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Yesteday, I went to my local Comic Book Store for my weekly "fix."
At the store, I had only a few books waiting for me, and a new "pull list" form. Apparently, it's the time of year where the owners update the subscriptions.
Bringing the list home to fill out, I hate to say it, but I can't find much worth subscribing to right now. Looking at my current subscriptions finds me substracting more than adding:
- Batman: Judd Winnick is coming on board. I've never liked a single thing that he's written. He's the same reason I dropped "Green Arrow."
- Astro City: Only comes out a few times a year. I'll keep it on my list but it's not exactly a regular source of reading pleasure
- Fables: A well-written, amost Gaimanesque, look at classic fairy tale characters living in modern day New York. It stays on my list. Unfortunately, I think its soon coming to an end.
- Planetary: Right now, my favorite book. Would someone PLEASE put Ellis and Cassady on JLA. Unfortunately, this book is also nearing the end of its run.
- Tep Ten: Alan Moore does "the Legion of Superheroes" as "NYPD Blue." Clever, but also nearing the end of its run (if not ended already with the "Smax" spinoff mini-series).
- Fantastic Four: Currently my favorite Marvel book. I'd put it on my pull list, but I'm buying for Mark Waid and Mark Waid has a tendency to quit or get fired from books left and right.
- Powers: I'd been planning on cutting it for a long time, but held on unti the end of the current run. Sure, Bendis can write some clever dialogue, but his stories are repetitive and poorly paced: "Terrible murder in the Powers community, Walker and Pilgrim do the patented interrogation bit on a few false leads, bicker and swear at each other and then the solution falls into their laps from out of nowhere." Basically, "Powers" is "Scooby Doo" with the lead characters being able to say "fuck" a lot.
- Bone: Another excellent book nearing the end of its run
Now, there are a few other books I enjoy, but some of those are either mini-series or one I stared collecting in the trades (Tom Strong). So, basically, my pull list is down to one or two other books.
Am I the only one having this happen to him?
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Joined: May 2003
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Doog the MIGHTY 10000+ posts
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Doog the MIGHTY 10000+ posts
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I've knocked off a ton of shit from my pull list. Right now all I have are: Planetary: quarterly book, so I don't get it every month Liberty Meadows: this book makes me laugh out loud at least once every issue. I love it Rising Stars: I hear its finally going to finish soon. Thank god. 100 Bullets: I love this series, and anyone that loves it too knows why. Stray Bullets: When the hell is the next one coming out!?  Daredevil: one of the first books I read when I pick up my comics. Ultimates: very very late!!!! but I love the story and art. Y - The Last Man: Great series. It's picked up some steam lately after slowing down, and at least one story conclusion was a let down but Brian has a plan and it's working for him. Fables: Yeah, what was said above.
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Joined: May 2003
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I gave up on Daredevil for some of the same reasons I gave up on Powers.
I kept Ultimates on the list, but their frequency isn't much better than Astro City. Basically, they are frikkin' annuals at this point.
100 Bullets intrigues me, but was so far along by the time I heard about it, I'm going to have to do it through the trades (if at all).
Y the Last Man: Just didn't work for me. I understand I might be in the minority there but to each his own.
At this rate, my pull list is going to be Wizard, just so I can figure out which TPBs I might want to get.
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Joined: Feb 2003
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The Once, and Future Cunt 15000+ posts
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The Once, and Future Cunt 15000+ posts
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I pick up other stuff but the books on my pull list are:
Batman
Planetary
Amazing Spidy
Supreme Power (Which is starting to get fucking boring)
Captain America (I keep forgetting to take it off, I just put it back on the shelf when they hand it to me.)
Powers
I get alot more, but I go issue to issue.
I want to add Transformers: The War Within.
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Joined: May 2003
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Officially "too old for this shit" 15000+ posts
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Quote:
Amazing Spidey ...Supreme Power (Which is starting to get fucking boring)
JMS is another guy who I've more or less given up on.
Stuff starts out strong and then meanders and meanders ...
The only exception was Midnight Nation. That was pretty well done.
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Joined: Feb 2003
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The Once, and Future Cunt 15000+ posts
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The Once, and Future Cunt 15000+ posts
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Yea, He needs to get his shit together. He started to go downhill on Amazing before Avery started.
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Joined: May 2003
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Basically, what it boils down to, I think, is the fact that neither DC nor Marvel really have editors any more.
Guys like Loeb, Azarello, Bendis, JMS and maybe even Winnick all have their strengths, be it dialogue or ideas. Unfortunately, each of them has some very basic problems with pacing and/or story structure.
