These days, I'm going to have to be pretty sure I like something before I get it (like the upcoming BOOSTER GOLD series-- that looks good).
Plus I had to make room for 52 and have to keep room for COUNTDOWN.
Fortunately, I got over CRAPDOWN around about issues 26 and dropped it... but POWER GIRL has already been added. And ain't NO WAY I'm missing AMBUSH BUG's mini, even if they charge $5 per issue and gas hits $10 a gallon...
posted
I've simply stopped picking up any new title from DC or Marvel unless I have a previously invested interest in the character (pretty much buy all those already) or have complete trust in the creative team (er, that's pretty rare now). Any reason to not buy one, then I don't buy one. Judd Winick? Haha, sheah right Titans. X-Force? Er, maybe *never*.
From: If you don't want my peaches, honey... | Registered: Sep 2003
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They haven't had any new Don Rosa stories in over a year, I already have copies of most of the Barks McDuck adventures, and most of the European stuff just isn't that good (or maybe the translations just aren't successful). Not worth $7.95 a month, anyway. Though I did stick it out long enough to get the complete-in-one-issue reprint of Rosa's "Treasury of Croesus" story (originally serialized in Walt Disney's Comics & Stories, IIRC).
-------------------- "Gee, Brainy, what do you want to do tonight?" "The same thing we do every night, Bouncing Boy: try to take over the United Planets!!" They're B.B. and The Brain ...
From: Monty Python's Flying Circus | Registered: Aug 2003
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posted
Actually I'm a little concerned about comic book prices now...
MARVEL is already issuing some comics at $3.99... 2 that I'm getting are FRANKLIN RICHARDS and MARVEL ZOMBIES 3. Sure, these are quarterlies or limited series, but how long before the regular line (and DC's books) follow?
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Higher prices do limit my comic pamphlet buying, even though the total price isn't that much of my household budget. It's the idea of value for money - TPBs are generally better value (and patience is a virtue, or so I'm told).
Ed Brubaker fights the "waiting for the trade" syndrome by adding lengthy essays, reviews and artwork to his creator-owned Criminal, which isn't available in the TPB. That's the only reason I buy Criminal as a pamphlet.
There certainly is more discussion of the cost of comics vs the recession in the blogosphere and DiDio mentioned in one interview that it was a serious concern. I'm not sure what the break point would be for me to stop buying my long-standing regulars, like Legion and Fables. $5?
I wonder if the big two would experiment with price cuts to stimulate sales. If comic pamphlets were $2, I'd probably buy more. I don't know what their margins are, and how low they could cut the prices. The $1 books are usually pretty empty, content wise, although they must cost the same amount to produce as the regular-priced books (except for reprints), so those aren't really a good measure of what lower prices would do.
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Gas prices have come down, but other things in my life have gone up, so I'm looking for titles to cut. I hate to see some of my favorites end, but at least it keeps me from having to make some difficult decisions.
-------------------- Geek Watch
From: Standing beside you in Ferndale, MI | Registered: Aug 2003
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quote:Originally posted by Fat Cramer: I wonder if the big two would experiment with price cuts to stimulate sales. If comic pamphlets were $2, I'd probably buy more. I don't know what their margins are, and how low they could cut the prices. The $1 books are usually pretty empty, content wise, although they must cost the same amount to produce as the regular-priced books (except for reprints), so those aren't really a good measure of what lower prices would do.
Well, there's several facts at work. First, remember that Marvel/DC get less than a third of the cover price of a book (I'm not sure what the exact percentage is, it could be less than a quarter). Most of the nominal cover price goes to the retailer, the rest to Diamond (this isn't, of course, profit - all costs/etc come out of that). Retailers don't much like low-priced books, because they have to shift a crapton of them to make any money. This is one of the main reasons why comics retreated to the DM - the space used for a comic could be used for a more expensive magazine which would make retailers more money. If the DM price was cut, the "newstand" price couldn't be, so the "outreach" potential of a price cut is limited.
Printing costs are very nearly fixed - switching to newsprint wouldn't save as much money as you think. Creative team costs... well, newbies cost less than established writers/artists/etc obviously.
-------------------- My views are my own and do not reflect those of everyone else... and I wouldn't have it any other way.
posted
For maybe the first time ever, I'm considering dropping a bunch of titles because of cost. Or maybe it's that the price has finally overcome the level of enjoyment I'm getting from my books lately. Thinking about which titles I absolutely HAD to have if it came down to it, I could only think of two: Green Lantern and Legion of Three Worlds.
From: New York, NY | Registered: Jul 2003
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posted
Comics give me too much pleasure. I couldn't imagine dropping a title because of the price. Getting that weekly fix, enjoying fantastic adventures of colourfully clad characters, geeking out over short stories of horror, science fiction, human drama- I'm addicted to the whole experience.
From: Denver, CO | Registered: May 2004
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posted
Well, certain comics I'd drop for the jump in price, some I'd keep buying. But it'd take even more to get me to buy a comic.
I want them to cut prices too. Break the Diamond monopoly and who needs better paper? Its not giving me any extra pleasure. When the economy shits the bed like it has, the consumer should benefit. I can't think of the last time the comic book consumer has benefitted? 1945?
From: If you don't want my peaches, honey... | Registered: Sep 2003
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quote:Originally posted by LardLad: I just HAVE to wonder--why a DOLLAR increase (as seems most likely)? Why are we probably skipping $3.25, $3.50, $3.75?!?!?
Rip-off?
Adding insult to injury... here we pay 5% tax on books/trade paperbacks but 13% tax on pamphlets.
posted
Dark Avengers seemed to pave the way for $3.99, and my comic book store: completely sold out of #1 and #2. And that’s rare for them to sellout a title, since they order big anyway.
I’ve continued being judicious in what new comics I buy and keeping older ones. But I think I’m actually buying more independents, Vertigo, Image, etc. than before. I certainly have no intention of buying any of the relaunched Batman comic books unless I hear from a minimum of 10 different posters that they are the greatest thing of all time.
And the changes to Ultimate Spider-Man? I may end up cancelling my last Ultimate book after all, even if it is a Spider-Man comic.
From: If you don't want my peaches, honey... | Registered: Sep 2003
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