Graphic Novel Reading Group discussion

I sort of do both. My husband and I pick up our comics at the local shop every week, but I wait until about four issues have built up before I read a particular storyline unless I just can't wait. I can wait on Daredevil right now but not Court of Owls.

I generally prefer collections.

Still follow the various LSH titles, but it's more going in every 3-6 months a picking up the issues since the last time I was in. Though Earth 2 and World's Finest may get me back on the train again.

I exclusively buy collections now. The last floppy I purchased was in 2005. Most publishers of serial books are good enough about collecting their product that I no longer have to worry about not being able to read worthwhile books.

It ends up being cheaper *and* I get to read an entire arc or two in a single volume. When I first switched over I thought I would be anxious to read whatever series I was following chapter-by-chapter as they came out, but that hasn't been the case at all. There is so much worthwhile product out there that I cannot possibly afford to buy it all, so I just buy as my budget allows and that usually keeps me several volumes behind anyway.

Collections are easier to keep organized as well, since they're more durable and have titles on their spines. I have boxes of floppies in my garage that I rarely bother with because it's just too much of a hassle sorting through and looking for particular issues.

Also, moving to trade made me less likely to continue supporting series that weren't producing high-quality content. It became harder to justify spending fifteen dollars on a book that was only ever going to be mediocre.

I used to be single-issues exclusively. The only time I would buy a trade format is if it was a brand-new story. I love my weekly trip to the comic store and the stack of new wonderful stories, and somehow trades just aren't the same.

However, space is rapidly becoming an issue for me, and having read a few collections of late, I'm starting to become more inclined to buy that way...

I like both, just today I went to my local comic book store to get the third book in the Lucifer series and browsed through the monthly ones, I didn't see anything that would interest me other than the '68 Vietnam-zombie series which are stand alone anyway.

So my answer would be: I prefer a collection, but would go monthly for the right comic.

Single issue to explore new stuff, collections for all else.

I was drifting towards collections for financial reasons but in the end it seemed like so many series I enjoyed were marginal and as they didn't have the upfront support died on the vine. As such I've tried to stick to buying floppies upfront for those things I truly love so they stick around for as long as possible...

(*sob*, Goodbye OMAC - you'll be missed...)

Collections all the way.

Last week I was at my comic book store looking for the third installment of the Lucifer series and as always can't help but browse through the single issue racks.

I picked up Locke&Key, $3.99 is still a good price for impulse shopping, I think this one is a good candidate for single use purchase - after I read it from the beginning!

I usually stick to the collected graphic novel collection because that way, if there is a comic book that is involved in a major story arc like "Avengers vs. X-Men" for example, then I wouldn't have to worry about missing out on an important part of the story if I missed out on the story arc when it was going through single issues. I would occassionally collect single comic issues like "Looney Tunes" as long as they are not involved in any kind of story arc and they are just individual stories.

I usually buy mine as single issues but let them build up. I really wish that the companies would be more forthcoming about how many issues would make up an arc. I read some of the Star Wars titles from Dark Horse and they always tell you, Issue 1 of 4, or whatever. D.C. and Marvel need to do the same. I like graphic novels that were conceived as a series, but the ones that collect issues of an ongoing series always seem to leave off in the wrong place.

I started out with trades only but now I'm buying a lot more single issues. My impatience gets the better of me, even though I know I'm better off waiting for the collection.

I have this weird system that I have come up with in which I do both. For instance when the new 52 started I bought monthly issues of everything I thought I would like except for those titles that I liked but was pretty sure they would do good. As time went on I dropped other titles that I saw were doing well but hung on to the ones that I wasn't sure if the numbers would be good enough for DC to continue them. This way I thought I would be helping those titles to continue. Of course I had to buy the graphic novels for all of them. The titles that I was buying monthly but stopped buying because they were doing good I took them in to my local comics store and traded them in for graphic novels of establish titles already out there. I'll admit there are a few monthly titles that I still buy even though they are doing well because I can't wait for the trade to come out. :)

The single issues are a good way to try out a storyline to see if it clicks for you.

Annaloree wrote: "The single issues are a good way to try out a storyline to see if it clicks for you."

That's true. I've done that for example with Higher Earth by Boom comics and Hoax Hunters by Image which I love and with The Massive by Dark Horse which I didn't like.

I usually read the individuals as they come out, but if I really enjoyed the story, I'll get the volume when it comes out.

Suge wrote: "I usually read the individuals as they come out, but if I really enjoyed the story, I'll get the volume when it comes out."

I'll do the same thing too if I'm really interested in the story (which is kind of rarely nowadays except for the Looney Tunes comics).

Another point: you can buy individual issues in e format, without driving to your store. (Of course if you decide to buy the GN you could order it on line and have it delivered.)

Brenda

depends on the comic.. I can't wait for almost a year to read Fables :D

others, I wait just fine. It IS nice to read straight thru.

