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Post by Tony on Jan 2, 2015 18:12:35 GMT -5
By the way, after the $5.00 SHIELD #1 this week, Marvel's doing it again next week. Ant Man #1 - $5.00 Tony, A book that I was a-lookin' forward to has just entered the "No-Buy Zone". However, who'd want to bet against this book being in the Top Thirty for the month? Despite so many complaints about weekly books, double shipping, interlocking titles, and "event fatigue", the books that emblemize those categories are routinely the best sellers. As we cannot be sure of the corporate structure at The Big Two as to how much control Disney or Warner Bros. has over the day-to-day decision-making process, the blame falls everywhere at their end, but also on us as the consumer to a certain extent, as far too many of us can't kick the habit of certain titles and characters. Yup, for me too, same as with the SHIELD book, which i've really, really been looking forward to. It's a genuinely sad state of affairs. And I can't imagine those writers and artists are too thrilled about it, either, because you're right, I would wager that both of those books are going to suffer from the price point in terms of sales, and that's just a bummer on all fronts. I hate to even think about the Lemire Hawkeye book coming up, which I'm guessing will also be a $5 title, 'cause that's clearly where Marvel's going with all of their books sooner or later; that one in particular will be an interesting study in what the market will abide, and it's going to be a tough trade-wait for me, because damn I want it so, so bad, and it's not even out yet, but I'll be a water buffalo's second-cousin if I ever plop that down for a monthly book, regardless of how excited I am for it. "You guys want Batman? We'll give you 13 Bat-titles a month!"; "We know you loved that Avengers movie--how about 5 extra comics you might like...plus some solo books...and we'll make them all an EVENT!"; maybe not actual quotes from some marketing executive, but it's sadly the way of things, and as the sales figures support this strategy (at least in the short term), they'll both continue to roll out the big guns. We've joked around about how I've cursed certain books by recommending them, but over the past three years, how many odd-ball titles or books featuring "B" heroes have come-and-gone? Virtually all the second-tier New 52 books or their replacements were cancelled, and at Marvel, despite strong beginnings for things like Elektra, Nightcrawler, X-Factor, or She-Hulk, the sales fall away and the books disappear. In some cases they might have been bad choices for leads, or simply under-whelming comics, but I'm convinced that our dollars are so concentrated on the core titles that more adventurous series can't get a foothold against the avalanche of "major" books. Corporate marketing is going to chase the consumer dollar, so as readers continue to buy into the "must-have" frenzy over the top-loaded rosters of books, their short-sighted strategies seem to be paying off, although long-term it will probably bite them in the tucchus. As long as we remain addicted, they'll pump out what we're demonstrating we want through our purchases until the whole sales pyramid topples over, as the base is way too small to support it. At the indies, their smaller sales figures are seemingly keeping them in the black, but excepting the brand-name power of Image and Archie (and perhaps IDW and Boom/Archaia), I'd think they were all fairly vulnerable to a downturn in the industry caused by problems at The Big Two that would more likely drive readers old and new not to these smaller books, but out of the hobby entirely. Well said and very true, as always, Bob. I don't go much in for new year's resolutions, but I'm definitely going to be making a concerted effort this year (and beyond) to be more responsible with my comics dollar; other than Gotham Academy (as long as it stays at $3), I'm going to try to start ripping the band-aid off and begin trade-waiting all of my other Big Two books starting with the beginning of the next arc for each . . except for Rocket . . because he's adorable . . and maybe Captain Marvel . . because YOU KNOW WHAT, IT'S A PROCESS, MAN. : ) I'm under no illusion that such a shift in my personal comic spending will effect any change whatsoever outside of my own wallet, but I'll feel better about my own choices, and trades look better on the shelf anyways and are much easier to reread and loan out, and maybe that extra handful of bucks will allow me to check out another few books from the other publishers every month that I otherwise wouldn't have been able to, or get wise to some of the great old stories that I still haven't read. Here's to making good choices, eh? Cheers and good health, Sir.
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Post by Bob Reyer on Jan 3, 2015 23:51:45 GMT -5
Tony,
If it wasn't for the weekly demands for reading material for the show, I would certainly do more trade-waiting, but even with that, I've pulled back... way back on events and tie-ins, missing "Age of Ultron". "Battle of the Atom", "Original Sin", "Death of Wolverine", and "Axis". Past that, excepting Fantastic Four, I'm fairly ruthless in cutting away books that I'm not enjoying, or where the cost per month exceeds the pleasure generated, i.e. double- and triple-shipped, or weekly books.
