How important are comics to you?

[babyblob]

Since this is a comic book site and we are all fans here I wanted to see just how important comics were to you all. Is it a passion or just a hobby?

For me comics are very important. I had a rough childhood and rocky times with my dad. Archie comics what i started with brought us closer together and helped me escape for a bit.
As I grew older I didnt really read them. But when I went to prison i got back into it. My cellmate had a couple graphic novels and my mom bought a few for me and had them mailed in. They helped me escape a bad time in my life.

Now they help me again. I am a caretaker for my disabled father and have a mental health disorder of my own. Comics help me get through When I am super depressed comics bring me back up. When I am stressed at my dad being sick comics help me through it. When I am manic comics calm me down and even me out. I know i go overboard with it. This may make me sound like a loser but I spend pretty much all of my free time reading comics. Depending on my mood or how my dad is doing this gives me 10-11 hours on some days to read comics. Minus the times I am helping my dad. Some days I dont read any. But most days I find myself reading 15-20 issues a day. Some times more then that. I know its not super healthy to throw myself into my hobby to this extreme but it really does help me. I have a friend who has a larger collection then me so he shares his comics with me, that and the online sites like Dc Universe and Marvel Unlimited help me make sure I have lots to read.
So as you can see comics are a huge part of my life. maybe too huge. But I couldnt picture my life without them.

So how important are comics in your world?

[WillieMorgan]

It's definitely more of a hobby than a passion for me. I've always had an issue with some of the more anally obsessive fanboys out there and their sense of perpetual self-entitlement. I don't want to ever end up like that and have found that that fear has always kept me in check. I hope so anyway.

It's a much cherished hobby though. I took about a decade off from comics starting from the mid 1990's. My affection for the characters and lore remained though and I always imagined one day returning to the hobby. I'd have the occasional dream of buying books in non-existent comic shops and eventually decided to turn these dreams into reality and start reading again. I was pleasantly surprised to find the standard of stories and artwork much higher than I'd remembered the first time around. I've never looked back.

I don't live and breathe comics 24/7 either. I also enjoy football (soccer), history, rock music and quizzing (I'm part of a team that represents my local pub in a regionally organised pub-quiz league). Having other hobbies is healthy for me.

[Kirby101]

Comics have been an integral and important part of my life since I was 15. 50 years later. I just love the medium.
I am happy you have them for a refuge tbaron. I think there are so many less healthy pasttimes you could fall into.

[TriggerWarning]

For a long time, 35 years of my life, they were very important. I quit buying monthlies about four years ago after Secret Wars at Marvel as that felt like a good jumping off point. I've found I don't miss them. I still read the occasional older comics on Marvel Unlimited but I'm thinking of quitting that soon.

[Dirty Frank]

Because work and personal commitments take up so much of my time, I don’t read as many comics as I would like. These days I buy graphic novels and collected editions. On average, I get through one of these a week. Sometimes more, sometimes less. If I have a day to myself I can spend many happy hours reading comic books. Comics help me to relax and take my mind away from the stresses of everyday life.

[Javasaurus]

Comics have pretty much etched a lasting place in my heart. In general, I love to read; and comics are what paved the way for that when I was a kid. I have to admit that I have been on and off again over my lifetime. There have been times when life got in the way; and I had to take an occasional hiatus from reading or collecting. But I always seemed to drift back.

Since I have a family, these days I have to be mindful of a monthly budget and be very selective about what I buy. I'm also trying to find a balance between digital and physical comics. But I don't ever intend to give up comics willingly. As long as I have eyesight and the ability to read, I'm planning to stay with it on some level.

[Riv86672]

I had a very screwed up childhood, so, growing up they were an escape, and very important to me.
On a scale from 1-10, i’d say about 1,000,000 in importance.

Things are way better now, but, I still can’t imagine life without them!

[CaptCleghorn]

Comics were and are very important to me. They are a big part of my life and through them I've learned aspects of creativity and business I may not have without that outlet. They are a means for escapist fantasy. They also allow for a creative outlet. They have introduced me to others with the same hobby and those connections have been very important to me.

I consider myself a Wednesday Warrior and a superhero fankid. My son likes to go to comic book movies with me so he can hear me out-geek others in the audience. I have a super-hero name on a comic book message board for crying out loud. But they are also what they are. They're a medium for entertainment and a way to spend disposable income. I've met people who have gotten into the business, some creatively and others on the business side. For these folks, comics are understandably more important than they are to me.

As for the "entitled fankid" mentality, I often express the opinion of what I want. I'm not sure where that line between expressing a like and being entitled is drawn. I do know that what I want (often expressed here) and what's best for the company may differ. Academically, my desires and the company's best interests are totally different and have very little effect on each other. I try not to say a company "should do or not do" but sometimes I fail. On occasion, I will cross that line. But it's with what I think of as good reason.

I suppose realistic fanboy describes me.

[superduperman]

I've been buying less and less of them lately just because they don't make a lot of stuff that interests me anymore. And the price doesn't help. I love them and will always be into them but I have to be a lot pickier about what I read these days. I've never gotten into things like video games just because they've become too complex for my interest so this is my hobby. I mostly get out of continuity stuff these days. So that should tell you where I'm at as far as liking what they're doing.

[DanMad1977]

I love that hobby. Everytime I visit a comic shop my heart beats faster. I am still excited.

[batnbreakfast]

Comics have been an integral and important part of my life since I was 15. 50 years later. I just love the medium.
I am happy you have them for a refuge tbaron. I think there are so many less healthy pasttimes you could fall into.

If I had never discovered the means of escapism reading offers I probably would be drinking heavily by now because of all the **** happening around me. Yay comics and thank you CBR

[babyblob]

I met woman about six months ago in my mental health support group. She was wearing a spideman tee shirt and I asked her if she was a fan. He said he loved the movies. I asked if she read the comics and she said she didnt know where to start. But that she was interested in starting. The two of us exchanged numbers and have been talking outside of the group for about four months. I let her borrow my Spiderman cd rom box set to see if she was interested in starting. She loved it and has read several issues. For her birthday last week I got her a year subscription to Marvel Unlimited and she has started reading the early stuff from the 60s like I am. We call each at the end of every day to talk about our reading for the day. It is really letting us bond. I am very happy to help someone into their way into the hobby and she said it really helps her stress and mood to read comics. I have made a new friend and I have comics to thank for that

[babyblob]

Just wanted to add another quick blurb. My friend and I have agreed to see the new Birds of Prey movie when it comes out. This is a huge step for the two of us as we both have a lot of issues and fear about leaving the house. To make sure we dont have any issues like a panic attack or anything my friend and her mom are also going.

[Enigma]

Reading books has always been my major source of escape and stability in life throughout my teens years, which were very rough with a couple of suicide attempts and a lovely little stay on a psychiatric ward. Now, at 26, they are my greatest refuge still. I only got into comics about 5 years ago but they are now a part of that 'reading' refuge.