Let's go living in the past

[Lightning Rider]

I actually think that "average" contributor to these boards concentrates a bit too much on very latest comics.

Look at threads when a newcomer asks for advice on which comics to read. Large majority of advice given is how best to get to point where current comics can be read, and which current series should be followed.

That wouldn't be the typical advice in any other reading genre...there the advice would primarily be about outstanding past stories.

And actually...concentrating on outstanding past stories makes as much sense in following comics (assuming reading reading enjoyment is the aim) as in any other genre. Let's be honest only a small fraction of today's output is as good as the best series of yesteryear.

For entirely selfish reasons, I'm glad you said this. I feel fairly stupid sometimes for recommending twenty or forty year old comics when someone asks "what ____ comics should I read" whether it's a character or a genre, because generally I'm out of step with the slipstream of recent releases that are thrown about (and one or two evergreens, if it's Batman).

Totally agreed.

[Trey Strain]

People still talk about '56 Chevys, but Chevrolet doesn't care about them.

[MajorHoy]

People still talk about '56 Chevys, but Chevrolet doesn't care about them.

You keep throwing out these random points / thoughts, but what do they mean?

[JackDaw]

People still talk about '56 Chevys, but Chevrolet doesn't care about them.

And people still sing about the 52 Vincent Black Lightning. Should I write to them and ask them to stop?

Sure they'd be delighted to comply once I pointed out DC weren't making any money out of the song.

[ROM Spaceknight]

Re: the OP, I agree with this to a great extent. I myself am a mid-40's male, and did my heaviest comic collecting in the late '70's/'80's (when I was a kid/teen). These days, I collect primarily collected editions of comics that came out during that time - and, yes, it's for nostalgic reasons. I'm guessing I'm not the only one on here in this age range, but obviously there are a lot of younger collectors as well.

About 5 years ago, I was in my LCS and was talking to the store owner (who was a little older than me), and mentioned to him that I was disappointed that so many comics from the '70's & '80's still hadn't been reprinted. His reply went something like, "I agree with you. However, these days most people don't even remember those series.". Presumably, "most people" are the younger collectors.

[Jim Kelly]

The reason I like to read comics from earlier periods--aside from just wanting to learn the history--is that they're written in the language I understand. So even when I pick up a vintage comic I never saw before about a hero I never knew about, I get the idiom.

It's not that today's comics are badly done. If anything, you can immediately see that some comics are high quality products, but they don't speak my language.

It's like watching something on HBO. Yeah, there's lots of talent there, but I would rather watch ROOM 222.

And I'd guess it works the other way around, too. Because younger generations understand how today's comics are supposed to work, they get the language. With older comics, trying to make sense of them is a hurdle that makes it harder for new generations to get sucked into the story.

[The Darknight Detective]

It's like watching something on HBO. Yeah, there's lots of talent there, but I would rather watch ROOM 222.

I'm trying to picture that show on HBO had it been made today. If anything, I'm pretty sure Denise Nichols and Karen Valentine would have found it much, um. draftier on the set than it was back on '70s network TV.