Have you ever taken a break from comics?

[De Carabas]

Lately, I've been catching up on all the podcasts that are piling up on my iPod. In listening to so many different shows in such a short time, I've noticed a recurring theme: people quitting comics, for a time, and eventually coming back. Many times the reference is in the listener emails, sometimes it is the creators being interviewed, and even a few times the hosts of the podcast itself. But almost all of them have made reference to it, and one podcast made it sound like a normal period that all fans go through.

So, I thought I'd get this pesky thought out of my head and pose the question to everyone here: Have you ever taken an extended break from reading comics? If so, why, for how long, and what brought you back?

EM

[jclaus]

I have never taken a break from comics as a whole. I have taken plenty of breaks from individual comics depending on the creative team, story direction, etc. I just could not or cannot see myself not reading comics. As I have gotten older my tastes have certainly changed, but not my love of comics.

Good question though. I am curious as well as to anyone's thoughts on why they might have taken a break. Plus, if you are out of comics, how do you get back in?

[goman]

I've noticed the same thing in a lot of podcasts, and I'll give what seems to be a pretty standard answer. Yes, I did a few year break in comics, the first few years I was in college. Mostly due to not having a job my first few years, thus lack of funds, and the little money I had went to bear and food. Strangely, I didn't really pick them up during my summers, when I had jobs and a little extra cash, probably because I was saving the money for school, and spending it just on beer, since my parents were providing food while I stayed with them. I don't think I really got back into comics until my last year of school, I had a job at that point and a little extra spending cash, and I had a kid in a lot of my history classes that was working at the LCS, and we started talking about it. Nice thing about that was, he got me hooked back on the comic junk, and he would deliver the new comics to me on Thursdays I think, whatever day we had class at the same time, and I'd give him the cash for them. It was an awesome arrangement. After that it was pretty much back on the horse, and a weekly trip to the store wherever I lived. I don't know if there was any particular comic that brought me back, but I know that the only thing I would look for every few months would be new issues of Bone and that probably kept my interest up enough to get me back once I had spare cash.

[torippu]

Does living in Japan for 3 years and only having access to comics every 6 months or so count for anything?

If not, then I'd say no. Ever since I got hooked on G.I. Joe and T.M.N.T. back in the mid-80s, I've been collecting non-stop for close to 20 years now.

Trip

[DWEarhart]

Oh yeah. In twenty years of collecting I've taken a pair of breaks. One was two years, another lasted five. I just wasn't happy with any of the work coming out, and I had very limited access to any independent titles, but now, thanks to more open minds and the internet, I can get a healthy comic fix anywhere and anytime.

[pmpknface]

I was just a casual Spidey collector from the time I was 4 until I was 12-13 (maybe). Then I stopped because I couldn't afford comics and baseball cards and all my friends collected cards. It wasn't until I was 17 and the summer before I went to college that I REALLy got into comics and I haven't been out since.

So somehow I made it through college able to collect. WHEW! :D

[dancj]

I slowed right down to pretty much just 2000ad and British reprints of Aliens and Terminator (which are much cheaper than the originals) for a while when I was at college purely down to lack of funds.

Money brought me back to comics when I eventually got a job

[Your Imaginary Pal]

I stopped in college. I was in Baltimore without job or car so I wasn't going to shops, they still carried some at a local Rite Aid, but Betweem Onslaught & Clones, I felt it was time to take a break or quit all together, I wouldn't buy much, but I would read my friends books. It wasn't until 2005 that I really started back on the weekly runs, promising to buy no more than 4 titles a month, but things started getting interesting, so it's like 5 titles a week.

Self control and moderation...I used to know what they meant.

[Sanagi]

I took a break from buying comics and it hasn't ended yet. I still read them from time to time thanks to an awesome public library.

[Deathstroke]

Yes, I took a break for about nine years from comics. I was disgusted with the quality of the art and I was in a financial crush as well.

Ironically, I got back into comics by reading a completely terrible Spider-Man comic.

[Augie De Blieck Jr.]

Nope. This will be 18 years in the spring, and never a break. I don't think I've gone longer than two weeks without being in a comics shop since I got my driver's license.

Wow, that's scary.

-Augie

[pmpknface]

Until this I started using DCBS I didn't miss a Wendesday is years!

[Karl O'Neill]

yes my dad cut my comics(All batman and xmen) up when i was 14, (for reasons i won't discuss)

and i only started back up when i was 20.
im now 22.

so 6 years i didnt bother with comics.
Roller blading/ stateboarding and BMXing were my Hobbies.

They first Trade paperback i picked up was superman/batman by jeph loeb,the 1st book. i read it on hoildays in crete at the pool side, it was great.

and the first single issues i picked up after my hiatus was ed brubakers captain amercai issue 12 i think and geoff johns flash issue 225-the end of the rogue war.

I havnt stopped since

[pmpknface]

Welcome back to the fold General!

[/SALUTE] :p

[torippu]

Betweem Onslaught & Clones, I felt it was time to take a break or quit all together, I wouldn't buy much,

This was my low point as well. I think that I had whittled down my pull list to about 4~5 books. Savage Dragon was definitely one of them (along with all the assorted spin-offs). I wasn't reading any Spider-man (this was tough at the time and sucks now as I have a 12 issue long gap in my Amazing Spider-Man collection), X-Men or much in the way of DC Comics. It's only after I returned from abroad in late '97 that I started going to the store on a regular basis and started reading Spidey again and discovered that I absolutely loved Chuck Dixon's run on Nightwing and Birds of Prey.