Although I had started reading the new Swamp Thing as the floppies came out, I have stopped doing so with #12 and will be buying the trades in the future.
Ditto with the Rocketeer Adventures.

CHEW is one I wait for the trade. I absolutely think its one of the funniest, grossest comics out there. I've handed it out, with great success.

Meran wrote: "CHEW is one I wait for the trade. I absolutely think its one of the funniest, grossest comics out there. I've handed it out, with great success."

That is one of my favorites as well! I started reading it a year ago and I love it!

I usually wait for the trades unless I know there's going to be supplementary stuff I care about in the single issues, such as several of the essays in the Brubaker/Phillips titles. With newer stuff, I'll try a couple of single issues to see if I want to try the trade. I did this with Animal Man, Swamp Thing, and a few others.

I am a lover and complete devotee of monthlies. It actually makes me quite sad that it's a bit of a dying way to publish.

I look at it this way: if there were no monthlies, there wouldn't be enough interest created for a title in order for a trade to be published - so what if monthlies do finally bite the bullet?

I love having individual covers, I love it when the monthlies have stuff in the back (the letters column of Saga and the extra essays at the back of Fatale are awesome), and I love being able to test stuff out without having to plunk down $15.

I also love having an excuse to go into my comic book store and shoot the shit with the owners every week or two when my new books come out.

Also, above all that, I'm actually just a big fan of the serialized format, not just in comics, but also in fiction. It is nice to read right through sometimes, but the anticipation for the next issue is something I love. Plus you can always read right through when you have a bunch of monthlies.

Kelly wrote: "I love it when the monthlies have stuff in the back (the letters column of Saga and the extra essays at the back of Fatale are awesome)"

I second that. Letters column in Saga is almost as entertaining as the actual comic itself! I love it.

Scott wrote: "Kelly wrote: "I look at it this way: if there were no monthlies, there wouldn't be enough interest created for a title in order for a trade to be published - so what if monthlies do finally bite th..."

Very true, but those are a lot harder to get published because of the increased cost/risk the publisher might be taking on. You can talk somebody into letting you have a one-off or a mini-series in a cheaper format a lot easier than a graphic novel.

Peter wrote: "Letters column in Saga is almost as entertaining as the actual comic itself! I love it."

Me too! And I love that you physically have to write into him.

I read the monthlies as they come out. I sometimes buy the trades to have on the shelf to read again or to let friends read. Chew is the one I always read last in my stack from the comic shop because it always makes me laugh and because I read it twice - once for the story and then a second time to get all of the art details. I also really like that Ed Brubaker includes extras for the single issue readers like the articles in the back of Criminal and Fatale that you can't get in the trade.

Also going to the comic shop helps me to see or find out about other series and new series I might not know about if I were only buying the trades.

I read issues digitally to test the arc/series after browsing/looking at reviews online. If it's good, I wait and get the TPB. No risk of missing issues, especially with cross-overs, and looks tidier on the bookshelf.

i honestly don't know. I have been in the comic book/graphic novel/ trade paperback world for like a year now and i have only been reading floppys for 4 months. Its pretty expensive and I am worried that it might be cheaper if i just collect trades and graphic novels. But the problem is i like to read the comics that are tied in to crossovers with the comics i do read so i don't know how i would manage it if I did only collect trades. The problem in this is i am more of a dc fan and dc are currently not packaging crossovers together. Example: I am reading a Green Lantern Crossover and would definitley pick up the trade but would still want to read the other comics in the crossover so i would have to pick up three more trades just to complete the storyline. That's like $130 for all of those and i wouldn't want books where i only care about some of it instead of all of it. Anyway, I think I will collect until all of the current DC crossovers and storylines are over and then i will decide whether i will collect or not.

I used to only buy trades and hardcovers because I didn't want to load myself up on singles. But for the past couple of years, I've been buying the singles as they come out to show my support. Trade waiting is a great way to get your favorite book cancelled.

I've only recently started reading comics and graphic novels again. So basically, anything that came out from the New 52 on I've been buying in issues. Anything that started before then that I would like to read I buy in tpb or hardcover. For instance, even though I've caught up on Chew via tpb I'm not jumping into single issues, I'm going to continue to read it via tpb. Part of this is due to space. I've filled two long boxes in a year (bought a LOT of old Batman runs in single issues) and while I will be slowing down on my purchasing I still don't want to have a ton of long boxes hanging around. I would rather have the books adorn my bookshelves.

I do both. The monthlies take up more room though :)

We just got comics today, both singles and trades, so I will be "lost" in my corner for a couple days while I read them all! :D

Fables will be read first, but the new Blacksad TPB will be right after.. See ya later!

