I miss buying and reading new comic books.
I had to swear off buying comic books because having retired
two years ago I can’t afford to buy them.
At $4 a pop, it adds up.
Plus, I read a comic book in about 5 to 10 minutes.
Another reason I stopped buying comic books was that I was
not enjoying them.
DC and Marvel (titles I bought the most of) were (at the
time) going through so many changes, rearrangements, continuity adjustments and
so forth that I couldn’t keep up and felt as if what I loved about them was
disappearing.
DC Comics tried to adjust and fix things with its relaunch:
Rebirth, but Marvel changed its books so much I barely recognized them.
Diehard fans were not pleased and it appears Marvel is
bringing back its original cast of characters with ‘Legacy’ this fall.
Image, Dark Horse, IDW, Valiant and other smaller publishers
look to be turning out some good product-but, the cost is too high for my
wallet.
I try to keep up with Trade Paperback reprints at the
library, but those tend to be erratic in distribution at best.
Another big reason I stopped buying comic books is that it’s
not about collecting anymore—it’s all about the money.
Much like the ‘Speculator Craze’ of the early 1990s, people
are purchasing comic books to cash in.
Grading, condition and exclusivity are the driving forces
behind comic book purchases nowadays.
Collectors, like me, who buy comic books to read them and
enjoy them, are rare. Too many collectors
see dollar signs and forget that reading comic books is about escapism.
Political correctness and diversity have crept into comic books
and (quite frankly) have a lot of people upset.
Not that’s there is anything wrong with either, but to overplay and
preach both gets old and irritating.
Unfortunately speculation and collector fever have invaded
other hobbies like toys, games, etc. and like comic books prices have
sky-rocketed to unrealistic heights.
I really don’t know if there is a solution. As long as there are ways to make a quick
buck via speculation and collectors are willing to pay high prices, things will
continue as they are.
I only hope that the end result is that collecting comic
books and other pop culture items doesn’t hit a plateau and bottoms out.