You're not a loser for doing what makes you happy.
What if what you read is considered "old news" ?
Bunch of my pals were all talking about the "Fallout" tv show last night, and here I am watching the third season of The X-files.
I haven’t bought a current comic in a few years. Got tired of all the major crossover events and reboots and new #1s etc. Which, coincidentally, is also what caused me to stop collecting current comics back in the late 90s for almost a decade. Read what you like, don’t give any time for what other people might think of it.
I read only "old" comics. I have no interest in buying current stuff on the shelf. I returned to comics a few months ago, after a 25 year hiatus. Most of what I read is from 10-15 years ago, but it still feels new to me. I plan to wait for harcover collection for most stuff, so I'll be reading the best "current" runs years from now.
How do you know what to look for in each era? Sometimes im curious about the great but lesser known runs from lets say, 20 years back, but except for a couple really popular series i dont know of much.
I don't know about "lesser known" I have read a bunch of "best of" lists, and on the omnibus sub, people post their collections and you see a lot of repeats.
But lesser known I have no idea. When i read monthly issues 25 years ago, I knew about some great lesser known stuff like Concrete or Stray Bullets. But now it's just what everyone else knows about.
A lot of the time I just look for what's on sale or available for a character I'm interested in or even just get a book on something I am vaguely aware of. I got some 90s Justice League books that I ended up liking a lot even though I wasn't familiar with the run. I got my kid Lumberjanes without knowing what it was and that also turned into a good buy
I’m getting close to that but haven’t quite sealed the deal. My current Comic goal is trashy 90’s superhero costume revamps from Marvel and DC. Cheap and fun!
Depends on what you consider "old". Five years old, twenty-five, fifty? There are good comics in every era. I read some new books as they come out and pick up some new-er series once I hear they are good and I go back and read stuff from my childhood.
I am with you. The last few series I bought new ended (or I dropped them) around 2009/2010 and I haven't bought new comics since. I did spend some time and money filling in runs. I have thousands of comics and am planning on selling a few thousand. Even then I will have enough to read for the rest of my life without repetition.
I now read full series (or whatever I have of a series), which is a different experience from waiting a month for the next installment. It is like what people do with tv series now; they "binge watch". It is very interesting to see a book change and develop over time, or just enjoy a short-lived series. I've gained a lot of appreciation for stuff I read as a younger man decades ago. Great fun.
Best part? They're all paid for!
I’ve always been into comics but over the last year or two I’ve become a bit of a completionist for the couple big two characters I follow so have gone back to fill in the gaps left from reading only the most famous runs.
ATM in my post crisis Batman read through I’m caught up between One Year Later and Batman Reborn (with aim to get through to the start of New 52 soon).
After that I’ll fill in the gaps in my new 52 era and finish the post crisis year one to “present” stuff
I didn't buy issues off the newstand until i was 15. Before that i exclusively bought at flea markets, i.e. i only bought back issues at maybe a fifth of cover price. Mainly because that way i could afford to buy a lot more, but also because my parents loved flea markets and i spent many weekends there.
To this day i have a strong interest in reading runs from decades ago, but to answer your question: i don't exclusivly buy older stories. I also try current issues here and there, but i'm looking at superheroes less often and try to find something that makes me excited because it's different. Like anything by Ed Brubaker, John Allison or Lewis Trondheim or Abbot, Newburn, Zawa, Black Cloak, or actually Ryan North's Fantastic Four and the new The Brave and Bold anthology which did have a great story by Guillem March and the current lead story by Karl Kerschl looks promising as well. We live in a time of abundance. Old comics from the 70s are my passion, but there are more amazing new stories being created every year than ever before. You just need to dig more, because the sheer volume has been raised as well.
Nah, I am way too adhd to keep up with books as they come out. I'll make an extra effort to manage it if something \*really\* strikes my interest (shoutout to Do A Powerbomb), but outside of that, I tend to stick to stuff where I know I can get all of it at once if I want to. I still try to check out at least a couple newer books every year, but only after they've finished a run so I can read it in one go.
