A few weeks ago I discussed how the comic book market is in a flux, despite being part of one of the better era of comic books in recent history. There’s an aspect of the whole mess that I did not (directly) delve into, and it was my fault for identifying the readers as “consumers,” which goes against my urge to treat comics more like (pop) literature and less like products. With that in mind, allow me to now bicker about the readers as readers, and what’s the best way to turn the pages.

There are plenty of ways to buy ones books – issues, trades, or not at all – and there are just as many ways to read said books. It all depends on what kind of book it is, too. A miniseries doesn’t have much incentive to buy individual issues, considering the support for the book won’t do much for it’s fate and/or longevity (besides a few less copies of trades available for sale, but let’s not worry about that). Ongoing series, excluding the likes of Superman, Batman, Fantastic Four, and other patron series, are more dependent on sales of issues and trades – trades less so, which has damaged the accuracy of how successful a book has been. Then there are entire graphic novels – which should actually be defined as such, unlike collections of a certain amount of issues – that are complete and final, and only ask that they’re taken off a few shelves.

So what book is best for you?

A lot of comic-book readers have problems answering such a (surprisingly) simple question, even after having been reading for weeks, months, or decades. Some will keep on reading a book because they’ve been with it for so long that they might as well keep going. Others will wait for the opinions of others until they decide in which to invest their time (and money). And then there are even some who don’t read the stories at all but still have an appreciation for a particular character or story idea. All of these methods, unfortunately, are wrong and unwise. The person who has been riding the coattails of a series for the long haul is among the worst; yes, it is important to keep up with recent events and be in the know of what happened to characters in which you have emotionally invested, but when it comes to spending your time and money on something, why do so with a bad story? And for the record, I’m not talking about “oh, this happened to Nightcrawler so I’m pissed at this book and refuse to read it until everything is sunshine and rainbows for my favorite devil-elf.” No. I’m talking about just plain bad writing: poor characterization, boring art, and a poor grasp on characters/plotpoints does not deserve your dollar. Wait until there’s a creative team that suits your personal palette, and have fun from there.

And what of those who wait and see what’s good? Well, wait if you must, but don’t let people decide what you think you should enjoy. Ironic that people as individual and outcasted as geeks and nerds can be so susceptible to collective thought – so much that if someone disagrees with the majority’s opinion, their opinion is automatically invalid or belittled. I could tell you stories of how people have insulted each other over books, but that’s a whole other article in of itself.

And those people who just don’t read at all? No. I hate you. You’re the reason comic books are looked down on, but superhero movies are just fine. You’re why there’s Smallville. Be literate once in a while, it’ll help us all out.

So if you’re having problems figuring out what to read, just be true to yourself and what you like. That goes with whatever means of reading is best for you too. Let the companies worry about the sales and support. This is your time and your money, so go out there and enjoy it for yourself.

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