[Groop]Self-contained stories (formerly Question for ME)
Pengyfelix@aol.com
Pengyfelix@aol.com
Mon, 24 Dec 2001 13:35:59 EST
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Let me add my support for the self-contained comic. Groo's single issue
story format is the reason I'm reading comics now. When the wonderful comic
fan who is now my husband and I were still dating, he gave me an issue of
Groo (I can't remember the issue #, but it was the one with the puppet shows)
to read during his usual comic reading time. My parents had spent 19 years
trying to keep me away from comics--so successfully that I'd never read a MAD
and Elie explained Sergio Aragones to me as "the guy who did the cartoons on
TV Bloopers and Practical Jokes." With one issue of Groo, I was hooked.
I've been reading comics for about 4 years and I can't seem to get into most
of them because the continuities are just too much for me to handle as a
semi-casual comic reader. Miniseries are OK, and I've gotten into the old
Warren Vampirellas (not the new Vampi) because you don't need to know much
more than what's in the comic and maybe the origin of the major characters.
Many other comics I've tried reading require so much cross-referencing that
they're more work to read than they are fun, and others have so many major
plot twists that they get confusing if you haven't read every issue for the
last 10 years (here I was thinking that Wonder Woman was someone named
Diana!).
The involved continuity is probably fine and probably very entertaining for
those serious readers who read their comics religiously, but after a certain
number of issues in a title, it excludes new readers of the series. As Mark
has mentioned in his POV columns recently, recent back issues are harder to
find. Even if you decide to start reading a title midstream, you have to be
really serious about it to put in the effort to track down the back issues
you'll need to understand the future issues. I'm willing to bet my firstborn
child that most new or casual comic readers won't take that kind of time or
$$$$. Of course, those of us who read just a few comics a month aren't the
people who sustain the comics industry, so we can't very well expect it to
cater to us. On the other hand, once the hard-core comics fans die out or
get married and their new wives (who don't understand comics, and I've heard
of this happening) make them give up their comics, who will sustain the
industry? On a side note: Groo is an excellent way to introduce the new
wives to comics so they don't make you give up your collecting. Groo is the
reason I now understand why the major budgetary concerns are rent, food,
heat, and comics.
OK, I'll go back to lurking now. See what happens when you let me out?
Janet
In a message dated 12/24/2001 8:58:56 AM Central Standard Time,
azamin7@pd.jaring.my writes:
> I tried to read some X-men comic, but I get lost... in some of
> the pages, it ask the readers to refer to some of its previous issue....
> crossover....then there is some variation of X-man... the X-man,
> wolverine... etc.... One reason I like Groo is that it's story finish in
> just 1 issue... it is simple and easy for the reader to understand it. I
> once gave my groo "Man of the people" to a friend to read it and he can
> easily understand the character and the story easily.
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<HTML><FONT FACE=arial,helvetica><FONT SIZE=2>Let me add my support for the self-contained comic. Groo's single issue story format is the reason I'm reading comics now. When the wonderful comic fan who is now my husband and I were still dating, he gave me an issue of Groo (I can't remember the issue #, but it was the one with the puppet shows) to read during his usual comic reading time. My parents had spent 19 years trying to keep me away from comics--so successfully that I'd never read a MAD and Elie explained Sergio Aragones to me as "the guy who did the cartoons on TV Bloopers and Practical Jokes." With one issue of Groo, I was hooked.
<BR>
<BR>I've been reading comics for about 4 years and I can't seem to get into most of them because the continuities are just too much for me to handle as a semi-casual comic reader. Miniseries are OK, and I've gotten into the old Warren Vampirellas (not the new Vampi) because you don't need to know much more than what's in the comic and maybe the origin of the major characters. Many other comics I've tried reading require so much cross-referencing that they're more work to read than they are fun, and others have so many major plot twists that they get confusing if you haven't read every issue for the last 10 years (here I was thinking that Wonder Woman was someone named Diana!).
<BR>
<BR>The involved continuity is probably fine and probably very entertaining for those serious readers who read their comics religiously, but after a certain number of issues in a title, it excludes new readers of the series. As Mark has mentioned in his POV columns recently, recent back issues are harder to find. Even if you decide to start reading a title midstream, you have to be really serious about it to put in the effort to track down the back issues you'll need to understand the future issues. I'm willing to bet my firstborn child that most new or casual comic readers won't take that kind of time or $$$$. Of course, those of us who read just a few comics a month aren't the people who sustain the comics industry, so we can't very well expect it to cater to us. On the other hand, once the hard-core comics fans die out or get married and their new wives (who don't understand comics, and I've heard of this happening) make them give up their co!
mics, who will sustain the industry? On a side note: Groo is an excellent way to introduce the new wives to comics so they don't make you give up your collecting. Groo is the reason I now understand why the major budgetary concerns are rent, food, heat, and comics.
<BR>
<BR>OK, I'll go back to lurking now. See what happens when you let me out?
<BR>Janet
<BR>
<BR>
<BR>In a message dated 12/24/2001 8:58:56 AM Central Standard Time, azamin7@pd.jaring.my writes:
<BR>
<BR>
<BR><BLOCKQUOTE TYPE=CITE style="BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px">I tried to read some X-men comic, but I get lost... in some of
<BR>the pages, it ask the readers to refer to some of its previous issue....
<BR>crossover....then there is some variation of X-man... the X-man,
<BR>wolverine... etc.... One reason I like Groo is that it's story finish in
<BR>just 1 issue... it is simple and easy for the reader to understand it. I
<BR>once gave my groo "Man of the people" to a friend to read it and he can
<BR>easily understand the character and the story easily.</FONT><FONT COLOR="#000000" SIZE=3 FAMILY="SANSSERIF" FACE="Arial" LANG="0"></BLOCKQUOTE>
<BR></FONT><FONT COLOR="#000000" SIZE=2 FAMILY="SANSSERIF" FACE="Arial" LANG="0">
<BR></FONT></HTML>
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