Overheard a guy at the shop say modern comics are just "soulless variants" and I had to bite my tongue

I was flipping through the new stuff at a local shop last Saturday and this older dude behind me goes "man, all this is just soulless variants and hype covers, no real stories." Honestly, it rubbed me the wrong way. Sure, some of the variant game is crazy with like 15 covers for one issue, but acting like nobody cares about writing anymore is just wrong. I've been reading the new Nightwing run by Tom Taylor and that book has heart, real character moments, not just flashy art. Plus, stuff like the current Immortal Thor is doing some wild world building. I get being tired of overpriced variants at $9.99 a pop, but dismissing the whole modern era feels lazy. Has anyone else run into this gatekeeping at their local comic shop?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_oscar23d ago

Almost tripped over my own feet nodding so hard at this, man. I mean, my pull list right now has some of the best writing I've seen in years. The current World's Finest book by Mark Waid feels like a time machine back to when comics were just fun, no cynicism attached. And you're dead on about Immortal Thor, that book is doing some really clever stuff with mythology that makes me feel like a kid again reading Simonson's run. Honestly, I probably would've bit my tongue too because arguing with a guy in a shop never ends well for anybody, especially me since I'll start sweating and forget what I was even trying to say. Guess I'm just a soulless variant with a pull list and a lot of feelings.

charles91923d ago

Swear I almost dropped my phone hitting the floor when I read your pull list take. That World's Finest run is the first time in forever I actually looked forward to a Tuesday release. And yeah, I'm the same way in shops, I'll just nod and grab my books and get out before my brain short circuits. You're not soulless, man, you're just a fan who actually reads the stuff.