Well, just remember that is how comics are most commonly consumed. What you're talking about doing is an epic feat few comic book readers ever accomplish, even for their character of choice. Consider that A-listers like Batman and Spider-Man featured in multiple solo titles spanning decades, plus countless cameos, runs in Avengers/Justice League etc. and various minis. Even a B-lister like Deadpool or Harley Quinn would be hard to track across every appearance. Yet countless people who love these characters enjoy their newest stories anyway,
What I recommend to people who really want to dig deep into a character or team is to find out what the most essential runs are and start from there. Take the X-Men....good luck reading every X-Men adventure under the sun. But reading the origin, Claremont's run and Morrison's run is a great starting point. That's the stuff that gets referenced again and again. Throw in the most critically-acclaimed runs, like Whedon's Astonishing and Remender's Uncanny X-Force, and you have a lot of great comics to get through, and you'll emerge feeling like you have sure footing in their universe and history.