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Post by Randle-El on Apr 6, 2015 14:28:41 GMT -5
Ever since I signed up for Marvel Unlimited at the beginning of the year, I've pretty much stopped buying Marvel comics in monthly format. Daredevil and Silver Surfer remain on my pull list because 1) they are both quality books that aren't too involved with line-wide events, and 2) I want to complete the current runs. But after those runs end, I will likely drop those as well. Instead, I plan to read new comics when they get released on Marvel Unlimited, and if a certain storyline or run particularly strikes my fancy, I will buy in a collected edition. The way I see it, Marvel Unlimited will be more economical for me in the long run, because I only need to read a couple of issues per month before MU starts to become cheaper than floppies -- and in all likelihood I will read more than just a couple issues. Reading a comic and then discovering it was only mediocre is much less disappointing if I've only paid $1 or so to read it vs. $4. I still prefer physical to digital, but an inexpensive digital comic with a lousy story that doesn't take up space in my boxes is preferable to an expensive physical comic with a lousy story that does take up space in my boxes.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 6, 2015 14:54:48 GMT -5
Ever since I signed up for Marvel Unlimited at the beginning of the year, I've pretty much stopped buying Marvel comics in monthly format. Daredevil and Silver Surfer remain on my pull list because 1) they are both quality books that aren't too involved with line-wide events, and 2) I want to complete the current runs. But after those runs end, I will likely drop those as well. Instead, I plan to read new comics when they get released on Marvel Unlimited, and if a certain storyline or run particularly strikes my fancy, I will buy in a collected edition. The way I see it, Marvel Unlimited will be more economical for me in the long run, because I only need to read a couple of issues per month before MU starts to become cheaper than floppies -- and in all likelihood I will read more than just a couple issues. Reading a comic and then discovering it was only mediocre is much less disappointing if I've only paid $1 or so to read it vs. $4. I still prefer physical to digital, but an inexpensive digital comic with a lousy story that doesn't take up space in my boxes is preferable to an expensive physical comic with a lousy story that does take up space in my boxes. If I can get my head past the digital hurdle I might sign up for Unlimited as well. I already do Thrillbent, so I've taken the first digital steps. -M |
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Post by Randle-El on Apr 6, 2015 16:07:16 GMT -5
If I can get my head past the digital hurdle I might sign up for Unlimited as well. I already do Thrillbent, so I've taken the first digital steps. -M I found it to be less of a hurdle by thinking of digital as not replacing physical comics, but as a more cost-effective way to figure out which physical comics you really want to spend your money (and storage space) to own. I think most collectors own a lot of comics, but I'd wager that there's probably a small fraction of that collection that they enjoyed enough to want to keep and re-read more than once. The rest are either books that they liked, but not enough to ever crack open again, or books that they just didn't enjoy. Either way, they probably spent a decent chunk of change for those, and now they are stuck with either storing them, or figuring out ways to get rid of them. Bear in mind that for me, this reasoning applies mostly for modern Big Two monthly comics. When it comes to non-Big Two publishers, I'm more likely to take a chance on purchasing random issues just to check them out, and more likely to buy single issues versus collections. For creator-owned works, I think the element of supporting creators and titles that you enjoy comes much more into play, whereas with Marvel or DC, there's a ton of books that are guaranteed to keep coming out no matter what you do. There's also the fact that I think there's just a much higher ratio of quality product to chaff with the independent publishers compared to the Big Two, and that they aren't looking for every single opportunity to raise the prices on you while leaving you with a lesser product. Most everything I'm getting from Image or Boom is $2.99 to $3.50. The latest issue of Invincible was only 25 cents. I think the only title I have that's $3.99 is The Woods, and at least that doesn't have ads and comes on better quality paper stock than anything from Marvel or DC. |
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Post by Nowhere Man on Apr 7, 2015 3:44:49 GMT -5
I think Unlimited is a great resource because I really only want in physical form the runs I treasure the most: Hal Foster's Prince Valiant, Carl Bark's Duck comics, Jack Kirby's Fourth World, Byrne's FF, Neal Adams Batman, Simonson's Thor, Lee/Kirby FF, Lee/Ditko Spider-Man and Doctor Strange, Claremont/Byrne X-Men, etc. The thing I found with collecting is that I really didn't care about having complete runs when, in reality, I only actually wanted to re-read about 10% of the material. With something like Unlimited you don't have to be worried about taking up your valuable storage space or bookshelf space and can browse at your leisure. I look at digital as a supplement to the quality print collection that I'm slowly building.
