Why do you read Independent comics?

[Wild_Child]

and not marvel and dc?They are better than most independence comics and have far superior stories.I am enjoying avengers vs x-men and Superman which is probably better than adventure time comics.

[jackdaw53]

The main factors in determining quality of a comic is the writers and artists. DC and Marvel employ some good writers and artists... but far from all. That's one of the main reasons I read independents: because I follow writers, not publishing imprints. To me that's common sense, and what large majority of people do in any genre except comics. (A person who said "I only read Penguin books would be regarded as way eccentric.)

The second main reason I read indies is because DC and Marvel follow a series of restrictive story telling conventions that.. for me... tend to make the tales boring. No major character ever ages, never permanently dies, never retires, all supes are villains or heroes, everybody is good looking etc, etc.

The third main reason (largely flows from the other two) is that there are some outstanding "indie" stories/ series. The average DC/ Marvel story may be better than the average indie, but that's irrelevant to me.... I seek out stuff I particularly like. And I can honestly say that in recent years the stories that have moved me most (e.g. Al Davison's "The Spiral Cage", Bryan Talbots "The Tale of One Bad Rat", and Will Eisner's "A Contract with God") have ALL been non DC/ non Marvel.

[Wild_Child]

wow you changed my mind on marvel and dc. I don't think indie are bad anymore.

[The Adventurer]

Mostly because varity is the spice of life, and I simply can not get the sort of science fiction and fantasy comics I desire at 'the big two' (outside of Vertigo anyway). And when I do crave a super-hero comic, I'd much rather have one that can do whatever it wants, instead of being ham strung by editorial mandates and massive company wide crossovers.

and not marvel and dc?They are better than most independence comics and have far superior stories.I am enjoying avengers vs x-men and Superman which is probably better than adventure time comics.

Good troll. A for effort.

[Blastermaster]

Mostly because of the creativity. It's also better because the writers usually want to tell the story that they are writing so they have personal motivation to give it their utmost. Also X-men and superman,batman, avengers all of those never end they change with the creative teams. I'd rather have a 20-30 issue story that's great rather than a 80-90 issue story that's okay. Not to say that DC/marvel comics are bad, I love the new Aquaman and Green Lantern and uncanny x-force and I think that AvX is at least a step up from that mess Fear Itself.

[jackdaw53]

I suspect that the more baffling question is why nearly all comic fans don't eventually end up gradually drifting away from DC and Marvel for bulk of their reading.

I can easily relate to fans initially reading stuff because of characters they really like (started that way myself several decades ago). But surely at some point "the penny drops" that some writers are better than others at producing stuff that you like.

And that characters change over time, and from one writer to another. Does anybody, for example, really believe the Bob Haney Batman (affable, easy going, fallible, able to work cordially as an equal with a massive range of other people) is really the same character as the Grant Morrison Batman (driven, near paranoid, etc)?? Come on... character is about personality and how you relate to people, not about your name and uniform.

So.... why don't many more comics fans follow favourite writers and read their "indie" stuff more? ( For example, it really baffles me when people long for return of stuff like Young Justice or Gotham Central, but won't follow Messrs David, Rucka and Brubaker to stuff like Fallen Angel, Queen and Country, Criminal, etc. Instead.... there seems to be a widespread belief that if a comic called "Young Justice" is written by any DC writer... it will be the same quality as first series. Why??)

[md62]

Variety. And I do read Marvel & DC. I pretty much read a title or two from most of the major publishers.

[Dark-Flux]

Variety and in general, more creative stories due to freedom from editorial mandate.

[Ramage]

Eventually you want to read real stories with beginnings, middles and endings; not just never ending barrage of stories generated just to perpetuate the trademark. You read spider-man when you are young and you identify with him and his struggles. But then you age and his struggles never change---they more or less repeat forever. Even the few changes they make that seem to make the character older, they regret and eventually undo because it is moving away from core concept of the character.

It is frustrating and these characters mean less to you over time.

Independents are more open to change and growth. Books simply matter more.

[Venomous Mask]

There are so many amazing, unique stories in the world of independent comics. Marvel and DC have alot of great stuff, but they only go so far.

[steve2275]

so i can read about the transformers and lady death

[Manga4life]

and not marvel and dc?They are better than most independence comics and have far superior stories.

Laughable.

