Heman2000

January 31, 2011 1:10 pm It's been mentioned a couple of times already, but I think if anyone is going to save comics it's going to be the readers.

Giving friends copies of trades is the best idea in my opinion. It's usually a complete story arc and can be read without having to go back to the store every month. I think some fans don't understand some underlying factors of why people don't read comics. I think it's more about the activities around reading comics versus the comics themselves.

Many people don't like going to a special store for one specific thing (especially on a weekly basis). Many stores are out of the way or a great distance from where they live. Comics usually are not in supermarkets. There are a lot of people who have a hard time reading comics - it takes a certain skill, believe it or not (see Scott McCloud's "Understanding Comics").

I don't think it's fair to get upset with the small group that is actually buying something. The only fault some readers have is not sharing their love of comics. The 3 things us readers can do right now to start spreading the comics love:

1. Share/Give away trades to friends
2. Stop "collecting" and give away your comics after you've read them. Wizard is dead.
3. Don't call reading comics a "hobby"; making birdhouses or collecting stamps are hobbies. Reading is reading whether it's Tolstoy or Bendis or Powell. If someone asks you what you're reading, tell them.