Before vs. after reading comics

I have gone thru enough cycles and retelling of origins, that I wish they would stop.

I have gone thru a time when a comicbook death meant the character was not gonna come back (except as a flashback/story was years ago), but now, death in comics is but a temporary thing.

I have seen comics going from being something people pick up and enjoy the story/artwork to were speculators are now ruining the collector aspect of it.

I have seen how far the movies, TV shows, cartoons, differ from the comics.  (The Batman Animated series -1992) was the closest to actual comicbook accurate of any adaption.

And now, with (at least at DC Comics) where they are actively pushing out the “legacy characters” for newer, younger, more “diverse” ones… yuck!  And altering others to fit an agenda instead of staying with good storytelling… yuck again!

I understand the copyright on alot of them (legacy characters like Bruce Wayne/Batman, Clark Kent/Superman, etc) are about to enter “public domain”, but what they are doing to them is disgraceful, IMO.

I have seen characters I liked in the past, but picking up one of their current issues, I go WTF is this?  Who/what is this character?  When/how did this character come back to life?  Where did the previous holder of that alias go to? etc.

I recall when they tried to modernize Diana Prince/Wonder Woman (spandex) and fans HATED it.  Then they tried to replace Diana Prince/Wonder Woman with Artemis as the new Wonder Woman… and fans HATED IT.

I recall when they tried to modernize/replace Bruce Wayne/Batman with Azreal/Jean Paul Valley as Batman… and the fans HATED IT!

I have always been into collecting/reading comics, but this whole speculator invasion is ruining it.

So called “key issues” are now worth more than what they are worth, IMO.  And when they get the comics SLABBED, they are no longer readable/removed from the comic collectors market.  So you now have a framed comic book cover.  yay.  how exciting.

Just buy a damn poster!  or t-shirt!  if you like the cover so damn much.

And because current stories/art is so bad, my budget has me spending MORE on back issues (comics that the publishers have already been paid for/pre-read/pre-owned comics) over current/brand new issues.

And because of the speculators, I am missing some “key issues” from completing a run of a series, and have been forced to purchase graphic novels that contain the missing issues.  And those graphic novels cost less than getting the inflated prices of those “key issues” the speculators are demanding.

Because of all this, I have been getting back issue series I would not have thought of before.

I still get Batman and Detective Comics, I still get Action Comics, but I refused to get the Black Label version, and all the other versions.

I think they are saying that with DC Comics, Batman – Batman related – Bat Family titles if two-thirds of ALL DC Comics being published.

That is WAY too many.

I can’t afford all those comic books, and as others have told me, they are getting tired of Batman, and the inferior artwork/stories is turning many long term fans away while NOT attracting new fans.

I was s kid in the 80’s and collected GI Joe and Spider-Man. I have all the original runs from McFarlane and Eric Larson. When I got older I expanded and when Image comics came out, which again had McFarlane and Larson, I had everything they did for the first few years. I slowly stopped with them at about Spawn #30. I got into some more “adult” comics like Faust and Gunfighters from Hell. I actually conversed with that artists through mail back before the internet, Tim Vigil, for awhile and he critiqued my art, yes I used to draw. I have some posters from him personally sent to me. He was a nice guy. I have every single Bloodrayne comic, because I love Bloodrayne. I liked Witchblade as well. (hmm, two female protagonists that seem to be forgotten in the age of modern waaaamen feminism). I got all the Star Wars Legacy comics with Darth Talon and Darth Krayt, and the occasional other Star Wars comic. I have most of the early Alien/Aliens and Predator comics from Dark Horse as well.

I slowly stopped when the prices went up. I had stopped well before all the identity politics was being injected.

For about the past 22+ years I only buy a few comics a year. For me, the price of comics is too high to do every month, and there frankly isn’t much I want in the first place because all the series I used to love are garbage now. I simply don’t think a comic is worth 3-5 bucks. In recent times I got the Cyberfrog collection paperback, and just ordered a single issue from Ethan on ebay as well. I’ve got a Harley Quinn comic here and there. I have done a few Indigogo campaigns recently like Orgasm Girl, Gemshock, Snowman, Shi, and Jack the Ripper.

Sadly, to me, comics aren’t what they used to be. The storylines suck, the majority of the art sucks now, and the characters butchered on the alter of identity politics. My fav “normal” super hero of all time, Spider-Man, is now gay. So, they get none of my money and never will again.