, 2017, 12:12 PM »
Reminds me of when WCW snatched away WWE’s head writer.

It isn’t just the writing that draws the fans in.  The characters play a huge role.

Offline Brian

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Re: Comic Book Thread
« Reply #490 on: March 7, 2018, 02:37 PM »
Anyone reading comics these days? I know I recently I cut my subscription down by about 2/3 or more, with the combination of saving money and lack of space being a big factor. I've also starting reading some things digitally, which saves on space. Here's my current list:

Star Wars
Darth Vader
Amazing Spider-Man
Captain America
Daredevil
Marvel Two in One
X-Men Gold
Flash
Batman

I'm also reading the Infinity Countdown stuff, and will pick up the Guardians of the Galaxy comic if/when it returns. Checked out the first issue of Thrawn as well, and caught up on Runaways digitally. Plan on getting the new Avengers book when it restarts in a couple months since they are returning to a more classic cast with Cap, Thor, Iron Man, and Black Panther.

Offline JediJman

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Re: Comic Book Thread
« Reply #491 on: March 14, 2018, 09:52 PM »
I quit cold turkey a few months back and really haven't missed it much.  Walking Dead is the only thing I still grab, and that's only if I happen to be near the comic shop every few months.  The Marvel stuff had me disliking their overall brand less and less, moving all the heroes to other sexes, races, or making them evil...poor storytelling versus what I remember from the 80s and 90s.  It wasn't worth keeping my sub for just a few books, so Star Wars and Transformers lost out too.   :-\
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Offline Diddly

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Re: Comic Book Thread
« Reply #492 on: March 20, 2018, 06:44 PM »
Just reading Star Wars (main series) and the occasional spinoff line. I have a sub for Amazing Spider-Man, but apparently that's ending again after Issue 800 ::)
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Offline evenflow

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Re: Comic Book Thread
« Reply #493 on: March 22, 2018, 12:47 PM »
Have not picked a comic in years. I just picked up the Thanos trade paperbacks for the newer series from 2017. Really enjoying it. Will probably try to pick up the other issues since its a newer run.
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Offline Brian

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Re: Comic Book Thread
« Reply #494 on: August 1, 2018, 02:41 PM »
Anybody reading these days? I'm continuing to cut back here and there, but I'm starting to wonder if I shouldn't just drop it down to Spidey and Star Wars. The kiddo is getting to that more expensive age between sports, band, contacts and now braces, so....much like toys....it might be getting to a more bare bones time with the non essentials. I don't think I'd ever stop Amazing Spidey (unless they got rid if Peter Parker), that one has basically been continued my entire life. I really enjoy Star Wars as well. Although I still enjoy them, I should maybe drop the rest. Easier said than done. Here's my current list:

Star Wars
Darth Vader
Amazing Spider-Man
Fantastic Four (soon)
Avengers
Captain America
Justice League
Batman
The Flash