Do you reread your comics?

[doc-samson]

This is a general question but one that's been brought about by Morrison's run on Batman. Basically I don't think you can get his book without going back and rereading the earlier issues, which I don't ever tend to do. This could end up being one of those famous "it reads better in trade" things. Anyway, I just wondered if people actually go back to read "singles", just for the hell of it, or maybe to try and put the pieces together plot wise better.

[iSteve]

No, I haven't gone back to re-read my singles. But I can imagine doing so. It's just so hard finding specific issues in my mountain of long boxes.

[labor_days]

Yup, I re-read certain single issues. Not a collector so I tend to not let the archive grow too unruly. Fairly easy to get what I want.

Certain books that I feel are a bit dense and would benefit from a re-read, I place in a drawer. Then I go back to them. Hickman's Pax Romana, Morrison's Batman, Meltzer's JLA, Wood's DMZ, etc.

Actually, I have been re-reading Morrison's Batman run recently. Mostly for fun, but also to jog the memory a bit. Tres awesome.

[xyzzy]

If you don't re-read comics, what's the point in owning them?

[flakbait]

I do sometimes with notable runs, especially if I'm in between novels of if it was a light week. It's good to review, sometimes you pick up on things you missed before or forgot about.

Why bother keeping them otherwise?

[jaflanagan]

It would be fun to do, but with the constant influx of new material, who's got time?!

I try to re-read trades now and again, but issues...forget about it.

[jasontodd]

I pretty much never re-read comics. I'm not a collector and sell almost everything.
Plus, I just don't have the time.

[doc-samson]

If you don't re-read comics, what's the point in owning them?

I guess I'm a collector, not for the supposed monetary value, just to collect. And I totally agree with Josh, I don't have time to reread stuff, but I will pick up a trade once in a while to reread, just not very often. I suppose it's also a question of how you store things. I haven't sorted my singles in years, it'd be pretty hard to find everything if I wanted a certain run.

[horatio616]

So what comic/trade have you reread the most? I've probably reread Dark Knight at least a dozen times.

[doc-samson]

So what comic/trade have you reread the most? I've probably reread Dark Knight at least a dozen times.

That's funny, I just reread that last week. I think I've read the whole Sandman series 3 times...

[labor_days]

Hm. How long does it take to read a comic book issue, 10 minutes at the most?

I would even hazard 10 minutes is a generous amount.

[horatio616]

Hm. How long does it take to read a comic book issue, 10 minutes at the most?

I would even hazard 10 minutes is a generous amount.

It takes longer to locate and move the box, find the comic, and remove the comic from the bag than it does to read the comic. Most of the time it's not worth the trouble. I can remember the last time I went through one of my long boxes and read a book from it. It's been years.

[labor_days]

Bag & boarding and storing that shit in long boxes in not easily accessible areas is your problem then.

Stop doing that.

[xebix]

Bag & boarding and storing that shit in long boxes in not easily accessible areas is your problem then.

Stop doing that.

My solution to that problem is to download them. I already bought the book, so I don't feel like I'm taking anything away from the industry by doing so. Every week I download all of the books I buy and have quite a collection all organized. It is much easier to find on my hard drive then in my closet.

[snowoxx]

I reread some trades, but not singles. I tried to reread The Walking Dead Vol 1-7, but I still remembered everything, so maybe it hasn't been long enough. On my first run with comics, I would reread the same 3-4 comics almost everyday, but back then, I would do the same thing with music and movies, so maybe I was just weird back then.

[doc-samson]

My solution to that problem is to download them. I already bought the book, so I don't feel like I'm taking anything away from the industry by doing so. Every week I download all of the books I buy and have quite a collection all organized. It is much easier to find on my hard drive then in my closet.

Now that's a whole different issue, but I will say that I really don't like reading them on the computer at all.

[jaflanagan]

Hm. How long does it take to read a comic book issue, 10 minutes at the most?

I would even hazard 10 minutes is a generous amount.

I have thousands of comic books. I can't even pick a DVD to watch if I've got a spare 2 hours.

[xebix]

Now that's a whole different issue, but I will say that I really don't like reading them on the computer at all.

I have one of those tablet notebooks, so it's really not much different than holding a big hardcover.

[mikegraham6]

i used to re-read single issues, but i've taken to giving away my comics to my brother, so now any runs that i really enjoy i just buy in trade, re-read and then stick on the shelf to read again some time down the road. It's a tad expensive but it's better than having stack and stacks of single issues to sort through (plus it gives my brother a chance to enjoy some comics since he doesn't have the money to spend on weekly issues)

[doc-samson]

I have thousands of comic books. I can't even pick a DVD to watch if I've got a spare 2 hours.