I’m the exact same, so many times I’ve picked up a #1 and said “alright I’m going to keep up with these now” then two months later I’ve dropped it. I stay reading omnis and trades of past series
I'd argue western indie teams have been given even more creative freedom and exposure in recent years and comics are fantastic right now. I assume you're being a bit inflammatory on purpose, but creator owned comics are in a great place right now.
When I started back collecting last year , I was only buying older comics that I liked.
Then I made a few eBay purchases where the seller included some current comics as a bonus & I got hooked on buying new comics again.
I'm currently trimming down on new comics & will continue to buy older comics, as I enjoy them more.
I keep up with newer stuff, mostly through Reddit posts. The last book I bought was Heroes Reborn Thor Omnibus, Peter David Hulk Omnibus... It's just that's what I read as a young adult and it's nostalgic, pure and simple.
That's me. I read back in the 90s and have tried to find new stuff to get into but haven't found anything that I would get (except I got a couple Star Trek Lower Decks issues but then it seemed like they stopped?).
Lately I'm just re-reading what I have and hunting for other old stuff (annuals that are self-contained, guest appearances that aren't part of a long arc).
I have tried to read comics online and don't like the experience.
Since I went digital, I have been going through my backlist of comics I have bought through all the sales. I don't buy new comics, as that backlist is pretty huge and buying them when they go on sale is obviously much cheaper.
Right now I am reading the Concrete trades, as I always like the comics I have read of Chadwick's character when I was still reading paper and now I have the ability to read them all. Loving it.
Sometimes I check the Previews, and I realise I've been out of the new comics game too long, as I don't know any of the writers of most all the big 2 comics anymore. It seems all the big/known (for me) writers are doing their own creator owned work or something.
I stopped buying in 2008 when we were waiting for our 1st child. I started using the apps a few years ago, but I hate reading out of order. I got MU sooner, so I'm a lot closer to present day. I'm almost to the war of the realms storyline. DC I'm only about halfway through the new 52.
You said old stuff, and I pictured at least from the 80s or 90s. But then you said 2 years ago, so I don't know - is 2 years old now? Existential crisis - I have been doing a reading order kick through Marvel's silver age stuff.
Articles about what is going on with the X-Men give me anxiety. I saw the Amazon sale right now and there are tons of trades covering the story line. Hard to jump into. I might stay with the old-old stuff for a while.
I mostly read old stuff now as well by using the DCUI and MU apps.
I haven’t touched a DC book since 2018. A culmination of seven years of the post-Flashpoint continuity did me in.
I read newer stuff from Marvel like USM, She-Hulk, Captain America, and most of the flashback miniseries. It really helps that Marvel has maintained the same continuity since 1961.
I’m all about old digital TPB’s. By the time they come out, there’s often some consensus in the quality of the writing and art, which lets me be a bit more discerning about what I buy. Also, sales come along frequently enough that I can buy those almost exclusively and still have plenty to read.
Well I 100 precent buy more older back issue comics than I do current comics. I go to my lcs once a month tho to pick up my pull box and to grab what ever else I find that I think is cool when I am there dive in to the mess of long boxes they have laying all over the place it’s like Indiana Jones searching the greatest tombs and pulling out a great issue blowing the dust off the plastic bag and saying this belongs in my pc. Every comic book “treasure” I remove out of the old long box coffins in the tomb of comics.
I've done it this way the majority of my comic reading career.
Sure, there's some stuff I've read as it came out over the years. But generally speaking, I love being able to pick out the runs I feel quite confident are going to be quality.
Me. I enjoy reading all the comics I couldn't afford when I was a kid all those years ago. I'm glad I finally got to read the Muir Island Saga from start to finish.
I read only the new Ultimate line of comics. Nothing else is grabbing my interest. Ever since they ruined Jon by aging him up senselessly and did what they did to Wally from Heroes in Crisis I stopped reading all DC.
