A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Poor House...

[Dallan]

… I've started enjoying comics more than ever!

Culling The Pull List: Freedom Through Limitations and Economic Rediscovery

I've had to tighten my belt so much lately that I might as well just take it off and sell it. I could use the money. I know that many, many people have it tougher by far, but work has been slow for me this year. My family is expanding and my discretionary spending has been dwindling, ergo my pull list has taken a beating. Little did I know that comics would start to mean even more to me than they have in a long time.

Has anyone else had a similar experience?

My pull list had been shrinking for awhile, but I ended up canceling it completely. Of course I met all my obligations to my LCS. I didn't leave them in the lurch with any books they had ordered for me. But It was necessary for my mental process to start with a blank slate. I needed to reassess my finances, batten down the hatches and get on a strict budget (long overdo) before I even thought about buying comics again. I had been buying my comics indiscriminately and denying myself of very little that I thought I might like. Editing had become an afterthought.

After my ultra limiting budget was in place and I knew exactly how much money I had to spend each week, I took a very careful look at the books that brought me the most joy and the most bang for the buck (funny how most of those $3.99 books start to fall away). Which creators had never let me down? What titles brought me closest to feeling the 14-year-old-me joy of yore? How many books were bringing the hard core funny book art to new levels each and every month? It was a remarkably short list. I started to feel really good about the whole process. I felt a certain freedom almost immediately. I was looking forward to the discipline that I hadn't realized I so desperately needed. And I was looking forward even more to those extra special few books I would be bringing home each week.

Now I'm enjoying my favorite titles more than ever! I savor them like four star meals rather than consuming them like fast food. Without all the extraneous stuff mucking things up and contributing to nothing more than my Regina pile, I'm free to take my time and not feel like I have to rush through books that are backing up. Let's face it, as my family grows I have less and less time to read anyway.

The downside? Well, OGN's are pretty much out for me right now. Just one of those pretty much breaks the bank for the week. I'm keeping lists of things I hope to check out one day when I can afford them again. Or even things I'd like to check out of my local library one day. I still enjoy my monthly, serialized fiction fix too much to give up singles for larger works. Plus, I've got plenty of unread OGN's already on the shelf that'll keep me busy for awhile.

Another downside is that we live in a time when SO MANY great new titles get announced almost weekly. Image Comics alone will keep you on your feet with the next best thing. Oh there will be plenty of sacrifices along the way, but it's a good problem to have. Depending on how you look at it.

I used to relish in the idea of pumping money into this industry that I love so much. But somehow now, I'm spending way less and enjoying this industry way more.

[InspectorSpacetime]

my enjoyment of comics went up when i stopped caring about wednesdays, or when books came out at all. let the alpha comic consumer sift through the junk. you can always comeback and read the gold. the $4 a comic is a premium you pay to get the content ASAP, for me getting a fraction of a story day one isn't worth it. you can stumble on cheap trades nowadays that for me are more satisfying than this weeks flavor. comic fans seem to be trained to expect everything to go out of print so they horde. the fact is that for an average comic fan or really any form of entertainment its wise to only buy what you will immediately consume.

[evaD]

I'm kinda there, too. Except the big two keep making decisions to cut my pull list and they aren't really doing anything that pulls me back in.

[GrimlocksPS]

I'm not at that point 100% but i'm on my way. After sampling all the DC Goodness this  month i am re-prioritizing what books i 100% enjoy on a monthly basis. The rest i'll catch up on later down the line.

My work has slowed down so much that i need to cut down. I'd go the DCBS route but my LCS has been a huge part of my life that and so good to me that i am hesitant to take my business elsewhere. I'd rather cut down to the essentials and still give them my money.

[Dallan]

the fact is that for an average comic fan or really any form of entertainment its wise to only buy what you will immediately consume.

Wise words.

Back when I was still buying DVD's, I certainly found that unless I was buying something that I was so excited about that I had to watch it THAT very weekend, it usually just ended up sitting up on the shelf for a long, long time. Why did I even bother buying it. Just an impulse buy. If only I ever had the impulse to actually watch it. C'est la vie.

[Dallan]

My work has slowed down so much that i need to cut down. I'd go the DCBS route but my LCS has been a huge part of my life that and so good to me that i am hesitant to take my business elsewhere. I'd rather cut down to the essentials and still give them my money.

I wrestle with this same dilemma incessantly. I love my LCS and I still enjoy my weekly, Wednesday excursion. I look forward to it. Even when I don't have much cash in my pocket. It's a social outing that surfing the web will never replace.

[GrimlocksPS]

I wrestle with this same dilemma incessantly. I love my LCS and I still enjoy my weekly, Wednesday excursion. I look forward to it. Even when I don't have much cash in my pocket. It's a social outing that surfing the web will never replace.

Thats how it is for me. Its something i look forward too. Me and my Brother in Law go every Wednesday and spend the ride over talking comic books and stuff.

[valance_the_hunter]

I agree with everything you guys said, but the other part of the equation (at least for me) has been that my LCS's owner has been in dire straights for the past ten years and she is not alone in that struggling small business person mentality.  I do whatever I can to keep small businesses IN business and that's another reason that I haven't gone the DCBS route.

[GLewis]

My pull list was dwindling, then DC went and got crazy. Already though, I can begin to see a lot of titles that will most likely disappear from my pull list in no more than three to six months. When it comes down to it, my favorite comics are the same comics that got me hooked when I was a kid, plus an indy book or four. I could probably cull my list of all but those books and be perfectly happy.

