For instance take the recent Detective Comics. I love Dini’s stories but not so much the fill ins. I don’t hate them either, I just tend to favour one type of story over another for whatever reason. If I don’t like something I simply don’t like it. I’m too old, not really, to spend too much time telling other people how to do their jobs or how to create a world bubble that contains only things that make me happy.

Comics are an escape, less so now because I used to really hate my job and got a new one, but they don’t need to keep rehashing the type of story I like. I do like variety, which is why I find it a bit difficult to stay with any one comic too long. And yet I’m still a completist at heart who wants to own it all. It’s tough I tell ya.

So something like 52 is like the ideal comic for me - it’s weekly so I’m getting something every Wednesday and there are multiple plotlines with separate characters so I’m not limited to one loyalty but can get aspects I like, others I don’t, and still others that surprise me. If I didn’t try new things I wouldn’t have bothered picking up Marvel Adventures: The Avengers.

I feel my time is too valuable to waste on complaining about something that isn’t mine. If I don’t like a story, I stop buying it. It’s like getting exercise or trying to eat healthy - at first it’s hard but once you get over that initial hump it makes it much easier to continue. Sure you can slip back into old behaviour but getting yourself out is the import step. If you’re entertainment is causing you anguish, drop it. Use that money for something you might be surprised by - like trades of Planet Hulk or something.

This great discussion has further convinced me that this would indeed be a rich topic to investigate.

Oh, and while I am sure I can be as guilty of “it was better when I was a kid” as anyone, I think that John put it best when he said we are all really just looking for something “good and readable.”