A Call to Arms...Join Jamie D's Revolution!

JamieD

Hello all, some of you may have listened to my call to arms in boycotting the Big 2 and their events and unwanted revamps and putting your money and time in other companies. I would like to start this thread as a way to join, give your reasons you want to join, and give some suggestions as to where to go for good alternative comics, I dont want this to turn into a Big 2 bitch fest, there are enough of those threads already, This is a positive revolution at its heart and I want to keep it this way, I want to enjoy and love this medium and I need your help!

Flagwaver

You're just now catching up with me. I dropped Marvel in 2007 after Civil War and dropped DC in 2011 after Flashpoint. After supporting these companies for over 30 years, I decided not to support the changes they were making by not giving them my money. Had you told me ten years ago that I would stop buying DC and Marvel books completely, I would have said you were crazy. I now focus on the G.I.JOE books from IDW, the pulp and ERB related books from Dynamite and on all those Bronze and Copper Age books I did not get.

Chuck_Melville

I'm almost there, but not yet. I'm using the upcoming 3-D cover orgy to drop most of the DC titles I'd been following, but I'm still hanging onto a handful -- mostly the non-New52 continuity titles that are digital first. (And Astro City, which is Vertigo.)

But I haven't hit that level of bile with Marvel yet, because, for the most part, I'm enjoying the few crossovers I've been getting there.

luckymustard

After this Forever Evil month/event I might reduce my pull list to just Batman (main title) and Detective. I may pick up an issue of something else off the rack every now and then, and I'll also get digital DC too. I haven't "bought" a new Marvel issue for at least a couple years. I read Hawkeye #1 and need to look for the collected HC or TPB at my library.

Oh, and what about imprints? I'll keep on my pull list non-big 2 stuff, but also Vertigo.

fredzilla

The only regular big two books I get anymore are Superior Spider-Man, Daredevil, and Batman. I absolutely refuse to buy into anymore events. I'll buy my regular books because I'm interested in the character, even though they may cross over into the occasional event. However, I will not buy the event. I finally read Avengers vs. X-Men after getting it from the library and was completely underwhelmed. I mean, sure it was cool in parts, but when the dust cleared all I could think was, "so what?" I now get a lot of digital books, but I refuse to purchase them for more than $0.99. If I have to wait, so be it.

I'm digging the heck outta Amelia Cole. It's a digital book that's only 8 issues in an they're only $0.99 each.

CaptShazam

Image is putting out some great stuff and I am happy to spend my money with them.

There are still a handful of big 2 titles i am getting but it is in trade only and if the crossover title is not in the trade I normally get, I am not going out of my way to get it. No special events for the time until some trust is rebuilt.

CaptShazam

I would say the best thing is to stop buying things from a collector's mentality. Just buy things that are actually good and that you enjoy. Maybe take a month or two off from buying stuff and catch up on the to be read piles and see what is still worth the money.

Mr_Cosmic

Can't I just like it all? I'm a sucker for the big events but I love some indepentant titles too. I've been reading Age of Ultron and books like Saga. I've been paying the Big 2 for their books and supporting Kickstarter projects. There is so much out there to buy and support that I don't think we need a call to boycott anybody. Besides, terms like boycott and revolution are used when the end game is a forced change. I'm sorry but books like Infinity will outsell Daredevil..always..no matter what goes on here.

Do I understand the frustration with the events? Sure. However I'm a fan of the Marvel Universe..I'm invested in it. I've been buying their books for over 20 years. I've watched characters "die" and others reborn. City blocks destroyed and alien invasions. The ocean has risen up and drowned coasts..and yet through it all nothing has ever really changed. The characters and places always revert to the status quo. A sorry ending to an event is par for the course. I know this and still throw my money at them because I love the universe..if I didn't I would have quit a LONG time ago.

WetRats

I've been avoiding crossovers for some time now.

The dog's breakfast* that was the Earth-Krypton War or whatever they called it was the end for me.

OTOH: Marvel Now seems to be providing some good non-crossovery series, so I'm not dropping Hawk-guy anytime soon.


*Hah! Thanks, @kiwijase!

kiwijase

WetRats said:

I've been avoiding crossovers for some time now.

The dog's breakfast* that was the Earth-Krypton War or whatever they called it was the end for me.

OTOH: Marvel Now seems to be providing some good non-crossovery series, so I'm not dropping Hawk-guy anytime soon.


*Hah! Thanks, @kiwijase!

Well done sir!

batlaw

I dont have huge problems with events. if they appeal to me I get what I want or not. I dont have a problem with marvel. I get what i get while I like it an drop it when i dont. I get Iron man, Capt, Winter Soldier, DD and occasional Punisher or event / mini series books. Dc is where I still buy stuff habitually (Batman and Det). Im almost down to just those titles now. Ive dropped so much DC the last couple years its not funny and im actually ready to say screw it and drop even the bats for various reasons. Im ready to drop nightwing, JL and GL.

