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Post by masterofquackfu on Sept 23, 2017 1:34:33 GMT -5
Well, just like there are movies that I have disliked so much that I walked out on them(for example...the movie, "Jade"). So, there have been(very few) comic books that I have disliked so much that I decided not to finish them. One example is Daredevil #324. I didn't like the art. I didn't like Chichester's story, which, to me was "twitchy" and I didn't like the fact that there was not some small synopsis of previous events. I know it was part of a story arc, but, if you hadn't picked up any of the previous issues, well, you were screwed. I think I got to page 10 and decided that enough was enough and just threw it back into the comic stack. Any similar stories?
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Post by Nowhere Man on Sept 23, 2017 6:52:41 GMT -5
Very recently I decided to start reading all of Steve Engleharts JLA run (#139-150) and the issues in and around the George Perez run (#183-200). JLA #139 was a two-parter and the first story was written by Cary Bates which guest-starred Adam Strange. I simply didn't like the story and gave it up about half-way through. This time, I'm going to skip right to the Englehart story (which is the reason I'm reading this run) as he's a writer that's never let me down.
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Post by hondobrode on Sept 23, 2017 8:06:27 GMT -5
Hate to say it but I gave up on Jack Katz' The First Kingdom halfway through. Have the entire collection, greatly admire what he put together, but it was just too damned disjointed and difficult to get through. I couldn't help but think the entire time, "Wow. This is really a Herculean epic that Katz has put together, but
he really, really, like most artists, could have used a co-plotter, scripter and editor."  I really feel guilty for bailing on it, but it was so dense that to properly get the most out of it I'd have to take notes, which I really didn't feel was right. The guy was a genius but it was painful to read. |
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Post by Icctrombone on Sept 23, 2017 8:17:53 GMT -5
I don't remember ever stopping intentionally while reading a book. What I usually do is I start skimming through the remaining pages to finish it.
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Post by hondobrode on Sept 23, 2017 8:51:58 GMT -5
The First Kingdom was the first one I can ever remember just dropping.
Like I said, I feel bad cause I like what he was trying to do, and I liked it up until that point, but I couldn't get past the frustration.
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Post by Roquefort Raider on Sept 23, 2017 8:57:11 GMT -5
Hate to say it but I gave up on Jack Katz' The First Kingdom halfway through. Have the entire collection, greatly admire what he put together, but it was just too damned disjointed and difficult to get through. I couldn't help but think the entire time, "Wow. This is really a Herculean epic that Katz has put together, but
he really, really, like most artists, could have used a co-plotter, scripter and editor." I really feel guilty for bailing on it, but it was so dense that to properly get the most out of it I'd have to take notes, which I really didn't feel was right. The guy was a genius but it was painful to read. Agreed on the genius part (and on the extremely commendable work ethics) but it was a dense read, all right. The point where I bailed out is the companion story, "the space explorer's club". I really couldn't get into that. Never even finished it. In both stories, there is a clear theme: mankind is driven by some inner desire to explore space, develop "super-science" and create space empires, which then collapse. From the ruins rise a mankind driven by some inner desire to explore space and found space empires, which collapse. From the ruins rise a mankind driven by some inner desire to explore space and found space empires, which collapse. From the ruins rise a mankind driven by some inner desire to explore space and found space empires, which collapse. From the ruins rise a mankind driven by some inner desire to explore space and found space empires, which collapse. From the ruins rise a mankind driven by some inner desire to explore space and found space empires, which collapse. In the First Kingdom, this cycle is the backdrop against which a sweeping personal story, that of Thundran and his family, is told. It's epic, it's personal, it's engrossing. In the space explorer's club, the cycle IS the story. As the cycle itself is given a mystical quality, I really don't adhere to it. It's fine as a plot device, but is kind of unsatisfying as the focal point of a story. |
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Post by hondobrode on Sept 23, 2017 9:00:54 GMT -5
That's exactly when I jumped off.
I liked the first arc and started to like the second arc until the cyclical pattern became more apparent and while it was worth investing in the first, I didn't feel like doing it again, esp when I literally have thousands of issues I haven't read yet.