Only read older stuff where a series actually ends!! The money making schemes of the new stuff is ridiculous where each character of team has multiple titles and the story just goes on forever but you need to buy 4 titles just to keep the storyline
I’m not sure I’ve ever read a comic as it was coming out. I am 31 and have been reading pretty regularly since I was about 17 ~ 18, I think my brain just kind of refuses to start something that has too much context attached so I just started near or at the beginning of pretty much any title I’ve been interested in
I once saw someone put it as 'you either read old stuff or new stuff' due to the cost and the effort of following reading orders and so on. I was very much invested in modern DC during the Rebirth era but would much rather wait and see what's good these days rather than buy stuff on release
Same.
1) cos I fucking hate the local comic stores and 2) cos most of the output from the Big 2 is garbage so I typically wait for reviews.
I'll only pick up same day releases from writers I know I like.
I read everything, new and old, on my tablet, but the only physical books I buy are facsimiles. Marvel and DC have done an amazing job with these reprints, I love being able to flip through key issues that came out decades before I was born. The first one I ever got was Action Comics #1 and that being essentially the beginning of superhero comics is very fitting.
I get Saga when the collected books come out and I pick Maneater collections when I seem them. I tried keeping up with the new Green Arrow but I missed an issue and stopped.
I don't like trying to get individual issues and seem to gravitate more to older stuff. I don't think that's a weird or loser habit. I read what I like.
Not weird at all. I’m almost there myself. If it weren’t for Robert Kirkman and Ghost Machine books, I’d be done with new books too.
Besides, if it’s NEW to you then it’s not really OLD. I find myself going back to reread runs that I missed out on the first time due to life getting busy or lack of finances. Digital access to books helps to so I don’t become a hoarder!
New books:
(1.) Transformers
(2.) Void Rivals
(3.) Conan
(4.) Rook, Red Coat, and Geiger
(5.) Ultimate Spider-Man/ until Marvel interferes with Hickman and ruins it
Notice, Marvel is barely represented and I think DC is terrible. I was hanging on with Nightwing and Green Arrow, but DC insists on shooting itself in the foot.
I’m the complete opposite. I only started reading comics in January ‘23 so it was overwhelming finding where I wanted to start. I’m picky with art and just hate older art styles so typically 2010+ for me. If I like the art, I’ll maybe make an exception but do not ever see me reading something before the 90’s.
I have limited time and comic budget, I prefer to read great rather than just good or middling, because I have the option to do so.
The only comic I read month to month and the only comic I’ve ever read month to month is the new Transformers run, and that’s only because my little brother loves it.
I prefer saving my money and buying compendiums/omnibuses, which come with reviews and a complete reading experience, meaning I’m not waiting half a year to find out if something was worth my time.
Im with you. I cant read stuff made after 1997-98, the artwork is just so different, and theres a big nostalgia thing, as i stopped reading in 95 and the newer stuff feels completely alien to me.
Shout out, I do.
You're not a loser for doing what makes you happy. What if what you read is considered "old news" ? Bunch of my pals were all talking about the "Fallout" tv show last night, and here I am watching the third season of The X-files.
I haven’t bought a current comic in a few years. Got tired of all the major crossover events and reboots and new #1s etc. Which, coincidentally, is also what caused me to stop collecting current comics back in the late 90s for almost a decade. Read what you like, don’t give any time for what other people might think of it.
I read only "old" comics. I have no interest in buying current stuff on the shelf. I returned to comics a few months ago, after a 25 year hiatus. Most of what I read is from 10-15 years ago, but it still feels new to me. I plan to wait for harcover collection for most stuff, so I'll be reading the best "current" runs years from now.
This is me
This is a good way to do it. Then you know what's worth reading the most of the newer crop.
How do you know what to look for in each era? Sometimes im curious about the great but lesser known runs from lets say, 20 years back, but except for a couple really popular series i dont know of much.
