By Jeremy Patrick

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Acquired a long run of Cerebus circa issues # 51-100 several weeks ago. Does anyone else think that the letters pages and notes from the publisher are damned entertaining, probably more so than the actual book itself? I for one found the saga of Dave and Deni’s marital crisis fascinating.

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This brings me to a similar thought—reprint books. I love beautiful, bound reprints of classic comics, such as the Marvel Masterworks series or the DC Archives line. However, I really miss the "atmosphere" provided by period ads, letters, and text pieces. Seeing an ad for the 7 foot nuclear submarine or a missive from a fan soon-to-be-comics-writer is half the fun. When I’m lucky enough to stumble upon an old comic cheap enough to purchase as is, these are some of the things I enjoy the most. Although I understand it’s too expensive to reprint the things, I still miss them.

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I’ve really gotten into the habit of enjoying mini-series more than most on-going comics series. I think there really is something to be said for reading stories which have real beginnings and endings, and where you know the author has planned it out from the beginning rather than trying to dredge another story up each month. I think many on-going series would end up better off as a series of mini-series by various writers, with an editor to make sure the continuity stays strong.

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What Do You Think? Send feedback to jhaeman@hotmail.com