What makes you pick up a comic? - Gen. Discussion

#1 Posted by Katie24 (488 posts) - 11 months, 22 days ago - Show Bio

What makes you pick up one comic instead of another? Is it the characters in the comic, the writer, the artist, the cover or good reviews that influence your comic choices most?

#2 Posted by noj (642 posts) - 11 months, 22 days ago - Show Bio

Honestly its a little of all of that you mentioned.

#3 Posted by Cap10nate (961 posts) - 11 months, 22 days ago - Show Bio

I usually start out with a character that I like which will lead me really enjoying a writer's style which leads me to new characters. I haven't really searched out specific comics by artists yet. But I started out liking Captain America which led me to Brubaker. I loved his writing so I picked up his runs on Iron Fist and Secret Avengers as well as his series such as Fatale, Criminal, and the Marvels Project.

#4 Posted by Twentyfive (2160 posts) - 11 months, 22 days ago - Show Bio

@noj said:

Honestly its a little of all of that you mentioned.

Nobody can answer that question better than he did.

#5 Posted by zexion_armando (81 posts) - 11 months, 22 days ago - Show Bio

First its characters, then writers, then artists.

And reviews from this site, lol

#6 Posted by Katie24 (488 posts) - 11 months, 22 days ago - Show Bio

@Twentyfive said:

@noj said:
Honestly its a little of all of that you mentioned.
Nobody can answer that question better than he did.

But is there a title that you would pick up no matter who was writing it or drawing it, even if it was total crap? I'm guilty of this when it comes to Wonder Woman and boy has there been some crappy Wonder Woman. Is there a writer or artist you like so much that you would pick up what ever title they were writing? I do this with Greg Rucka, he is currently writing Punisher and I've never been a big fan of the character, but I'm actually really digging the book.

#7 Posted by knighthood (919 posts) - 11 months, 22 days ago - Show Bio

@Katie24: I seen an article recently that asked the same question. It is a mix as stated above.

Since most characters that I enjoy tend to disappoint after awhile, I do not to stay loyal to my favorite characters. I drop in from time to time and check on those characters, but end up dropping those titles after a few months. Or I read a related titles, for example instead of reading Batman I read Batwoman and a few other bat-titles instead.

I also try to mix my pull list with different genres. So if I feel the need to explore different genres, I'll try a few different titles. For example, I'll be picking up Image's Debrisin July to ad a little sci-fi variety.

Then of course there are the creators. I'll pick a few titles just based on the creators. At the moment, I am really interested in Jeff Lemire because of his work on Animal Man. So I'll likely check out TPB of Sweet Tooth, Essex County, and Underwater Welder when it is released.

#8 Posted by RoboShark (1199 posts) - 11 months, 22 days ago - Show Bio

Feedback and Characters play the biggest role for me. And obviously if I see a writer or artist I love I will pick that up just cause a lot of times.

#9 Posted by soundgarden (109 posts) - 11 months, 22 days ago - Show Bio

@Twentyfive said:

@noj said:
Honestly its a little of all of that you mentioned.
Nobody can answer that question better than he did.

Agreed with both post.

#10 Posted by The_Tree (4174 posts) - 11 months, 22 days ago - Show Bio

For pre-existing characters/titles it's whether or not I like the main character, and if I like the writer.

To hook me into a new series that I've never tried or heard of, it has to have good covers, and/or a writer I know and like. Like for the comic Daytripper, I picked it up solely because the cover looked amazing.

Online

#11 Posted by rogue_mar1e (19738 posts) - 11 months, 22 days ago - Show Bio

Characters, artists, writers, reccomendations.

#12 Posted by jrock85 (2870 posts) - 11 months, 22 days ago - Show Bio

Characters and writers.

#13 Posted by TDK_1997 (9650 posts) - 11 months, 22 days ago - Show Bio

Everything you mentioned.

#14 Posted by Glitch_Spawn (14688 posts) - 11 months, 21 days ago - Show Bio

Hit the nail on the head buddy. Now get your self a pull list going!

#15 Posted by stingray77 (42 posts) - 11 months, 21 days ago - Show Bio

Character. I'd buy the comic book no matter how crappy it is written as long as my fave is there.

#16 Posted by jhazzroucher (12397 posts) - 11 months, 21 days ago - Show Bio

Ororo Munroe.

#17 Posted by kingjoeg (662 posts) - 11 months, 21 days ago - Show Bio

Writer, Character, Artist. If it was character before writer I would never be reading Venom or Scarlet Spider.

#18 Posted by FullmetalChobit (218 posts) - 11 months, 21 days ago - Show Bio

Character and storylines... but I have a look at the art and if it's not all that, I'm unlikely to read it.

Also the publisher tends to sway my opinion, I like IDW, Image and DC, although I am branching out into smaller/independent publishers.

If it's written by Kevin Smith, Geoff Johns or Alan Moore then I'm all over it.

#19 Posted by haydenclaireheroes (7962 posts) - 11 months, 21 days ago - Show Bio

It depends on if the comic got good reviews and what characters are in the comic

#20 Posted by knighthood (919 posts) - 11 months, 21 days ago - Show Bio

I do not depend on reviews too much. Some of my favorite books get poorly reviewed.

#21 Posted by InfamousFish (352 posts) - 11 months, 21 days ago - Show Bio

For me it is the characters, the comic could get bad reviews but I will still pick it up if it is Deadpool or Spider-Man, etc.

#22 Posted by Hatutzeraze (268 posts) - 11 months, 21 days ago - Show Bio

Roughly speaking, my decisions are made using these criteria:

1. Writers

- When I know someone can give me a good story, I will often read comics I wouldn't otherwise consider.

2. Concept / Genre

- The idea behind the comic can sell me. How a comic is promoted suggests what kind of comic it might be. This is what often attracts me to comics by writers I had not previously read.

3. Reviews / Buzz

- When a comic is highly regarded or is creating a big buzz, I will often want to check it out.

4. Favorite characters/teams

- While I wasn't willing to try out the new Justice League or the current Green Lantern series by Geoff Johns, I was all over the current Aquaman series by the same writer. I'm more likely to give a comic a chance if its an Aquaman comic, for example.

5. Artists

- Rarely will it be just the artist that draws me in. Usually it has to have a draw based on one of the above categories in addition to having a cool artist.