If DC and Marvel had their TPB programs as spot-on as Image's, I'd have some tough choices!
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Post by BringTheFunk on Feb 6, 2015 20:46:58 GMT -5
If I remember correctly, the only $5.00 issue I bought was Sandman Overture #1... mostly because I felt like I got an art gallery and excellent story by a top author in a #1. But as a rule, I won't buy anything above $3.99 unless it's an annual or one of the few things that catches my attention enough to collect.
And otherwise, my other opinions are on par with Bob's evaluations.
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Post by Tony on Feb 6, 2015 21:15:18 GMT -5
If I remember correctly, the only $5.00 issue I bought was Sandman Overture #1... mostly because I felt like I got an art gallery and excellent story by a top author in a #1. But as a rule, I won't buy anything above $3.99 unless it's an annual or one of the few things that catches my attention enough to collect. And otherwise, my other opinions are on par with Bob's evaluations. and with that Sandman issue, there was at least the option of buying a $4 version without the extra stuff in the back (like I did). If Marvel gave us that option, it'd be a whole other story.
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Post by wamphari on Feb 6, 2015 22:44:23 GMT -5
I bought ant-man and shield, But that's where I drew the line. I love Nick Spencer and loved ant-man. Shield was a bit more of a mixed bag. Overall I'm reading more old books than I am new. I'm to the point where I could pretty easily switch entirely to retro-reading.
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zakunick
Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Posts: 61
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Post by zakunick on Feb 11, 2015 23:04:42 GMT -5
I will never "get into comics" because I can't justify the cost. Put em back on the crappy paper and cut a dollar off of the price.
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disturbed1
Fearless Defender
This is the very first time I have ever participated on a forum so, I hope I can figure this out
Posts: 16
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Post by disturbed1 on Feb 12, 2015 11:17:35 GMT -5
Zakunick...Marvel is way ahead of you there. They are already using subpar paper in most of their books yet, they still cost a fortune. DC is ahead of them on quality...and Image, Boom, Dark Horse etc.....look at the quality of their product and the pricing structure..hmmmm.
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disturbed1
Fearless Defender
This is the very first time I have ever participated on a forum so, I hope I can figure this out
Posts: 16
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Post by disturbed1 on Feb 12, 2015 12:11:08 GMT -5
Oh...one more thing...I have recently had a setback financially and I have found a great resource to continue my reading. Try your local library. If you haven't already, they are an amazing resource to use. I was blown away at the variety of trades and graphic novels they offer and best of all....it is free. I have caught up on the entire Walking Dead series as well as the Johns run on the Flash. Even if your particular branch doesnt have what you are looking for...you can order it and they bring it in from a different branch for you. They also use a system called Prospector which widens the search and opens up even more variety. This is also how I read the current Wonder Woman series. The variety of older stuff they have is staggering. I had no idea. What a great way to learn about the past and read current titles. They try to stay up to date and are happy to hear your suggestions so...if you have been on the fence about checking out Saga...it canbe had from your local library. Oh and if a certain Talking Comics superstar (Bob Reyer) is reading this....I was at the library yesterday and guess what I saw on the shelf? Yes sir...you are correct...The Movement Volume 1...but then...you sir, are always right! Well...most of the time.
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spydes
Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Fighting the nerdy fight!
Posts: 56
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Post by spydes on Feb 12, 2015 20:56:42 GMT -5
...Try your local library. If you haven't already, they are an amazing resource to use. I was blown away at the variety of trades and graphic novels they offer and best of all....it is free... I actually have had a few people make this same recommendation in another thread and it sounds like a great idea! Can't wait to see what treasures await me at my local library.
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Post by BarefootRoot on Feb 12, 2015 20:59:38 GMT -5
i'm about to donate a big stack of comics to one of our libraries here. I was super surprised they actually had comics there. I'm going to ask my librarian friend how they keep them from getting shredded I found out: Apparently they contact paper the covers just like they do with other paperback books.
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zakunick
Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Posts: 61
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Post by zakunick on Feb 12, 2015 21:53:51 GMT -5
I get trades from the library every now and again. It's always a crap shoot what they will have.
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Post by CaptainSuperior on Feb 15, 2015 20:15:02 GMT -5
Hey guys use this website if you are wanting to buy Marvel Comics digitally at a discount, brand new books are $2 each. www.discountdigitalcomics.com . I've been using them for several months and they have awesome customer service.
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