Went from back-issue bins to reading orders and my pull list changed big time

I used to just wander into my shop every Wednesday and grab whatever cover caught my eye, usually based on the art or a cool variant. But last March I finally started following a proper reading order for a crossover event, the 2019 War of the Realms one, and it completely flipped how I see collecting. Before, I had random issues 3 and 7 of a run and got lost halfway through, so I'd drop the series out of frustration. Now I keep a spreadsheet on my phone with release dates and story arcs, and I actually hunt down the missing numbers in order. It took me about 4 months to fix gaps in my X-Men shelf from 2015 to 2018, and that old thrill of just grabbing something shiny is gone. Has anyone else felt like reading orders make you enjoy the story more even if you miss the surprise of a random find, or am I just getting too organized?

2 comments

2 Comments

taylor_patel1d ago

Same thing happened to me with the Hickman X-Men stuff... finally sat down with a proper reading order last year and it was like a light switched on. I used to have random issues of Dawn of X and just stare at them, confused. Now I actually get the whole Krakoa story and I even went back to fill in the gaps, bought like 30 back issues in one weekend. That random grab at the shop is fun but it got old when I'd hit a cliffhanger and have zero idea what came before... organizing it all is way more satisfying in the long run.

scott.olivia1d ago

wait, you bought THIRTY back issues in one weekend?? that's wild. i thought i was bad when i dropped like 15 bucks on a random grabdunk last month but you went full collector mode.