Leaving Marvel and DC

[Navarre]

I have decided to stop buying Marvel and DC comics.

A couple of years ago I had stopped buying all comics because I was tired of the Event-marketing practices, inability to read self-contained titles, and having Wolverine shoved in my face with nearly every issue.

Then, recently, I have read a few titles by other publishers. I have been reading Irredeemable and Morning Glories, specifically.

I realized I enjoyed these titles very much. Not only did things feel fresh, like the discovery of comics in my youth, but they didn't contain the problems which had plagued me for many years.

There were no Events. There were no constant crossovers that made it impossible to read the full story without buying titles I didn't want to buy.

I can buy a trade of titles like Irredeemable or Morning Glories and get a compelling story about interesting characters that is self-contained in an enjoyable reading experience.

I have also been looking at the new Black Beetle series by New York Times best-selling artist for Batman, and current Captain America artist, Francesco Francavilla. It is published by Dark Horse.

The realization started when my beloved Illyana Rasputin finally made it onto the main Uncanny X-Men team. I have been going on for years about how much she deserved that.

But when it happened I didn't start buying the comic. I expected an Event would start any time which would try to push more books at me. And that is exactly what happened.

The final stroke of realization is when Marvel (once again in how few short years?) started renumbering Captain America. They have promised me more adventurous stories and it all sounds good. But there is no way a character like Captain America won't drag me right back into the same Event-laden crossover boat.

So I'm done. And, honestly, I feel relieved.

So this isn't a gripe session or some grand testimonial. As with many of my posts, they are simply my thoughts this day and open to your comments should you desire to do so.

[Alisha Mynx]

I understand how you feel.  Being on a very limited budget (and not having any definite entertainment budget from one month to the next due to my enormous medical bills) it has been very frustrating to see so many huge events going on in the past few years.  I hate worrying that I'm going to get a few titles I like only to find that I'm coming in at the middle of some story that started or ends in yet another title, because even self-contained tie-ins to a big event usually require some knowledge of the event from another book (such as a special mini-series for the event itself).  I don't mind tie-ins and two-parters that stick to just a small number of titles (like 2 or 3), but when the event ties in to almost every ongoing title it just turns me off from even getting the titles I usually want.

I'm almost at the point of giving up monthly titles from the big two and sticking to trades myself.  As it is, I don't regularly purchase them anyway because of both the limited funds and no nearby means to purchase any comics aside from Archie digests, but the few trips a year I do make to the comic shop find me more and more focusing on snagging a couple of trades rather than collecting a stack of monthlies I usually enjoy. 

[Navarre]

Though trades come out well after the original release, I have often found myself enjoying them just as much (if not more) than waiting for months to pass between issue releases. There are so many trades for the various Marvel/DC Events I don't even know where to begin with those sometimes, let alone individual issues.

But I am not finding that problem at all with the Irredeemable and Morning Glories trades. So this has made me even more confident I am making the right choice for myself.

[Gaumer]

This is a really understandable, and in many ways, wise move.

A lot of the draw for getting DC/Marvel books is the fact that you know the characters. Despite any other facets, perceived to be negative or not, readers know who those characters are. There isn't any need to waste pages on getting into who characters are.

This is really the only difference between indie and DC/Marvel, on the whole, without bringing things like events or crossovers into the equation, because some people dig that shit There are, of course, exceptions; Spawn, Hellboy, Walking Dead; that have popular cultural relevance enough to fit this bill, but...maybe not.

With all that said, I have loved a ton of indie books, simply because they were able to tell the characters backstory while telling his story going on in the book. There's baggage that comes with knowing everything about a character, that makes the character stale, and this simply doesn't happen in most indie books, because they are "told and done".


Alright, we got all that out of the way. You knew it was coming and necessary...at least, I thought it was necessary.

But, are you going to be jumping into new indie book feet first? Giving them a try? Jumping in feet first?

Its a but tougher with indie books to do this. But trades are definitely where its at. You can get a good bearing on what's good and what sucks.

Saga is worth getting.

I love Manhattan Projects.

Skullkickers is fun; sort of DnD fantasy comedy.

Trades are also good because you can thumb through them, most of the time, at the shop and see what's up.

I'm just glad to see you reading comics.

[Hirimno]

I just had to trim my list down by half and I'm surprised by how few Marvel/DC books remained on there. I think there's 3 DC and maybe 4 Marvel. Everything else I get is from the "smaller" guys. Personally, I don't find it hard to ignore the events the few books I do get feature.  Albeit, it is annoying sometimes. At least you found some books that you can dig into without that worry.

[Navarre]

I am glad to have found some good titles from smaller publishers. That is mostly due to suggestions and reviews from this forum and the main MS site.

Gaumer, you made a point that I agree with. I know the Marvel characters very well (and most DC characters too).

That has the advantage of feeling like I am reading about an old friend with whom I have spent my life. That is also why continuity has always mattered so much to me (although that's another discussion).

But the downside of that is that it has all grown stale. I feel I have fairly well experienced what these characters have to show me.

So there is a trade-off there with Marvel characters. This even, or perhaps especially, applies to my favorites such as Captain America, Kitty Pryde, and Magik.

With these new titles things seem very fresh. There is a sense of discovery and being on a new road with these characters. I don't always know what to expect and I find myself enjoying that very much.

I'm still going to have Captain America posters on my wall and I suspect my love for Kitty and Illyana is cemented in my psyche forever. But my reading table might have a copy of the latest Morning Glories trade instead.

[Alisha Mynx]

I'm still going to have Captain America posters on my wall and I suspect my love for Kitty and Illyana is cemented in my psyche forever. But my reading table might have a copy of the latest Morning Glories trade instead.

You don't have to buy everything for a character to still be one of your favorites.  I love Star Wars in general, but I don't immediately love everything that comes out with the Star Wars name.  I've barely read any of the comics and I have read maybe one of the X-Wing series of novels (although I have read most of the "main" novel series dealing with Luke, Leia, Han and the rest), I really haven't enjoyed most Star Wars games (with a few exceptions such as SWG and KOTOR) and don't get me started on what I disliked about the prequels...  But I still love the franchise and many ideas that come out of it.

I also love Green Lantern, but don't love everything that comes out with GL attached (such as the movie, although I do enjoy it to a degree).  I haven't followed the monthly title regularly since Kyle was still the sole GL and had only just brought the Guardians back to life.  But GL is and always will be my favorite superhero and I'll continue to collect the occasional collectible because of it.

[Navarre]

You're right. And I might still buy the occasional trade if I hear that it contains a complete and interesting story.

I'll have to rely on Gaumer and the others here to keep me up to date.