As someone who grew up reading Archies Sonic the Hedgehog along with Manga and Fanfiction, I have to admit I don’t get the common gist from comic fans (Not anyone on here) that comics are not good these days/
I have gone and read recent stuff that was bashed and came out saying “You know what, I actually really liked that”. I do feel like it’s a generational thing.
I had a coworker at work that hasn’t read comics since the middle of the early 2000’s and thinks that the 90’s is the best decade of comics, something I strongly disagree with. This man is also 50 years old. Modern social issues just don’t apply to him, so why should he care, you know.
I feel like with a lot of you, These modern stories simply don’t speak to you, and I think it’s fair to say “You know what, I’ll pass”.
I didn’t like the announcement about the death of the Justice League, but when I thought about the new generation taking their place… I was shocked at how excited I got.
The idea that these characters can be give stories that’s not weighed down by years of history to respect, left me… exhilarated!
Happens with me in the opposite order . I read something, enjoy it, only to discover the bashing after (Bendis Superman, New 52). Or I read something, think it’s ok, only to discover folks are saying it’s the best thing since sliced bread (most things Venditti).
If that is what they’re going to do, I probably wouldn’t be that excited about it. I come to DC to get my fix of Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, etc. if they’re getting “replaced” with characters I don’t care as much about… well… Marvel, Image, and others have those in droves, you know?
Thinking about it , I doubt they would do that aggressively, I imagine that our main team will be lost somewhere and trying to find their way back, but I think they will have a series where the new kids have to be thrust further into the spotlight.
What they need to do is make an animated series, call it Justice League Future or something, to get cartoon watchers excited, I think they would take to this better.
Doomsday Clock was delayed because Gary Frank was sick and Johns only wanted to work with him on it. The delays did absolutely hurt the momentum of Rebirth though and by that point DC had allowed new writers to come in and do their own thing that ended up contradicting stuff that was being established. Bendis in particular had an impact on that with his big changes to the Legion.
It’s a shame because Rebirth seemed to be a steering of the ship for a while after the darkness of the New 52. I’m feeling that again with Infinite Frontier (although still no original Legion ), so hopefully they can keep it going this time.
I would say the best time to bow out is when youre reading it and you couldn’t care less what just happened. For me the first time I did was New 52. Didn’t think it was bad just not what I wanted for the most part, other than maybe Aquaman. Other than that I got back in with Rebirth but then have been cutting back since around the time Bendis took on Supes.
See that’s why I love the app, there’s no such thing as wasting my money. I get all the stories I can handle. If something just doesn’t work I can move on to decades nearly a centuries worth of other stories. No harm no foul, no having to skip something you want to give a try just cause it doesn’t fit into your budget. Being as there is soooo much to read, I don’t even mind being sixth months behind on current stuff.
I usually bow out of titles when they stop being of interest. Batman '89 started out well enough, but by the end of #3, I thought “Eh. Not into it anymore, so I’ll stop where I’m at.”
I’ve also dropped titles when I start exceeding my weekly budget for new singles ($30) on a consistent basis.
That works out though, because whatever I drop in new singles then goes onto become an eventual trade read, or something I’ll follow as it comes to DCUI.
This is an excellent point about Doomsday Clock. Everything it was setting up kind of happened before the final issue came out because of the delays.
Back when Johns and Frank were on Action Comics, it was exciting. My first taste of their delays came from Superman: Secret Origin. That final issue took forever. It’s only gotten worse ever since. Now, mind you, I love when they work together because they have a rhythm with each other you don’t see too often, but you also know any chance of them staying on schedule is slim to none.
For all the hype Doomsday Clock had when it came out, I started losing interest by the third issue.
I think it’s hard for people to come to terms with the fact that there’s only so many stories that can be told so many ways. It my love of the characters that keeps me going. All will go through the same ups and downs over the years. Rebooting or reberthing it’s all the same in the end. It’s my love for justice and family that keeps me reading Batman and family.
This is the beauty of a subscription service where we get titles 6 months after release. You can read it here and maybe you love it, maybe not, but the cost of DCUI doesn’t change.
As @millernumber1 and @Vroom said, when reading a book feels more like an obligation or a chore than a pleasure or entertainment it’s time to stop reading that book. Go find something else that intrigues you - lord knows there are plenty of options on here.
As a completionist I have a tough time bowing out of books. I’m also fairly new to comics (reader since 2016) so I’m still insatiable in my appetite to read these stories. I love the New 52 and am still going through it reading literally every issue in order but I get that a lot of people didn’t like it at all. Ok. To each their own.
