Having to "take a break" from New comics

[tib2d2]

Have you ever had to "step back" from being a regular or weekly reader? Whether the cost was becoming an problem, or you just found that making it to your LCS on a regular basis was just too hard? Maybe you wanted to focus reading back issues or catch up on a series?

I'm facing a situation where I'm always 1-2 weeks behind on the new issues, and I don't feel like I'm able to be current. I also want to be able to read some of the great stories from the past and I have all these back issues and trades that I feel I can't give any attention to because I'm always reading the current issues.

[Rufio]

Honestly, I take a LOT of breaks. This just means I have to do a lot of back tracking. Sometimes what I’ll do is just follow certain characters or storylines if I want to stay current. And when I come back, if I left it all behind, I track down the stories my favorites appeared in and go from there. I even pick up new and old things along the way.

I say take the break. Go back and read the stories you enjoy, it’s totally worth it. If you’re concerned about staying current, just keep an eye out on what interests you.

There’s a lot of events and tie-ins in DC, so you’re likely to lose track. But if you’re “falling behind” anyway...

Granted... there is the matter of the pull lists.

[WillieMorgan]

I took a break of nearly a decade during the 1990's. It wasn't so much about money as it was about being dissatisfied with the content of the books back then. It was the 'Image' era of big shoulder pads, needless violence and gore, horrible 'event' stories, hyped up trash and huge dollops of Rob Liefeld. I never went back to reading Marvel Comics full stop and only started reading DC again in around 2004. Catching up with events wasn't difficult to be honest.

I'd advise taking that break if that's what your gut wants you to do. Comics are always cyclical and you can always jump back on the bandwagon if necessary. Give some attention to your back issues and trades. They were bought to be read after all.

[Starter Set]

It was the 'Image' era of big shoulder pads, needless violence and gore, horrible 'event' stories, hyped up trash

Thanks god we moved past those awful shoulder pads!!

Now that it's out of the way, what do we do about hyped up trash?

[WillieMorgan]

Thanks god we moved past those awful shoulder pads!!

Now that it's out of the way, what do we do about hyped up trash?

Heh heh . I'm not sure what the answer is to that question.

As much as we still suffer from some of the 'tropes' of the 1990's, I have to say that the average comic is way better than it was back then. In my opinion anyway. Not perfect of course.....

[iron chimp]

I always try and find at least a couple of new ones to read just so I dont disappear down rabbithole of living in the past even if most of my fav things are from other decades. There is always something somewhere coming out but once in a while I have been forced to buy private press things from USA or UK which can be very expensive.

But like WillieMorgan I was out for image years for a decade. Ironically it was Rob Leifields relaunch of Prophet with Brandon Graham which really dragged me back in to new comics - Brandon should have been a proper star.

[jb681131]

Have you ever had to "step back" from being a regular or weekly reader? Whether the cost was becoming an problem, or you just found that making it to your LCS on a regular basis was just too hard? Maybe you wanted to focus reading back issues or catch up on a series?

I'm facing a situation where I'm always 1-2 weeks behind on the new issues, and I don't feel like I'm able to be current. I also want to be able to read some of the great stories from the past and I have all these back issues and trades that I feel I can't give any attention to because I'm always reading the current issues.

Honestly, I think it's way better to skip new stuff.
Wait a few time so you have all the critics and can really pic only the greatest stuff.
Also I wait to get the collected editions, it's always cheaper for the full story at once.

[married guy]

I quit altogether for a year when I first bought my house and the firstborn arrived. Money was tight and I couldn't justify the expense.
I then caved and bought the Flash issues I'd missed, but didn't pick up any of the other stuff I used to buy. (Every Bat title, mini, one shot etc.)

[superduperman]

I'm taking one right now. I don't buy mainstream books just because I don't agree with a lot of what's going on in them. The last mainstream book I bought was Lois Lane #1 and that's just to see what it's like. If they do something I don't like or I have to buy a bunch of other books to follow what's going on, I will drop it. About the only ongoing I buy is the Wal-Mart Superman book. I don't really like monthlies anymore. They're a pain.

[warzon]

i use to spend up to a $120 a month on comics.now the only thing I'm collecting is Wonder Woman n Justice League.and as much as I love Wonder Woman.Zatanna.Starfire n Cyborg I can't do the JLD or ODESSY.i'm waiting for the X men do get their thing together n hopefully collecting them in the future.not instrested in this new LSH that's coming out.hopefully JSA would make a comeback at the end of the year.other than that I've been burnt out on DC mostly because everything is mostly Batman centered.n I like Batman I use don't wanna see him in everything.also DC should bring back some other team titles with new members such as Infinity Inc.Power Co.Extreme Justice just to name few.

[BatmanJones]

Don't mean to harm LCS's by saying this but if you subscribe to DCUniverse you can read everything they put out a year after it hits the stands. If you're willing to wait that long, no trip to LCS and every comic you could want for $8/month.

[Lightning Rider]

I moved away from my local store and I started to fall behind a bit on issues, and its always a pain to kind of figure out what I'm up to. I keep putting off organizing my most recent unread comics. In these periods I usually trim down too. I need to catch up on Doomsday Clock, Hawkman, Flash, and possibly Deathstroke (if it's still as good as it was). Also want to see if I have Drowned Earth in its completion.

[Restingvoice]

Been stepping back for a while now. At first, it was just a continuity and consistency problem, but even after I adjust my expectation, there's the bigger problem of DC deciding or allowing their big writers interrupt the smaller stories they're not actually writing because their event has to reverberate across the line. It's annoying when you're interested but then they cancel the story or the book publication to fulfill one person's plan and it's not right for the "smaller" writers too especially if they're not given a warning in advance. That's not a method I want to support.

[Kai "the spy"]

I took two breaks. One was from 2006 till 2010, because I lost my job. In 2010, I got back into comics, but limited myself to the two JMS-written titles, Superman and Wonder Woman. Then I got a new job in May 2011 and I got ready to expand my monthly comics buying again, but when the New 52 was announced, I waited for it (wasn't much point in getting into books that would be rebooted just a few issues later).

So when the New 52 started, I started reading both Superman titles, Justice League, Wonder Woman, Green Arrow, and Stormwatch. I dropped Wonder Woman after two issues, dropped Stormwatch after the first arc, dropped Green Arrow, Justice League and Superman after a year, went with Action thanks to Morrison, was psyched about Andy Diggle becoming the new writer, loved his first issue (more than any other single issue of the New 52), and when they fired him after that one issue was when I kinda gave up. Went over to Marvel for a while, mainly Hickman's Avengers run and "Infinity" book, but never felt quite at home there.

When DC did that Convergence event, I bought a shitload of those books and enjoyed most of them a lot. Then followed the Lois & Clark book by Dan Jurgens, and when Rebirth came around, I got back into it in a big way.

[My Two Cents]

I stepped away from weekly floppies
Two years ago to focus on
Collected editions.
I realized after a few months I
Would never ever pick up a
Single issue again and committing
To soft and hard cover trades is
The best thing I have done related
To comics over the past 20+ years