Sundays are known for folks gathering around tables on television and pontificating about some of the hottest topics out there, offering their expertise. We bring that tradition to Graphic Policy as the team gathers to debate in our Sunday Roundtable.

On tap this week?

Have you reviewed/judged a comic only for your mind to change about the issue after having read the following issue or finishing the arc?

Daphne: Yep! My reviews of Godzilla in Hell have been all over the place because while I’ve adored individual issues for thinking they’re going to advance the plot in a specific way, the issue after goes off in some other direction and then I just get irritated that there’s no consistency. I’ve gone back and forth on every individual issue since I’ve started reviewing those comics.

I also felt like a few issues of ongoings like Squirrel Girl or the solo Groot series didn’t make sense or didn’t work on their own but definitely contribute and work perfectly taken as part of a larger whole once the full picture is clear.

Elana: I went from really enjoying Airboy to contacting GLAAD about transphobia in the comic. Issue 1: really good. Issue 2: transphobic and fucked-up.

Alex: I’ve been reviewing the last few issue of Bloodshot Reborn thinking more of the trade, otherwise as single issues you’d have no clue what’s going on. So it’s tough to review the story as a whole without finishing it.

Brett: I know I fall in to this a lot with events. Marvel events for me are notorious when it comes to this problem. The first couple of issues are great, but the longer it goes on, the less spectacular it feels, and then I go back to rethink those early issues, if they were worth reading.

Single issues, there’s always the problem of the single and the whole. A single issue can be great, but the arc, not so much, and vice versa.

Alex: This is one of the main reasons I stopped bothering with event comics.

I did read Old Man Logan this year, and it wasn’t until about the third or fourth issue that the story clicked with me and I “got” the earlier issues that I didn’t like.

Alex: Does anybody ever go back and read a story arc once it’s finished, whether in trade or in single issues?

Daphne: Oh totally. I like rereading stuff when I’ve had enough time to digest it and get a little nostalgic. I like revisiting my favorite moments, especially awesome fights or dialogue.

Brett: I may once in a while. Time is my biggest issue. There’s so many new comics to read, there’s so little time to go back.

Alex: I find I tend to read stories I haven’t in awhile when I’m sorting through my long boxes and a cover grabs me I may reread a comic or an arc (Wolverine: Not Dead Yet gets me everytime), but much like you, Brett, I find I don’t have the time. My laptop isn’t as conducive to reading digital comics as a tablet (and my phone is small).

Brett: And that’s a good place to wrap up the discussion. For those that read our site, what about you? Sound off with your thoughts in the comments!