Dropping Mainstream Batman Titles

[James Harvey]

Thanks to an ever shrinking budget, I've had to do one of the worst things I could ever think of...cancel my subscriptions to Batman and Detective Comics as of their March issues. This stinks, man. I am still subscribed to Gotham Adventures, and Justice League, and the cancelled-in-about-two-weeks Superman Adventures, but it's gonna be so weird not getting the mainstream books anymore. Friggin' budget...I'm gonna miss reading those books...

Who else only reads the animated titles?

[Sugar Daddy]

i just got back into reading comics, but i dont wanna miss any issues of the bruce wayne murderer storylines, so i havent subscribed yet, but onto ur question, i havent bought an animated comic, i havent seen 1 yet that looks enticing, like the other 1s out

[Cosmocat]

Originally posted by Jim Harvey
Thanks to an ever shrinking budget, I've had to do one of the worst things I could ever think of...cancel my subscriptions to Batman and Detective Comics as of their March issues. This stinks, man. I am still subscribed to Gotham Adventures, and Justice League, and the cancelled-in-about-two-weeks Superman Adventures, but it's gonna be so weird not getting the mainstream books anymore. Friggin' budget...I'm gonna miss reading those books...

Who else only reads the animated titles?

Um, I do. I'm more familiar with the animated universe than the regular universe. It's hard to get into the regular universe unless you've been with it for a while...

[Poison Carley]

You should have dropped Justice League.

[JTurner954]

WOW, I haven't had a subscription since Robin #36. I fell out of the comics scene when I couldn't keep up with comics (I still haven't read Ground Zero yet). As I mentioned, I'm WAY behind. I haven't read Batman since Knightquest and I stopped reading Superman at Action Comics #700. Plus, there are no comic book stores near me (the nearest one is 30 minutes away). Once I get my life together (long story), I promise to be faithful and go back to reading Batman.

[ZorBrak]

I don;t even have any comics, I wait for the collection thingies to come into the bookstore :), I'm not a collecter, just a reader...rarely...I wished I knew where to pick up those animated titles...do they have subsrciptions?

[Samhaine]

Originally posted by Jim Harvey
Who else only reads the animated titles?
Honestly? I think you dropped the wrong two books. Batman and GK have been consistantly great, while all of the animated books have felt lacking for a long while now....

[JTurner954]

Originally posted by ZorBrak
I don;t even have any comics, I wait for the collection thingies to come into the bookstore :), I'm not a collecter, just a reader...rarely...I wished I knew where to pick up those animated titles...do they have subsrciptions?

I have decided to do the same thing and wait for collections (like the No Man's Land storyline and any others that I might have missed. Um, have there been any others?).

[Sugar Daddy]

i was gonna get the 5 nml books, but they list for over 10 dollars each, and imo, they arent worth it. stuff on my priority: the bruce wayne:murderer/fugitive comics, first and foremost. ill pick up other batbooks, and maybe the jla, non animated one. and im kinda interested in the flash and the gl, although i dont see a gl comic for some reason. as for tps. my priorities are: batman:year one, the killing joke, and that relist of batman #1 i saw in the toonzone comic section, o ya, and dk1(although its probably not called that) because i bought the 1st dk2 and i have on idea whats going on

[JTurner954]

What exactly is Batman: Year One and The Killing Joke?? Did anything big happen in those titles?

[Sugar Daddy]

Batman:Year One is the first year Bruce Wayne was Batman, what led to to him becoming batman and what happened in his first year on the job, if i am correct.

the killing joke is when Joker shoots Barbara Gordon, which leads to her becoming Oracle, which I am not sure is in this or not.

[James Harvey]

I'm a completist for the animated titles. I've been a steady reader of the Batman animated title since the first comic came out and I've been sticking to it. Yeah, the comic hasn't been so great, but if it doesn't improve soon, I will drop it and replace it with one of the Batman titles. Plus another factor is that the Batman animated titles are cheaper. DETECTIVE COMICS cost me $4.25 with tax, while GOTHAM ADVENTURES is a dollar less. I really need that extra dollar. And I really enjoyed that latest issue of JUSTICE LEAGUE ADVENTURES so I don't think I'll be dropping that title anytime soon.

[Domino]

Living far away from a comic book store is no problem. I use a very reliable subscription service through a comic book store in Michigan I've been buying from since 1983. I moved away from the area, but they ship UPS either once or twice a month, depending on how badly I need a comic fix. They send me Diamond's Previews and I order two months in advance and they give me a reasonable discount. I will buy Batman and Detective until they no longer print them. I came close to dropping it during the Azrael-as-psycho-armored-Batman days, though.

But you know what, Jim, now that I think about it, if you contacted DC and gave your name and position as a reviewer for the World's Finest and Toonzone forums, they might just put you on their comp list. You've gotten press from Wizard, and that might be enough to get you recognized. The worst they could do is say no!

[JTurner954]

Press from Wizard Magazine?? Oh, do tell.

[The Flash]

I'm in about the same boat as DG. (or Jim, whatever! :D) Except I quit getting the mainstream stuff around 1996 or so. The mainstreams just cost too much and you have to buy almost every title to get the whole story. ....damn crossovers..... I'll still get a mainstream annual or special comic here and there, but other then that it's the animated books all the way.

