Instant Gratification is an odd thing. For instance, I love Burgers, especially on the grill. But many a time I have stuck in a microwave burrito, or even worse, gone to McDonald's, just to have something now. It's not what I wanted, but the wait was short and my work was minimal.
I'm much the same way with entertainment. Every summer I swear I'm absolutely done. done, finished, with midnight premieres... but as the night comes closer and closer, I realize just how badly I want to see the movie and realize I can't wait any longer, even if that wait is only 12 hours or so. So, inevitably, come Thursday night there I am at the premiere, listening to the high school age morons shouting and yelling, crammed into seats and wondering if I'm going to be able to stay awake the entire movie. I swore off midnight premiers with Transformers last year, saying it would be my last. Since then, I've been to Iron man, Hulk, Hellboy 2, Speed Racer, Dark Knight, X-files, and, God help me, the animated Star Wars movie, all at midnight.
Obviously, I have a problem.
Which is why I love DVD sets. I don't have to live with a cliffhanger (unless it's the season closer and I'm caught up to the latest season), I can watch as many as I can stand as often as I like, and I can skip, pause, and rewatch to my heart's content.
The Problem is, when there is cliff hanger, I get so caught up in the story, I try to start watching the season week to week, still needing instant gratification, because there's no way in hell I'm waiting a year without a fix of this show. And then, invariably, I get behind one way or another, and then I get busy, and have no choice but to wait for DVD. at which point the cycle starts anew.
It's even worse with comics. These days EVERYTHING is collected ina trade paperback, or a collection of the stories, and they come out fairly fast... every six issues or so, so very six seven months you can have the next batch. Sometimes the spacing or the demand makes the wait even shorter. The only people who collect week to week are me and those who want to sell their comics one day. Now I am not deceived. I know that comics aren't really going to be worth much... probably ever, but I still buy month to month. Trades not only come out fairly quickly, but they're usually pretty inexpensive, at least comparatively. A standard comic will run you three to five dollars a piece these days, but a normal trade will collect four to ten issues for anywhere between fourteen to thirty dollars, so usually cheaper than the actual book. Not always, but usually. So the smart thing would be to get trades, but I still do monthly. Why? because I follow the story. It's funny when instant gratification means waiting a month instead of six months. Go figure.
The companies make money either way, and here I am with a mad on for the story. Do I need to be the first to know? Rationally, no. But internally I'm dying for the next issue. Is there a way to counter this? well, other than never watching tv or only getting comics at a book store (where they only sell trades) the only option is to be extraordinarily in control of your impulses and entertainment needs.
So I guess I'll try to mature,l but until then I'm going to look up prices on Itunes for heroes episodes, then I'm going to see what comics come out on Wednesday. Wow.... I really do need help.
