Books you are close to dropping but never do
mphil
Posts: 448
Are there any books that you get every month, wind up at the bottom of your reading stack, always think about dropping but then never do? I have a couple:
FBP: I never remember what the storyline is, never really look forward to reading it, yet when I do I always enjoy the issue itself. That being said I am finally dropping it just because I cannot remember what is happening and that is a problem.
Batman '66: This one I've turned around on. For a while it felt like a fun book that I didn't really need. But every time there is a Jeff Parker issue he hits it out of the park. I was close to dropping for a while and hung on just because I wanted to have a complete collection. But lately I've really enjoyed the issues and am going to stick with it.
FBP: I never remember what the storyline is, never really look forward to reading it, yet when I do I always enjoy the issue itself. That being said I am finally dropping it just because I cannot remember what is happening and that is a problem.
Batman '66: This one I've turned around on. For a while it felt like a fun book that I didn't really need. But every time there is a Jeff Parker issue he hits it out of the park. I was close to dropping for a while and hung on just because I wanted to have a complete collection. But lately I've really enjoyed the issues and am going to stick with it.
Comments
You'd mentioned Batman 66' - I get that one in HC trade format because I have a slavish devotion to the series. I think as long as DC keeps making it I'll keep buying it.
Supergirl is the same way. I was never a big fan of New 52 Kara, but I ended up buying her books anyhow. I've been a Supergirl fan since I was in diapers and crawling on all fours (but enough about what I did last week!) (Figured I'd beat David D. to the punchline!) :)
Shazam is another one - put him in the book, I'll pick it up.
Anything else I usually have no problem dropping - even manga series that cease to deliver the goods can get dumped with no problem.
Never dropping titles and continuing to buy out of habit used to be a BIG problem for me. Books that had lost their lustre always had the potential of regaining their former glory even though the former creative team had moved on, and the new one just wasn't cutting it.
Now that I have overcome the problem, and I have no remorse dropping a title that isn't living up to my standards, I feel liberated. I am really enjoying what I'm buying/reading.
Kick those under-performing books to the curb! You can always check back in with them in a couple of months, and if they look good again, then you can go back and pick up the issues you missed. Funny books cost too much these days, and there is too much great material competing for your dollars to be stuck spending on dead weight.
;)
Currently, I don't waste my time with books I don't really enjoy. My list has dwindled over the last year, and after Secret Wars I think I'm just going to cut out singles entirely unless Marvel goes back to a 2.99 price point on more of its line.
But the biggie for me is the current Conan The Avenger from Dark Horse. I am a die-hard Conan fan (if there are others here aside from Chris Eberle, fist bump to you all). I've been feeling pretty worn out on the book for a while and I still pick it up every month hoping it gets better.. That's been the case for a pretty solid 4+ years now and it's pretty out of character for me- usually I will drop a book well before that if I'm feeling indifferent about it.
Fred Van Lente is on the book currently- Van Lente is a writer I've enjoyed before but when Brian Ching isn't on art I've found the art taking me right out of things.. I can't quite put my finger on it but the stories have left me pretty cold too. He's developed some other characters around Conan for his arcs but IMO hasn't developed them enough in a way that intrigues me or makes me care for them one way or the other.
Before that- I had high hopes but thought the Brian Wood run was just OK.. it was very much an opportunity missed IMO. There were some really great issues and seeing the Belit saga with some new twists again with some of the great artists that were on that book at the time was exciting. However, there were some major character moments with Conan (and Belit for that matter) during that run that just rang SO false to me that I found it extremely frustrating. There were rotating artists as well- for half of that run it was totally amazing (Cloonan, Harren, Azaceta, Mirko Kolac, I may be forgetting another). But the other half was absolutely the other end of the spectrum- totally not my thing.. and that took me out of the book for those arcs. Definitely rode the ups and downs for that run.
Your mileage may vary- I know Chris Eberle has spoke highly of Wood's & Van Lente's Conan. (side note: need to figure out the geeks' handles so I can properly @mention them here)
Before that was Conan Road of Kings with Roy Thomas returning for a year, with an artist I can't remember (and didn't particularly like).. As much as I love Roy Thomas (and his reputation for writing Conan shouldn't be diminished in the least by this), it was pretty average.
I've hung on because I do love the character and Dark Horse did such amazing work for the first 75 issues they published with him- with Busiek/Nord and Truman/Giorello. Those runs were fantastic. But I've hung on with a few ups, more downs in the last 4 years and I'm realizing that I probably ought to consider giving it a bit of a break.. always hard if you really love a character and have been getting a book for a long time.
And Chris is @wildpigcomics
New52 Supergirl was among them.