Adam, I just read your post. Are you getting a discount from the comics store? Usually, if you set up a pull box they'll give you a discount, kinda based on how many you buy, but you can always ask ;)

I like reading through the entire arc at once.
Yet, my OCD often strikes if there is a particular new arc I am Jonesing for.
Only then will I do monthly and almost always come to wish the singles came more quickly.
I have never ordered through the mail.
I also tend to read many things at once. A recent arc prompts my interest in a past arc. If my interest is high, I will buy the collection. If not, will sample the singles.
I mostly do e comics.
Dave

NYKen wrote: "I am more of a graphic novel or collected trades reader. If a particular story catches my attention, I want to read it through on one sitting or a couple of sittings. I would find my interest wanin..."

I guess I'd lean more towards the collected books. Don't get me wrong, though, there's something about picking up a single issue at the shop that's just too fun. But when I sit down and get into a story, I can burn through a lot of pages in a short amount of time.(I read pretty quickly) Then I like to go back and savor all those wonderful art panels over and over again. :)

I mainly stick to collections.

I mainly stick to collections. Especially when it comes to books like Fables or Y: The Last Man. Recently I've adapted a somewhat new strategy to deal with Superhero books. My working strategy involves picking up at least the first issue of a series I'm looking to get into digitally. Sometimes, as is the case with Scott Snyder's current Batman title, I'll pick up the digital issues of an arc (Death of the family is the most recent example) AND pick up the trade so that I have a physical copy on my shelf to re-read...That's my general Comic philosophy even if it is somewhat expensive.

Now for a story. You don't need to continue reading unless you want since I know this is long winded already. :)

Most recently I bought the issue 21's of Green Lantern, Green Lantern Corps, Green Lantern: New Guardians, and Red Lanterns. These four issue 21's are the first issues with new creative teams since Geoff Johns left Green Lantern.

I read Issue 1 of Green Lantern when the New 52 started it instantly made me want to jump 9 years into the past of Geoff John's run. I plan on doing that at some point (I've got Rebirth through Wanted: Hal Jordan, and am waiting for Sinestro Corps War volume 1 to become available on Amazon again). However I also would like to keep up with whats going on currently because I feel kinda left out since I've got 9 years to catch up on with Johns.

With this new writer, I believe his name is Robert Vindetti, who came on with Issue 21 I felt (and was told) that it'd be a decent jumping on point so I decided to go with it. I still plan on picking up everything in Trades however because I like to have the paperbacks on my shelf.

Netflix has turned me in to a consumption fiend. 1 comic will last me about 20 minutes and will leave me wanting more. Luckily there's so much I haven't read and these days I'm more open to other genres that there are an almost endless supply of collected works. Plus I'm not into collecting single copies as I once was due to the fact that it's taking up too much space. In the future I'll probably subscribe to Marvel's service as well.

The big, big problem with waiting for the GN is that if nobody buys the monthly comic, then the publisher may decide that it's a flop. And the GN will never appear. And they may cancel the title! This is very bad.

It's a catch-22 for sure. There's also so much content out these days and I've been burned by great concepts with poor delivery that I prefer to read reviews before I even jump on board anything new.

I'm at a point when I'm even hesitating to buy the Trades and opting to wait for the Deluxe Hardcover to come out.
Case in point SAGA, I'm sure these'll be collected into a hardcover sooner or later, and even though I've bought the 1st 2 trades, I think I'll be waiting for the hardcover from here on in.
I had bought the 1sr 2 trades of REVIVAL and then they published a nice Deluxe Hardcover (which I bought as well) of the content of those trades... I'll be waiting for the 2nd Deluxe book instead of buying the 3rd or 4th trade.
Sure the nieces and nephew love getting my "doubles", but it's havoc on my wallet.

I buy collections mainly unless its something I'm really into, then I will buy the issues. I love my kindle so I do read more issues now than ever.

My reasons for buying issues are mostly politically motivated. Bought every issue of Gail Simone's Batgirl in New 52 because I want to support her and the kind of stories she tells about female characters. I'll buy the new Ms. Marvel in weeklies. I voice my approval with my wallet when I see mainstream comics take risks I appreciate. "I want you to do more of that - here's $4!" Otherwise I buy trade, can't afford anything else and like other people have posted, it looks better in the library.

I do still buy "some" floppies, even though I know I`ll also be buying the hardcovers when those get published.

Case in point... Dark Horse Presents, and REH's Savage Sword... square bound floppies that I know will eventually re-collect the "best ofs" stories.

I'm also buying the Marvel "reprint" floppies of MiracleMan... and I'll be buying the collected hardcovers, and probably the "Absolute-like" hardcover when those come out as well.

And, well, Neil Gaiman`s Sandman Overture...

Dark Horse Presents only come in monthlies, right. I like those too. More to read and some of those stories, maybe all, can only be found there! I have extra stories there from Alabaster, since it was on short run (of 6 issues?)

