Too many ads spoil the comic

It was pointed out that I haven't ranted about the ads that have begun to overwhelm the comics again and it is high time that I added my two cents.

As a child of TV I have lived with advertising being shoved down my throat for my entire life. The intrusive nature of ads at movies was my first shock. I mean I'm paying money to see a movie and I have to watch a frelling advertisement. What type of crap was that.

Due to the overwhelming amount of ads that I have seen in my lifetime I can pretty much ignore ads now days. Hell I watch TV shows that I like on DVD so as to miss the 18 minutes of ads that an hour show has, plus I can watch a season in a week or two. When I watch football I hardly even register the ads as they go by and really can barely name what is being advertised. These ads serve as "go to get beer" or "relieve beer from the system" time while enjoying a game or to read a comic during a game.

So nine times out of ten I can ignore ads in almost any medium and do so very well. Yet the ads in comics have become noticeable again and that is not a good thing. A while ago Marvel had a two page ad right after the opening page. and then a page of art and an ad as the pattern for the book. The fans hue and cry seemed to be heard and the placement got better until recently.

First up DC has these annoying 3-D glasses inserted in some books so you can look at an ad in 3-D. Then they have a Titans Go ad insert that has some postcard bullshit inserted in the middle that makes you think you have picked up an Annual size comic instead of a monthly. I feel sorry for the absolute completist collectors who must leave these things in there books, because all my 3-D glasses are in the trash can. For the most part once I throw this stuff away and skip over the huge middle insert the flow of the book is only marginally interrupted.

Marvel has gotten absolutely horrible again with some books. The most recent book is Iron Fist. Wow, a number one with a good writing team and solid art and a character I love. I couldn't wait. When I picked up the book to read I thought it might be an extra long issue due to the heft of the book. WRONG!!!!!!!!! It was extra long due to more ad pages then actual pages of comic book. Also (and this is most important), it killed the flow of the story. My first thought was screw this and I'll get the trade. If I didn't comment on the radio show and send my books out to friends I would be sorely tempted to abandon the weekly jaunt to the comics store and just buy trades. I mean aren't they now insulting me with the monthly book. More ads then comic, breaks up the flow of the story, I have to store them in a long box and it cost $18 for six issues. What a moron I am, why not wait six months and get the trade for $15 with no ads and put it on a bookshelf.

Of course this changes the buying habits of a comic reader and could result in less actual dollars being spent as all books aren't traded and many books may not be worth a try at $15 to $20. I get Punisher Max and Walking Dead in trade and may go that route with some other titles. This crap is absolutely ridiculous. If I'm noticing the ads they are intrusive and if they are making think twice about buying the book, that is counter productive. Finally I still ignore what the ads are and if I did notice them I would avoid the product for taking away some of the joy I get from comics.