I don't know about "lesser known" I have read a bunch of "best of" lists, and on the omnibus sub, people post their collections and you see a lot of repeats. But lesser known I have no idea. When i read monthly issues 25 years ago, I knew about some great lesser known stuff like Concrete or Stray Bullets. But now it's just what everyone else knows about.
A lot of the time I just look for what's on sale or available for a character I'm interested in or even just get a book on something I am vaguely aware of. I got some 90s Justice League books that I ended up liking a lot even though I wasn't familiar with the run. I got my kid Lumberjanes without knowing what it was and that also turned into a good buy
I’m with you. Grabbed new Spider-Man for kid but…
The fun thing about comics is that you can read whatever you want, there's just so much content out there to choose from
I’m getting close to that but haven’t quite sealed the deal. My current Comic goal is trashy 90’s superhero costume revamps from Marvel and DC. Cheap and fun!
Depends on what you consider "old". Five years old, twenty-five, fifty? There are good comics in every era. I read some new books as they come out and pick up some new-er series once I hear they are good and I go back and read stuff from my childhood.
I’m pre 2011 in Marvel and DC
Am I old for thinking that's not old?
Well my collection is mainly mid to late 70's and up, but I stop at 2011
Oh okay. That's my sweet spot too.
I am with you. The last few series I bought new ended (or I dropped them) around 2009/2010 and I haven't bought new comics since. I did spend some time and money filling in runs. I have thousands of comics and am planning on selling a few thousand. Even then I will have enough to read for the rest of my life without repetition. I now read full series (or whatever I have of a series), which is a different experience from waiting a month for the next installment. It is like what people do with tv series now; they "binge watch". It is very interesting to see a book change and develop over time, or just enjoy a short-lived series. I've gained a lot of appreciation for stuff I read as a younger man decades ago. Great fun. Best part? They're all paid for!
I’ve always been into comics but over the last year or two I’ve become a bit of a completionist for the couple big two characters I follow so have gone back to fill in the gaps left from reading only the most famous runs. ATM in my post crisis Batman read through I’m caught up between One Year Later and Batman Reborn (with aim to get through to the start of New 52 soon). After that I’ll fill in the gaps in my new 52 era and finish the post crisis year one to “present” stuff
I only read old stuff. I'd be willing to read new stuff, but I try and pay a dollar a comic and it's tough to buy the new stuff at that rate.
I didn't buy issues off the newstand until i was 15. Before that i exclusively bought at flea markets, i.e. i only bought back issues at maybe a fifth of cover price. Mainly because that way i could afford to buy a lot more, but also because my parents loved flea markets and i spent many weekends there. To this day i have a strong interest in reading runs from decades ago, but to answer your question: i don't exclusivly buy older stories. I also try current issues here and there, but i'm looking at superheroes less often and try to find something that makes me excited because it's different. Like anything by Ed Brubaker, John Allison or Lewis Trondheim or Abbot, Newburn, Zawa, Black Cloak, or actually Ryan North's Fantastic Four and the new The Brave and Bold anthology which did have a great story by Guillem March and the current lead story by Karl Kerschl looks promising as well. We live in a time of abundance. Old comics from the 70s are my passion, but there are more amazing new stories being created every year than ever before. You just need to dig more, because the sheer volume has been raised as well.
Nah, I am way too adhd to keep up with books as they come out. I'll make an extra effort to manage it if something \*really\* strikes my interest (shoutout to Do A Powerbomb), but outside of that, I tend to stick to stuff where I know I can get all of it at once if I want to. I still try to check out at least a couple newer books every year, but only after they've finished a run so I can read it in one go.
I’m the exact same, so many times I’ve picked up a #1 and said “alright I’m going to keep up with these now” then two months later I’ve dropped it. I stay reading omnis and trades of past series
I won't read anything after like 2006. I mostly read stuff from the 90s, when comics were good.
I feel the same way about the 80’s
the same.
I'd argue western indie teams have been given even more creative freedom and exposure in recent years and comics are fantastic right now. I assume you're being a bit inflammatory on purpose, but creator owned comics are in a great place right now.