Future State/Infinite Frontier was the first big event I’ve been a part of in real time and since it relaunched the DC universe I’ve read every book that DC has put out in the last year. For about 90% of the books I wait until they land here on DCUI to read them so I’m actually in June/July 2021 right now and there’s a couple of titles that I find tedious to read but, again, the completionist in me is not willing to skip them because I would hate for an event in that title to get referenced in a future book with an editors note and me not get the reference because I skipped that book. But if I was not literally reading every title every week it posts on here I’d definitely be skipping some of them.
The only book I remember giving up on was season two of Green Lantern by Grant Morrison. Season one was good but I found it dense and confusing and I’d have to read each book twice to feel like I truly got it. Season two started off and I was lost immediately so I put it down until I had more time to really dive into it and I simply haven’t gone back.
This thread is a great example of why I like this place so much. It’s ok to not love everything DC puts out and we can discuss it in a very civil, mature way that is respectful to all of us.
I definitely made a conscious choice about a decade ago to burn out the completionist impulse in myself. I make myself not finish a movie, book, or comic if I find myself either avoiding reading it, or intensely frustrated when I do read it. There are some factors - trust in a creative team, or knowledge that the ending is worthwhile from reviews or friends - that can make me perservere, but I think that I’m more likely to burn out rather than find joy in completionism.
I tend to be too much of a completionist with a lot of things. It’s different when it’s something like reading comics here or watching a TV series on a service I subscribe to, versus paying for a comic every week. I have had to cut back on my physical comic purchases just because I’m starting to run out of space. It also gives me more to look forward to, knowing I can read them digitally.
Absolutely. I’m overjoyed how, while we all may not agree with each other’s points, there hasn’t been any of the anger or vitriol you see anywhere else. We can all discuss stuff while respecting each other’s opinion. Can’t tell you how amazing that is to see.
@superby1: “Scattered and unfocused” storytelling, with hefty price tags attached is a good time to bail out on new titles.
I bowed out halfway through the New 52 when they had “biker Superman” going around beating up people, and Bat-Tick/Robo Gordon replacing Bruce (WTF?) I am just about done with current DC (and Marvel) because I don’t feel invested in these new takes on iconic characters. More power to the current creators if this is the way they see my Man of Steel and Creature of the Night (That was the way we referred to THE Batman in the late sixties and early seventies.) But it just ain’t my cup of tea. I fully realize that’s this old fossil’s problem. But when you look at current lagging sales figures for the “big two” (and we aren’t talking Bats or Spidey) maybe it’s time for some top-level publishing and editorial changes to steer these two wayward ships back on course? Just saying.
I started with one title (Green Lantern) in 2000, and gradually my pull list grew until I was reading around 20 titles a month. That number would rise and fall depending on cancellations, debuts, and my interest in a certain title.
In 2011 I decided to go all digital when the New 52 launched. As with before, the size of my pull list fluctuated. It definitely got smaller during that era, as there were more bad New 52 titles than good ones (in my opinion). Eventually, I was down to a handful of books. Rebirth got me excited about DC Comics again, but by that point my habits had changed and I was happier keeping to a small list of titles. Unfortunately, a lot of those got cancelled (R.I.P. New Super-Man) and eventually I found I was reading nothing.
So it wasn’t a decision I made to “jump off”, more of a slow process. Occasionally something like Young Animal would come along to pique my interest and I’d be reading new comics again, but by this point I had DC Universe and was spending most of my time revisiting series from the 2000s I’d loved or older ones I’d never gotten around to.
I’m now back to reading monthly comics on DC Universe Infinite. I was one of the few people who was really excited about the 5G rumours, so when Future State hit DC Universe Infinite I read all of it. Then Infinite Frontier came along, and it seemed like a good jumping on point (like Rebirth was). Now I’m reading Batman, Detective, Action, Superman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Lantern, Justice League, and a few others. I’m probably reading the most “new” comics I have since the Identity Crisis era.
I personally really dislike that particular youtuber - not philosophically, but personality wise. I think he tends to exaggerate, and I don’t share his taste at all.
I admit I’m a bit more Batman-focused than a lot of fans - I do writing and podcasts for a Batman website, but I don’t really find it work to keep up currently.
I don’t get it. If it’s “work” to read Batman…stop reading Batman. If DC needs to publish less Batman, they will have to do that. But no one is forcing you to get all of the Batman. And if you think you “need” to for some reason, that’s not DC’s fault.
), so hopefully they can keep it going this time.
It also gives me more to look forward to, knowing I can read them digitally.