So I'm still debating the whole review blogs. One thing that has been on mind is reading trades versus the single issues.
The single issues will always come first for me but the trades are nice and convenient.
I recently read the first Teen Titans trade that contained the first 7 issues. When the series came out, I passed because I was getting just too many different titles. The "teen" aspect also played a part. I really liked the Titans when Wolfman and Perez worked on it. I don't know what I was thinking by passing on this. The great thing is, I was able to "devour" the trade in no time. So one advantage is I got to read the whole story in one sitting. That can't be beat.
I've also been reading Y: The Last Man. I'm currently on book 5 which has issues 24-31. It's great just reading them all at once.
I remember back a few months on a different forum, some dude was blasting people who bought trades saying that they were killing the industry. He felt that if people bought the trades over the single issues, the companies would stop putting out the single issues. That's a bit extreme.
It's obvious that the single issues have stories that are so conveneintly written in nice neat story arcs that so easily allow themselves to be collected in a trade. Heck, often the day the last issue of an arc hits the stands, so does the trade.
I don't think the trades will kill the single issues but they are having an impact. The companies know that if they pump them out they can sell them to the reader who isn't really into comics but happens to see them at a Border's or Barnes and Noble store. If there weren't the single issues, companies might not take the risk with new comics. They're not going to want to put out a trade of a series that no one may be interested in. The single issues show what the true readers are into. And if the sales go through the roof, then they know they can collect them and sell even more.
I've said that I do prefer the single issues. Maybe it's more traditional but there's something nice about picking up a new issue month after month. I wouldn't want to wait six months or so to find out what happens next. But some of the hardcovers like Marvel Zombies or Runaways are really nice.
Another negative result happened last December. I was at a conference in Monterey, CA and every time I go there, I would visit the local comic shop. This was a cool store, tons of comics, toys, statues, etc. To my dismay the last time I went, I discovered that the owner was closing the store down at the end of the month. He couldn't afford the rent anymore. He also told me that he wasn't getting his full orders of the latest manga trades 'cause they were most likely going to the new Border's a few miles away.
If people just buy trades from the chain stores, where can we find those break out new titles? So many times I've been at my local shop and have had my eye catch site of something new and different.
Maybe I'm just rambling now. Sure they can both co-exist but the trades are also cheaper. I am a little worried what could happen.