Yep. By the time my wife and I finally agree on a DVD to watch, we've lost at least a half hour of "watching" time, which in turns makes it a "well how long is it" discussion...

I think I take a little longer than 10 minutes to read a comic too, maybe I'm just trying to absorb everything better for my 3 bones.

[labor_days]

Saying you got too many comics is a poor excuse. I'm sure others have just as many comics and lead just as busy lives.

But hey, I'm not podcasting 7 days a week.

[xyzzy]

I guess I'm a collector, not for the supposed monetary value, just to collect. And I totally agree with Josh, I don't have time to reread stuff, but I will pick up a trade once in a while to reread, just not very often. I suppose it's also a question of how you store things. I haven't sorted my singles in years, it'd be pretty hard to find everything if I wanted a certain run.

Well, I mean, I can understand not having time. It's a pretty finite resource. But you must at least intend to re-read them. If not now, some time in the future. If you don't plan on reading them again and you're not speculating on price, why hang on to them? What do you gain from it?

I'm not saying that I re-read my entire collection every week. Of course not. But leafing through a trade that I've already read? Sure I do that at least once a week.

[horatio616]

Bag & boarding and storing that shit in long boxes in not easily accessible areas is your problem then.

Stop doing that.

There's a huge pile of comics in my bathroom floor. From there they sit on a glass table until I decide to box them. (I can do that. I'm divorced.)

[jaflanagan]

But hey, I'm not podcasting 7 days a week.

Amen brother!

Don't forget the puppy or the wife.

I literally do not remember a time when I was just sitting there thinking, "man, I wish I had something to do..."

[labor_days]

Time to start cracking that intern whip, Flanagan.

[itsbecca]

Out of curiosity Labor, how do you store your older comic issues?

[labor_days]

I keep only a few single issues. Long boxes. Corner of the office.

Another long box is for recent issues. When that fills up, I either file them away or give them away.

Then I buy the trade if so inclined.

[itsbecca]

I keep only a few single issues. Long boxes. Corner of the office.

Another long box is for recent issues. When that fills up, I either file them away or give them away.

Then I buy the trade if so inclined.

I'm confused. That sounds similar to everyone else here, perhaps the only difference being that you're more inclined to part with older comics than some.

[labor_days]

That and it doesn't take me an hour (hyperbole) to get to the long box, take them out of the bag (I don't do that shit) and read them. If it did take that much effort to read an old issue- I would surely pitch them in the bin.

Why would you even bother? Get rid of them.

[jaflanagan]

What if you had a video show, and never knew which issues you needed to scan because Ron always mentions some fucking random book as an afterthough, starting a 3 hour hunt for a panel which may or may not even exist, but he does it every damn time anyway?!

WHAT THEN!?

[labor_days]

Fire Ron, natch.

edit: ;)

[itsbecca]

What if you had a video show, and never knew which issues you needed to scan because Ron always mentions some fucking random book as an afterthough, starting a 3 hour hunt for a panel which may or may not even exist, but he does it every damn time anyway?!

WHAT THEN!?

Clearly someone needs to fop off more scanning responsibilities to Ron lest he lose his sanity.

[horatio616]

What if you had a video show, and never knew which issues you needed to scan because Ron always mentions some fucking random book as an afterthough, starting a 3 hour hunt for a panel which may or may not even exist, but he does it every damn time anyway?!

WHAT THEN!?

I thought it was cool how you just happened to pick out my favorite Cerebus panels of all time for your McCloud episode.

[labor_days]

Intentional, obvs.

[doc-samson]

That and it doesn't take me an hour (hyperbole) to get to the long box, take them out of the bag (I don't do that shit) and read them. If it did take that much effort to read an old issue- I would surely pitch them in the bin.

Why would you even bother? Get rid of them.

Like I mentioned earlier, some people like to collect things. If you have space, you keep 'em. I suppose if I lived somewhere that had nowhere to store them, maybe I'd finally sell them off, but there's no need right now. It's like a nostalgia thing to go back through boxes sometimes too. I've got stuff in there from when I was 5 years old...

[labor_days]

I know dude. I was being hyperboolic. Just a tiny bit.

But I agree with the spirit of why bother to keep them if you aren't going to read them*?

Your space, your money. As long as you enjoy yourself, who is to say you are in the wrong here?


*Provided you don't podcast 7 days a week. Shut up, Josh.

[zombox]

I rarely reread the comics themselves. I do reread them in TPB form every couple of years if they are stories I liked a lot.

I also keep the comics around, stored in boxes and all that jazz. Mostly out of habit and I have the space to spare.

