How many TPBs do you buy per year?

20+.

I bought around 30 last year, and I plan to get even more this year.

Anywhere from 10-20, sometimes more because at least twice a year my LCBS puts them on 50% off sale.

I've been a comic book reader for about 15 months, and if I've counted correctly, I bought 39 in my first 12 months.

I'm not a wait-for-trader, so it's all older stuff I get.

Wow, you guys sure buy a lot of TPBs.

BQ: What's your latest TPB? Mine's Hickman's Ultimates Vol. 1

That. ^ I voted 1-5

None. I only buy single issues.

I picked up $350 worth a few weeks back. Got some Ultimate Marvel stuff, A lot of the New 52, and Hawkeye's My life as a weapon.

None currently.

I've only bought single issues so far. I plan to get a TPB of Batman: Hush, and Blackest Night pretty soon, though.

well this year I brought Thanos Impertive, Daredevil vol 1,2,3 and planet hulk + Blackest Night so thats 6, and its the fourth month of the year.

and if theres 12 months in a year

12/4 = 3

3 x 6 = 18 so I am gonna get around 18

Nextwave: Agents of H.A.T.E.

I have bought 20+, and it's probably about the double of that. It's not going to be that way next year though, but I'm new to comics, have a stable income and started out with a very long list of trades that I want to read...

Last year I bought around 30 but that was partly because a discount book store was selling a load cheaply. My most recent one was Batman: Court of the Owls.

Damn, you guys sure buy a lot of trades! I have a long list of about twenty TPBs I'm looking for, but I buy them about two or three at a time.

@risingbean 350?! Have fun reading through all that :)

@kangaxx_54 Wow, great start to your collection, man. Hope you finish up that list!

@the_tree Ah, Nextwave. I read the first three issues or so, but it's not really my cup of tea. I mean I get that it's supposed to be humorous, but I need a little drama with my humor, lol.

How do you buy the pirate bay lol

I actually rarely buy individual comic issues anymore. I prefer trades partly because it's slightly cheaper to buy the trades then the issues (and much cheaper if it's older story arcs), and also because they fit nicer on the shelf.

I voted 15-20. I average around 1.5 per month.

@veshark: Yeah. In my defense, I didn't get much in the year past and am playing catch up. As a rule, I try to pick up all th Ultimate stuff in any given year, and I'll grab stuff that catches my eye. I ended going above and beyond because DC rebooted and I gave them a big chunk of my funds as Marvel has shown itself to be incompetent.

As it stands, I am about 2/3 done. Aquaman has been the best, and Uncanny X Force is on that level too. Hawkeye isn't as good as reviewed imho, and nothing has been super terrible yet.

Only digital now, but in the past between 1-5.

@risingbean Cool. Must be fun though, having a treasure trove of TPBs to read your way through. Aquaman is fantastic, and the first few issues of Remender's X-Force I've read was pretty entertaining. Haven't got around to reading Hawkeye, but the amount of critical praise that book gets is insane.

Only 3-5. Usually I ask for some for birthdays or Christmas. I'm more of a single issues guy currently.

I only read in trades so 20+

I prefer to buy TPBs instead of single issues for two reasons:

One: It's easier instead of buying single issues.

and Two: You can pick up on a series much more easier.

Thats why I haven't got any Marvel NOW! titles yet because I'm still waiting for some TPBs to come out aswell as Age of Ultron.

As for how many TPBs I buy?

I voted 20+ though it might be less then that.

Probably 30-40? I'm trying to switch back to TPB reading. I've already bought about fifteen this year (although 10 of them were Y: The Last Man), but i don't usually keep up that pace.

You also tend to get more bang for your buck. Plus, they take up less space on a bookshelf than comics do in a box and are more durable.

@jackknight@ellie_knightfall

Yeah, TPBs definitely have a lot of benefits. Another one worth mentioning is that I find them a lot easier to carry around and read. Instead of having to drag all six issues of an arc from my shelf, and then reading them one by one - I can just bring a whole trade. Really helpful if you're on the move and stuff.

