tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post2467620896392493875..comments2024-03-19T10:41:35.976-05:00Comments on Bronze Age Babies: You Are Young and Life is Long and There is Time to Kill TodayDoughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04248324005584963229noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-77129439237636821522015-04-15T22:30:57.539-05:002015-04-15T22:30:57.539-05:00Oh and speaking of letters pages! I assumed that m...Oh and speaking of letters pages! I assumed that most, if not all of the letters printed in the few remaining letters pages these days arrive via email.<br /><br />I am not that interested in current letters pages - but I LOVE them in old comics, they really give a sense of reader response at the time - though you have to remember that 1) Editors chose the letters and 2) it was not uncommon for the writers, artists and editors to write their own letters under assumed names for all sorts of ridiculousnessDr. Oyolahttp://themiddlespaces.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-4414948358665280312015-04-15T22:28:18.719-05:002015-04-15T22:28:18.719-05:00When it comes to Bronze Age comics (and I mean com...When it comes to Bronze Age comics (and I mean comics up to let's say '87) I always go for individual issues if they are affordable (and to me that means I refuse to play more than $5 for any single comic, including shipping, no matter what it is). I don't care too much about condition as long as the cover is intact and I can read it.<br /><br />If it is something I just can't afford, like the first 100 issues of FF, I go the omnibus route - or a nice trade of things like the Dark Phoenix Saga.<br /><br />For current comics, I am still getting my superhero stuff monthly - but there is some independent stuff I wait for trades for - like SAGA and Sex Criminals (both Image), but other independent ones I want to makes sure stick around (like Bitch Planet), I buy monthly.<br /><br />One day the price of individual comics will go beyond $5 and my budget thing will kick in for those as well, and I will be forced to get them all in trades.<br /><br />Reading comics on the computer or even tablet is a travesty. I do it when I have to, but prefer not to.Dr. Oyolahttp://themiddlespaces.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-89323671690129960732015-04-15T20:04:58.096-05:002015-04-15T20:04:58.096-05:00@Edo: Yes, apparently some people still use snail ...@Edo: Yes, apparently some people still use snail mail!<br /><br />@Redartz: I loved those checklists too, especially the ones that gave a teaser of what was in the issue.<br /><br />@William: I pretty much just read older stuff now too. There's tons of stuff I missed the first time around, so I'm finally trying to catch up!<br /><br />Mike WilsonAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-63360465060854017292015-04-15T18:21:57.860-05:002015-04-15T18:21:57.860-05:00During the waning days of my going to the comic st...During the waning days of my going to the comic store and buying "new" comics every week, I got into the habit of letting several issues of a title build up before I'd read them. (At least 3 to 6 months worth). After a few years of doing this, I realized that I didn't really care for what they are passing off as "comics" these days (which is putting it mildly). I started to find myself not wanting to read the 6 or 7 issues of whatever it was I had saved up. I actually got to the point of dreading it like a chore.<br /><br />"Oh, What horrible ret-con nightmare are they going to inflict on Spider-Man (or whoever) this time to ruin my childhood?"<br /><br />It just wasn't any fun anymore, and I found myself more and more reading back issues and collected volumes of the classic stuff that I actually did enjoy. Then one day I decided to finally stop buying new comics all together, and concentrate on just reading stories from the Silver and Bronze Age, and I fell in love with comics all over again. There's even a ton of stuff I never read at all when I was growing up. So, a lot of it is completely new to me.<br /><br />Now, I pretty much strictly buy trades and hardcovers of classic Marvel and DC, and I also have all the Marvel comic collection volumes on DVD, so I could read several comics a day for 10 years and not have to read anything twice.Williamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16988016825582035390noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-41193804800394336452015-04-15T18:18:01.199-05:002015-04-15T18:18:01.199-05:00Mike W.- those old ads do make leafing through a y... Mike W.- those old ads do make leafing through a yellowing 32 pager a lot of fun. Ditto for the letters pages and the Bullpen Bulletins. I'm currently working my way through the second Fantastic Four Onmibus. No ads, but reading the letters pages is a treat, as is the monthly checklists (which at that point were still included in the letters page). And, actually, this Omnibus does include some Marvel house ads in the back, as well as a bunch of Marvel reprint covers from Collectors Item Classics and Marvel's Greatest. Redartzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08221459636234713619noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-9790777017484469012015-04-15T14:23:46.489-05:002015-04-15T14:23:46.489-05:00Mike W.: "...some of which were e-mails?"...Mike W.: "...some of which were e-mails?" You mean there's actually people younger than, say, 60, who send letters by normal mail?Edo Bosnarnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-18796411573538063892015-04-15T14:06:31.090-05:002015-04-15T14:06:31.090-05:00Yeah, I tend to like binge reading these days too....Yeah, I tend to like binge reading these days too...once the story grabs you, it's nice to just keep going.<br /><br />I used to like the letters pages too (and looking through some of those vintage ads in my old comics brings back memories); I don't follow any current books, but I used to read Fables and Walking Dead, and they both have letters pages...in fact Walking Dead had 3 or 4 pages of letters (some of which were emails) in every issue.