Talking Comics Podcast 12/09/15

For the second time in about a month or so, I feel compelled to come here and applaud you guys for having the price discussion. I couldn't agree with you more.

Last year I made several long posts in here about the bully-pricing of the Big Two, $4 and $5 comics, predatory business practices, and how it's hurting the industry, the market, the creators, etc, (and how it affects my own pull and state of mind as well), and I got some serious flak from Bobby about it. And I don't know if you've noticed, but in the time between then and now I went from being one of the most active and enthusiastic members of this forum, a place that I visited every day, to being a ghost and never coming around, and a big part of the reason for that was that those conversations I tried to have about price last year and the reactions here about what I was saying led me to question whether this is the place for me, whether this is a community I belong in or not, and whether this is a podcast I should keep listening to. Thankfully, *gratefully*, my reservations were not strong enough to stop me from listening to and loving the show; I've said it many times before, and blogged about it, and meant it every time, that TC is one of the best podcasts going, comics-themed or otherwise, and I absolutely love what you guys do. You're aces, and you are a huge influence on and inspiration for my own shop-podcast, on which we strive to be even half as professional and outstanding as you TC crew. I felt that way two years ago, I felt that way last year, and I still feel that way.

So anyways, I wanted to say to you guys, again, that the conversation that you're having at the beginning of this ep (which has come up a couple of times recently on the show), is absolutely vital, and spot-on, and I want to thank you so, so much for having it and being frank about it. I'm proud to be a listener of this show; I'm proud to recommend it to people and bring it up as often as I do in conversation as one of my favorite podcasts. Maybe that sounds weird, but you guys are making me proud. I, too, have had to cut down and refrain from picking up SEVERAL of the new Marvel books that I'd love to be reading and am super-interested in, but fuck that price, I refuse to pay it (my Marvel pull is currently restricted to Chewie, which is a limited of course, and I'll definitely be grabbing Hellcat & the new Rocket/Groot book when they hit, but that's it), and my DC list is down to a grand total of one book: Gotham Academy (a $2.99 book, which in my opinion does actually mean that DC is doing slightly better on this front than Marvel; Ms Marvel at $4-$5 vs Gotham Academy at $3 speaks to it). I'd love to be reading the new launches of Thor, and Dr Strange, and Hawkguy, and Cap Marvel, and Ms Marvel, and an Avengers, and SHIELD, and an X-Mans, and Squirrel Girl, and Karnak, and the new Black Widow coming, and at least 2-3 more Marvel titles, but there's just no way. Can't do it; won't do it; I'm trade-waiting the lot of 'em (and buying even those at heavy discount from instocktrades to boot, because of how overpriced Marvel's trades are, much to the chagrin of the owner of my shop, who is a dear friend). When Monstress #1 came out at $5, I was a little surprised, but when I realized that it was *72 PAGES*, ad free, it makes what Marvel's doing look even more shameful that it already did (and it's worth noting that Monstress has now dropped to $3.50 going forward; that was a special one-time price for a triple-sized #1). And DKIII at $6? Shut the front door; that's utter madness. Twilight Children at $5 an issue? Had to put it back on the rack; could not justify it to myself. It's a meaningful conversation, and thank you for addressing it.

Also, briefly, I think there is a distinct difference in paper quality between publishers (and sometimes even book-to-book). Paper Girls is a great example; the superior quality of the materials used on that book are light-years beyond the poor quality of the paper Marvel uses on their product. And that, too, is a factor in the value I place on the books I buy. A 30+ page, ad free Paper Girls issue at $3 sits next to a $5 Ms Marvel or Dr Strange full of ads on poor paper that's already warped before I even pick it up; which one do you think I'm going to feel better about, ya know? It's a no-brainer.

Wow, Odin! Thank you so much for your kind words. I'm very pleased to hear that you've chosen to stick around and have been enjoying the podcasts. For me, this whole thing is one long learning experience. I came to this project with just Batman, Grimm's Fairy Tales, and Lenore in my pocket, so to reflect on my radical changes of preference and opinion over the years is quite the exercise. I agree with you that the pricing conversation was an important one to have, and in light of Marvel's recent re-launch, it's become a discussion that simply cannot be ignored. A lot of things change when you stick to, love, and follow something as closely as we do comics. Sometimes, all it takes is a problem hitting you directly (in this case, our wallets) to really explore it and have an informed opinion to bring to the table, you know?

You're very welcome! I meant every word. And I'm a happier human being for listening to you guys do your thing every week; I feel so lucky to've found TC a couple of years ago, when I did.  Keep on with the most excellent keepin' on.