Interest fading?

jkkeller914

So I have been a relatively die hard comic collector since I was about 8 years old (1977). Stopped buying sometime in the 90's, as I was starting out on my own and could not really afford the hobby. I remember one of the last comics I purchased being an Image/Valiant crossover that wasn't very good...

Picked through the comic display at a Books A Million in 1995 and found Age of Apocalypse Alpha, and I was immediately hooked again... briefly. I dropped comics altogether again in 1999 when my job took me on the road for almost two years.

A detour into a comic shop in 2004 brought me back into the hobby, stronger than ever before. Infinite Crisis was the culprit this time. Then, shortly afterwards I discovered CGS, DCBS, and comic binding. I felt there was NO WAY I would lose the excitement for the hobby again...

But, I kind of have. The New 52 hasn't grabbed my attention. Convergence doesn't seem to be much of anything. Marvel books that I have picked up have been hit or miss. And with all the line reboots, I find my passion dwindling. Newsarama released solicitations for May, and there were zero books from the big two that I felt I should buy. Never has that happened. I went to the local comic shop yesterday and picked up a few random issues, but it just felt as if I was reading the same old, same old...

I still plan on sticking with trades for Invincible and Walking Dead for the time being. I wonder if there will be something down the road that will bring me back again...

Any other long time fans feeling the same?

Mr_Cosmic

I can always find something to get excited about.

CageNarleigh

I'll reply to this in full later, but have you considered putting your dollars towards Indy titles rather than DC and Marvel? It sounds like your interest in COMICS isn't going away, just your interest in the big two.

If you don't already get PREVIEWS, I recommend getting it each month if you want to maintain your comics hobby outside of the big publishers. Marvel/DC/Image/Dark Horse/IDW get the online articles for upcoming solicitations of comics. Not the smaller indy publishers.

RickM

Yeah, I don't read much Marvel or DC anymore, but I still read comics.

jkkeller914

CageNarleigh said:

I'll reply to this in full later, but have you considered putting your dollars towards Indy titles rather than DC and Marvel? It sounds like your interest in COMICS isn't going away, just your interest in the big two..

I have read and collected a number of Indies as well. The 'new' Valiant Comics, Locke and Key, Walking Dead, Invincible. Was getting more when I was a more devoted listener to the CGS podcast.

I just find my excitement for comics fading. I do monthly purchases from DCBS. I also regularly order board games. And vinyl records for my music collection. Two of those three deliveries, I will stalk my UPS driver online to see where my delivery is. The comic box doesn't get that passion any more. And I dont know how I feel about that... comics have been a part of me for 35+ years!

LibraryBoy

Interest ebbs and flows. I think that's perfectly natural.

CaptShazam

Image has several books that I still am excited about. convergence and secret wars is pretty much the end for any new material from the big 2. I still get older material that is being released in trade but even that is starting to diminish as I have most of what I want.

Limited space (I do not want to go digital) and reading time is also playing a factor. I started tracking my reading last October. I have read 39 trades since then and have not made a dent. I estimate I have many years to go before I finish going through my collection so I am slowing down on the amount of new stuff I get so I can get through what I already have.

I can see myself stopping collecting as a whole in a year or two.

bamfbamf

i only buy on comixology nowadays and only when it's on sale and it comes out to 99 cents or lower per issue

kgforce

bamfbamf said:

i only buy on comixology nowadays and only when it's on sale and it comes out to 99 cents or lower per issue

I do the same. And I just recently signed up for Scribd, so I anticipate reading a LOT of comics that way.

bamfbamf

kgforce said:

bamfbamf said:

i only buy on comixology nowadays and only when it's on sale and it comes out to 99 cents or lower per issue

I do the same. And I just recently signed up for Scribd, so I anticipate reading a LOT of comics that way.

does scribd have Guided View like comixology?

kgforce

bamfbamf said:

kgforce said:

bamfbamf said:

i only buy on comixology nowadays and only when it's on sale and it comes out to 99 cents or lower per issue

I do the same. And I just recently signed up for Scribd, so I anticipate reading a LOT of comics that way.

does scribd have Guided View like comixology?

