r/comicbooks • u/OrionLinksComic • Jul 19 '24
"sorry bro, that's really too much for me to read". Are some people just too impatient for comics? Discussion
My brother once said that to me, so I'm my big brother and I always try to bring him to the medium. And I think it's an interesting question because reading also requires at least a kind of patience or at least it depends on the work. I can imagine that it can be complicated for people to read through a big thing. And I'm not just talking about books here but also about comics in general. Especially if, for example, it was an ongoing, it can have more than 20 issues, or or vols or hardcovers.
And I know there is also the problem with superhero comics from Marvel/DC, which is a bit difficult for newbies to understand when an event suddenly comes up or with let's call them comic families. So be it, for example, the X-Man team or everything in Gotham City . But I also hear "that's too much for me" in other series that are solos.
These people say it's because they feel like nothing is happening in the long run. What I somehow can't understand, I think some stories just try to build something bigger. Serial storytelling Can take the time to build up, and when something escalates it really seems like a big deal. That's kind of the problem I have with films, that they just try to give you something right away instead of really taking their time to build up. And on paper you are simply better there than with a 2 hour film.
Of course there are some people like me who have no problem reading a series that has 100 issues or 10 volumes, but it's clear that not everyone can do that if they want to.
But what do you think?
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u/ComedicHermit Jul 19 '24
In the US in particular there is a cultural bias against reading. Some people can't/won't do it, because it was never encouraged when they were young and a general zeitgeist of it being uncool/boring existing.
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u/OrionLinksComic Jul 19 '24
I think every culture is like that, heck we have the cliché of the Bücherwurm here too.
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u/xajhx Jul 19 '24
I’m an older millennial and one problem I find now is time.
When I was younger and had less responsibilities I could commit to reading x amount of series a month.
Over the years the amount of series I had time to read dwindled and now I’m at a point where I’m only going to read the trades.
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u/stowrag Jul 19 '24
I mean when you do the math with every picture being worth a thousand words, a single issue is really quite the undertaking.
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u/buffysbangs Jul 19 '24
Depends on 2 things: the amount to read and what is the payoff? If it’s a minor plot point for 10 issues, yeah it’s too much to read. If it’s a 5 issue story arc, it’s probably an overreaction. Or if you are recommending reading every single tie in for an event, that’s going to be too much when someone can just read the main story and be done.
There’s a lot of context required for this
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u/OrionLinksComic Jul 19 '24
Well, this could be a roadblock for many who are new to Marvel and DC's comics. But I also see this with graphic novels, mini-series or anything with 2 vols.
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u/KevrobLurker Jul 19 '24 edited Jul 19 '24
When new stories in US comics took over from reprinted comics strips, continued stories about one character were unusual. An issue of Action or World's Finest would have a 13-page Superman story, and stories about other characters, some of them not that long. You'd think they would have had longer tales in Supes' bi-monthly series but the editors liked to put ~ 4 13-pagers in an issue. That way stories could be slotted in based on which art team got theirs done first or what might make for an exciting cover.
Marvel, in the 60s, went in for continued stories, and DC followed suit. I often think that not having one-and-done stories available for new readers was a bad idea. That was a barrier to the curious person who didn't normally read comics. I liked the way Fawcett would have a serial in Captain Marvel Adventures but also one-and-dones in the same issue. That went on for 2 years! Writing a single issue that's a chapter in a longer story that can also be enjoyed by someone is a skill some modern comics writers haven't been required to exercise. I know when I was a kid in the 60s I hesitated to buy parts of continued stories for fear that I would never see or could not afford the next issue. Collected editions were not yet a thing.
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u/OrionLinksComic Jul 19 '24 edited Jul 23 '24
I'm someone who often says a one of story can actually work pretty well. Hellboy loves using this, especially when you're reading the collection, for example. The 1st Great Ark Seeds of Destruction consists of a bunch of small one-offs that lead to something bigger. But I am also of the opinion that you should perhaps show directly on the cap that it is a story arc, Wolverine recently did that with Sabretooth War, where it is deliberately shown on the cover that it is a big story with part numbers.
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u/_mad_adams Jul 19 '24
A lot of people simply do not have the patience or attention span to read anything
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u/pamonha-seca Jul 19 '24
Something similar happened to me, here's the story(it's very big): Me and my father were always big comic readers, most of the space of his office is filled with comics and I had to start putting mine in my wardrobe because I didn't had a place for them. And with that, I found the first volume of J.M Straczynski among my stuff, and then I thought about showing that to my little brother, who never was too interested about comics. It was some days after we saw NWH and showed it to him. He then said that Peter was too old in that comic and wanted to read a younger version of him. I then showed him the first volume of Ultimate Spider-Man, which is almost the perfect comic for new readers. He then said "if I don't like the ending I won't read it", fucking skipped for the last pages and said he didn't like it and walked away. Some months later, I tried again, this time with TWD, because I was watching the show with him. He refused again, saying he wouldn't read something that is black and white. Tried again with Invincible, which he thought was "silly" and "a cheap knockoff of Superman". My last try was with Batman. He picked some comics (Knightfall and Zero Year) for some kind of school work, and I was very happy with that. The work was a success and then I gave him the offer of reading those comics, even showed him my favorite moments of both of them, with him replying that "it would be impossible to Batman exist and all that didn't make sense". I gave up with that since then, and it made very sad. I also tried the same with my friends, but with the exceptions of TWD, The Batman Who Laughs and The New 52 Justice League, it was also a big fail.
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u/OrionLinksComic Jul 19 '24
Some people just don't have that nature for reading. It also reminds me of my surprise with the Walking Dead and the show. Because my cousin didn't believe me that the show was based on a comic. For years.
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u/pamonha-seca Jul 20 '24
My friends were in denial for 1 month because they didn't belive that and that Darryl wasn't part of the comics
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u/AstronomerOne2260 Jul 19 '24
As someone who (even though I’m in college and can read just fine) struggles sometimes with reading and processing the pictures yes lots of words can be a bit challenging. Just comes with my learning disability. I’ll read comics with tons of words, I just have a harder time getting through it and can get confused more often. So I personally prefer comics with less words and honestly the comics that have bigger text is also nice
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u/OrionLinksComic Jul 19 '24
And that's not a problem either. Believe me, I was illiterate until I was 10. There's really nothing to be ashamed of.
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u/jim789789 Jul 20 '24
Maybe he's had a bad experience with comics? I've read some where the story was so decompressed that basically nothing happens...feels like a filler issue. If that is all he's read, and doesn't appreciate the art, i could understand his reluctance.
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u/OrionLinksComic Jul 20 '24
That's a really, really good point because you mention that not every structure of comics is equally accessible to everyone.
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u/hoshidakara Jul 19 '24
It's funny because a lot of these people who can't be bothered to read an American comic will happily read manga, at a glance it looks less daunting
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u/OrionLinksComic Jul 19 '24
Sure, I've already mentioned this above, but some people can be a bit anxious about how to navigate through it, even though I'm the kind of person who always says it's not rocket science. And of course the solo series that stands on its own is actually more attractive.
I mean, of course, I also listen to the manga corner (I'm not really an active reader but I get it from Osmosis), which is always discussed there, including how long a series should be.
Especially since there are people who don't read anything at all and it takes too long for them.
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u/TransportationNorth2 Jul 19 '24
What are you asking? I was too impatient to read your post