[Deleted User]

Dropped DC at Countdown to Final Crisis - Dropped Marvel before that (War of the Kings, or something to that effect). Just read old stuff, now or the occasional trade paperback.

RedRight88

I just don't make the money to afford that many comics. I mainly read Pvp, Table Titans, and Penny Arcade...because they are free.

grannygeekness

I just hate spending money on things that I can't get excited about. So I've turned into a serial Kickstarter backer.

John_Steed

Got no reason to join the "revolution" - was never part of the "establishment" :P

phansford

While I haven't purchased a new comic since 2008, I certainly understand this sentiment. The last few years of my buying I was constantly on the lookout for stuff outside the Big2. If you look up the phrase "running in place", there's a group picture of all the DC and Marvel heroes. :))

The problem is most of that other stuff consists of mini-series, short-lived series, and one-shots. After a while it becomes exhausting. You can't really purchase those types of titles on a regular basis from an on-line pull list. It is hard to buy lesser marketed stuff you can't preview with your own eyes. The books just aren't ordered in large quantities and you find yourself trying to find "back issues". You need to have a really strong LCS who carries a lot of alternative publishers. The quality of the work is hit or miss...... there's a reason many of these "creators" are not at the Big2 or selling a lot of books.

I found more joy in buying TPB's of older stuff. Westerns, Ditko sci-fi reprints, EC reprints and the like. I started reading comic strip reprints (Terry & the Pirates, Steve Canyon, Dick Tracy, The Spirit Archives)

I also found myself buying a lot of older silver and bronze stuff to read. Such as Jim Aparo's Spectre run in Adventure Comics. Or Jack Kirby's run of the Losers in Our Fighting Forces. Those short runs are fairly easy to put together. Good reads..... and you really don't care about grade as much when you're looking for reader copies. This approach allowed me to continue reading and enjoying great comics by great creators.

Good luck with the Revolution. While I am not buying comics anymore - you have my moral support.

Chuck_Melville

It's hard to have a revolution when nobody's really fighting anyway...

RickM

I suppose I've been part of this revolution for about 3-4 years without realizing it. I buy series like Fables, Ex Machina, old back issues and non-cape material like Blankets, Persepolis, Road to Perdition, and so on. I'm now going back and reading/buying Brubaker's Cap run (which I didn't read at the time). Does that undermine the battle against the Big Two? If so, okay. I won't give them all my dollars, but then again I will buy their products that are superior.

JamieD

Chuck_Melville said:

It's hard to have a revolution when nobody's really fighting anyway...

Who says you gotta fight, revolutions can just happen over time by changing habits and places you put your money....the occasional ball kicking would be nice but other then that I aint fighting, just changing

Greg

I'm in the same boat as @Mr. Cosmic. I'm also a hypocrite because with all the bitching I do about Marvel's pricing and shipping, I still help feed the beast but I'm trying to do better with that. I used to get about a dozen 3.99 Marvel titles a month and I'm down to four, so that's progress and I have been putting the money into indy books or into another hobby.

Torchsong

CaptShazam said:

I would say the best thing is to stop buying things from a collector's mentality. Just buy things that are actually good and that you enjoy. Maybe take a month or two off from buying stuff and catch up on the to be read piles and see what is still worth the money.

I've also got to back up Mr. Cosmic's POV, because that's pretty much where I stand. While admittedly a lot of DC books have been pap, I won't throw the baby (Wonder Woman and Aquaman's books) out with the bathwater.

About three years back I stopped buying DC or Marvel in single issues. DC called my bluff with the New 52, and Marvel with Marvel Now. Unfortunately, now I'm back to just trades again for both companies. Or maybe that's fortunately. :)

Kickstarter is my new bitch, as is that fabled back section of the Previews catalog. Not to mention manga which is finally getting licensed titles out there for older readers to enjoy.

Chuck_Melville

JamieD said:

Chuck_Melville said:

It's hard to have a revolution when nobody's really fighting anyway...

Who says you gotta fight, revolutions can just happen over time by changing habits and places you put your money....the occasional ball kicking would be nice but other then that I aint fighting, just changing

Actually, I was commenting on the fact that it would seem that the revolution is already won... at least, here among the forum users. Pretty much every commenter here appears to have already changed their reading habits so far as the big two and the crossover events. Even myself, though I'm halfway-in and halfway-out. The revolution appears to be already won -- here, at least -- and you're singing to the choir.

JamieD

Chuck_Melville said:

JamieD said:

Chuck_Melville said:

It's hard to have a revolution when nobody's really fighting anyway...

Who says you gotta fight, revolutions can just happen over time by changing habits and places you put your money....the occasional ball kicking would be nice but other then that I aint fighting, just changing

Actually, I was commenting on the fact that it would seem that the revolution is already won... at least, here among the forum users. Pretty much every commenter here appears to have already changed their reading habits so far as the big two and the crossover events. Even myself, though I'm halfway-in and halfway-out. The revolution appears to be already won -- here, at least -- and you're singing to the choir.

