RLFloyd

September 16, 2011 8:56 pm I've been reading comics seriously for a few years now, and didn't touch a superhero book (except a few of the popular Batman books) until DC's new 52. It was just way too overwhelming. Too many books. Too much history. Where are you supposed to start? But with the DC relaunch, and day-and-date digital, that's all changed. It's nice to finally be able to discuss books with others the week they come out. So I guess that's another part of the problem. If you want to be a part of the comic book community and interact with others who share your interest (like right here on iFanboy), you need to be reading a fair chunk of the latest books so you can talk about them. Otherwise, enjoying comics becomes much more of a solitary experience (hey, I've been reading older books in trade for the last few years. It's nice, but a bit lonely!).

September 15, 2011 2:30 am Batwoman was a pain to read on the iPad, for sure. Definitely goes to show there are comics out there that lend themselves better to one medium over another. By comparison, a comic like The Walking Dead reads just as well (or perhaps better) on the iPad than it does in print. (btw, Resurrection Man was great, even in digital ;) )

September 15, 2011 1:56 am Ayup. As a brand new reader to this book, I found Damian to be annoying and not fun to read. I get why they've made him that way (again?) but the relationship doesn't feel genuine to me, and Batman completely lacked a personality. Both just felt really one dimensional, showing only one side of their characters.

September 15, 2011 1:20 am This is probably the book that surprised me most out of all I've read so far. I knew nothing about the character or the previous books going in, and it didn't seem to matter one bit. Truly a solid #1 issue with a slick setup that was straight to the point, and I feel like I know everything I need to know to move forward with a story that looks like it's going to be super intriguing. Oh, and the art is really beautiful and moody.

September 14, 2011 9:37 pm I have no background knowledge of the character either, but I absolutely adored this issue. I didn't feel overwhelmed with backstory that I needed to know. I felt everything was pretty clear, and I knew as much as I needed to move the story forward. Usually, I'm not a fan of super-busy artwork and crazy layouts either, but not once was I confused about the flow of each page. That must take a fair bit of skill to get that balance. Only downside was that it didn't read well on the iPad with all the two page spreads. But that just means I'll be picking up the trades. :) Man, the art is GORGEOUS! I was worried that the writing wouldn't be as good in comparison, but it was just as fantastic; Kate Kane comes across as very human, strengths and weaknesses both. You get a strong sense of her personality through the well-written dialogue. I really can't fault this book. Loved it.

September 14, 2011 2:58 am The way I see it, digital comics can happily co-exist alongside paper comics. They're not a replacement (and will never replace my trades), but rather just another option, and one that I'm very glad exists. For me, the appeal is mostly the price; digital comics are roughly half the price of their paper counterparts in Australia, particularly for indie and non-superhero books which I buy the most. Now that a bunch of them are going day-and-date, digital is a lot more appealing. I'm trying a bunch of the New 52 primarily because they're available in digital. Secondary to price is the convenience; I get floppies shipped to me on a per-month basis so I can save on shipping costs. Digital lets me read newly released books the same time everyone else is, and then I can participate in discussions straight after. Plus, I can easily see dozens of longboxes taking over my house, and I really don't want that. The thing is, I am a collector at heart. I do find it hard to pay for something that I know I'm not really going to own. But digital makes a lot of sense to me (and many international readers), and I'd be stupid to ignore it when this hobby is getting so damn expensive and can take up so much space. So, I worked out some guidelines for myself, so I could finally stop agonising over which format I wanted to buy a particular book in. My comic buying habits now look something like this: - Digital: For books that I want to keep up with as they're released, or to have with me on my iPad wherever I go. If they're really good, I'll buy as trades or hardcovers to put on my shelf. If they're not, I've spent the least amount of money to find that out. (also of note, digital books can get REALLY cheap when there's sales on, if all you want to do is read the story). - Paper single issues: To satisfy the collector part of me. These are books that mean enough to me that I want them in physical form to keep forever. Often they're older books that I've sourced from eBay, etc, or books with variants that I wanted. For some indie titles I'll still buy floppies instead of digital, but it depends. - Trades, hardcovers, and collectors editions: Reserved for the best of the best. Books that I love in one way or another, be it the story, the art, or the extras found in a collected edition. Books that I want to display on my shelf to read and appreciate every once in a while. Sometimes I'll already own these in floppies or digital, but have no problem re-buying if they're really that good. This way, I get the strengths of each format. Everything has its place, and it works pretty well for me.