@ellie_knightfall: Y is a great series. I think I am up to book 8 or so. Library needs to update!

@veshark: Enjoying it. Hawkeye is a bit overrated in my opinion. I await the stoning I have for that comment, United we Stand, Divided we fall is interesting as well. Ultimate Marvel sure screws with the status quo.

@risingbean Ugh, can't say I care for United We Stand (at least for the Ultimates). Frankly, after Hickman left and Humphries took over - Ultimates has been going downhill.

It's devolved into a generic superhero comic with boring characterizations. Also a host of cheesy ideas including President Cap and Tony Stark's intelligent tumor. That and the way the City plot was resolved so easily was total bull :(

@veshark: It isn't terribly swell, but it set up some interesting ideas. Thor losing divinity, Reed channeling Doom better then Doom did, Fallout Cap. I would go so far as to say novel ideas, not so great execution. But you have to admit, a lot of it is ambitious and should affect the line for some time after.

@risingbean No, don't get me wrong - I love Hickman's earlier work in the first ten issues. It's Humphries' work that I have a point of contention with.

Hickman introduced Reed as the Maker - making him an intelligent visionary, never a supervillain. He came across as this messiah almost, instead of a power-hungry megalomaniac. Humphries made the Maker be defeated by essentially....a tumor piloting a giant robot. It was such an inelegant solution to such a major threat that the City had posed in earlier issues. I felt like the City was going to be a mainstay of the UU for a while - and the entire story was epic until Hickman left for Avengers.

It started out ambitious, and I was waiting for the payoff, but Humphries really can't write a story on this scale. The entire series quickly became long-winded and boring, with a bunch of semi-interesting plots but no real execution. Case in point the whole Hydra thing, President Cap, the Modi bit (ugh) et cetera.

@veshark: I may need to go back and reread Ultimate Doomsday, But Reed seemed pretty bad to me. I recall thinking "If only Doom could pull off stuff like this..." I agree with you on the rest. It started off great, and fizzled out in the end. While I do like the idea of Fallout Marvel, most of the stuff Humphries did was subpar. The tumor is ridiculous, Hydra as a militia was crummy, and well...I can just stop.

@risingbean I've never actually read Doomsday before, so it was quite the pleasant surprise to learn the Maker's true identity! I hadn't been keeping up with the UU post-Ultimatum, so I never knew that Reed turned evil. But the idea of the scientist becoming Dr. Doom was a great idea. Especially the parallels of the evil Reed compared to 616-Reed, both of which were written by Hickman.

"I'm going to solve everything," is a quote from both Reeds.

Because I had gotten out of comics for awhile, and the fresh air of the Ultimates Vol 1 TPB brought me back, I have been picking up the Ultimate U out of loyalty. It's starting to look like I may just drop Marvel on the whole what with all the "events" that pretty much culminate in Cap having his shield broken, or Spider-Man selling his soul like it is a used car and loaning his body to Doc Ock. Hm. While I want new ideas, I don't think I like the "drop a tab of acid and see what happens, but that we will revert to the status quo by the next movie" approach, but I am getting off topic.

I do suggest you read Ultimate Doomsday, and while the idea of Reed as "Doom" is interesting, it sucks on some levels too. Doom becomes second rate, Reed fans get to watch their hero twist in the wind. I see Reed wanting to solve everything, but he is so evil acting that he can't play it off as being misunderstood. He killed his family and faked his death He is a bad guy knowingly doing bad things. The Reed I knew from UFF may have been emotionally obtuse, or distracted by his logic, but he isn't evil. So the whole idea to me is a slap in the face on some level. Also since I more or less gave up on 616 this is my "main" marvel U. So when they kill Spidey, Wolverine, Daredevil, Cyclops and others, turn Reed bad, cancel all the books I like and such it makes me a bit huffy.

I guess to some it up, interesting experiment, but I hope they fix some of the broken elements of the universe on a whole.

More than 20

The main reason for that is, that most story arcs only appear as paperbacks here.

