Been hectic financially the past few months, very seldom get to a comic book store so I've missed some of the indy titles I follow and the chain store I went to didn't have them. So I subscribed to one, Knights of the Dinner Table and it looks like I missed about four issues, but the storyline went on. Now do I read the one I have before I get the others or do I wait until I have them all?
Has this happened to anyone else? I imagine before trade waiting became common it probably did, but now?
Replies
I will try and make a couple of efforts at local comics shops to fill in the missing issue(s), and then just move one. With a lot of DC and Marvel books, with being so decompressed, you can miss an issue an still not be lost like at all.
Now an Image book that usually has a little more depth to the story. I will make more an effort to get whatever I am missing.
Knights is a strip book, not decompressed at all, just a series of two to three strips showcasing the gaming groups around Muncie, Indiana, principally focused on the Knights of the Dinner Table, but also having strips for the Black Hands, Patty's Perps and other groups along with Snarfquest and assorted articles on gaming and book reviews, some fan submissions (there is a nice one in this issue with Charlie Brown). I have the feeling I'll read the issue tonight just to take a break from the math homework I have.
It's a nice problem to have in a way, a bit like having the problem of only having Chocolate or Strawberry Ice cream after supper, but not both.
Oh, I used to love KODTD, but I always felt like I was paying for half an issue most of the time. As I was out of gaming for the most part, so I didn't really care for the second half of the comic.
Did you ask your regular comic shop if they could try to order the missing books from the warehouse or whatever their source is? If not too much time has elapsed they might still have them.
Unfortunately my regular LCS switched managers, moved, switched managers again and I just gave up on them after they messed up my previews orders again and again. I'm going to order the back issues from the kenzerco web sight. Or I might wait for the Bundle of Trouble issues where they put all the strips together.
I almost always wait to get the ones I've missed before I start reading the storyline again.
On the other hand, if it's a run of comics from the days of yore and I'm finding an issue here in one store's quarter bin and two issues there at the Friends of the Library store and three issues over there from a flea market, I'll read them when I get them.
If I miss more than two or three issues I usually don't return to the title.
For me, I think the answer wold depend on the series. If I were to miss an issue of, say, Stray Bullets, it wouldn't matter so much because the story is non-linear in the first place and every story is self-contained. I seldom miss issues because I generally prepare a list of what's shipping that week in advance. It just so happens, though, I did inadvertently miss an issue. While I was boxing Scooby Apocalyse #4 I realized I didn't have #3. I verified that with my LCS (the cash register tracks all my purchases) and bought it the next week. I hadn't realized I missed an issue at the time I was reading, so I read 1, 2, 4, 3. Someday, I'll re-read thewm in te correct order. Hey, #5 ships today!
I've read KODT in the past, and I fidn that it's pretty easy to pick up what's going on if I miss something, as little really changes over time. It's not a big deal to jump around in time for me in general, however.
With older superhero comics, it really wasn't hard if you did miss an issue here or there as there was usually enough exposition going on to catch up. There would be moments you might like to see, but especially in the 1970's when comic shops were a dream, if you missed an issue you missed an issue. You got over it and moved on.
Nowadays, with decompressed storytelling and exposition having become passé, if you want to understand what's going on you almost have to go back and seek out the issues you've missed. Even if you don't miss an issue, the comics can still become very, very confusing.