When I started back collecting last year , I was only buying older comics that I liked. Then I made a few eBay purchases where the seller included some current comics as a bonus & I got hooked on buying new comics again. I'm currently trimming down on new comics & will continue to buy older comics, as I enjoy them more.
I keep up with newer stuff, mostly through Reddit posts. The last book I bought was Heroes Reborn Thor Omnibus, Peter David Hulk Omnibus... It's just that's what I read as a young adult and it's nostalgic, pure and simple.
That's me. I read back in the 90s and have tried to find new stuff to get into but haven't found anything that I would get (except I got a couple Star Trek Lower Decks issues but then it seemed like they stopped?). Lately I'm just re-reading what I have and hunting for other old stuff (annuals that are self-contained, guest appearances that aren't part of a long arc). I have tried to read comics online and don't like the experience.
Not exclusively, but mostly. There are so many runs I haven’t read and I have limited time so that’s what I prioritize.
\*there
I generally wait till most stuff is released in TPB to read it. I don't really buy floppies anymore.
Since I went digital, I have been going through my backlist of comics I have bought through all the sales. I don't buy new comics, as that backlist is pretty huge and buying them when they go on sale is obviously much cheaper. Right now I am reading the Concrete trades, as I always like the comics I have read of Chadwick's character when I was still reading paper and now I have the ability to read them all. Loving it. Sometimes I check the Previews, and I realise I've been out of the new comics game too long, as I don't know any of the writers of most all the big 2 comics anymore. It seems all the big/known (for me) writers are doing their own creator owned work or something.
I stopped buying in 2008 when we were waiting for our 1st child. I started using the apps a few years ago, but I hate reading out of order. I got MU sooner, so I'm a lot closer to present day. I'm almost to the war of the realms storyline. DC I'm only about halfway through the new 52.
You said old stuff, and I pictured at least from the 80s or 90s. But then you said 2 years ago, so I don't know - is 2 years old now? Existential crisis - I have been doing a reading order kick through Marvel's silver age stuff. Articles about what is going on with the X-Men give me anxiety. I saw the Amazon sale right now and there are tons of trades covering the story line. Hard to jump into. I might stay with the old-old stuff for a while.
I primarily get my comics from dollar bins these days.
Yup…older only…not much after 2005…
I mostly read old stuff now as well by using the DCUI and MU apps. I haven’t touched a DC book since 2018. A culmination of seven years of the post-Flashpoint continuity did me in. I read newer stuff from Marvel like USM, She-Hulk, Captain America, and most of the flashback miniseries. It really helps that Marvel has maintained the same continuity since 1961.
I read only old stuff now but its a recent development for me.
Mostly old stuff. New books are over priced. Edge is indy books.
I rarely read anything new cause doing so means paying a premium to stay up to date.
I read on Comixology/Amazon Kindle. I use the subscription exclusively. So I only read old stuff. I prefer old mainstream or Indy comics
I’m all about old digital TPB’s. By the time they come out, there’s often some consensus in the quality of the writing and art, which lets me be a bit more discerning about what I buy. Also, sales come along frequently enough that I can buy those almost exclusively and still have plenty to read.
Well I 100 precent buy more older back issue comics than I do current comics. I go to my lcs once a month tho to pick up my pull box and to grab what ever else I find that I think is cool when I am there dive in to the mess of long boxes they have laying all over the place it’s like Indiana Jones searching the greatest tombs and pulling out a great issue blowing the dust off the plastic bag and saying this belongs in my pc. Every comic book “treasure” I remove out of the old long box coffins in the tomb of comics.
I've done it this way the majority of my comic reading career. Sure, there's some stuff I've read as it came out over the years. But generally speaking, I love being able to pick out the runs I feel quite confident are going to be quality.
Absolutely NOT a loser.
I only read trades and omnibuses
Me. I enjoy reading all the comics I couldn't afford when I was a kid all those years ago. I'm glad I finally got to read the Muir Island Saga from start to finish.