I'm sick and tired of the endless Marvel events and crossovers month in and month out, the constant relaunches, the same old character, the retcons, and the greedy atmosphere that Marvel brings to the table. DC is in my good graces now for the first time in 8+ years and if they keep things going the way they are than I don't see me giving up on them, but to say that stories by the big two (Marvel and DC) are better than most indy comics shows that you either are a Marvel/DC zombie who refuses to read other books, or that you simply haven't had the chance to read some good indy books. And if I was going to make a comparison, Adventure Time would be the last book I'd bring up when discussing indy comics.

Sink your teeth into The Spider or The Shadow, Bionic Man, Green Hornet, Dynamite's Kirby books, X-O Manowar, Harbinger, Warlord of Mars, Vampirella, Flash Gordon: Zeitgeist, Lord of the Jungle, Project Superpowers, Saga, The Boys, Invincible, Dynamo 5, and many, MANY more indy books.

Check this out.....it was written 2 years ago and many more superior books have come out since, but it's a start....

http://manga4life-blog.blogspot.com/...ng-me-for.html

[gloryhound]

I suspect that the more baffling question is why nearly all comic fans don't eventually end up gradually drifting away from DC and Marvel for bulk of their reading.

It's called "growing up" and superhero fans refuse to do it. It's like watching "Sesame Street" when you're little and never stopping well into your adulthood.

I can easily relate to fans initially reading stuff because of characters they really like (started that way myself several decades ago). But surely at some point "the penny drops" that some writers are better than others at producing stuff that you like.

We all pretty much start out reading superhero books the same way we all pretty much start out watching "Sesame Street" when we're young. But yeah, it makes logical sense to "graduate" to other material when you get older and leave the other stuff for the next generation. Unfortunately, superhero fans refuse to grow up and move onto something else and you can see this by their typical juvenile behavior.

And that characters change over time, and from one writer to another. Does anybody, for example, really believe the Bob Haney Batman (affable, easy going, fallible, able to work cordially as an equal with a massive range of other people) is really the same character as the Grant Morrison Batman (driven, near paranoid, etc)?? Come on... character is about personality and how you relate to people, not about your name and uniform.

As long as "Bruce Wayne is Batman" that's all they care about. They'll complain about the changes because they don't want anything to change, but they continue to buy it because they absolutely NEED THEIR PRECIOUS CHARACTERS. It's akin to gambling, really. It's a glorified sickness.

So.... why don't many more comics fans follow favourite writers and read their "indie" stuff more? ( For example, it really baffles me when people long for return of stuff like Young Justice or Gotham Central, but won't follow Messrs David, Rucka and Brubaker to stuff like Fallen Angel, Queen and Country, Criminal, etc. Instead.... there seems to be a widespread belief that if a comic called "Young Justice" is written by any DC writer... it will be the same quality as first series. Why??)

Again, it's the childish mentality. They only follow characters, not creators much like the child who follows his/her favorite characters. How many children know who produced their favorite shows or published their favorite books. Not many. Superhero fans, unfortunately, are still stuck in a child-like mentality and refuse to expand further. They would rather buy the thirty Avengers titles or thirty Batman titles than buy one or two of them and buy books of other genres that we know appeal to them. That is, I'm sure they watch TV and movies of other genres, right? But for whatever reason they won't extend that to comic books. Sad, really.

[gloryhound]

I buy independent books for the fact that they have "proper storytelling" of a beginning-middle-end format where characters grow and develop and get old and die and it stays that way. I also want to read original work where don't get rehashed over and over again (how many times can I read about Superman fighting Metallo... seriously?) and then eventually rebooted because they reached a point where they can't write them the way they were originally written (i.e. no permanent changes).

Like others said, I also don't feel like having the story of a title I collect interrupted by the latest lame "event" that ultimately changes nothing for the characters involved. And this goes the same for the many crossovers that force me to either buy extra titles or read snippets of a story because I won't buy those extra titles.

The constant "#1" issues are enough to give the most brilliant minds in the world massive headaches if not utter implosion. Independent books are akin to any prose novel you can pick up -- some are good, some are bad but all of them contain a story with a beginning, middle, and ending with character growth and development in between.

[Deviates]

I enjoy DC comics quite a bit and buy a fair amount. There's some creative stuff going on there, but I think once you check out a few more independent bits and pieces and realise comics are just about super heroes and big cross over events they become that much more interesting. A friend of mine likened Marvel and DC storytelling technique to wrestling and soap operas (this was a long and drawn out analogy that I won't go in to now) while independent works are open to be written however the writer sees fit. I agree somewhat with that, though I think it might play down Marvel and DC's ability tell good stories.

The thing is, their mainstream comics and much like what we might call mainstream literature/music/movies, they aren't necessarily the most thought provoking or ground breaking.