How long does it take you to read a comic book (the avg 22 pages one)?

[Mister Mets]

5 minutes.

[Action Ace]

five to ten minutes

[SuperBeetle]

Between 15 - 20 minutes, more if the art is really good or if is the full of details kind of book.

[Kirby101]

20-30 minutes, if the art is particularly sumptuous, maybe a little longer. The new issue of Bryan Hitch's Real Heroes took me at least 30 minutes, because I lingered over each panel. Sandman Overtures probably takes me 45 minutes.
I love comic art and I need good stories AND good art for me to read.
I don't get people who take 5 minutes, are you even looking at the art or just reading the word balloons?

[galaxygnome]

I find that:


- The DC books I read (Flash, Detective Comics, Batgirl, Batwoman) take me about 10 minutes, some of the ones I used to read (JLA, Vibe, etc) took more like 5 minutes... Also reading Batman Eternal, which is a decidedly 5 minute book.

- The Marvel books I read (Ms. Marvel, Black Widow, She-Hulk, Punisher, Elektra, Daredevil) take me about 10-15 minutes, usually because I am a little more emotionally involved in the story or into the art. Hawkeye takes a solid 15.

- The indie books I read can take me anywhere between 15-25. For example, Veil is a 15 minute book for me, Lazarus is a 20-25 minute book, Sandman Overture is 25 minutes, Sex Criminals is a 25 minute book (especially with the laughs in the letters columns, it sometimes pushes up to 30), Velvet is a 20 minute book, Revival is a 15 minute book, Saga is a 25 minute book, Alex + Ada is a 15 minute book, Lumberjanes is a 15 minute book, Rat Queens is a 25 minute book (always soaking up the beautiful art), Princeless is a 25 minute book (pausing to laugh)... There are some outliers though - like Red Sonja is a 10 minute read.

Meanwhile I'm also re-reading all of David Mack's KABUKI series, and each issue can take me anywhere from 25-45 minutes to read because they are so dense and powerful. There is so much to look at and unpack, and I often find myself turning pages back and rereading as I go, etc. Just a really beautiful book to just soak up. So I take ages on it.


I also find I read slower when I read digitally. When I'm reading digitally, I like to take screen caps of my favorite panels as I go, so I'm probably a little bit more engaged with it there.

When I notice a book is only taking me 5 minutes to read, I try and drop it from my pull. Even if I like the series anyway, it's not worth the expense at that point. That's why I recently dropped Tomb Raider, for example.

[RockyBanks]

Sex Criminals is a 25 minute book (especially with the laughs in the letters columns, it sometimes pushes up to 30)

No kidding. Sex Criminals and Saga have the longest and most involved letters columns I've seen.

[Kirby101]

When I notice a book is only taking me 5 minutes to read, I try and drop it from my pull. Even if I like the series anyway, it's not worth the expense at that point. That's why I recently dropped Tomb Raider, for example.

That makes sense to me. Why would anyone buy and read a book that you spend only 5 minutes. It seems at that point they would only be looking for what happens and not involving themselves with the characters or art. What's the point? Is there any enjoyment in speeding through a comic in 5 minutes? That is less than 15 seconds a page.
I am not attacking anyone here for their reading style, I truly don't understand why spending so little time on a book is worthwhile.

[Pat Thomas]

That makes sense to me. Why would anyone buy and read a book that you spend only 5 minutes. It seems at that point they would only be looking for what happens and not involving themselves with the characters or art. What's the point? Is there any enjoyment in speeding through a comic in 5 minutes? That is less than 15 seconds a page.
I am not attacking anyone here for their reading style, I truly don't understand why spending so little time on a book is worthwhile.

Speaking for myself, my comprehension level has always been faster than others. By that, I mean that I will retain as much detail in 5 minutes of reading as an average person
does in 10. It's not a desire to read fast that makes it that way, it's just the way I take it in. I still see every detail, process it, and move on.

[Kirby101]

Speaking for myself, my comprehension level has always been faster than others. By that, I mean that I will retain as much detail in 5 minutes of reading as an average person
does in 10. It's not a desire to read fast that makes it that way, it's just the way I take it in. I still see every detail, process it, and move on.

I don't think it's not possible to read a book in 5 minutes, I just think there is no immersion at that speed. For me that is a big part of the enjoyment, feeling that I am in the story, not just looking at what's happening in the art and the story points.
A comparison would be reading news stories vs fiction. I can read a news story fairly quickly and get all the information from it. But for fiction I read slower, trying to hear the dialog and visualize the actions. I guess different strokes.....

[BeastieRunner]

Depends on the art for me. Sometimes the, "wordiness." 10-20 minutes is the norm.

[tib2d2]

Well let's see, is it an issue that Scott Snyder wrote, then its an hour, hahaha, just kidding.

I can actually answer this since I read comics on my lunch break a lot. And I can read 2 issues in the 30 minute timeframe that I have left. So its just about 15 minutes for me. Unless I'm reading a Snyder issue where he was feeling quite "wordy"!

[Pat Thomas]

I don't think it's not possible to read a book in 5 minutes, I just think there is no immersion at that speed. For me that is a big part of the enjoyment, feeling that I am in the story, not just looking at what's happening in the art and the story points.
A comparison would be reading news stories vs fiction. I can read a news story fairly quickly and get all the information from it. But for fiction I read slower, trying to hear the dialog and visualize the actions. I guess different strokes.....

If there is something I want to look at a little closer, I will take my time turning the page. But I don't have any other reason to stare at a page trying to take it in, just to say
I got my money's worth. Besides, I have thousands of other comics to read and always more on the way. I read at my pace, which is fast, and I get just as much enjoyment from
it as anyone else.

[Kirby101]

If there is something I want to look at a little closer, I will take my time turning the page. But I don't have any other reason to stare at a page trying to take it in, just to say
I got my money's worth. Besides, I have thousands of other comics to read and always more on the way. I read at my pace, which is fast, and I get just as much enjoyment from
it as anyone else.

Not trying to accuse anyone of not reading books "right'. Just trying to get an understanding of the difference.

Your comment makes me want to start a thread on how many books people read a month.

[bugrom]

I'd say 15-25 minutes depending how tired I am. I used to be much quicker but declining eye sight and astigmatism has slowed me down greatly if I am reading a physical book. If I am reading on comixology or Marvel Unlimited on a tablet, I am quicker at somewhere in the 10-15 minute range unless it is really dense.

[WestPhillyPunisher]

Reading comics is fun and relaxing to me, so I usually take around 15 minutes or so on a book, allowing me to savor and enjoy what I read.