42 vs 15. Why does this matter? Simple. Many people across the country are losing their jobs, and others are holding onto their money and trying to cut back on the non-necessities. One industry that takes a beating during this recession is the comic book industry. Now, we didn't take as hard of a hit as we thought we would this past year, but we are definitely not doing as good as past years.  
 
People are weary with what they pick up now. I, myself, was reading 30-50 books a month, now I'm down to 15, just so I make sure I have enough to pay off the bills. Many people complained about DC getting rid of many of their ongoing books. These books had a strong fan base, but in my opinion, they didn't have strong enough numbers to ensure that DC made their money back from the printers, in order to pay off all the talent. In my opinion, it was a smart move. Yes, I was really sad to see books like Blue Beetle, Robin, and Nightwing go, I loved all of those books. But, to ensure DC's future as a company they needed to essentially "trim the fat". So, lets go back to the numbers... 42 vs. 15. This is where Marvel proves to the American public, they essentially don't give a sh!t about you or your financial stability. 
 
 They'll toss out any crap book onto the shelves hoping the passer-by Marvel Zombie will pick it up, especially since it has a variant cover of Wolverine. I understand some of these reprints (Wolv:OLM, Dark Avengers, and Deadpool). These are high selling books, and if the demand is still there, why not reprint? But, do we really need 4 variant covers for Rulk? Do we need 6 Wolverine variant covers? Do we need 4 new issues of books with "Wolverine" in the title? No. It is the responsibility of Marvel Comics to assess the financial situation of America, and to decide if putting out 25 new books each week is really worth it? Especially when a handful of those books are just plain bad. And lets not forget the $1 increase they've started on most of their new series. I'm not saying boycott any of these great companies by no means. I'm not saying write angry letters. I'm saying be financially responsible. Don't encourage a company, who obviously isn't paying attention to what is going on in this country, to put out this many books.  
 
Think before you buy. Don't buy four Wolverine books just because you like him. Don't buy all of Battle for the Cowl's tie-ins because you like Batman. Buy what makes sense to you. Look who is writing and drawing the books. Do you like them? 
 
 Do you like the current story? Do you like the character? If you answered yes to all three, go nuts. But lets not throw our hard earned money down on the table just because of some variant covers.... So,   I discussed my disappointment with Marvel in the aspect of financial responsibility and dealing with our economic crisis. If you didn't read it, forget it. Trust me, it's no where near as smart as I just made it seem.   Part 2 is completely about me and my reading habits.   (Close the tab/window now if you don't like reading about how great I am)   When I was a kid, I loved Marvel comics, especially X-Men. Late 80s to Mid 90s Marvel books were where it was at for me, and the trading cards were fun too, until I realized I'd be stuck with them just as long as Marvel would be stuck with the stigma of a failing company in 1998.  However, I digress, I loved seeing good looking people with awesome powers dealing with real life, then fighting the bad guy and saving the day. On the side, the characters would have relationships, and I really cared.... Cut to 11 years later: I'm 27. I have a full-time job, and numerous part-time jobs. 
 
 I have trouble paying the bills. I love my job and hate my job. I do the same tedious routine everyday. My creative outlets (blogging on CV is one!) are one of the few things keeping me afloat. I've been in a relationship with an incredibly wonderful woman for 10 years, the woman I'll eventually marry. So, in a sense, life sucks and rules all at the same time. It's like a daily bi-polar roller coaster (Bi-Poller Coaster).  Wednesdays come around, and I'm now reading mainly DC books (about 15), followed by 6 or 7 indy books and 5 Marvel books. That's it. Why the switch? Well, here's the reason. I live in the real world now. I have to do adult things. I know many of you younger CVers are saying, "I live in the real world too!" We live in different worlds though. Independent vs Dependent, and that is a whole other story.  
 
Why would I personally want to read about the same things I deal with in my daily life? I don't want to pay $3 a pop to deal with Parker trying to make his photo deadline, I have deadlines of my own. I don't want to see people work. I don't want to see people complain they're not with the ones they love. I don't want to see pretty people with cool super powers complain about any aspect of their life, period.   So then, why DC? Simple. I can't relate to the majority of their characters, which is exactly what I want. They don't spend time on the hero's job or love life, just the crime fighting part, and all-in-all I want to have fun when reading, and not worry about a fictional character's love life. I want to see a compelling story, action, and no whining... DC does that for me in most areas.... Marvel just has too much teen angst which I haven't had in my system since 2001. I think that sums it up, I can never tell. I'm at work so I write some of these blogs in incriments of 5 minutes over a 5 hour... So I may lose my point from time to time, forgetting what I wanted to say in the long run... Questions?  
 
Then reply, I'll explain myself more in depth.