@risingbean I do suggest that you read Hickman's Avengers books from Marvel NOW though, they're shaping up to be pretty fantastic so far. There's Avengers (which is the main team led by Cap and having like 20+ members) and New Avengers (The Illuminati, basically) - and both are great. Yeah, some of Marvel NOW's ideas are a little hit-and-miss, but there are some good apples in the bunch. The Ultimate Universe is kinda going to hell now, though.

I might get around to Doomsday sometime. I guess Reed fans might be upset, but I think it was an interesting deviation from his 616-counterpart. I've only read the first few arcs of UFF, so I can't comment much on Reed's characterization (though he did seem like a nice guy). Can't say I know much about Ultimate Doom either - did he ever get to the levels of his 616 counterpart?

But yes, frankly the UU's been going downhill since the original architects left (Millar, Ellis, save for Bendis). After Ultimates 3, the universe never really attained its former heights. Ultimatum was the final nail in the coffin. The second wave of Ultimate books had some success with Death of Spidey, but suffered largely in consistency. The third wave had a promising start with Hickman's Ultimates, Miles Morales, and UXM, but it seems to be sinking back into obscurity once again. With the advent of Marvel NOW, most readers seem to be more interested in the 616-verse again.

@veshark: : I'll eventually give it a shot in trade (Woot back on topic we are!) If I don't like it I will send you a box of books containing only titles written by Loeb and Bendis. As per Ultimate Reed, it is an interesting departure from the norm, but it still doesn't feel right to me. Doom was a non factor overall. He started off as a hippy, and began to get more dangerous (He manipulated Magneto destroying New York and Ultimatum into being) before being killed murdered without a fight.

I agree that the Ultimate U has been going downhill. Since Loeb and Ultimates 3 in my book. They killed off Wolverine, Cyclops, Daredevil, Spider-Man and a bunch of other interesting characters for no real reason. Oh and some of them came back, a big no-no in this universe. As it is, I am following Cap stuff, and when I get alienated enough I'll drop the title. Killing Pete made me drop Ult Spider-Man. Killing Wolverine and Cyke did the same for X-Men related stuff. If Marvel wants me to read more DC they could just ask nicely.

I'll give Marvel NOW a look. With that said, I recommend all the Marvel stuff up to Ultimates 3/Ultimatum. UFF was a fun ride.

@risingbean Haha all good, it's my thread after all! Oh man, don't even joke about that, that's just evil...xD

Yeah, I guess since I didn't really keep up with UFF, Reed's characterization didn't really bother me. As for Doom, I didn't read much of him save for the first Doom arc. Heck, I didn't even know that he was the main architect of...that event.

But yeah, Ultimates 3 was definitely the beginning of the end for the universe. The wanton mass-murder in Ultimatum definitely alienated many readers, especially considering it was done in such a 'f*ck-it' fashion. I have to say that even though I didn't read it, I kind of liked the idea of Spider-Man dying. A teenager hero sacrificing himself really shows the more dangerous nature of the Ultimate Universe, where an untrained kid with powers can die. Also there's no need to spolier-tag this tidbit, I think pretty much everyone already knows about him and Miles Morales by this point.

Yeah, I'm actually looking for the Ultimate Six and Ultimate War books right now. I haven't finished USM or UFF, but UXM was pretty solid up until the end. And of course, nearly all of the Ultimates books were great, excluding the Loeb stuff, of course.

@veshark: Sorry. I can actually spoiler tag on my new comp and got carried away. My last laptop wouldn't even let me break up paragraphs in the forums.

Yeah, Doom was the guy who made Ultron and Venom take on the Ultimates, and Ultron killed Scarlett Witch, which is what caused Magneto to go biblical. As it stands, you're right. It was not the death itself, it was the f*ck it attitude that screwed it up. Daredevil Drowned. Really. Cyclops killed just as dumb.

