Comic book fatigue?

[Fnord Serious]

The last time I had event fatigue was in '94 when every Marvel book was crossing over with every other book. Since then I've not felt the need to pick up an "important" book if it is not by a creative team that I like. Luckily all the main Marvel events as of late have been worth the cover price, if not the best comics ever. There's no problem nowadays with missing out on important plot points in books you haven't read because you can always get someone to explain/spoil it for you on a message board.

[Trev]

It hasn't hit me yet. But I'm pretty sure I don't buy as many titles as you, Bob

It also helps for me that I took about a 15 year break as well, so a lot of stuff is still fresh for me. And I've only been back collecting for about 4 years.

I would guess that even if your fatigue led you to drop 1/2 of your titles, it probably would only start approaching my max number for the month.

I feel you on characters being over-saturated, though. Most of the big characters I only buy in their main book and then in side books only if they get great reviews and are in turn compelling arcs for me (the Old Man Wolverine arc comes to mind).

[HassanT]

The last time I had event fatigue was in '94 when every Marvel book was crossing over with every other book. Since then I've not felt the need to pick up an "important" book if it is not by a creative team that I like. Luckily all the main Marvel events as of late have been worth the cover price, if not the best comics ever. There's no problem nowadays with missing out on important plot points in books you haven't read because you can always get someone to explain/spoil it for you on a message board.

I think that was the same time I first felt comic book fatigue. I started to read more and more independent book. I would point out that the quality of the books are still much better in 2008 than they were in 1994.

[HassanT]

I think there are more mini-series more than ever because people's attention span isn't long enough. I mean look at this thread (and not to pick on anyone) but this is a discussion of dropping books. The days of people buying books based on strength of character I think are over. We buy books based on strength of story arc.

I disagree. I'm not buying (or dropping) based on the strength of any particular story arc, but based on my enjoyment of the book. Maybe you can translate that into a story arc argument, but I'm not so sure.

For example: I'm dropping Trinity. This has nothing to do with strength of the characters. In the "old days" if I liked Batman, Superman, & Wonder Woman I'd buy their books, and maybe JLA. Now these characters are in SO MANY books, I'm just too worn out to buy every single one they are in, so I guess it comes down top the strength of the particular book instead of me just liking Batman (for instance).

I guess the point of the "fatigue" (at least for me) is that the "Big 2" are so over-saturating the market with series that you can no longer just buy a couple of book because you like & want to follow a character. They take the popular characters and put them EVERYWHERE.

At DC, the straw that broke my back was "Batman/Superman vs. Vampires/Werewolves". Do we REALLY need this series? Don't we see enough of these characters each & every month? Someone will buy this, and probably like it, but you cannot equate just saying "too much" to a series like this to "buying based on story arc".

For me, that would be true if I jumped on & off of the main Batman book based on the particular arc. I don't do that. I either buy Batman (& Detective) or I do not, I don't jump back & forth on that title. But that is very different than buying every single non-continuity mini-series featuring the characters I like.

Enough is enough.

This thread has kind of a "negative spin" since it is about dropping titles instead of elevating & boosting them, but I think my point is that I believe a saturation point has been hit (for me) and was wondering if it had hit or was approaching for others.

I agree with you Bob. The strength of the characters is one thing. The fact that DC (and to a certain extent Marvel) is flooding the market with mini-series with the same characters is the main issue. I am a huge Batman fan, but I can't read every comic with him in it. Besides, it dilutes the character by having him appear in so many comics.

I think DC's problem is the goes back that they have a hard time launching a successful mini-series or regular series. The whole Brave New World was a complete failure. I think DC needs to rethink how and what titles they should launch.

BTW, I have feeling that one of the reasons that these new mini-series are bi-weekly is so that stores have less time to adjust their orders.

[Fnord Serious]

The last time I had event fatigue was in '94 when every Marvel book was crossing over with every other book. Since then I've not felt the need to pick up an "important" book if it is not by a creative team that I like. Luckily all the main Marvel events as of late have been worth the cover price, if not the best comics ever. There's no problem nowadays with missing out on important plot points in books you haven't read because you can always get someone to explain/spoil it for you on a message board.

I think that was the same time I first felt comic book fatigue. I started to read more and more independent book. I would point out that the quality of the books are still much better in 2008 than they were in 1994.

I hear you. I'm not one of those that quit comics completely in the mid-90's, but I steered well clear of superheroes for quite a few years. For a while I was only buying Preacher, Invisibles, my yearly issue of Black Hole, any Concrete mini that cropped up, and random one-off books. I didn't read any superhero books regularly until Morrison's New X-Men.

[Fnord Serious]

...I guess the point of the "fatigue" (at least for me) is that the "Big 2" are so over-saturating the market with series that you can no longer just buy a couple of book because you like & want to follow a character. They take the popular characters and put them EVERYWHERE.

When I got into comics, this was already par for the course. I liked the Ghost Rider comic that came out in '88, but it took less then a year before he was guest starring in every book Marvel published. The only characters I felt compelled to buy every appearance of was the X-Men, and even that didn't extend to buying Wolverine every month. Even that only lasted a few years.

I'm a big fan of the obscure characters, so it's fairly easy for me to follow my favorites. There's only one book I have to buy every month if I want to see what's happening to poor Speedball

[BobBretall]

1001 Arabian Nights of Sinbad (last issue is #6)
- I stopped getting Grimm Fairy Tales a while back, now I see in the current Previews that 1001 Arabian Nights of Sinbad #7 is the "1st ever GrimmFairy Tales Crossover!!!". Well, instead of getting me to pick up GFT, this crossover is causing me to cancel Sinbad.

Zenescope: "Oops!"

[HipHopHead]

I try, let me emphasize, TRY to read books where the potential of a crossover is remote.

BPRD & Hellboy from Dark Horse are great stories, self-contained and...wait for it...TIMELY.

Batman: R.I.P. I am only going to read the main title and none of the tie-ins. I like Grant Morrison

Superman & Action Comics: went back an ordered the Brainiac story and started the Robinson run, for two reasons Geoff Johns and James Robinson, but looking at the Sept Preview, it looks like the crossover is beginning with the New Krypton story.

Vertigo: Air, Young Liars and Unknown Soldier once again crossover is remote. Though I have heard about a Fables (another pull for me) and Jack of Fables (not on my list) may cross over.

Ultimate Line at Marvel: I can afford their crossovers, because of the number of titles.

Will be dropping several titles at Marvel after Secret Invasion. Just dropped Invincible Iron Man after #6, Incredible Hercules after #122