Sad to say I'm done with heroes

My tapered interest in superhero comics has turned into complete disinterest in the genre. I don't know... I'm just disappointed with it now. There was something in Nightcrawler's return announcement that made me realize this whole thing is futile, and I don't want to invest further time or money into it. I think it has to do with the fact that superhero stories never end. For the most part they never do. Mark Waid said it before in an interview that you can call these characters modern myths because their stories don't end. He's right. There is no finality, no real consequences of the actions had in these stories, and therefore hardly any reason for me to keep pouring money into Batman, Superman, or X-Men and Captain America. I mean, look what happened to Batwoman. That is the best recent example of DC's blatant refusal to let their characters evolve. A great example of why I'm disappointed by the state of the industry today.

Another big reason that I'm leaving is an old complaint of mine, I'm sick of reading the same handful of characters. DC is a worse offender of this than Marvel. How many new comics released recently have starred Batman, Superman or Wonder Woman? I was sad when they announced the cancellation of Static, Blue Beetle and most of all Sword of Sorcery, which had so much potential. Similarly, in Marvel, the cancellation of Journey into Mystery starring Sif saddened me. In my opinion, there is no reason for a Justice League 3000 comic.

DChyped up Cyborg for the longest, and are in fact still hyping him up, but they they aren't doing anything with him. I'm tired of the promise, I want delivery. Also, Miles Morales seems to have his own story cut off in order to join the main universe. So far it's still rumors, but that really disappointed me, since he was getting some much needed characterization for his kind of character, and he just got a girlfriend, and their relationship hasn't really been explored yet.

Anyway, before I start ranting, let me end here. I'm going to focus on other things in life, and enjoy other forms of entertainment from now on. And I will read other genres of comics from time to time. Anyway, I want to know all of your opinions,whether you agree with me, or think I'm stupid or whatever. I've already come here less frequently, but I'll drop by periodically to see what's going on with the community.

@twentyfive:

You'll be back ;)

These characters aren't so easily forgotten.

• I like that these superhero characters are like myths. It's really its own thing, and if you don't like it I can understand, but I for one do enjoy the fact these characters are eternal and can adapt to tell new stories for every generation.
• I totally agree with the fact that some characters get too many books (Avengers, X-Men, Batman), but I disagree with Wonder Woman.
• I was disappointed with the cancellation of Blue Beetle (a personal favorite character) and Journey into Mystery too. These companies are money hungry :/
• Have you considered manga?

I think it's fine, it's just a natural change in taste everyone gets with time. I have gone from being a fairly hardcore anime fan (watched entire series and more in a single day), to just becoming plain bored of anything I watched and began to focus only on manga series. Eventually my interest shifted me over into the comic medium as a whole, while slowly phasing out of the manga scene (really only like three series hold my interest at this point). So there is nothing wrong with getting burnt out or not enjoying a medium any longer, it's just a change of taste.

I think the comic industry has been getting better, but it still has some work to do. I hope you don't bail out on the awesome world of superheroes just because of some of the problems that come with big business. You could always try independents like IDW, Image, Valiant, etc.

@godtriggerhulk:

I wouldn't say that I would return. Last time I left comics, I haven't returned for seven years, and now that I know the workings of the industry, I don't think I will be returning. It just doesn't appeal to me any longer.

@sagejonathan:

I'm thinking about Soul Eater. Other than that I wouldn't know where to look. I already experienced Death Note, and I like that a lot. If you have any recommendations, I'll accept them, as long as it isn't like a manga that has an anime on TV.

You might want to give Valiant a try.

@twentyfive: Image is waiting for you...... I think you'll be happier here at the indy side..... Bad news is we have so many good books, your wallet will hate you..........

@twentyfive: The only manga I follow is Naruto, and I'm behind everyone else because I actually buy the manga at Barnes & Noble. But my brother watches Soul Eater and really likes it so maybe you should check it out.

^ I agree with this. It's a MUCH different take on the superhero genre. They're like superheroes.... but they're definitely not superheroes.

This.

@wolverine08: Thank you for your suggestion. Much appreciated. @nightcraft: Very true. Tastes do change. I guess it's natural.

Of course superhero comics never end. If they ended, that would suck.

Thank you all for your words of encouragement. I have been getting a lot of recommendations from people who enjoyed Valiant, and Image, and those two publishers do things differently from the main 2, so I might give them a read. I can't say anything about Valiant just yet, but I will get backto you all with my thoughts on X-O, and Harbinger.

@twentyfive:

Also try TMNT from IDW. Incredible series!

@twentyfive:

a tout a l'heure mon Frere....and good luck in the other forms of entertainment...im sure you'll be back...but one must experience the others.. I am a die hard movie fan who used to watch at least a thousand movies i had never seen before a year (plus quite a lot of repeats), who is now on his 3rd year of leaving the cinematic genre and guess what Im doing this month.....a horror movie marathon. go figure.

so go ...go be nerdy with some other medium...try getting into your old russian literature, or German operas, or American music of the 50s and 60s. just something. maybe just take time away and take a walk to a brand new place, everyday for the next few years. ohh almightynerdinthesky forbid...pick up a sport. or learn an instrument, get buried in your career, become an expert on movies...(WAIT don't do that, THATS MY THING!!) the point is...go try something else, we will be here when you return.

and go have fun.