[Samhaine]

Flash - They've been pretty good about the crossover stuff, until the big Murder?/Fugitive storyline. Everything over the past year in the Batverse has been pretty separate.

lasportsbiggie - I can't recommend the NML books enough. If you were reading the mainstream Batbooks before NML came out, you'd realize how revolutionary this storyline was. The stories during this year were, for the most part, all great, and it revitalized the line (at least, the core titles) into the great books they are today. I got the books in single issues, and I have no regrets (well, there was the one issue of Azrael I got, but that's not in any of the trades)

DG - I can understand the completist nature, and the value of a dollar (10-10-220, baby!) But seriously, if I was in a similar predicament, and didn't have just about all the core titles from the start of LotDK and beyond, I'd do the same. I just have, probably at the point of obsession, a huge collector's mentallity, and couldn't imagine dropping those core books.

[SupergirlJenM]

I don't want to sound like some rich snob, but what's a dollar anymore? If you need that dollar so bad, should you be buying comics anyways? I also look at it this way! Carley and Mistah J always complain about Gotham Adventures. If the stories suck so bad aren't you wasteing the $4.50 all together when you could buy a better comic for the same amount? Sorry for being such a party pooper! :)

[The Green Hornet]

Jim/DG-

DC should give you free subscriptions to the book of your choice for running this AWESOME site

i mean seriously all we do here is hype their products (and deservedly so lately!)

:D

[James Harvey]

A dollar goes a long way up here. And dropping both BATMAN and DETECTIVE will free me up around $9 - $10 which I can use to buy textbooks and supplies. Comics cost alot more up here in Canada, and DC goes overboard on the exchange rate price. A 2.50US book costs two bucks more up here in Canada. DK2 #1 cost me $16. Plus - I've become dis-interested in the books of recentlky. They are still very well done and all, but I dont find myself caring for the characters. I was more blown away by the end of AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #35 then then ending of BATMAN: 10 CENT ADVENTURE.

[Joker85]

I certainly understand about the budget part Jim(still wanna type DG automatically :D ) and I can understand your perspective, especially since things are more expensive up there. But, as you very well know, I am against Gotham Adventures and stopped getting it at issue #44. That was very hard for me, because like you, I had read them from issue 1. But, I felt I was wasting my money. But I can certainly understand how hard it is to give up something like this. But, I don't read any mainstream every month except for Catwoman and Harley Quinn. I have been reading the Bruce Wayne murderer story line, but after it's over, I'll go back to CW and HQ, and then of course Justice League Adventures( I think it was wise you kept this one!, It's been really good) :)

[Sugar Daddy]

blood one-over 50 dollars is a lot of money, and i could use it to keep track of the murderer fugitive storyline and other stuff, and plus, i didnt read them before, so it might not have as great an effect on me

jh- wasnt the 10 cent adventure not supposed to have an ending for a reason?

[Samhaine]

Originally posted by lasportsbiggie
blood one-over 50 dollars is a lot of money, and i could use it to keep track of the murderer fugitive storyline and other stuff, and plus, i didnt read them before, so it might not have as great an effect on me
Well, it's also alot of story. But I can understand that people are not willing to spend alot on comics. I pretty much have nothing else to spend my money on, so $100 or so a month isn't too big a deal. But, different strokes/different folks, y'know?

But the ending, I think, would have a great effect on you now as it did on others then. It was very powerful.

[Sugar Daddy]

it looks incredibly powerful, and if i had the money id definitly purchase it, no doubt about it, but i dont have enough money. its hard enough to get enough money for the stuff i want thats new. plus i need to find a tp of dk1, or whatever its called, because i got the first dk2 and i have no idea whats going on

[Beyond Batman]

If you've read any of my past posts about mainstream comics, I'm sure you know by now I'm a big supporter of the mainstream comics. Gotham Adventures and Justice League are the last on my list to pick up, but it doesn't mean I don't like them, I just prefer the mainstream over the animated titles. I enjoy the stories better.

DG, it's too bad you're dropping the titles, but not being able to afford it, I can understand where you're coming from. A college student myself, 20 bucks can go a long way.

[James Harvey]

20 bucks goes a long way, now more than ever since I'm in college. In my three years (so far, with many more to go) I've learned some handy tricks of the trades to help stretch the dollar as much as I can. The animated titles, to me, are almost a reflex. The Batman mythos are ones I'll always lloved, but reading them just doesn't excite me as they used to. I find this to be a good (though unfortunate) time for me to squander a few bucks. I'll return to the books, though. One thing I love about the Bat books is how easy it is to just jump back on after taking a sabbitcal.

[Salvor]

You cancelled your subscription for 'Batman'? You do remember it has McDaniel's art in it right? :)
If I had to drop one title, I guess 'Batman:Gotham Adventures' would be on top of my list. Considering I don't even buy it on a regular basis...

[James Harvey]

Yeah, I know...I know...:) Although I'm sure I'll be able to budget the title back in soon. I've heard some rumblings about Batman: Gotham Adventures and the outlook on the title may not be that good. I hear that the cancellation may be bit closer than expected. I can't confirm anything but I'm still looking into it. I think the whole "dropping the mainstream titles" is only temporary at best.