No. It's just the full panel and you can zoom in. Sometimes I like guided view, but more and more I prefer just seeing the page full size. So the lack of guided view is OK with me for now.

They have tons of comics from Valiant, IDW, Boom, Marvel, Top Shelf, and others.

Definitely worth giving it a shot for the free month trial.

kiwijase

Perhaps you should just take a sabbatical from comics, and focus on other interests. Check in on things in a year or so. Your passion may be renewed.

RepoMan

kiwijase said:

Perhaps you should just take a sabbatical from comics, and focus on other interests. Check in on things in a year or so. Your passion may be renewed.

Bingo! I fell out of comics mostly because of a job move and family obligations. And then when the New 52 hit I had to jump in - there was so much press on it, it was hard to ignore for this lapsed reader. So yes, taking a break could do great to recharge!

bralinator

RepoMan said:

kiwijase said:

Perhaps you should just take a sabbatical from comics, and focus on other interests. Check in on things in a year or so. Your passion may be renewed.

Bingo! I fell out of comics mostly because of a job move and family obligations. And then when the New 52 hit I had to jump in - there was so much press on it, it was hard to ignore for this lapsed reader. So yes, taking a break could do great to recharge!

Third-ed.

Matt

This reminds me of my buying habits. In the 80s, I was strictly a one character, Marvel guy. In the 90s, I was a one character guy, but one from each DC & Marvel. The early 00s, I was a one character DC guy. By the late 00s to day, I only read 1 Marvel chaRafter (though that's going to end very shortly) & read about 2-3 characters from Dynamite Entertainment.

I am trying Secret Wars because it got me on nostalgia, but I'm looking forward to going back to the $12 DCBS orders again. My interest has faded a little since CGS, but mostly due to available free time. If I was regularly spending $30 a month on comics, I'd probably go on a sabbatical. Truthfully, since I stopped reading my two favorite characters (Batman in the fall of 2006 & Spider-man starting at BND), I haven't seen/heard anything that made me want to jump back into it. Those are each my anchors into the Big Two. If I don't read my anchors, I basically don't read any of title from the company.

Plus, I have become somewhat jaded. I see events & shake ups for what they really are now.

M

TheHotWindBlowing

well Comic Book characters aren't real

it was only a matter of time before someone caught on

God bless the Jews

God bless Israel

Evening639

TheHotWindBlowing said:

well Comic Book characters aren't real

it was only a matter of time before someone caught on

God bless the Jews

God bless Israel

A bit non-traditional in format but this may be the greatest haiku ever written.

bralinator

TheHotWindBlowing said:

well Comic Book characters aren't real

it was only a matter of time before someone caught on

God bless the Jews

God bless Israel

Dear @David_D, I'm sticking to my guns.

RickM

That really escalated quickly.

David_D

TheHotWindBlowing said:

well Comic Book characters aren't real

it was only a matter of time before someone caught on

God bless the Jews

God bless Israel

Meaning what? What's the relevance here?

DoctorDoom

My interest fades usually after I've caught up on months worth of comics.

And then I let that pile build up again, and then my interest grows.......

SolitaireRose

I had to cut back due to financial concerns, and now am very happy with Marvel Unlimited and buying hardcovers and trades of other stuff. We live in a golden age of reprints, and ANY major story for the past can be bought quickly.

Star exploring! Read some ECs! Dig into the Warren Stuff! Go for the Image books by creators you've liked, their creator owned stuff is incredible! Dig into Marvel reprinting their off-type work like Weirdworld! When the mainstream doesn't work for you, it's time to explore!

kiwijase

My interest in this discussion is fading. How do I get it back? ;)

dubbat138

I have had my interest in modern comics fade away a few times. Outside of Walking Dead,Crossed,Crossed 100 and the 2 Archie horror comics I read nothing current. But I do love tracking down 80s and 90s indy series. Have you tried going back to previous decades and reading stuff from then?