Gotcha

phansford

Can we call the Revolution "The Comic Geek Speak Spring"? :)

SolitaireRose

I have been reading Indy books since I first stepped foot inside a comic shop in the summer of 1982 and discovered Pacific Comics, First Comics and Elfquest. Mainstream Big Two books have gone up and down. In the mid 90's, I think I was down to three Marvel books, and currently, I'm down to about 5 DC books. Big events have been a part of super-hero books since Secret Wars (which was crap....go back and re-read it now without all of the nostalgia and realize that nothing changed at the end), and if you aren't having fun with the super-hero soap operas, step off, read other stuff and ENJOY your comics.

Me? I'm excited about what's coming at Marvel. Infinity and the buildup in the Avengers is exciting, the idea that time travel has finally broken things and the other threads pulling together are fun for me. If they aren't fun for you...well, that's fine. I don't care for things that other fans like, but the whole idea of "Burn it all down!" while singing "Do you hear the people sing?" from Les Miz? I did that back with Age of Apocalypse (which was also a big crappy crossover that changed nothing at the end) and I learned to drop what I don't like, read what I do and not worry about things.

fxmatt

I enjoy some of the current Marvel/DC titles but don't like the majority. On the other side there is some killer Indy titles but to be honest I've been burned a lot there too. I can't say I would go to just one side or the other, for me the whole indy vs Big 2 is a mixed bag and will continue to be.

Matt

@Jamie_D, do you need me to handle your wetwork in THIS venture, too?!

M

Chuck_Melville

SolitaireRose said:

I have been reading Indy books since I first stepped foot inside a comic shop in the summer of 1982 and discovered Pacific Comics, First Comics and Elfquest. Mainstream Big Two books have gone up and down. In the mid 90's, I think I was down to three Marvel books, and currently, I'm down to about 5 DC books. Big events have been a part of super-hero books since Secret Wars (which was crap....go back and re-read it now without all of the nostalgia and realize that nothing changed at the end), and if you aren't having fun with the super-hero soap operas, step off, read other stuff and ENJOY your comics.

Me? I'm excited about what's coming at Marvel. Infinity and the buildup in the Avengers is exciting, the idea that time travel has finally broken things and the other threads pulling together are fun for me. If they aren't fun for you...well, that's fine. I don't care for things that other fans like, but the whole idea of "Burn it all down!" while singing "Do you hear the people sing?" from Les Miz? I did that back with Age of Apocalypse (which was also a big crappy crossover that changed nothing at the end) and I learned to drop what I don't like, read what I do and not worry about things.

I don't quite agree with the expectation that any big crossover should have to change things by the time it wraps up. Returning to whatever status quo existed at the beginning is an acceptable finish, and most of the time that's all I really expect. (In fact, given how things have changed in some cases -- the New 52 at the end of Flashpoint as an example -- change is not necessarily a desirable goal.) Most of the time, it's not the destination but the journey that's interesting.

RedRight88

Matt said:

@Jamie_D, do you need me to handle your wetwork in THIS venture, too?!

M

Yes, your first mission: Find the next Wes Welker b-(

fredzilla

Chuck_Melville said:

I don't quite agree with the expectation that any big crossover should have to change things by the time it wraps up. Returning to whatever status quo existed at the beginning is an acceptable finish, and most of the time that's all I really expect. (In fact, given how things have changed in some cases -- the New 52 at the end of Flashpoint as an example -- change is not necessarily a desirable goal. Most of the time, it's not the destination but the journey that's interesting.

I agree totally with you on this. However, the problem with many of the events--and particularly with Marvel--is that they're billed as universe or character altering by event end and they rarely live up to that promise. I don't mind characters evolving. One of my favorite books right now is Superior Spider-Man. I haven't liked everything they've done with Spider-Man since BND, but a lot of what has been done has been fun.

I think part of it is also a mental change that has happened with me. I have come to understand that serialized characters are there to make the company money and if you change things too much, then you risk losing the fan base that pays your check. The changes that have happened in SSM may be drastic, but I know that eventually the events will be reconciled and I'll get my Amazing Spider-Man back.

The other nice thing about SSM is that the events of Amazing Spider-Man, leading up to issue #700, stayed within that title. There was no company-wide crossover, and there were no multiple Spider titles to spread the story through. The events were just part of the story and nothing more. Any hype I heard was from Dan Slott, the writer, and the hype he gave seemed to be spot on.

Torchsong

To be fair - Secret Wars did give us a few things by the end:

- Spidey's black costume, which eventually became Venom
- Titania's origin - she's been a fairly consistent She-Hulk baddie ever since, and gets mentioned by Crusher "Absorbing Man" Creel more than once
- The breakup of Colossus and Shadowcat (per a Jim Shooter edict, IIRC)

Nothing huge...but not insignficant, either.