[johnvferrigno]

I reread my comics all the time. Sometimes I'll be in the mood for a certain character, or maybe a certain writer, and I'll pull out a run of a comic and just read through a big stack of issues on a particular run.

For Example, I'm really hyped up about the Iron man movie, so I read my demon in a Bottle hardcover, but that didn't "fill me up" so I pulled out my longboxes and read the entire run of the current volume of Iron Man. Sometimes you forget just how great a storyline was, or how much you really liked it, until you re-read it. Extremis is an example of that. I remebered liking it, but when I re-read it, I realized just how much I enjoyed it.

[jgg0610]

This is actually something that I've been dealing with lately. I just sold two full boxes of comics to my LCS and got more than enough in trade to replace the few things I was interested in reading again. I had recently tried to go back and reread the first Criminal arc in singles and it was such a pain that I never ended up reading it. I switched to trades and now I'm rereading the first arc in trade and enjoying it much more than I did the first time in singles.

Later today, I have every intention of going through the boxes again and making even more cuts.

[johnvferrigno]

TI had recently tried to go back and reread the first Criminal arc in singles and it was such a pain that I never ended up reading it.

Wow, we really HAVE become a nation obsessed with instant gratification. Obviously, I can see what you are saying. If I am going to read a bunch of issues in a row, the trade is easier. But I just can't bring myself to shell out 15-20 dollars to get a trade of something that contains only individual issues I already have.

Yesterday, I read the entire run of Wolverine:Origins up to this point. Yeah, it would have been nice to have the trades. But moving a few boxes around, pulling out the box that has the issues in it, and then taking the issues out one at a time to read them is not THAT much of a hassle. OK, it took me about 3 minutes to get them before i could read them, but that isn't that much of a problem that I'm going to ditch my single issues and buy trades of things I already have.

[conorkilpatrick]

I never, ever reread my singles.

I do often reread my trades.

[mikegraham6]

I never, ever reread my singles.

I do often reread my trades.
why do you keep them? if i remember correctly you even have a storage unit for your comics, i would think that would be expensive

[conorkilpatrick]

why do you keep them? if i remember correctly you even have a storage unit for your comics, i would think that would be expensive

I have a storage unit but not specifically for my comics.

[mikegraham6]

I have a storage unit but not specifically for my comics.
so you just keep them out of habit then?

[conorkilpatrick]

so you just keep them out of habit then?

At this very moment I keep them because doing 6 video podcasts a week requires a lot of graphics.

[labor_days]

Obviously, Conor is rich beyond our wildest dreams. The man has been on vacation for YEARS now.

[euchre0]

I've re-read almost all of my comics. Over the last year I have been going through and getting rid of a bunch (maybe 500-600) and my criteria is: "Will I read this again?" If the answer is "no," I get rid of it, but I've left myself a good 2,500 or so.

Time is also an issue for me, but somehow I manage to revisit my old stuff every once and a while, though it is harder now that I left the bulk of my collection at my parents house on the other side of the city.

Rereading my comics is a delight I cherish.:)

[darth-kramer]

There are certain issues I re-read frequently, like Starlin's runs on Warlock and Captain Marvel. I also read the "New" FF storyline by Simonson and Adams quite a bit, as it's just good fun. I also try and have a long run ready to re-read at any point. My current queue is full with my re-reading for my Starman podcast, but once I get through these books, I have a big run of the Jim Shooter Legion of Super-Heroes as well as the last chunk of the Ostrander Suicide Squad series (issue #51+). I rarely re-read a book for the sake of understanding a current issue, though.

[superfriend82]

I keep on wanting to reread my comics but i don't know if i'll ever get to it.

[quentin]

I'd like to say I was going back and reading my books more often, but out of the 600 or so a year I buy, I think 20 a year is a good guess for how many I go back and read through. Those long boxes are gonna become a problem someday, but I figure I've got a few years to sort all that business out.

When Doc started this thread he mentioned Morrison's run on Batman being the inspiration, I caught a video of John Siuntres interviewing Morrison for Pulp Secret last night on YouTube. Morrison implied that they're really gonna do what people think they're gonna do for Batman RIP, so I think that run is going to get reread by a lot of people real soon.

[cenquist]

I re-read certain arcs and stories but I tend to re-read my trades alot. There is a bench across the street in the park that probably has an ass groove in it from me sitting there reading trades on a nice day in the summer....

[six-gun]

I sometimes go on big re-reading sprees.

Like right now. I re-read the Killing Joke and the first three Cap trades this weekend.

Up next to re-read is The Lone Ranger and Q&C

I usually prefer to re-read trades over singles. But if singles are all I have (like with The Lone Ranger) I'll re-read those