Two things I don't like about Western Comics

[Raikas]

Please don't think that I dislike Western Comics in general... heavens no. Some of the characters I actually adore like Bruce Banner and Mr. Freeze. And after reading some of the arc synopsis they seem like really good developed stories. It's just that these two things keep me from truly enjoying Western comics.

As other people have said, there's a hell of a lot more to Western comics than American Superhero books from Marvel and DC. After all, even DC has it's non-superhero lines coming out of Vertigo, where you'll see plenty of finite-length stories. And since when does "Western" just mean Anglo-American? What about all the crazy French Sci-Fi books? Or the old-school adventure ones?

There are hundreds upon hundreds of Western comics that have a beginning-middle-end - it's hard to make a recommendation based on that without knowing what else you're looking for in terms of tone/style/genre/etc.

 

[Squilookle]

The main thing I can't stand about western comics is that it seems like 98% of them are about goddamned superheroes all the time.

I mean come on, change the freakin' record already!

Tin tin.

Herge's a boss

Word. Tintin's just about the only comic I can think of that is truly 'timeless'. I look forward to letting my kids read Tintin in the distant future.

 

[DementedSheep]

That mostly just seems to be the Marvel and DC superhero comics. There are other types of western comics and many have an end point.

I like the multiple universes and what if plots. It means you can explore different takes on things without messing with the main and I like a good multiverse plot (though they can be horrendously bad too and probably are most of the time.)

As for the never ending and going around in circles? It was an issue when I was trying to get into comics because everything was so damn long, I had no idea how to start and since series go through multiple writers and artists I would have to read a whole bunch of stuff I didn't like to catch up and read what I was interested in but I stopped caring about starting at the beginning and knowing every nuance of characters confusing and often conflicting back story.
Just pickup stuff that looks interesting, drop it at the end of major arc and treat that as the end if the new one isn't grabbing you rather than following a series.
Is it cannon to the main and where is it on the timeline? I don't care unless it becomes relevant to story being told. It's much more enjoyable to me like this since I only read very casually and don't have the time or cash to follow multiple series at once. Although most of the stuff outside the main popular characters seems to only last 20 or less issues (Sifs run in JIM was only 10 ) before getting canceled anyway.

 

[DarthAcerbus]

I used to be a big fan of X-Men comics, mostly Gambit. I read them from 16 for about a decade and branched out into "related" series (Gen X, Wolverine, Deadpool, Age of Apocalypse, etc).

I would read one now if it came my way, but I no longer have a standing order nor do I buy them. I don't know if it's an age thing or what but the interest slowly fizzled. The effort of going into London proper (since there were no comic stores in the suburban areas) and a general unhappiness with the medium. They can be great, interesting and satisfying, but my issue with comic books is that nothing ever changes. Nothing. Changes. Ever.

A trilogy of books has a story, characters who develop over the course of the tale and things *happen*. In comics, Gambit and Rogue will never be together. Rogue will never learn to control her powers. Batman will never get over his parents' deaths. Superman will never deal with Lex Luthor for good.

Right now, if I were to pick up a comic, a decade after the last the time I read them properly, I would bet all the above was still the case. Comic books are a strange creature. They are predicated on keeping a beloved cast of characters immortal, eternal and in limbo. They have short adventures and at the end, it's reset and nothing changed. The character hasn't developed, hasn't learned a thing, hasn't moved on, hasn't progressed, hasn't got something new in their lives.

I read them for a decade before realising that nothing would ever change for my favourite characters and simply lost interest over time. I do appreciate that decades long continuity can be a *****, but the flip side of that is nothing. Changing. Ever.

X-books have really, really changed in the past decade. Plus, they're probably the best thing Marvel's publishing right now. I'd really recommend picking up Utopia and Schism for the current background, then Wolverine and the X-men volumes 1 and 2, Kieron Gillen's Uncanny X-men, then Avengers vs X-men and the associated X-tie ins, then Marvel Now's All-New X-men, Uncanny X-men, and straight X-men (and the rest of Wolverine and the X-men). Add Legacy and X-Force to taste. The characters are the same, but they've really developed past "Charles Xavier tells them to fight Magneto."