So here we are. I'm struggling with an appropriate preamble, so I'll just throw it out there: this will be the Berg's last post for the near future, and almost certainly the end of regular updates. I'm not closing down the blog entirely, but I have decided to get out of the business of three-times-a-week reviewing.
I actually made this decision last July, but decided to keep things going until the end of the year. There are a variety of reasons for it, many of which are the usual reasons given for something like this (general busy-ness). Perhaps more to the point is that the blog's purpose - reviews of TPBs and graphic novels - has been a misnomer for awhile, as I'm not reading all that many TPBs and graphic novels. The rise of digital comics has put me back on the monthly grind and shifted me towards the periodicals in a big way. Probably half of the reviews I've posted over the last year have been of digital editions, and it'd be an even more pronounced trend going forward. I'm down to ordering 3-4 TPBs a month, and most of them are of "classic" material.
The other thing is that, whether due to burnout, lack of creativity, or whatever - I really haven't had a lot to SAY about a lot of the stuff I've read lately. I either like it or I don't, but I dunno - if there are 5-6 new Spider-Man arcs a year, there's just not an awful lot to say about each of them individually. I find myself going back to the "it's good disposable entertainment" well repeatedly, and that just doesn't seem particularly insightful or useful. In some respects, the great myth of the TPB Age is that it gave us the illusion that the material is more important than it actually is. When something is collected in a premium hardcover, it indulges the fiction that this is timeless material that's meant to be preserved. And I'm sorry - 99% of what's being published really isn't going to stand the test of time. The truly great runs - yeah, those'll be worth pulling off the shelf and re-reading in 10-15 years' time - but Flashpoint tie-ins? Seriously? Even something that's pretty good - say, Irredeemable - I dig it but I don't need to read it again in 10 years, any more than I need to go back and re-watch old episodes of Bored to Death.
Comics occasionally produce transcendent material, but more often the thing they do really well is produce good, relatively cheap, disposable entertainment. And that's perfectly fine - it's not at all a criticism - I *like* disposable entertainment. I've just reached a place where I want my disposable entertainment to be more easily disposable (or at least not take up any space).
When I started the blog on Christmas Eve 2007, I told myself I'd try to keep it going for 5 years. I made it 4, so let's just say that 4 is the new 5. My intent was to create a resource for folks looking for graphic novel reviews, and I think the Berg's archive is large enough to be a decent resource in that regard. I may/ will still do occasional updates - I mentioned the Mark Waid and Sweet Tooth posts in the top 10 post. But future posts will be things more along the lines of the Bendis/ Maleev Daredevil retrospective from last summer, and if/ when they show up, it'll just be because there's something I want to say, and this is the best way to say it.
Thanks to everyone who has read and/or commented over the years - I've enjoyed writing and I hope you've enjoyed reading. Signing off for now.
p.s. Hank Pym still sucks.
8 comments:
You will be missed! Kudos, though, for keeping this up as long as you have, and for maintaining such a high level of quality through the end. While I've been guilty of not leaving many comments in the past, I've read most of the reviews you've posted since I first subscribed (as well as many from before that!), and I've genuinely enjoyed getting to know you and, of course, learning more about comics through your reviews. Best of luck going forward, and thanks for everything!
Thanks alot Matches for all the ace reviews and op/eds and wising me up to great non Big 2 books.
'Matches likes this' has been a good stamp of approval for me buying books without knowing much or anything about them.
The Lounge has been my fave comic review place on the net.
I hope you have time to do the odd retrospective review on classic runs and creators etc.
Thanks again Matches and all the best!
I'm sorry to hear you're scaling back. I really enjoyed reading your reviews. You even got me to read a few books I might not have otherwise.
Also, on the percentage of stuff that lasts, I think 99% is a bit high for what won't make it in the future. I think it's more like 75%. There seems to be quite a bit in regards to great stuff recently and even the stuff that doesn't quite reach "classic" status will still be fondly remembered and have a pretty respectable following.
I agree, however, that a fair amount of books aren't worth the preservation. I've long been fairly annoyed that everything receives a hardcover. Partly for timing reasons - most of the stuff I want to read is put out in a hardcover, so it's like a year after the story finishes that I get a softcover - and partly that not everything really needs that big hardcover collection.
Thanks for the kind words, folks. They are all much appreciated.
Damn! This is unexpected. All my best to you Steve. Blogging and reviewing is a tough gig, but it doesn't go unnoticed. I really appreciate your insights.
Cheers buddy!
Chris Marshall
Collected Comics Library
@ChrisCCL
I have enjoyed your reviews. Best wishes for the future and I look forward to your forthcoming posts.
I haven't posted a lot lately, mainly because I'm not really reading comics anymore. But it definitely is a loss when you're not doing this anymore.
Still, I more than understand the reasons. Thanks for putting up with our crazy comments and for giving us some great insights. In the meantime, I'm very glad you're posting more at ComicBloc.
Great Blog!! That was amazing. Your thought processing is wonderful. The way you tell the thing is awesome. You are really a master.
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