For instance, I've purchased all of the Vol.1's of the Marvel Epic Collection, but who knows when they'll get around to releasing Vol.2's. With Unlimited, I can go ahead and read a series if I want and pick up the Epic volumes as they're released.
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Post by the4thpip on Apr 7, 2015 4:15:58 GMT -5
This is less a jumping-off point for me and more a validation that the slow but steady decrease in my monthly purchases over the past three years has been the right move. In 2012, I was still getting 10+ titles per month, whereas now I'm down to just two (Moon Knight and Captain America). They've run out of ideas, and no matter how much they want to tell us that things are going to change with this, nothing will actually change, because they have to protect the properties involved. Creativity has taken a backseat to marketability, so I'll spend my money buying back issues and reading things that aren't being produced simply to make a buck for the parent company or to further a brand. They may have run out of ideas for the Avengers, the Fantastic Four and some other properties. But Marvel has had wonderfully creative and (gasp!) fun books on the stands for a few years now that can compete with almost anything they put out since the 60s. |
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Post by the4thpip on Apr 7, 2015 4:20:56 GMT -5
It turns out Civil War was my jumping off point for Marvel. The last new issue from the main Marvel universe I bought was Captain America #25 in 2007. I've bought some since then as back issues over the years, but I haven't put any new Marvel on my pull list until the new Star Wars comics. I'm down to get the All-New All-Different Mark Waid Avengers on Free Comic Book Day, but there is NO chance of me picking up that series with that cast. It might be given away before I leave the shop. The good news for Disney is that I still like some of the cartoons and movies, so they're still getting money from me. Civil War was my jumping off point from Marvel as well, but I'm really glad I gave them a 2nd chance when Nu52 was my jumping off point from DC. Books like Hawkeye, Moon Knight, Ms Marvel, Daredevil, Silver Surfer, She-Hulk, Superior Foes of Spider-Man, Rocket Raccoon and Squirrel Girl have definitely made my life more livable. |
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Post by The Captain on Apr 7, 2015 9:32:03 GMT -5
This is less a jumping-off point for me and more a validation that the slow but steady decrease in my monthly purchases over the past three years has been the right move. In 2012, I was still getting 10+ titles per month, whereas now I'm down to just two (Moon Knight and Captain America). They've run out of ideas, and no matter how much they want to tell us that things are going to change with this, nothing will actually change, because they have to protect the properties involved. Creativity has taken a backseat to marketability, so I'll spend my money buying back issues and reading things that aren't being produced simply to make a buck for the parent company or to further a brand. They may have run out of ideas for the Avengers, the Fantastic Four and some other properties. But Marvel has had wonderfully creative and (gasp!) fun books on the stands for a few years now that can compete with almost anything they put out since the 60s. Regarding your first statement, that is more where I was going with my comment on running out of ideas. There are only so many times a member of the FF can quit or the X-Men have a philosophical split on how to proceed for mutant-kind, and each subsequent iteration feels like more of the same old. Another problem, as I see it, is scope of threat. The villains have to keep getting more powerful because the heroes keep getting more powerful, so whereas the Avengers used to be threatened by the Masters of Evil or the Zodiac even, with a current lineup that includes so many heavy hitters, the writers have to keep coming up with galaxy-level threats in order to create any tension that the Avengers might fail. I myself have enjoyed some of the books you mentioned in your following post and would certainly agree that Marvel is doing some things well right now. Some of it's not for me (I don't like the art in Squirrel Girl at all, even though the book looks to be fairly fun), but at least they're trying some different things on a smaller scale. |
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Post by wildfire2099 on Apr 7, 2015 20:36:30 GMT -5
I've always felt that scope issue is a big one, and it's kinda my biggest issue with the Hickman stuff.. where can they go next, now that they've essentially blown up the multiverse? it's going to be tough to care about fights with the Masters of Evil.