[AztecLos]

When I used to work I would just go in and get what ever comic I want without looking through it and plus paperbacks and such without worrying about price. But now on disability I have to pick and choose. At one time I would have gotten all of DC's 52 to try out. But I am just getting 14 and I might wait to download the issues after a month past when they are marked down. And paperbacks or graphic novels I go to Amazon and seek the lowest price. Recently I got to tighten up for a bit because of a roof repair and then take care of the ceiling that caved in as a result from it. 

[Captain J]

After Secret Invasion and Final Crisis came out at about the same time, and in my opinion were both very weak-- then prices jumped up by a dollar...  that's when I bowed out almost entirely from the modern big two.  I started looking for titles that were very insular, because I was sick of all the crossovers.  Buffy, Angel, Echo, Fallen Angel, Hellboy, Star Wars Legacy, Dynamo 5, GI Joe, Batman Beyond (my 1 DC book)... I've been VERY happy with doing that and picking up used trades at discount of anything (including the big two) that looks interesting.

I'm checking out several of the New 52, because DC was decent enough to keep things at $2.99 and I think a lot of the books are pretty good.  But I'm definitely not concerned with spending a fortune on sub-par books any more.  Nu-uh, not for me.

[Dallan]

Thats how it is for me. Its something i look forward too. Me and my Brother in Law go every Wednesday and spend the ride over talking comic books and stuff.

That's cool. I WISH I had a Brother-In-Law that was into comics.

[Dallan]

I agree with everything you guys said, but the other part of the equation (at least for me) has been that my LCS's owner has been in dire straights for the past ten years and she is not alone in that struggling small business person mentality.  I do whatever I can to keep small businesses IN business and that's another reason that I haven't gone the DCBS route.

Kudos. That's definitely part of the equation for me too. I love my LCS and I like supporting them in any way I can.

[Dallan]

My pull list was dwindling, then DC went and got crazy. Already though, I can begin to see a lot of titles that will most likely disappear from my pull list in no more than three to six months. When it comes down to it, my favorite comics are the same comics that got me hooked when I was a kid, plus an indy book or four. I could probably cull my list of all but those books and be perfectly happy.

I'm in the same boat. I LOVE trying new things whenever I can. I've read a few cool new DC titles, but ultimately I'm a Marvel zombie. It's just something that's infused into the blood at a very young, formative age. Some titles, no matter how well written or drawn, are just never going to pull me away from the stuff that's in my bones.

[Dallan]

When I used to work I would just go in and get what ever comic I want without looking through it and plus paperbacks and such without worrying about price. But now on disability I have to pick and choose. At one time I would have gotten all of DC's 52 to try out. But I am just getting 14 and I might wait to download the issues after a month past when they are marked down. And paperbacks or graphic novels I go to Amazon and seek the lowest price. Recently I got to tighten up for a bit because of a roof repair and then take care of the ceiling that caved in as a result from it. 

Whoever did that roof repair owes you comics for life. (I really hope you didn't do it yourself. )

[Dallan]

After Secret Invasion and Final Crisis came out at about the same time, and in my opinion were both very weak-- then prices jumped up by a dollar...  that's when I bowed out almost entirely from the modern big two.  I started looking for titles that were very insular, because I was sick of all the crossovers.  Buffy, Angel, Echo, Fallen Angel, Hellboy, Star Wars Legacy, Dynamo 5, GI Joe, Batman Beyond (my 1 DC book)... I've been VERY happy with doing that and picking up used trades at discount of anything (including the big two) that looks interesting.

I agree, the crossovers can be brutal. Not only on the pocket book, but on the brain. I love insular titles as well, like Savage Dragon, The Sixth Gun or even Jonah Hex. But, ultimately, it's that shared world and rich history of continuity that's a big part of what I enjoy about Spider-Man and the Hulk. I can't help it. Years of invested reading in these characters adds to the fulfillment I get. I'm a total sucker in that regard.

I'm checking out several of the New 52, because DC was decent enough to keep things at $2.99 and I think a lot of the books are pretty good.  But I'm definitely not concerned with spending a fortune on sub-par books any more.  Nu-uh, not for me.

 

[GrimlocksPS]

After this month i am cutting down my weekly comic spending to under $30.

I am being really picky with my funny books.

[Derek G]

There is certainly something to be said about re-reading the books you already have. I've been doing that a lot this year and have found it to be really rewarding.

[Dallan]

After this month i am cutting down my weekly comic spending to under $30.

I am being really picky with my funny books.

That's exactly where I'm at. If I spend $30 bucks on comics, my daughter doesn't get to ride the merry-go-round that week.   

Kudos to you. Exactly the genesis of my epiphany. Picky can be a really good place to be. I'm enjoying my limited, picky comic selection more than ever without mucking them up with a lot of background noise.   

[Dallan]

There is certainly something to be said about re-reading the books you already have. I've been doing that a lot this year and have found it to be really rewarding.

I'm with you. When I have too many new comics that need reading, I feel pressure to keep up with them and don't have as much chance to go back and rediscover some pure gold from the way back machine. Looking forward to doing some long box diving. 

Some stuff is even better upon subsequent reading. And the stuff that isn't, well... it'll just help me figure out what to get rid of to make some space.