Basement X

Does anyone go through phases where they love reading their comics, then they'll stagnate and not really want to read any at all?

I'm curious, lately, I haven't felt like it and the pile next to my bed has just been growing. I know I've been less than pleased with Marvel and DC"s output but even the books I really enjoy haven't been getting read, it's weird.

Not like that, but more phases where I read and read MORE. At the moment I'm re-reading The Sandman, Preacher and Gotham Central. I know that in a few weeks from now I'd rather grab a book than re-read my collection.

Yeah, I get that. I'll go through phases of lots ov TV, books, or comics, but sometimes nothing.

Maybe it's just the two weeks of minus 20 making me feel miserable.


How is Sandman on the re-read?

I definitely went into a phase like that at one point. Towards the end of high school, and the first year or so of college I really started losing interest in a lot of the books I was reading, but wasn't yet dropping them since I was still working for merchandise. Had I not been, I probably wouldn't be reading most of the books I do now.


But when I moved, I found myself re-investing in comics a lot more, and getting excited about stories, artists, and news more and more. I think I attributed it to being in a brand new city with very very few people I knew, and not a lot I knew about other than comics, so I relied on them heavier than I had in awhile. But even after I found myself fitting in better and enjoying the city I still had the enjoyment I hadn't felt for awhile about reading comics and the like.

I've got about a good 30-40 comics I need to read. Partially for me it's that I'm having trouble getting comfortable in my place. I don't have a desk or anything like that, and I'm afraid to read downstairs cause the cats are always all over me while reading. It's not all that comfortable reading in my bed, hunched over with the comic on 3 pillows. I've been getting better, reading a lot more recently. Sometimes I just want to download the comic and read it, even though I have the physical one sitting in a stack by my bed.

With me it really depends on the material and how/if it grabs my interest ferociously enough.
If I have downturns in my comic enjoyment, it might be more to do with a resurgent or new interest in a TV show or new book rather than me not feeling the comics I've currently got.

I've also got a wide enough genre variety of comics I regularly buy that if I'm sick of straight foward traditional superhero comics then the other books in my stash; the detective/noir, humorous or vertigo-odd books will keep me entertained.

So, can't really say I've ever - to my memory - had a period of not looking forward to reading atleast some of my comics.

Strangely, I've got a desire to read some older stuff like Avengers Galactic Storm at the moment.

Really want to get round to re-reading Sandman in one go. Plus buying the last two trades.

-2 over here. Brrrrrr.

Screw you and your minus two!

I've been re-reading some old stuff, planetary, authority, etc, yet I can't seem to read the new stuff I've gotten.

I still have a runs of hellblazer, starman, peter davids supergirl, and animal man that I cannot bring myself to start, despite really wanting to read them.

I've been that way with some stuff. I'm just now getting around to reading 1602 and I downloaded that years ago. It's good, I just had no desire to read it for some reason. Same with Starman, I've always wanted to read it, have it all downloaded (or at least I think I do), just haven't started it...

wolf_2099 wrote:How is Sandman on the re-read?

Good, actually. I still think the first TPB is a bit of a bitch to get through, but then it gets good. Surprising to see how many later themes are more or less explored in the first half of the series (like Hazel and Foxglove, the couple from the Death mini, and Lilith, who plays a fairly big part in Lucifer, or Daniel). Gaiman's strength really does lie with the single issues, though.

The first trade is definitely a bitca, very very text heavy and just heavy stuff in general. I think it helps set the mood for the series, which works out fine when you think about it. It's just difficult getting through it...

I've had some periods where my interest in comics waned considerably and that was for quite a few reasons, the biggest being the less than stellar (or even passable) quality of the books being put out by Marvel & DC and only collecting primarily one type of genre within comic books: Superhero types. The other reasons were an increased interest in books, movies & sports.

Since then I've gradually been changing my reading habits to allow for more diversity in my reading. In addition to the mainstream superhero stuff, I'm also collecting, horror, fantasy, detective/noir and sci-fi as well as a ton of oddball Vertigo.

This is no gurantee I'll never go through another boring period with comics again but at least I'll have options.

Also, its not the worst thing in the world to take a small break from comics.

I get through them a lot. I'm in a phase right now where I read the monthlies more out of habit than anything else and the trades are just stockpiling on the shelves.
Don't know where it is coming from, maybe some draftback from the crazy phase that followed NYCC. Maybe it's the baby coming and all the organisation that comes with it.

At the moment, I'm reading "The cold six thousand" by James Ellroy but I think I'll probably read some trades when I'm done.

Funny thing is that no matter if I'm in a reading phase or not, I'm always in a "buying" phase, checking various websites for good bargains on books even if I know it might a couple of years before I read them.

XIII wrote:
Funny thing is that no matter if I'm in a reading phase or not, I'm always in a "buying" phase, checking various websites for good bargains on books even if I know it might a couple of years before I read them.

Ha, me too, which just makes them stock pile worse.

On a related note I've noticed that lately I've been buying quite a few cd's. I think that every week in the last two months or so, I've bought at least one new album.

MGM wrote:On a related note I've noticed that lately I've been buying quite a few cd's. I think that every week in the last two months or so, I've bought at least one new album.

Anything exceptionally good?

I ONLY buy exceptionally good CD's.

But, most notably:

James Blake|James Blake
Grace|Jeff Buckley
Temple of the Dog|Temple of the Dog
Songs for the deaf|Queens of the Stone Age
The deep field|Joan as a Police Woman

And yes, that is quite diverse. And there's at least 5 more I really, really want and 3 more I really want. Spreading the buys a bit, though.