Some of those in the mix are useless, but I find many to be entertaining.

Just got Revival, vol 3 ;)

Bye! (opens the trade...)

I struggle with this issue myself. As a Batman fanatic who read all his stuff in trades for years, I switched to individual issues thirteen months ago. This went for EVERYTHING in the Gotham universe, from Batwing to the Joker's Daughter special. This became incredibly expensive, and I was subjected to a lot of mediocrity (see Ann Nocenti's monthly Catwoman title).

Pamphlets, or floppies, can be frustrating as 20 pages goes by in the flash of an eye and look less than awesome interspersed with 12 pages of advertising. Nearly every other page is an advertisement for another book.

Collections, in particular the hardcovers, usually look pretty gorgeous. DC takes a while to release the books and sometimes just leaves issues out of their collections. It's quite strange that an emotionally cathartic story about Robin's death just disappears, a full two issues, between the collections of Batman volume 3 and 4.

I am contemplating going back to the collections, but as soon as I do I know I will be craving the instant gratification of the latest issue with the new creative team I have been reading about all over the internet. It's a really irritating Catch-22 for me, and I cannot afford to buy both.

It is easier with IDW. I collect TMNT and Ghostbusters individually. Their graphic novels only collect 4 comics and cost 2 dollars more than purchasing them individually. Both those books need all the help they can get saleswise, also.

Love to get some input from some of you. I very much enjoyed reading about the way you all purchase your stuff. For some reason this silly dilemma weighs on me more heavily than actual real-life problems. Even as I type this I am debating whether I would enjoy the new heavily anticipated new arc of Detective Comics in little drips and drabs over the next six months, or whether I should hold off until the Deluxe Hardcover that no doubt will have all the issues collected beautifully without advertising.

In the monthlies, I like reading the letters and also the advance notices of new ones coming down the pike. It's the only way I find out! My comic store missed getting me the new Sandman one, even though I asked for it (enter 500 curse words here)... So, I'm foregoing the monthlies (no worry about Sandman anything going to trade ;) ), so my comic store misses out on that cash.

I'll get the trade. It'll match my set that way anyway.

BUT I HAVE TO WAIT. (enter more curses here.)...,

The other thing about monthlies is that now they sort of expect to collect them. And therefore each individual issue is not anywhere near freestanding. It's a length cut from a long strip of GN. Far far less satisfactory, on a month-to-month level -- if you go back and read the really old comics, the ones that tell an entire story in a mere 17 pages, you can see what I mean.
The new format encourages decompression (a relatively good story agonizingly stretched out over 7 or 8 issues, like butter scraped over too many slices of bread), disorganization (the flaws in construction won't show up for months and months when the GN comes out) and lengthy digressions (let's do a mini, six issues devoted to the adventures of the sidekick!). It can be hellishly annoying.

The Naruto comics that I read come out in Shonen Jump like once a week. I have an app that releases the issue to app once it has been translated into the English Language, so that is how I read my comics. They have a book where it is a collection of 2-3 of the comics. I prefer waiting for the weekly Jump comics than getting the book with a few of them collected. It gives a sort of suspense, like, 'What's going to happen next? How are they going to play that out?' I just prefer to read the weekly Jump comics.

I've been a comic reader/collector/lover since I was a wee one. I still buy single issues, but I love a graphic novels/collections too... Where you can take it all in, with a beginning middle and end. The key is buying the comics you just can't wait for month to month. As people have been saying some books are just better read all at once, when the arc is completed, in trade form. But as an example I love reading east of west month to month... Each issue so far has been like a chapter of a book, and adds to the whole/propels the story forward. Some comics(too many) can feel like only part of a chapter, annoying. Another book I love month to month is superior foes of spider man. A lot happens in any given issue. It's not only superior it's amazing ! It feels old school in a way, but is obviously very modern at the same time. Basically feels like a comic from decades past in a sense, maybe pacing wise etc. ?
One book I should probably trade wait on is saga, it's so amazing though! Even if it takes ten minutes tops to read, and often times ends on a cliffhanger. Did I mention I hate cliffhangers most times ? The 90s were rampant with them. I remember reading robin, the Dixon run, and you'd be on the edge of your seat, but it was kind of annoying the constant hows he gonna get out of this one feeling?! Ha. I am reading American vampire in tpb, also Snyders batman run in tpb form. Fables ?- Trade. I was reading the sixth gun month to month but it was so tedious and slow moving after a while. I may come back to it in tpb form, but I feel a little cold with the series after 30+ issues. I picked up ballistic and loved it, but I have been waiting around 10 months for 4 issues. and it's only a 5 issue series. Wish I had trade waited it!
Month to month must reads: east of west, manhattan projects, prophet, saga , superior foes of Spider-Man. What combination are you guys into ? Id love to see other peoples stories about what they read month to month and vice versa.