Thoughts around reducing the monthly pull list

[BuffDaddyBill]

Although I do have to cut back due to financial reasons (3 kids and they like to eat) while I was reducing my pull list the completist in me began wondering which is easier to go back and collect? Will it be easier to find a back issue of Captain America or Batman than it would be say The Boys or Gravel? I realize with the internet it's pretty easy to get anything nowadays and my local store is more of a newstand than comic shop so judging by my list I went the indie route. Your thoughts?

[BobBretall]

Seriously, if something never gets printed and/or traded, it's just something I never missed in the first place. No different than someone who is sitting at home right now convinced they have the Great American Novel in their head, but they can never get those ideas published.

Point taken, but more problematic (and what John was alluding to above) is when a couple of "monthly" issues come out from an Indie publisher, then they never finish the story in regular comics form, jumping to the trade mid-way through, so in order to get the complete story, I now have to re-buy the issues I already got tat fill up the front part of the trade.

This is the kind of thing that is making me cautious about what I commit to from Indie publishers. I don't like it when I get left hanging, however, I realize that this becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy when it causes em to shy away from the periodical issues and the low sales cause the collapse of the title I was fearing in the first place.....

Quite a dilemma.....

[BobBretall]

Although I do have to cut back due to financial reasons (3 kids and they like to eat) while I was reducing my pull list the completist in me began wondering which is easier to go back and collect? Will it be easier to find a back issue of Captain America or Batman than it would be say The Boys or Gravel? I realize with the internet it's pretty easy to get anything nowadays and my local store is more of a newstand than comic shop so judging by my list I went the indie route. Your thoughts?

If you really want to buy the back issues down the road, you'll definitely be able to find Marvel/DC issues easier than those from Indie publishers.

That being said, I think Boys will be easier to get in the future than Gravel, there are more copies out there..... Just using the August #s as a touch-point, we see:

Batman 679 - 103,530
Captain America 41 - 84,988
Boys 21- 27,508
Gravel 4 - 7,102

Further, as you point out, with the internet, you can eventually find copies of almost anything. I've been able to eventually find most things I'm looking for, though a really low end title (like Cavewoman) is something that I have been having a hard time finding issues at a price I'm willing to pay.

So, look to the numbers. If the book is selling <10,000 copies, you may want to consider picking it up now, as it will be that much more difficult to hunt down later.....

[ccordova2]

ive slowly been triming my titles over the last couple of months. januarys previews im expecting to make some big cuts. im still getting some core titles that i gotta read every month. im just slimming down to what i can either wait for trade for, or that i am just getting outta habit & thats just not good anymore.

prices on single issues is a huge factor as well. its just getting to expensive for me to be getting 10-20 books a week.

i hate to do it, but after nothing but event after event from both marvel & dc im a lil burnt as well.

[dbm]

I'd like to cut down, but there is so much good stuff coming out these days, heh.

Actually, I have been harsher lately on my orders. I've pretty much cut out tossing in the titles I'm just curious about checking out, and am focusing just on what I really need. This month I also passed on a couple of new HC versions of titles I already have in tpb form. Nice new HC printings would be nice, but if I already have the trade, too bad, so sad.

[BobBretall]

This month I also passed on a couple of new HC versions of titles I already have in tpb form. Nice new HC printings would be nice, but if I already have the trade, too bad, so sad.

I know what you mean here. I passed on the Ex Machina HCs for this exact reason. Same thing when they end up doing "Y: The Last Man" HCs

[HassanT]

I'd like to cut down, but there is so much good stuff coming out these days, heh.

Actually, I have been harsher lately on my orders. I've pretty much cut out tossing in the titles I'm just curious about checking out, and am focusing just on what I really need. This month I also passed on a couple of new HC versions of titles I already have in tpb form. Nice new HC printings would be nice, but if I already have the trade, too bad, so sad.

I hate that too. Unless, I really want it, I generally pass on it.

It does seem like the collection market is very similar with the DVD market. They just release a "special edition DVD" of the Casino Royale movie. Like I really need another copy of the same movie.

[HassanT]

One side effect of cutting down your list is that you get "dropped title remorse". I went from about 85 to 90 books a month to 55 books. That was huge amount of books to drop.

One of things I realized was that I am overall a DC guy and I dropped way too many DC titles that I would probably just go back to in a couple of months if I hear anything good them. So, I decided to re-look at my Marvel and DC split and realized I was getting ALOT of Marvel books. I realized that there were some Marvel books that I was getting just because of the art but really couldn't remember the details of the story, like Eternals, X-Force, and Runaways (sorry Bob but I really like Ramos art on this book). I also looked at what I was thinking of adding:

X-Men Kingbreaker - This ties into the whole War of Kings thing, but Yost is just an ok writer to me and I got the first mini he did on Vulcan and thought it was ok. So I decided to pass on this one and get only the DnA crossover issues.

Ms. Marvel and War Machine - These two I know nothing about the new direction because of the lack of details from Marvel, but thought since they are related to Dark Reign, I was going to try them out. (In Ms Marvel's case, try it out again). Well, since these two characters aren't my favorite and they are already changing the art team for the next issue for Ms. Marvel - I decided to pass on these two.

I also already decided not to add the new Punisher comic that is coming out in January to my list. I am getting tired of Marvel relaunching that book every other year.

I also dropped Ultimate FF and X-Men and wait until I get the first parts of the story I already pre-ordered last month.