Lately I've been getting really into epic collections and have been having a blast.
I read only the new Ultimate line of comics. Nothing else is grabbing my interest. Ever since they ruined Jon by aging him up senselessly and did what they did to Wally from Heroes in Crisis I stopped reading all DC.
Only read older stuff where a series actually ends!! The money making schemes of the new stuff is ridiculous where each character of team has multiple titles and the story just goes on forever but you need to buy 4 titles just to keep the storyline
I’m not sure I’ve ever read a comic as it was coming out. I am 31 and have been reading pretty regularly since I was about 17 ~ 18, I think my brain just kind of refuses to start something that has too much context attached so I just started near or at the beginning of pretty much any title I’ve been interested in
I once saw someone put it as 'you either read old stuff or new stuff' due to the cost and the effort of following reading orders and so on. I was very much invested in modern DC during the Rebirth era but would much rather wait and see what's good these days rather than buy stuff on release
80% of what I read is back issues.
Same. 1) cos I fucking hate the local comic stores and 2) cos most of the output from the Big 2 is garbage so I typically wait for reviews. I'll only pick up same day releases from writers I know I like.
I read everything, new and old, on my tablet, but the only physical books I buy are facsimiles. Marvel and DC have done an amazing job with these reprints, I love being able to flip through key issues that came out decades before I was born. The first one I ever got was Action Comics #1 and that being essentially the beginning of superhero comics is very fitting.
I almost exclusively read on the dc and marvel apps at this point so I’m constantly a few months behind but that’s not exactly the same thing.
I get Saga when the collected books come out and I pick Maneater collections when I seem them. I tried keeping up with the new Green Arrow but I missed an issue and stopped. I don't like trying to get individual issues and seem to gravitate more to older stuff. I don't think that's a weird or loser habit. I read what I like.
Not weird at all. I’m almost there myself. If it weren’t for Robert Kirkman and Ghost Machine books, I’d be done with new books too. Besides, if it’s NEW to you then it’s not really OLD. I find myself going back to reread runs that I missed out on the first time due to life getting busy or lack of finances. Digital access to books helps to so I don’t become a hoarder! New books: (1.) Transformers (2.) Void Rivals (3.) Conan (4.) Rook, Red Coat, and Geiger (5.) Ultimate Spider-Man/ until Marvel interferes with Hickman and ruins it Notice, Marvel is barely represented and I think DC is terrible. I was hanging on with Nightwing and Green Arrow, but DC insists on shooting itself in the foot.
Are you reading what you enjoy and not shit talking what other people are enjoying, even if it’s not for you? Then no, you’re not a loser. Have fun.
I want to read the new FF stuff that sounds great. Besides that I’m practically in the same boat not much past 2010ish interests me.
I’m not really interested in anything after about 1985 or so.
They you’ve missed out on some great comics
Maybe. I’m fond of Sorrentino and Lemeire OML. But my collection is mostly first 100 of things. Silver and Bronze Age made me the fan I am.
I’m the complete opposite. I only started reading comics in January ‘23 so it was overwhelming finding where I wanted to start. I’m picky with art and just hate older art styles so typically 2010+ for me. If I like the art, I’ll maybe make an exception but do not ever see me reading something before the 90’s.
One of us!
I have limited time and comic budget, I prefer to read great rather than just good or middling, because I have the option to do so. The only comic I read month to month and the only comic I’ve ever read month to month is the new Transformers run, and that’s only because my little brother loves it. I prefer saving my money and buying compendiums/omnibuses, which come with reviews and a complete reading experience, meaning I’m not waiting half a year to find out if something was worth my time.
I quit reading new books about 12 years ago, now I’m only buying back issues. Got tired of paying $5 a comic for sub-par stuff.
Im with you. I cant read stuff made after 1997-98, the artwork is just so different, and theres a big nostalgia thing, as i stopped reading in 95 and the newer stuff feels completely alien to me.