When to Hold 'Em? When to Fold 'Em?

How do you decide when to drop a comic?

I usually don't give it a lot of thought. It's not like I have criteria or anything. I started reading “Uncanny X-Men” when I picked up a few issues of the “X-Cutioner's Song” crossover for investment purposes (which seems like a poor plan since I immediately opened those polybags to, you know, read the comics) and stuck with it for nearly a decade. I initially bowed out midway through Chris Claremont's return but bought the issues I missed once I learned Grant Morrison and Joe Casey were taking over.

As much as I was looking forward to their work, I didn't enjoy it. I know Morrison's run is well regarded, but it just wasn't connecting with me. Finally, I decided that if I was generally in a worse mood after reading than when I sat down with the issue, there wasn't much point in buying it. I believe my last issue of "New X-Men" was #120 (at right, cover by Frank Quitely).

Sometimes I've pulled the plug too early. Why I dropped Mark Waid's “Daredevil” after two issues – when it was one of the few Marvel comics that didn't cost $3.99 at the time (no “free” digital copies) and was Mark Waid's Daredevil, with art by Chris Samnee – I don't remember, but I've almost finished rectifying that mistake through back issue bins.

In other cases, I've hung on too long. Some folks enjoyed Bruce Jones' “Incredible Hulk” run; I was not among them, but I kept buying even after figuring that out. I stopped after two-plus years, around #60 (below, cover by Mike Deodato Jr.).

As I've mentioned before, I'm diving deeper into the X-comics than perhaps ever, thanks to the new status quo, the availability of comics through libraries and (legally) online and the X-Lapsed podcast. But it wasn't until Gerry Duggan relaunched the main X-Men title that I started buying any of the issues as they came out.

Duggan's title focuses on an actual team instead of a rotating cast of mutants like the first post-House/Powers of X volume. Cyclops, Marvel Girl, Wolverine (Laura, not Logan), Polaris, Rogue, Sunfire and Synch formed an unexpected lineup, but all had potential.

The first couple issues were fun, and the slow burn of reporter Ben Urich trying to uncover the secret of mutant resurrection was interesting. But the stories started to feel like filler – entertaining filler, excellently drawn by Pepe Larraz – that left me wondering if they were ever going to add up to a satisfying payoff.

I don't buy many comics regularly these days, so no one at Marvel (or DC, Image, etc.) is going to lose any sleep if I drop a title. “X-Men” is not bad by any stretch of the imagination, but with Zeb Wells getting ready to relaunch “Amazing Spider-Man” and some other intriguing X-titles (“Legion of X,” “Immortal X-Men”) on the horizon, I was ready to free up some space.

I resolved to get issue 6 because I was curious about this Captain Krakoa thing and I figured there would likely be six issues in the first trade. Recalling my decision to exit Matt Fraction's “Defenders” around issue 4 or 5 (left, cover by Terry Dodson), then getting 7-12 in a trade but still not being able to track down #6, I figured I would make a clean break at a trade junction.

But issue 6 of X-Men was... confusing. I went to the X-Lapsed Facebook group to ask other readers if I had missed an issue. Turned out the gaps in my knowledge were by design and issue 7 would fill in those blanks. I hope.

So I got #7 this week at a local comic shop. Still indecisive about a new series to follow and needing some content, I figured, why not turn my thoughts, and my decision on whether to keep buying, into a blog post. And then, when I got wordy about knowing when to hold 'em and when to fold'em on comic series, it turned into two. So check back Monday for a discussion of X-Men(Vol. 297) #7 and my verdict. And please share your own recollections about when you decided to drop a series, and whether you regretted it later.