So recently I have been getting back into comics, which if you read my article here you will already know. It has been around 7-10 weeks now since I started my standing order (pull list) and since then I got my hands on some back issues for Batman Incorporated and am trying to snap up some All-Star Superman as well.

Since returning to comics I have come across a couple of things I’ve noticed that weren’t apparent in the industry when I was previously collecting. The first, which I’d like to discuss now, is the over use of superheroes and the amount of comics they appear in each month.

Follow up:

I am sure there are many other articles out there covering this topic but when I was looking around for which comics to get in my list not only did I have to decide which superheroes I liked but then had to sieve through the many issues they were appearing and choose which ones I wanted.

I understand when choosing, you can decide which you want by a few things like artist, story, superhero, villain, cover art etc etc but is someone new to comics or a kid of 13/14 year old going to know to check these things? Is someone getting back into comics going to want to read up on all of them and decide which one to go for?

The answer has to be no, not everyone is like me, going online and joining comic forums to geek up on what each story is about, to look up artist’s previous work or to read the reviews of a writers previous work.

By having so many different titles out there with the popular heroes, companies like DC and Marvel (who are both guilty of it) are not only diluting down the importance of each story involving that hero but they are making it more and more difficult for new readers to hop on.

I mean look at the proof, when I went in to the comic book store I knew I wanted to read at least one story from each of Spider-Man, Batman and Wolverine but holy Jesus mother of Satan was I not shocked to my core when I was scanning through how many comics were not only currently out but also coming our way in the future.

Let’s start with Batman, MY superhero, the reason I started collecting comics originally all of 21 years or so ago, at the DC re-launch, re-boot or whatever you would like to call it they have Batman, Detective Comics, Batman: The Dark Knight, Batman and Robin, Justice League and Justice League International. That is six comics per month that will all include the Batman legend not to include all the miniseries that will no doubt be released as well through the coming years, I already have my name down for Penguin Pain and Prejudice for later on in 2011. That’s just Batman, not all the Bat family books because there are a whole lot more of them.

We go to Spider-Man and there is The Amazing Spider-Man, The Avengers, The New Avengers, Future Foundation, Ultimate Comics Spider-Man and Spider-Man Marvel Adventures. Now lets add the Wolverine comics in here seeing as we’re on Marvel, we have Astonishing X-Men, Wolverine The Best There Is, Wolverine, Wolverine and Black Cat, X-Men Schism, Fear Itself and Uncanny X-Force.

I know I have missed comics from all three probably but you get my point right?

I believe they need to cut down the appearances right down and try not to dilute the characters and stories to the point of people just getting fed up seeing them. I for one don’t get and haven’t read any of the Ultimate’s but I am led to believe the Spider-Man ones in particular were fantastic so I am not dissing it at all and the same goes for the Wolverine and Batman comics I am not saying any of them are bad or rubbish there are just too many of them.

The publishers wonder why, year in-year out, less and less people are buying comics and why less kids start to pick up the monthlies. Their answer is to have a mass overhaul at DC and why Marvel are starting Daredevil, Punisher, Captain America, The Incredible Hulk etc all at number one.

They are right to think that hop on points perhaps have something to do with it but personally I don’t think there is ANY need to be rebooting and renumbering anything just for the sake of it and my proof comes in the shape of Amazing Spider-Man issue #666 and the pre-issue to Spider Island and the Amazing Spider-Man issue 667 (spider island issue 1).

Brilliant comics, brilliantly advertised for Spider Island WITHOUT renumbering or rebooting. THAT, ladies and gentlemen, Geeks and Nerds is how you continue with a series and not have to renumber and STILL have a excellent hop on point. Now, if there weren’t so many Spider-Man comics out at the moment the buzz for Spider Island could have been even more than it was but a shame really that Miles Morales and the Ultimate Spider-Man universe probably got more attention stealing away from the spider island story.

My point to this article is, I can’t help feeling that both companies have boobed with all the renumbering and multiple comics for some heroes. I’m all for the likes of Spider-Man and FF, Wolverine and X-Men, Batman and Justice League and even all three having miniseries but they are in my eyes confusing new readers with where to start “do I do Spider Island or the new Ultimate Spider-Man?”, “Do I do Batman or Detective Comics or Batman: The Dark Knight or Batman and Robin?”.

They should trim down the issues to one per hero along with the group and mini-series, they should stop with all the renumbering and go with how they have handled Spider Island and they should definitely stop with all the rebooting and instead tell the type of stories they are wanting to tell in miniseries and stop with the mass publication or certain heroes.

What’s that old saying? “Too much of a good thing”.