Anyone else have a hard time reading the older stuff

Curious if this just a problem I have. I only read the more recent comics, usually stuff released in the last 10-15 years or so. Only because I find that the older comics from the 70, 80s, and parts of the 90s haven’t aged well, imo, in terms of art style or dialogue.

For instance, I own a copy of “The Breaking of the Bat”. This comic isn’t terribly old; it was released in '93. I find it somewhat jarring to get through just because of the artwork alone. It’s weird considering this book I am a 90s kid- this book released only two years after I was born- so I’ve been exposed to this art style before. However, I didn’t get into comics until eight years ago and looked to the more recent stuff instead of going back a few decades. I couldn’t even get through the Teen Titans books they had up here because the old art and writing just wasn’t doing it for me. Anything prior to the 80s, I won’t even consider looking at.

Is it just me that has this problem?

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It’s not just you.

I can’t seem to handle anything pre-1990s. I couldn’t get through Teen Titans either. I respect the deep lore of many DC characters, and how many of these earlier comics are considered classics. Some of the story lines do seem very interesting. But the artwork does nothing for me and the dialog can be just plain uncomfortable.

I’d much rather study a brilliant Jim Lee full-page illustration than the primitive Silver Age style comic panels. And it makes me feel like less of a comic fan for it.
:frowning:

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I love all comics, @Truth_of_Pisces, but I can see where you are coming from. I compare it to playing a game on a PS4 then going back to the Snes, while the game is fun it doesn’t look the prettiest. I am sure there are many who feel the same!

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See I am a bit the opposite. I enjoy the style and art of older comics. I was born around when Crisis was starting, so it isn’t because I grew up on them. Sometimes we just prefer a certain style or type of story they told during a certain era. I don’t like the hyper-stylized present day comics. I like them for escapism and the older ones seem to be more about that for me. We all have our preferences though. I like the more light-hearted nature to the older comics. The less continuity heaviness. They seem to have more of a playfulness about then than currently .

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I love the old silver age comics, but they are a major pain in the butt to read some times, so i can understand why you wouldn’t like older comics.

I can pretty much read only 1 or 2 silver age / golden age comics a day, but can bing threw a whole modern day graphic novel like its nothing, because of the writing & art, although the 90s stuff doesn’t phase me for some reason, but the 80s does slow my reading speed down some what just not has bad has silver & golden age books.

I enjoy comics from the silver age onwards. I can appreciate golden age comics for their historic value but I don’t really enjoy reading them very much.

If you want a bit of a experiment, go read Comic Cavalcade #1 (1942). Not the whole ninety pages, just the second story. I think it is called Red, White and Blue. It is a pretty cool story with the dissapearing ink stuff, but the art. You might think I am kidding but the style of some of those panels opened my eyes and had me claiming “1942? Really!?”. It is not the computer aided stuff we have now. It is lovingly drawn-by-hand art. Consider yourselves challegend.

I love comics both old and new. I can still enjoy stuff from the 40’s but yeah, most stuff through history hasn’t aged well and so I get issues some people have

I’m fine with material from any era.

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I feel the same as @Truth_of_Pisces. I force myself to read some of the old stuff (say, pre late '90s) just for the lore aspect but its tuff. The art and dialogue just dont do it for me.

Whenever I read/watch something from another time period, I try to act like people in that period.

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Whenever I read/watch something from another time period, I try to act like people in that period.

Hey I love comics old and new and while it’s true some haven’t aged well, like some old movies or tv shows there’s always going to be some stand out periods. I know I find some recent comics (like some new 52) that IMO are garbage. It can also be fun to see a bit of history too. Check out Dennis O’Neal/Neal Adams issues of Batman or Green Lantern (early 1970’s era). Or mid to late 1970’s Justice League (issues 185-200).

I get what you’re saying Truth. I love the older comics myself but there are definitely times when I find myself needing to be in a particular mindset to read them.