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Post by berkley on Apr 8, 2015 11:20:19 GMT -5
I'm with you Shax. This new Weirdworld with Conan Arkon sounds pretty funky, but yeah, I've wondered for years why Marvel doesn't take a run at revisiting the Moench / Ploog / Buscema characters, esp with the phenomenal success of The Lord of the Rings. Even at the time Weirdworld looked a little TOO much like a straight LoTR riff, and the artwork was never to my taste, what I saw of it, at least. I liked Moench's fantasy story in the last few issues of Ka-Zar better. I do like Arkon as a character, though, so I might look at this new Weirdworld, even though I'm already turned off a bit by Marvel's usual mania for amalgamating a bunch of stuff that don't really seem to have much of a connection. |
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Post by Icctrombone on Apr 8, 2015 12:38:49 GMT -5
This is less a jumping-off point for me and more a validation that the slow but steady decrease in my monthly purchases over the past three years has been the right move. In 2012, I was still getting 10+ titles per month, whereas now I'm down to just two (Moon Knight and Captain America). They've run out of ideas, and no matter how much they want to tell us that things are going to change with this, nothing will actually change, because they have to protect the properties involved. Creativity has taken a backseat to marketability, so I'll spend my money buying back issues and reading things that aren't being produced simply to make a buck for the parent company or to further a brand. They may have run out of ideas for the Avengers, the Fantastic Four and some other properties. But Marvel has had wonderfully creative and (gasp!) fun books on the stands for a few years now that can compete with almost anything they put out since the 60s. Name 5. |
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Post by the4thpip on Apr 8, 2015 13:34:16 GMT -5
They may have run out of ideas for the Avengers, the Fantastic Four and some other properties. But Marvel has had wonderfully creative and (gasp!) fun books on the stands for a few years now that can compete with almost anything they put out since the 60s. Name 5. Waid's Daredevil, G. Willow Wilson's Ms Marvel, Ellis' Moon Knight issues, Fraction's Hawkeye, Ewing's Loki. |
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Post by Icctrombone on Apr 8, 2015 17:40:41 GMT -5
Waid's Daredevil, G. Willow Wilson's Ms Marvel, Ellis' Moon Knight issues, Fraction's Hawkeye, Ewing's Loki. Sorry, I look back at the 60's and 70's through psychedelic colored glasses.  |
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Post by Nowhere Man on Apr 8, 2015 19:03:11 GMT -5
I agree that Waid's Daredevil and Slott and Allred's Silver Surfer give me a similar feeling to my favorite Silver and Bronze Age runs. I haven't read all of either yet, but I'm about to get caught up with each after I finish Batman Zero Year. Marvel and DC have it in them to produce quality stuff, it's just that their fixation on editorial driven event comics makes it hard to loyally follow the A-list* series nowadays.
*Silver Surfer and Daredevil are "A-list" to me.
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Post by berkley on Apr 8, 2015 20:52:41 GMT -5
I find I don't get too excited about new versions of characters or series that I think already have already fulfilled their potential - the FF, for example; as someone said above, it fells like now there's not much to do with them that hasn't been done before, unless you're going to start changing the personalities and making them behave in all kinds of weird, out-of-character ways. Same with a few others like Daredevil.
With other favourites, such as the Black Panther or Thor or Doctor Strange, even though I think there is more room to do new things, I just haven't been drawn by any of the things Marvel has come up with for them lately.
And one of the reasons I'm so interested in the Eternals at Marvel and the New Gods at DC is that both were cut off before they had a chance to finish, so it feels like there's more to be done with them. Unfortunately, because of the companies that own the rights to them, these are the least likely to receive an exciting new treatment that builds on the full potential inherent in either concept.
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Post by Icctrombone on Apr 8, 2015 21:09:51 GMT -5
I find I don't get too excited about new versions of characters or series that I think already have already fulfilled their potential - the FF, for example; as someone said above, it fells like now there's not much to do with them that hasn't been done before, unless you're going to start changing the personalities and making them behave in all kinds of weird, out-of-character ways. Same with a few others like Daredevil. With other favourites, such as the Black Panther or Thor or Doctor Strange, even though I think there is more room to do new things, I just haven't been drawn by any of the things Marvel has come up with for them lately. And one of the reasons I'm so interested in the Eternals at Marvel and the New Gods at DC is that both were cut off before they had a chance to finish, so it feels like there's more to be done with them. Unfortunately, because of the companies that own the rights to them, these are the least likely to receive an exciting new treatment that builds on the full potential inherent in either concept. You put it perfectly. Avengers, FF, Captain America, It's been done and really can't be improved on. And I don't recognize the Avengers anymore. |
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