Comic Culture: Taking a Personal Comic “Holiday”

Greetings all. It is no question that things can get a little crazy around the holidays. Traveling, spending time with friends and family, as well as all the normal holiday hustle and bustle. For me personally, this past holiday season was very over-stuffed with events and happenings. With multiple people flying across the country to come home, it was definitely a juggling act to see everyone as much as possible. Needless to say for about two weeks I didn’t read any comics. That’s right: none. I know that may not sound like a long time (in the grand scheme of things), but for someone who’s always reading something it was quite awhile. Now I have definitely gone longer without reading comics, specifically when I pretty much stopped reading when I got to college and quickly realized eating was more important than reading. But that was more a result of finances, where this was a result of circumstance.

But here’s the thing, and the point of all my rambling. Some of you may find this blasphemous, but it is o.k. to take time off from comics. Sometimes stepping away is necessary to recharge your batteries, and will even re instill within you why you love reading them so much. After my own personal two week “holiday” from comics, I felt myself even more invigorated and excited about some upcoming new titles. Case in point, I have had intentions to check out Battling Boy by Paul Pope for quite awhile now, and I finally pulled the trigger after my hiatus. (However as of this moment I haven’t actually read the book, but I will) Also, Charles Soule seems to be everywhere these days, writing everything under the sun. Being that I am an advocate of indie comics I took it upon myself to check out his series through Oni Press called Letter 44 and I will go on record to say it’s pretty damn good so far. It wasn’t really even on my radar, but all the good press was just too much to ignore. And that’s the thing, sometimes taking a gamble pays off, and this specific instance did. Case in point, there is no “handbook” to comics. You’ve got to go with the flow.

So, in the end, I say take a break once in awhile. It doesn’t have to be long, or maybe it can be. It’s all up to you. Just clear your mind and don’t worry about it. Comics will always be there when you’re ready to come back. And as I alluded to before, you may even find yourself ready to act on things you’ve been meaning to, as well as the itch to try new things.

Happy reading.