As per Spider-Man, killing off Pete is a ballsy move, and one that I might have stood behind if they didn't bring in Miles right after. The Death book was solid. Problem is they killed Pete to make way for Miles and that makes me angry. You can't replace Peter Parker, sorry. Had they let a year or two go by, maybe I could have not saw the smoke and mirrors behind it, but as usual, they dropped the ball.

Also by the logic of anybody can die, maybe they should make the battles that much more dangerous overall. The Ultimates have it right in not recycling same bad guys over and over.

Ultimate Six is good, as is Ultimate War. Same with the rest. It wasn't until Loeb put his fingers in the pie that it started to fall apart.

@risingbean Haha, all good, friend.

Daredevil drowned? Jeez I only read Ultimatum once, but I don't remember that bit. One could say that it was a way of showing how epic the scale was in comparison to a street-level hero but still...man, that's just a sad way to die.

Yeah, I haven't been keeping up with USM, so I was largely apathetic when Miles came along. Is he still intolerable to you? I've read mixed responses on the boards - some love him and think he's a great replacement for Spider-Man, others find him an annoying stand-in of the original. Personally, Spider-Man's not one of my favorites so I'm not particularly concerned either way.

Definitely. I also like how the Ultimates always come out of their battles all bloodied, bruised up, and looking like shite. Captain America vomiting after the Chitauri invasion was a great small moment that showcased the intensity of a superhero fight.

I remember reading Ultimate Six a long time ago at a friend's place. Art was a little distracting, but I remember the story being entertaining, so I'm considering picking it up. I want to read Ultimate War just to see how Millar handles the X-Men vs. Ultimates, but truth be told, Bachalo's super-stylized artwork turns me off.

@veshark: Off panel. Spider-Man found the body. You get a panel for the shock value, move on. As per the epic value of the tidal wave, You lost about half of the X-Men and Cap in the same thing. I found it annoying.

I have little in the way of interaction with Miles. I have seen him pop up in a place or two, but I wasn't enjoying Spidey post Ultimatum until the Death arc and I used Pete's (the guy who got me reading in general, and was my favorite character until I was a teen sometime) not being around to drop the book.

Agreed. War is hell. What gets me is that in life and death struggle, you can't afford to play nice. I suspend my disbelief because a rogues gallery is the norm, but as an adult, I prefer the realism that often comes with the death of the enemy. One of my biggest complaints with Batman,seeing as how his rogues are so vindictive. Another nod to that was Hawkeye freaking out at certain death as the Hulk bore down on him. He didn't grit his teeth and stoically wait. He was screaming bloody murder until Banner's limp body toppled onto him.

Ultimate six is great. I really like seeing how Bad guy X deals with Hero Y. Seeing the Ultimates fight the Six was a cool experience. Ultimate War had the same thing in the Ultimates vs Magneto. Bachalo's stuff was ok in my opinion. Not my favorite, but not bad. After you read it I'd be interested in discussing a few of the interactions with you.

I only buy trades so I might not be the average comic book reader. However I brought over 30 in 2012, so I voted 20+.However so far I have only brought around 8. I count I will get over 20 though.

@risingbean Hmm, fair enough. I have to say that Sara Pichelli's art is very nice, but I still haven't got around to reading anything about Miles either.

Personally, I'm alright with the lack of death in conventional superhero comics. Granted, it doesn't make much sense, but when one reads Green Lantern or Thor, realism is hardly the prime concern.

But yeah, the weighty sense of reality that Ultimates and Ultimates 2 had was always one of its selling points for me. Millar wasn't writing a superteam - he was writing a military operation with casualties and consequences. These weren't superheroes, but super-soldiers. Of course there were a lot of 'action-movie hell yeah' moments that kept the comic entertaining, but how human and real-world everything felt was incredible (like the Hawkeye bit you mentioned). I miss the old days when Millar used to write characters that we could actually care about...