Torchsong

Barring health issues, I can never see a day where I don't read a comic or at least want to read a comic.

With manga, classic reprints, the Big Two, the Entire Rest of the Previews Catalog, and numerous webcomics, I'm all set for the rest of my life.

BlueBullitt01

@jkkeller914 I think the issue you are facing is the age old moderation - "Too much of a good thing leads to spoil".

I would feel the way that you do if it were not for pushing myself out of my comfort zone and taking a chance. Breaking out of the rut allowed me to enjoy reading my usual titles. Listed below are some of the things I did.

1) I got a Marvel Unlimited annual membership (for like $90 during a special) and started reading characters or events that I had not previously. Yes you will start reading a series and decide its a dud but that's 'ok' because you can just move on to the next thing. Since you are paying a flat fee, there are no commitment/investment/guilt strings.

2) I started reading the new Valiant titles. I resisted reading them for fear of 90s PTSD but I can honestly say they are great. See if you can track down "The Valiant" (4 issues) or "Divinity" (4 issues) or "Bloodshot: Reborn" (1 issue so far). All have been very good.

3) Dark Circle Archie titles are awesome and totally buck the norm. Get a TPB of "Afterlife with Archie", read the "Chilling Adventures Sabrina" (only 2 issues in), or, stay with me, "The Black Hood" (3 issues in) for a change in pace.

4) Image titles with great non-superhero stories are a plenty. My current recommendations are "The Dying and The Dead" (2 issues in), "Invisible Republic" (2 issues in), and "Descender" (2 issues in).

TL;DR - Find something out of your zone. Get a Marvel Unlimited pass and read select Valiant, Dark Circle, and Image titles.

popestu

We have a soon to be one year old at home. My office became a baby room and my comics needed to go away. I have managed to make 13 or 14 short boxes become 5 or 6. My love of comics remains but I wasn't in love with most of what was coming out. When I realized that the more comics I had made it harder to enjoy my collection, it became easier to part with many of them. As I read I came to understand the power of nostalgia...alot of my favorite comics sucked. However, many do not. Now I am filling holes in the collection I am keeping and have started to reread these classic stories. I go to the comic shop to see what is new and hear the shop talk. I even leave with a few issues here and there. Seriously, maybe 4 or 5 new issues a month. I have focused my attention on specific parts of the hobby. I joined a few forums to continue enjoying the medium further. I am looking into binding certain runs and purchasing HC editions of others. All of my rambling is trying to say that I reevaluated what I like about comic reading and collecting. It has helped me not push away a part of my life that has been with me for decades.

Btw, any suggestions on where I can sell my unwanted books for store credit...ie: mycomicshop .com or something comparable? How about swap and trade sites? Thanks

bralinator

Ebay is a friend of mine...

popestu

Yes, a slow fickle friend with double-dipping fees. How do I list 1000 comics? Can I send that media mail? I have ebayed a few things but listing is a hassle.
I'd like to move the lot of them and be done with it; less profit but less hassle and time.
See, time really is money

BlueBullitt01

@popestu There is a great debate about if comics can be shipped by Media mail. I believe the post office says that Media Mail is for literature without ads. Since most comics have ads - they dont qualify. With that said, I see a lot of sellers on eBay ship them that method. I think the risk it the Post Office inspecting your package and getting nailed with the correct shipping fees and penalty.

If it were me, I would go to usps.com and order a bunch of medium or large flat rate boxes (boxes are free). I believe a medium box will hold about 75 bagged and boarded comics. A large will hold something like 100+. Break your collection of 1k into bulk lots of like comics and list with a low starting price. You should be able to sell them off without too much hassle - 10 or 12 listings and done.

Hope that helps.

popestu

@BlueBullitt01 thinks efficiently. That's a great way to look at the situation.
I'm aware of the media mail/comic book debate.
My coment was meant to be a joke . (Picture a funny version of 1k comics in a single box via media mail) .

Remember kids, its not funny if you need to explain it