The Comic Book Suitcase Test

Everytime I pick up a comic, especially a new comic, I take great caution when reading it and especially when deciding whether to stick with it for the long haul or not. First impressions are huge to me, but so is consistency. With the economy as it is, I've been trying to cut down on my books, both to be better organized and to enjoy what I read more.

All of this came to a head recently when I read this article over at The Simple Dollar regarding the Suitcase Test. Basically, the suitcase test amounts to only taking (or, in this case, collecting) what you need at any given time, which would ideally fill a single suitcase.  In regards to comics, a Suitcase Test would amount to the comics that we are buying because we feel they are good and give us our money's worth; not those we buy out of obligation or collector mentality or other misguided reasoning. 

With comics and their rising prices, I think it's important for myself to read quality over quantity and get my money's worth, but I also want to keep up with multiple characters, for multiple reasons. Of course, every reader takes many factors into consideration when choosing what to read, but it typically starts with who they want to read about the most, such as a Spider-Man or Batman.  With that in mind, hit the jump to see what my Comic Book Suitcase, which is made up of the comics I feel meet the above criteria, would look like.

Today's guest post is by longtime reader and commenter here at the Weekly Crisis, Justin Miousse.  He's an avid comic book fan whom you can also follow on Twitter. 

My Comic Book Suitcase

Batman

I've always loved the miniseries and trade paperbacks that Batman has starred in. Long Halloween, Killing Joke, and Dark Knight Returns are the trades I'd keep with me at all times and get spots in my suitcase.

Monthly Batman titles are a lot more difficult to narrow down because of how many books he stars in. Before Batman: Reborn, I'd been reading Batman and Detective Comics on and off, but had stuck with the main title based on Grant Morrison's strong work and with Detective based on Kirk's reviews and Pual Dini's consistency. I'd also been reading Nightwing, as I've always had an interest in Dick Grayson. Post-Batman: Reborn, I've stuck with Batman and Detective, jumped on Batman and Robin, and will start on Red Robin once the artist change takes effect.

Green Lantern

One of the first miniseries I read when I was young was DC vs Marvel, and the Green Lantern/Silver Surfer stuff was amazing to me at the time. Since then, I've tried to keep up with Green Lantern as much as possible, be it Kyle Rayner, Hal Jordan, or whoever else that gets the spotlight. I've loved what Geoff Johns has done with the franchise in the last few years. Good work, sir. As such, the Green Lantern titles all get spots in my suitcase.

Anything Adam Warlock/Magus

When I was young, I picked up 'packs' of comic books at conventions because they were cheap. I was lucky enough to get alot of the Infinity ____ series from Marvel (Infinity Gauntlet, War, Crusade, etc), which had Adam Warlock and Magus playing large parts in each of the events.

Since then, I've always had interest in anything Warlock shows up in and I'm happy that Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning have put him/them (kind of the same person, but not, so not sure exactly how to word that) into Guardians of the Galaxy. I'm hoping, really, really hoping, that DnA's master plan is to have Magus take center stage and get him his own book, either from the villain's perspective or as the recurring villain of a Warlock book.

Captain America

I want say this is all Ed Brubaker's fault and that's reason enough, but the history of Captain America has had me so intrigued in his stories that I've always loved anything he's been a part of. I've always enjoyed the fact that you didn't need to fly, fire beams from parts of your bodies, or read minds to be a superhero, something that both Cap and Batman share. As such, just about anything Captain America gets a spot in my suitcase.

Conclusion

Using the suitcase method, which is a lot harder than most people will think, I've trimmed the fat on the dozens of comics I typically read each month (upwards of 26 books on my pull list in some months) and narrowed it down to what I consider 'essential' to my comic book reading.  using the same method, what books on your pull list would you narrow it down to?  Are you already using a similar method to limit your spending/reading habits?

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