<br /><br />Mike Wilson Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-50612324649064977322015-04-15T12:21:23.388-05:002015-04-15T12:21:23.388-05:00In some cases, the collected works have made me ap...In some cases, the collected works have made me appreciate a series more. I read New Teen Titans in 1980 and monthly as they came out. I sold my collection in the late '80s, and over the years had opportunities to buy individual issues of Titans back again, but didn't. Somehow the individual issues didn't appeal anymore--maybe it was the fading ink! But when I plunged in and bought the big Titans omnibus a couple years ago, and read the stories straight through from #1, it became a huge favorite of mine again. Perhaps there's an accumulation that happens when you read a bundle of a creator's work, and the impact hits you more. I binged on Mad Men the same way, and Breaking Bad. <br /><br />I agree with Doug about Winter Soldier. With many modern comic series, you need to read the tpb to stay interested, as there isn't enough story in a single issue to tide you over till next month.<br /><br />The Howard the Duck omnibus was a joy to read straight through. I watched the recent return of Mad Men for this final season, and couldn't remember what was happening at last season's finale. But I'm watching it week-to-week now, and they do the recap at the beginning of each show- like the comics used to do- so it primes you for the episode.Garettnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-36954583306383212322015-04-15T09:21:27.148-05:002015-04-15T09:21:27.148-05:00Redartz --
I can definitely relate to the distrac...Redartz --<br /><br />I can definitely relate to the distractions, usually of the self-inflicted nature. I scored a super deal on the first two volumes of the Adam Strange Archives via eBay (used copies, but like new) and received them yesterday. I had great intentions of reading the first story or two -- recall a few weeks ago when we discussed characters we liked but know next-to-nothing about? Adam Strange was my nominee. But the Cubs game, a little work for school, and watching a DVRed episode of a program with my wife all conspired to push the reading to another day. I would say that happens often whenever I am feeling like reading comics.<br /><br />So all that being said, I guess it doesn't support either the periodical or collected formats, does it? Oh, well...<br /><br />DougDoughttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04248324005584963229noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-47248585976075882015-04-15T07:45:30.967-05:002015-04-15T07:45:30.967-05:00Quite an impressive bit of interplay there; intere...Quite an impressive bit of interplay there; interesting to get a behind-the-scenes glimpse of the process you two go through.<br /><br />As for the topic at hand, Karen hits it on the head regarding time availability and mental distractions as an adult (of course, some might debate my classification as such..). In my youth there would be days in which I'd sit with a pile of back issues and read a lengthy series at one go; the Kree/Skrull War being one such occasion. That luxury is pretty infrequent now. As for modern readers, with the array of technological attractions available , few would likely expend the effort to sit for hours reading . If they did, it probably would involve TPB's, rather than monthly issues. <br /><br />Regarding new books today, as Colin says, letters pages are scarce. However there are still some published. Amazing Spider-Man still has one, and Unbeatable Squirrel Girl as well. Why some comics do and others don't is a good question...Redartzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08221459636234713619noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-74117203121709307132015-04-15T07:39:50.681-05:002015-04-15T07:39:50.681-05:00I suppose there's something to be said for wai...I suppose there's something to be said for waiting the requisite month or two between issues, as I can say from the experience of binge-reading 5, 6 or more issues of certain titles in one sitting in a tpb or Essentials volume often left me feeling a bit burned out or soured on certain titles. However, I still vividly recall the possibility of missing an issue due to spotty distribution, so I definitely prefer the instant gratification of having everything together in a nice collected volume.<br />Otherwise, like Karen, I re-read my comics, quite a lot in fact. And often, in the case of multi-part stories, I either re-read the preceding issues before reading the latest one, or read the new one and then go back and read everything all over again in the same day. I specifically recall doing this with X-men, esp. during the Hellfire/Dark Phoenix arc, and also Project Pegasus in Marvel 2-in-1.Edo Bosnarnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-6402451044925683942015-04-15T07:33:53.591-05:002015-04-15T07:33:53.591-05:00Colin, that was my strong assumption regarding the...Colin, that was my strong assumption regarding the letters pages. Serves up another page on which the publisher can sell an advertisement.<br /><br />You also raise an excellent point concerning distribution woes, faced by many of us from time-to-time. And consider how that felt when you missed an issue in a bi-monthly title!<br /><br />Doug Doughttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04248324005584963229noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5293155946761960913.post-46310050135731776432015-04-15T07:30:57.381-05:002015-04-15T07:30:57.381-05:00I live about 20 miles from my nearest specialist c...I live about 20 miles from my nearest specialist comics shop so it's easier now to just download a tpb collection of 5 or 6 issues rather than try to get every one over a 6 month period. In the '70s imported Marvel comics weren't that easy to find in the UK (in my experience anyway) so I'd buy a comic and really enjoy it and then be totally unable to find the follow-up issue - a tpb would have been very handy as would a specialist comics shop. Doug, modern comics don't have letters pages (or not the ones I've read anyway) but it's not just comics - a few months ago I bought a copy of 'National Geographic' and was amazed to see it had no letters. I've been reading NG on and off since the early '80s and there's always been a letters page - it was usually the first thing I turned to. Bah, humbug :( Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com