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Post by codystarbuck on Sept 23, 2017 10:30:50 GMT -5
I picked up the entire run of First Kingdom, for a song, from Steranko's Supergraphics mail order and tried; but, I only got a few issues into it. I admired the art; but, couldn't get into the story.
I have to admit I have skimmed a few of Moebius' stories. I tried reading The Airtight Garage and found that I wasn't paying attention, just pouring over the art. Me and esoteric have a rocky relationship. Bilal's Nikopol Trilogy has some amazing imagery; but, a lot of it doesn't make a whole lot of sense and is very metaphorical. I read Gods in Chaos fairly closely, then was much looser in The Woman Trap and pretty much just looked over Cold Equator. His work with Christin is far more focused and better written and I enjoy those far more.
I came late to actually getting my hands on Cerebus (never saw an actual issue in a shop) until Sim started putting out the phone books. So, I just waited for those to come out, until he was on Mothers & Daughters and started picking up the comics. However, after a while, I was cutting back on monthlies and shifting to trades, so I did that with Cerebus. By that point, it read much better in the phone books, anyway. I came close to bailing on Mother's and Daughters, after Sim's rants; but, liked Guys and stuck around through Rick's story (in the phone books). However, after a few chapters of Going Home, I gave up. I just couldn't care anymore. Everything seemed to meander and it got really long winded, with the author allegories and pastiches and I found I was just tired of Sim. I have the whole thing in digital; but, haven't really had the desire to go back over it, as I still feel it peaked with Church and State, for me. After that, my enjoyment becomes very up and down.
I bailed on Youngblood after I read the logo.
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Post by adamwarlock2099 on Sept 23, 2017 12:20:05 GMT -5
I don't remember ever stopping intentionally while reading a book. What I usually do is I start skimming through the remaining pages to finish it. While this is normally the case for me, there was one run of an artist in Sandman that made it unreadable to me. I started skimming but then just gave up on that volume and started with the next one. Thankfully I was reading copies from the library. After the 90's Clone Saga I stopped reading all modern day Spider-Man titles until someone convinced me to try Ultimate Spider-Man. Edit: As far as books I made it through like maybe 20 pages of Thomas Wolfe's The Hills Beyond and quit. Wow that guy's writing is ....I dunno. Too descriptive? Either way I own it and probably still will never read it. |
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Post by EdoBosnar on Sept 23, 2017 12:25:08 GMT -5
Don't recall anything off the top of my head that I actually quit reading; I usually soldier through comics (and books for that matter), as I feel a bit guilty for not reading it to the end. But there were several I recall almost bailing on. One was the Nikopol Trilogy mentioned by Cody Starbuck. The art is just so beautiful, but man, the story is just a mess, and it felt like something that just dragged on and on. I really struggled to get through it. Definitely agree that Bilal's shorter works or his collaborations with a writer are much better.
There's any number of books by the much-loved (at least in some comics-loving quarters) Grant Morrison that I similarly found a chore to read (e.g. Flex Mentallo, Kill Your Boyfriend, Seaguy) and almost threw the damn things at the wall when I finally did get through them.