Avengers Initiative is on my watch list because I don't think I could buy 4 Avengers books (5 if you include the soon to be release Secret Warriors book).

So what did I add back:

Teen Titans - This was a mistake to drop. I went through my collection last week and realized that even though I haven't loved the last few issues, I have enjoyed the book and I am going to stick with them since this is one of my favorite titles since I started collecting. Of course, since I am a DC continuity freak, I have to try out Terror Titans and Titans for a little longer, especially since TT probably will end up tieing back with the regular series.

Booster Gold - I dropped it since DC was fill-in happy but since Dan Jurgens is the new writer, it is back on my list

Green Arrow/ Black Canary - Two of favorite characters of all-time, but I haven't love the past few issues. However, with a new writer and I back on.

I am also going to try the first issue of the Vigilante.

It also helps that DCBS had these books at 50% for December

If I was getting 90 comics a month like I was getting, then I wouldn't have this problem and get all the comics that I posted above. The problem isn't that I didn't like the books, the problem is to decide which ones of the books I should get that fall into the "good but not great" category. I decided since I am an old-time DC fan, I probably enjoy the DC books more in the long-run. So for my December order, I ended up a 50/50 split between my DC and Marvel books, got some independent books as well, and kept my total list of comics (not including trades and magazines) to 59 books.

Of course, I had to send an e-mail to DCBS to add some of the DC books that I had dropped to my November order

[Skyhawke]

When this was first brought up I wasn't even considering this, it was just an interesting idea to ponder upon and speculate about. Now I believe it in my family best interest to get out of debt as fast as possible and in order to do so I am going to at first reduce my pull list down to 10 titles to free up some of the money to do this.

So this is what I came up with in no particular order.

1. Justice Society of America
2. PS238
3. Trinity
4. Flash Title (this would be replace by Flash Reborn that Sciver and Johns will do)
5. Echo
6. Blue Beetle
7. Fables
8. Secret Six
9. Booster Gold
10. Action Comics or Justice League of America (haven't decided which yet)

This might change depending on what they decide to do with the Legion of Superheroes title.

[JohnMayo]

When this was first brought up I wasn't even considering this, it was just an interesting idea to ponder upon and speculate about. Now I believe it in my family best interest to get out of debt as fast as possible and in order to do so I am going to at first reduce my pull list down to 10 titles to free up some of the money to do this.

So this is what I came up with in no particular order.

1. Justice Society of America
2. PS238
3. Trinity
4. Flash Title (this would be replace by Flash Reborn that Sciver and Johns will do)
5. Echo
6. Blue Beetle
7. Fables
8. Secret Six
9. Booster Gold
10. Action Comics or Justice League of America (haven't decided which yet)

This might change depending on what they decide to do with the Legion of Superheroes title.

Getting out of debt is a good idea, particularly with the economy the way it is. This looks like a good set of titles to stick with too.

Personally, I've stick with both Action Comics and JLA and bump Secret Six off the list. But that is just me...

[BobBretall]

....and Runaways (sorry Bob but I really like Ramos art on this book). I also looked at what I was thinking of adding:

I don't dislike Ramos in general just his more "cartoony" style on certain books that I'm used to a a more traditional style on, so I can certainly understand people getting Runaways & loving it.

[JohnMayo]

....and Runaways (sorry Bob but I really like Ramos art on this book). I also looked at what I was thinking of adding:

I don't dislike Ramos in general just his more "cartoony" style on certain books that I'm used to a a more traditional style on, so I can certainly understand people getting Runaways & loving it.

I think his style is fitting in much better on Runaways than it did on the X-Men and Wolverine titles.

[BobBretall]

I think his style is fitting in much better on Runaways than it did on the X-Men and Wolverine titles.

I agree with this statement. And if I never saw the previous Runaways series with the mainstream art, I would probably like this a lot better.

The benefit Ramos had for me on Impulse was they he got in on the "ground floor" with that character before I had a history of expecting a different style.

This is just my own personal bias though. Having a half-way credible excuse to stop buying a title is a good thing for me lately, as I try to whittle down my list.

[JohnMayo]

I think his style is fitting in much better on Runaways than it did on the X-Men and Wolverine titles.

I agree with this statement. And if I never saw the previous Runaways series with the mainstream art, I would probably like this a lot better.

The benefit Ramos had for me on Impulse was they he got in on the "ground floor" with that character before I had a history of expecting a different style.

This is just my own personal bias though. Having a half-way credible excuse to stop buying a title is a good thing for me lately, as I try to whittle down my list.

That makes perfect sense. The stylistic history of Runaways is certainly a factor.

Your point about having a half-way credible excuse for dropping a title is interesting. These days it takes a lot less for someone to drop a title than to add one or even keep on on their pull list.

[HassanT]

I think his style is fitting in much better on Runaways than it did on the X-Men and Wolverine titles.

I agree with this statement. And if I never saw the previous Runaways series with the mainstream art, I would probably like this a lot better.

The benefit Ramos had for me on Impulse was they he got in on the "ground floor" with that character before I had a history of expecting a different style.

This is just my own personal bias though. Having a half-way credible excuse to stop buying a title is a good thing for me lately, as I try to whittle down my list.

I was just giving you a hard time

Although, I would hate for Ramos to be on Batman, Superman, or the JLofA. That would be horrible.