Bye

@bierschneeman: Aww man. That was a funny post. I like you. Truth to tell, it's already been a few months since I actually bought a comic, and at best, I skimmed one at barnes and noble in may. The only knowledge I have of these comics is from what I read on websites like this. Trust me, I won't be back.

DC in particular in my opinion has been constant in their release of substandard material.

THANK YOU. It's gets tiring constantly hearing people complain about the bubble. One of the things I love about comics is the timelessness of them. They were here before me and they will be here after me. I want my kids to be able to grow up with the same character I did. If you moved on then the next generation they would have replacements. They would have to settle for stories from their parents generation to experience them robbing them of having those characters for their own generation.

Seriously this is like the one genre you can do it in. If they don't like it then obviously it's not for you. There are minis every now and again where you can see what comes next. If that's not enough then there is also independent books for an alternative. They could support those books.

Hey man (or girl, IDK) , whatever you want. In the end, it's your life, your wallet, your decision. In the end, it's really just entertainment. But if you were looking for finality, I would turn to manga. I know One Piece (which is my absolute favorite atm) seems to be able to expand for the next decade, but Naruto is probably gonna finish by the end of the year, and Bleach is on its last arc. If the Big 3 don't appeal, Soul Eater is faaaaaant-astic and I have a feeling you'd like it. I also recommend RAVE if you ever get a chance. That manga had me churning through the chapters because they were so good.

Are DC and Marvel really to blame for this? If you ask me, the fans are. How many non-Batman, Superman, JL etc books DC has published ever since the New 52 started? On the top of my head, Blue Beetle, Sword of Sorcery, Demon Knights, Static Shock, Mr. Terrific, Blackhawks, Grifter, Threshold, Team 7, Voodoo etc And those are only the ones I can remember right now. So people can hardly say that DC didn't to promote other characters. Those books were cancelled because the readers weren't buying them. Seeing the fans complaining each time a book is cancelled because the fans themselves didn't buy that book, is really laughable. Now I can agree that some of those books were bad but still people can't say that DC didn't try. People tend to forget that in the end, DC and Marvel are just companies. They don't make comics out of the goodness of their hearts but they do it in order to make a profit and make a living. Do you think that DC would have any problem publishing a Legion of Superheroes at the same time with Justice League 3000, if both books were selling well? I think not. People need to understand that comic book companies only create the comic books that fans want in the end. I see people complaining about Batman or Wolverine being everywhere or that there are too many Avengers books out there now but somehow those books make it to the top of the sales chart unlike others books that don't feature those characters. The companies see what sells the most and create new books accordingly. If fans want more non-Batman, Superman, Wolverine, X-men etc books, how about you (and by you, I mean fans in general and not personally you, just to be clear) start buying more of these books instead of complaining, quite hypocritically I might say, whenever one of those gets cancelled even though apparently you weren't buying/reading it according to the sales?

/rant

@hart7668: Have you ever tried Hajime no Ippo, a series focused entirely on boxing? Possibly one of the best mangas I have ever read. The main highlights I can give is the character development and the humor (surprisingly it's very American and not very Japanese). It treats boxing as an art form and by the time you are half way through reading it, you'll feel like an expert on the sport. The problems with the series is often the length (which I didn't mind, but scares others off), having been around for nearly 25 years and listed as one of the longest running mangas out there. Another problem is the boxing matches, while extremely engaging and usually worth investing your energy in. A single boxing match in-universe has lasted over a year in real life, so chapters as they are releasing seem to go at a stand still during bigger fights.

@twentyfive: for manga, I would definitely recommend Nauru to and Bleach. Fairy Tale is one I've heard is awesome but am yet to check out myself. The fact they might have anime series shouldn't turn you off, everything needed know the mangas are better anyway. Gurran Laggan was another I thoroughly enjoyed as was death eater. Ikki Tousen may even appeal to you for all I know... Depends on your taste.

As for your lament about the genre... I have nothing too add that hasn't been said.

I LOVE Hajime no Ippo :3

1000+ chapters strong, bay-beee (chris smoove voice)

But even HNI has a foreseeable, likely ending. Ippo is world champ, Takamura gets heavy weight belt, Aoikimura (LOL) becomes Japanese champs and Itagaki has some prologue ending fighting for world belt. There really is no end to Superman or Batman.

MetH too dislikes tHat tHe stories seem to never Have an ending. Part of tHe reason wHy MetH ever got into Avengers Arena was because it looked like it was actually going to Have an ending. Now tHey say tHey're gonna make a "Season 2." Turrrible Turrrible it is.

Best tHing to do is go to Image, or Valiant or anotHer Indie.

Sadly to admit, MetH once wisHed tHat His series He was collecting would end. Now Venom, Scarlet Spider, and Winter Soldier got cancelled.

Beware for tHe wisHes one makes.

June'sVeryOwn

@hart7668: Hajime no Ippo will most likely continue for another five years at the rate it's going. Each chapter doesn't use it's pages and panels appropriately and feels like it's crawling after you finally get the chance to catch up.

Also every manga and anime will end eventually... Well unless it's Dragonball, which is continuing without it's creator at this point. And Super Sentai and Kamen Rider will live on forever as live-action series.

The thing is, series like Sword of Sorcery because fans don't dare to try anything new. Which is sad. Only some fans, of course, but enough also.