None of these problems have to be fatal. And, in years past, an editor like Julie Schwartz, Archie Goodwin, Karen Berger or even Jim Shooter would have been there to point out the flaws and send the story back for some "polish" before it went to the artists.
Now, however, editors are more like agents; guys who are more interested in kissing the talent's butt and getting "exclusive contracts" than in actually editing. As a result, these, and other, writers never get that objective third-party review of their scripts before publication.
As a result, we get more and more books where the stories read like intriging first drafts, instead of well-thought-out cohesive works.
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Joined: Oct 2000
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Educator to comprehension impaired (JLA, that is you) 50000+ posts
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Educator to comprehension impaired (JLA, that is you) 50000+ posts
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Somebody bring back Jim Shooter, comics would be good again.
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Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 784
500+ posts
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500+ posts
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Quote:
the G-man said:
Basically, what it boils down to, I think, is the fact that neither DC nor Marvel really have editors any more.
Guys like Loeb, Azarello, Bendis, JMS and maybe even Winnick all have their strengths, be it dialogue or ideas. Unfortunately, each of them has some very basic problems with pacing and/or story structure.
None of these problems have to be fatal. And, in years past, an editor like Julie Schwartz, Archie Goodwin, Karen Berger or even Jim Shooter would have been there to point out the flaws and send the story back for some "polish" before it went to the artists.
Now, however, editors are more like agents; guys who are more interested in kissing the talent's butt and getting "exclusive contracts" than in actually editing. As a result, these, and other, writers never get that objective third-party review of their scripts before publication.
As a result, we get more and more books where the stories read like intriging first drafts, instead of well-thought-out cohesive works.
actually, i think they'er also trying to get the writers to strech the stories out(which thins the content). ocasionally i remember comics having multi story arcs, but also having good, solid one issue storys. i think marvel is especially guilty of making them do the stretching out so they can fatten up their tpb program.
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Joined: Oct 2000
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Educator to comprehension impaired (JLA, that is you) 50000+ posts
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Educator to comprehension impaired (JLA, that is you) 50000+ posts
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they are such tpb whores ........
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Joined: May 2003
Posts: 7,030
6000+ posts
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6000+ posts
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I'm sorry, but the phrase, "my pull list keeps shrinking" is completely, totally fucking funny!
We all wear a green carnation.
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Joined: May 2003
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Officially "too old for this shit" 15000+ posts
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Yeah, I was wondering how long until some phallic-minded type dragged this thread into the gutter. 
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Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 342
300+ posts
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300+ posts
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Quote:
britneyspearsatemyshorts said:
they are such tpb whores ........
Yep!
Has anyone noticed that nearly ALL DC titles these days are stretching that story out over 6 issues in what could be said in 2?
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Joined: Dec 2000
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devil-lovin' Bat-Man 15000+ posts
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devil-lovin' Bat-Man 15000+ posts
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Quote:
the G-man said:
Yeah, I was wondering how long until some phallic-minded type dragged this thread into the gutter.
I was gonna say something about my clothes shrinking after I did my own washing, but I figured, what the hell, someone'll ruin it anyway...
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Joined: May 2003
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Officially "too old for this shit" 15000+ posts
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Quote:
KrazyXXXDJ said:
Has anyone noticed that nearly ALL DC titles these days are stretching that story out over 6 issues in what could be said in 2?
DC?
Hell, Marvel is stretching stories that Lee and Kirby coulda told in ONE issue into 6 issues.
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Joined: May 2003
Posts: 5,958
some RKMB'ers are Obsessed with Black People Hmmm? 5000+ posts
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some RKMB'ers are Obsessed with Black People Hmmm? 5000+ posts
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I'm just amazed that comics are still being published.
The rate of attrition for this hobby is frightening.
Especially given the fact that the major publishers really don't give you much incentive for continued purchases. Apart from the obvious ones of hoping things will get better and obsessive compulsive addictions to the hobby (which is probably where I stand). The quality however is virtually nonexsistant. Plots and ideas are constantly recycled, characters simply go thru the motions of whatever story they happen to be in, never really filling you with any sense of danger, surprise, or even wonder for that matter.
In the place of the Comics Code logo getting smaller and smaller, the major publishers should have made their ©, TM, and ® logos bigger and bigger to compensate, seeing as how their characters have about as much life, character, and sense of reality as say, Cheez Whiz ®.
I'd almost think that it was me whose outgrown comic books if only the odd creator would stop occasionally releasing good product (like "dc:the new frontier"). And yeah, the comics companies are definately milking their few remaining fans with padded stories.
That is why i'm amazed they still have readers. I'd have figured, just going by all the EX readers I know, that they've already bored and aggravated enough people to make comics publishing unprofitable.
Last edited by whomod; 2004-03-31 6:41 AM.
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