Not All That Excited

So...I've read the Previews for October.  And I have to say...I'm not all that excited. In fact for the first time in a very LONG time, I am not excited at all. 

Nada.

Zip.

I've been blogging for nine years now, come September. I've been collecting comics since I was fifteen, with a bit of time off for motherhood and all that jazz, but let's just say that I've been at this for a pretty long time, and with a fair amount of enthusiasm.  I started off as a Marvel Zombie, but then slithered over to the opposite side of the aisle, although I have to say that Marvel lately had been doing a pretty darned good job of winning me back.

But this Fall?  Man, it is a desert out there. 

I think I've made it pretty clear, that I'm not a fan of huuuuuuuge Crossovers that take 18 months to play out, before leading right into the next huge Crossover.  I'm old, and cranky, and all I really want is to be able to read about my favorite characters in their own books, with their own narrative and supporting casts, doing their heroic thing.  If guest heroes or villains want to show up occasionally, then that's great. Or if I want to have them all hanging out together, that is what the Avengers or the Justice League are for.  But as a constant diet?  It's getting old. 

So very very old.

Another trend, is the wanton tossing of years of continuity and character development, and revamping of universes, so that the writers can do some fanfiction for a few months.  DC in particular is notorious for this sort of thing, and it is getting a bit on the tedious side.  Marvel has suddenly jumped on the band wagon, and I don't think that it is a good ride.  I am really getting sick of the Convergence, and Secret Wars, and Battleworlds, and War this and War that. 

On the other hand, lest I sound like a complete negative Nelly, there actually HAVE been some astonishingly great books out there, that I really really enjoy.  The problem is that I would like to CONTINUE to really really enjoy them, and that isn't going to be possible. 

Daredevil is coming to an end. I can't say that I was ever a huge Daredevil fan, but Mark Waid and Chris Samnee have made me one, and it's all going to be over. As a story, it has been sublime, but with a different writer and a different artist, I am pretty sure that I won't be continuing the book. I could be wrong...heck I would love to be wrong, and I'll certainly give any new creators a chance to wow me, but I'm getting a lot crankier in my old age.  It used to be that I would hang on and on and on, reading a book that I used to love, waiting for new writers or artists to enthrall me, and coming back issue after issue, waiting...and hoping...that THIS month, it would be good.  I've been disappointed too many times, and hell, I'm old and running out of time for this sort of thing. 

I have been loving the hell out of Loki: Agent of Asgard. I loved the hell out of Journey into Mystery, and Young Avengers too, and after next month, that all ends, and I haven't seen anything about continuing Loki's story from Marvel. At ALL.  And man, I'm depressed.  Because changing Loki's narrative from villain to reluctant anti-hero, has been superbly well done, and made for great stories.  Besides, if Asgard needs a go-to villain now, they have Malekith. 

I love Squirrel Girl, and Ms Marvel, and I think those will remain. I think.  What about Howard the Duck?  Yes, it's silly, but I like silly. 

I love Black Canary, but her new book just didn't do it for me. I've dropped it after one issue.  Same thing with Aquaman.  Justice League has me bored to tears.  I don't CARE about Darkseid.  I hate Superman and Wonder Woman together.  I love Sensation Comics starring Wonder Woman, but I loathe her own book, AND her horrible horrible new costume.  Superman without his curl, or his secret identity, or LOIS, is just...not Superman to me.  I've loved Snyder and Capullo on Batman, but reading Batman without Batman in it, is not my cup of tea. I like James Gordon, but I feel like Barbara...give him back his mustache! 

I loved the original Secret Six. The current bunch, with the exception of Catman, are all a bunch of highly unpleasant people, and I don't care a jot or tittle about them.  I don't read X-Man any more. I don't read Avengers any more, although I still like individual characters.  The new JLI 3000 has been a disappointment, I don't read Flash anymore either.

And then there are the Green Lanterns.  I actually liked Guy Gardner as a Red Lantern, although I was originally quite cool to the idea. Part of that is because Charles Soule is a VERY good writer.  So I miss that book. I have been liking the new Green Lantern Corps, because it has Guy and John and Arisia and Kilowog, so those are four of my absolute favorite characters all together again, and the art is pretty and the story is interesting, so no problems there.  As for the regular Green Lantern book however....

I don't understand it for one thing. I still haven't been presented with a compelling reason for Hal to go all "rogue" and run off to be a version of Space Gambit.  That's not Hal.  That's not remotely Hal.  Yes, Hal is a bit of a rebel, and doesn't necessarily handle authority all that well, and has a bit of a lone wolf attitude about him. But Space Gambit?  Letting his hair grow and wearing a trench coat?

Please.  So, believe it or not, I'm dropping Green Lantern. And that's a sentence that I never thought I would write. 

My pull list is going to be a heck of a lot shorter in a month or two.  And that makes me sad.  It's going to make my beloved comic book store sad too.  Is anyone...anyone at all...enthusiastic about what is coming out after Secret Wars finally comes to an end?  Or the new DC books?  Or anything? Or am I just  being a crank because it is so hot and muggy out?