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Post by codystarbuck on Sept 23, 2017 12:59:57 GMT -5
Don't recall anything off the top of my head that I actually quit reading; I usually soldier through comics (and books for that matter), as I feel a bit guilty for not reading it to the end. But there were several I recall almost bailing on. One was the Nikopol Trilogy mentioned by Cody Starbuck. The art is just so beautiful, but man, the story is just a mess, and it felt like something that just dragged on and on. I really struggled to get through it. Definitely agree that Bilal's shorter works or his collaborations with a writer are much better. There's any number of books by the much-loved (at least in some comics-loving quarters) Grant Morrison that I similarly found a chore to read (e.g. Flex Mentallo, Kill Your Boyfriend, Seaguy) and almost threw the damn things at the wall when I finally did get through them. Morrison is very frustrating, for me. Some of his stuff grabs me and I can read it straight through. other works either bore me or just wallow in weirdness for weirdness sake. All-Star Superman and JLA: Earth 2 were great reads for me. Doom Patrol hooked me with the first collection; but, other things were very hit and miss. I hated his brief run on Swamp Thing. Animal MMan I've read the first collection; but, haven't gotten back to it. Good stuff there. I loved his Steed and Peel stuff. I thought Zenith was great, through about book 3 (though, that is where it starts to wobble); then, the last book just doesn't do much for me. Seven Soldiers left me cold and I was just kind of okay, with JLA. I don't find it to be the masterpiece that some think it is; but found it entertaining while I read it. However, like the Marvel movies and a lot of the Avengers individual issues, I didn't recall much after I was done reading. I found Waid's JLA: Year One far more engaging. I also responded more to Barry Kitson's art than Howard Porter's. Not that it is bad, I just like Kitson's more and Waid's storytelling more. I do have to say, with Love & Rockets, I tend to read the Jaime material and tend to skim more of Beto's. I do think part of it is that I first started reading towards the end, when Jaime was doing a Locas storyline and it was easier to get into than some of the Palomar bits I saw, at the end. I have been meaning to go back and read through that original run and see if Palomar engages me more. I also tend to respond to Jaime's art style more. With Locas, the lucha libre elements helped pull me in, as I was still a wrestling fan when I first got my hands on an issue of the magazine and saw that stuff. Loved Whoa, Nellie! Best wrestling-themed comic ever (including the Tiger Mask manga). |
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Post by EdoBosnar on Sept 23, 2017 13:50:32 GMT -5
I share the Morrison frustration; personally, I *loved* We3, and fully understand all the praise that gets. Like you, I also enjoyed JLA: Earth 2 and All-Star Superman - although in the case of the latter, I don't think it's the Best. Superman. Story. Ever. as many in the comics blogosphere proclaimed when it was coming out. I thought it was just a very good Superman Elseworlds story, nothing more, nothing less. If everything he had done reached that quality, I'd almost understand the almost god-like pedestal some fans put him on. And yes, I found the much-lauded Seven Soldiers to be a bit off-putting as well. After being underwhelmed by that and some of the others I mentioned above (and also regretting the cash I laid out for them), I haven't bothered seeking out his oft-praised other work, like Animal Man, Doom Patrol or the Invisibles. Maybe I'm missing out on something there, but I'm really not interested in investing the time, as there's tons of stuff I really want to read (much of it sitting on my shelves, waiting to get picked up).
Which brings me to L&R; I like both Gilbert and Jaime's work equally - but that's based on my reading of mainly the earlier stuff as collected in a few tpbs. I really should, and really want, to read all of their Palomar and Locas material.
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Post by Slam_Bradley on Sept 23, 2017 14:26:14 GMT -5
Single comics? Hmmmmm...
Lots of runs I didn't finish. Lots of books I quit because they went south. But single comics...
Two I can think of...Superman: Earth One and Batman: Earth One. Both checked out from the library. Neither read more than half-way. I got out the Batman book to see if the Superman book was a fluke (and I don't like superman anyway). Nope. No fluke. Two absolutely unreadable abominations that should have been stillborn. If they hadn't been library books I'd have trashed them because nobody should be subjected to that level of ineptitude in writing.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 23, 2017 14:59:18 GMT -5
I don't remember ever stopping intentionally while reading a book. What I usually do is I start skimming through the remaining pages to finish it. I would never, ever do this ... skimming the pages that you might miss some great art and/or stories!  |
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Post by String on Sept 23, 2017 18:18:21 GMT -5
I can't think of any single issue that I gave up completely upon.
As for series, Starman is my prime instance.
For years, I'd heard on various forum boards about how great and utterly fabulous this series was. So I bought the first Omnibus volume and read the entire book. Harris' art was interesting, lent a distinctive visual look to the book. Jack's strained relationship with his father and his late brother, the O'Dare family and their history, I was most intrigued by the unusual mentor role of the Shade however.
Yet I came away thinking that it was rather good but nothing earth-shattering, certainly not to the high levels of praise that I had read previously. It just didn't grab/interest me enough to warrant reading the rest of the series. That first volume sat on my bookshelf for quite a number of years till I moved recently and I put it into my stack of trades to donate to my local library.
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