Cutting the cord
Certain individuals on a certain message board on a certain website which shall remain unnamed just can't seem to get that whatever problems the stories in DC and Marvel have, it's not because the superhero, as a story genre, is inherently a bad mode for storytelling.
In fact superheroes are one of the oldest, most universal, and strongest types of storytelling, including the myths of ancient Greece and Rome, and probably even earlier than that. I feel compelled to clarify this right now, since I'm upset with DC Comics. The problems with the Batman books right now has nothing to do with the genre itself and everything to do with poor creative decisions. A genre is only as good as what's being written/done within it.
My lurking on message boards the last few days has turned up independent title fans who, on hearing of the problems DC is having, sniff and dismiss it as it's just a superhero book, therefore it sucks no matter what, why bother, DC Comics readers who think that the very plot twists that put me into a rage are really great stuff, some DC Comics readers who are really, really angry, and a sprinkling of middle-of-the-road I love superhero books but I'm just not comfortable reading this anymore but I'm polite.
It's all subjective, I know, but I can't shake a strong sense that those of us who have read what we've read and have the discussions we've had and understand the characters as we've understood them are the ones who can see that what's going on now is distorted, a twisted version of the fictional universe we've come to know and love. That's insular. It's how I feel.
(Am I obsessing? Of course I am, it's me. Hopefully it's a constructive sort of obsessing.)
For the time being, I've decided to drop all the monthlies I'm buying except one (uh-huh, yes, of course that one).
Someone let me know when it's safe to come back.
[ETA: by "read" I mean, having absorbed in some way. I've been heavily influenced by the animated stuff.]