I can't remember much of Ultimates Six's battles, but I do recall enjoying it. One vague scene that springs to mind is when the Ultimates show up to arrest Kraven, the villain is so low on their pay grade that Hawkeye is reluctant to waste one of his arrows on him! I'm still contemplating on whether or not to pickup Ultimate War, because really, Bachalo's art is an incomprehensible mess to me that I barely tolerate. I get that some like the art style, but personally I don't.

@veshark: Art alone won't draw me in. I quit reading comics for a time when Wolverine had his Adamantium removed. I was so mad that they broke the rule of Adamantium being unbreakable. It was a slap in the face to me. Pete dying just so we can do Spidey 2.0 is the same.

I like death when 1. It serves a purpose and 2. It isn't retconned (at least for a good long time, and the death is a bit murky. Beast in the Ultimate U is a good example of a good revival. Blob would not be.)

As per Ultimates 1&2, you hit it on the head. Those along with Millers "Man without Fear" trade may be my top 3reads of all time. I really like the high stakes, the fact that these are not 2-d "heroes" of the early days of comics who saved kittens from trees just cause, and that they are less then perfect. Even Cap who is supposed to be perfect in thought and deed had a moment of moral ambiguity with the A not standing for France comment.

As per the Ultimate Six/And War. You'll have to do what you feel is right, but I would give them my stamp of approval.

@risingbean

Indeed. Then again, I think every comic fan feels the same way as well. We know that the revival of a dead character is inevitable, but we want the death to be significant and the payoff to be in the long-term. Bruce Wayne's death lasted about a year, Cap's about two - and I think that neither were gone long enough to warrant their deaths. Then again, I read there was editorial interference, so there's that.

Yeah, Ultimates is in my top 3 reads along with Morrison's All-Star Superman and Brubaker's Cap. I suppose flawed heroes were popular at the time (then again, when are they not), but yeah - it made the Ultimates seem like real people. Not exactly characters you could root for, but characters you could see existing in our world. Tony Stark's joviality, Hank and Jan's abusive relationship, etc.

I'm mulling over Ultimate Six for now, but I think I'll pick Ultimate War up at a later date.

@veshark: I like Brubakers Cap. He actually pulled me back into the 616 with Aaron's Wolverine. I agree with you about the death not being worth the event, and as per meddling. It's sad but things like the movies and big events such actually sway individual story. Gotta tie in.

As per Superman, Action Comics is what has me chomping at the bit. So far so good in (you guessed it) trade.

And about the Ultimates, I would root for them. They may be dicks, but they were heroes. I probably wouldn't want to hang out with them though.

@risingbean

Yeah, Brubaker's Cap run was solid the whole way through, and many were enjoying Buck's tenure as Cap. But I think it was an editorial decision that brought about Captain America Reborn. Probably had to do with the upcoming First Avenger, as you said, and the story itself was really subpar in comparison to Brubaker's usual work on the title.

I've contemplated picking up Action Comics in trade for a while now, but Rags Morales' work really turns me off. Also I browsed through a couple issues, and I don't know - didn't really like what I read. Might give it a shot some time. Have you read Geoff Johns' pre-52 Action Comics work? It's pretty solid.

Yeah, definitely. Short of Cap and Tony especially, I can't say I actually liked any of them.

More than 20. Last trade I bought was Fantastic Four by Jonathan Hickman, Vol. 1.

I'm obviously not done with Hickman's run but... am I the only one who thinks he should write Superman?

Hhn. I hadn't thought about that. Hickman writing Superman actually sounds really promising.

My first wish for Hickman is for him to write a BP solo series, but if anyone can tackle Supes, Hickman sounds like he could do the character justice.

@veshark said:

After seeing the scale of his ideas I think he could be a great Superman writer. I never liked that crap about Superman fighting lame new villains in the streets of Metropolis. To me, he should be fighting the biggest, most unique threats Earth has ever encountered. I want tyrant suns and interdimensional imps, not random aliens or people with bland powers.

None for me. I like buying single issues every month. I couldn't wait that long.

How can you write this being stuck in pre-internet america!!!

BUY!!! Dont make me laugh!! I download all my stuff off the internet for FREE.

Like any other real America!!!