Single Issues vs Trades

[Pat Thomas]

I only buy single issues. On the rare occasions I've bought the TPB of something I wanted to read, I eventually purchased the
individual issues. It's definitely a 2-part hobby for me. I enjoy shopping to fill holes in my collection or bidding on a key issue
as much as I enjoy reading the stories, along with organizing them to my taste and entering them into a database. I realize that's
the part that most readers don't like (also the process of moving the entire collection), but I spend hours at a time working to
keep my collection orderly and presentable. Of course, it's only possible for me to collect in this manner because I bought a house
with a downstairs big enough to accommodate the collection no matter how big it gets, yet still have easy access to any book.
The only thing is that my purchasing has outpaced my reading, so my backlog can be overwhelming if I think about it, so I just
work through them when I want to read something in particular. But damn if it doesn't look great down there.

[socratesmalig]

I have further evolved from my earlier position. I'm 99.9% digital at this point. I pretty much read & then delete almost immediately. I look at new comics in the same way I look at Time or Newsweek magazine. Something to read & then dispose of. It's not really a hobby to me anymore.

Do you buy digital single issues or digital collected editions?

[socratesmalig]

Depends. Trades are a better deal but an annoying trend I've noticed with DC and Marvel is their tendency to have stories which connect into each other, then leave the necessary issues out. It makes it harder to figure out where a story starts or ends.

I don't buy physical floppies much because for the series I want to read the comic stores tend not to have them in stock. I also don't have a lot of space so storing floppies would be a big issue. So if I really want to follow a story as it happens (i.e "HOLY SHIT THAT WAS AWESOME CAN'T WAIT FOR THE NEXT ISSUE!"), I go digital. The only time I do physical floppies is if I get them for free or if it's a series that isn't going to be collected or digitized anytime soon.

So in short, you buy digital trades most of the time?

[Shawn Hopkins]

With physical comics I'll go for the trade, but sometimes I like to get the single issues if they're cheaper or if I'm buying them when the book is coming out. Or if it's a cool old book I simply want for my collection.

It's always what costs less for me, digitally. Sometimes that's the digital trade, sometimes it's actually the single issues. You have to be careful during Comixology sales to make sure you get the best deal.

I'm mostly digital now. My physical comics collection weighs a literal ton and I have to store it in an inaccessible place. Moving it is a major concern. I try not to add to the mass.

[GOLGO 13]

Do you buy digital single issues or digital collected editions?

Mostly collections, unless something very intriguing comes out.

For example, every now & then I come across some bizarre horror manga or something that looks exceptionally well drawn that I'll just have to check it out. I'll give something new/unique a try before I go for a collected purchase. Some have been misses but some have been like, "oh WOW that's some crazy sickness right there, I'm jumping on that!"

I think I read more reviews about books than the actual reading of the books.