posted
So a VERY few of my comics are still priced at a relatively-reasonable $2.25: JLA, THE FLASH, TEEN TITANS GO! and X-MEN.
But, as a big DC guy, MOST of my books are $2.50: like JSA, BIRDS OF PREY, OUTSIDERS, TEEN TITANS and the like.
Most of Marvel's non-X books are $2.99... like SHE-HULK, ALPHA FLIGHT, SUPREME POWER, INVADERS. I'm willing to bet Bendis' NEW AVENGERS will also carry that $2.99 price tag.
All DC minis are now $2.95, like ADAM STRANGE. The new LSH will be $2.95, but it will also have 8 extra pages of story/art. Not bad.
The point of all this is... we've already reached the days of $3 monthlies. We're not too far from the days of $4 and $5 monthlies.
posted
We've gone way past what I would have set for my limits a long time ago. I used to get a dollar a week for my allowance and knew that every week I could buy 8 comics (shopping at the BX where there were no taxes was more of a blessing than I knew when I was 6 yrs old). When they hit 15 cents I was horrified. A quarter blew me away but I bought 'em anyway and my budget suffered for it. *sigh*
Being a big supporter of independants in the '80s I got used to paying a little more for quality over quantity. Yet I still balk at the prices of the graphic novels these days. If it takes a little more out of pocket to keep the monthly printing schedule alive then I'll suffer and shell it out for a while longer but I don't think I can pay 5 bucks apiece for a regular comic book for very long.
I wish they'd look at the way that Emerald Dawn was collected and consider doing a line of cheaper reprints.
From: Smallville Sector : Greater Metropolis | Registered: Jun 2004
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posted
I'd say I've maxed out right about now. When I stop to think about it, prices are pretty ridiculous now for the monthly comics.
A first-run movie goes for $8-10, a video rents for $2 and lasts at least one and a half hours. Compare that to a $4.00 comic (Cdn) which takes 5 minutes to read - not very good value. Even a hardcover book, at $40, lasts proportionately longer. I've been paring down my list of monthlies - the only ones I may keep at this point are the Legion, Sleeper, Fables and the occasional independent/small publisher that's unlikely to ever be collected in paperback. I get a kick out of something like Plastic Man, but it's over before I finish my coffee - and not something that gets reread.
The trades make more sense, value wise - cheaper than the individual comics, easier to sell or donate to the library afterwards.
It's not the actual cash outlay that rankles - $20 more or less isn't breaking me - so much as the lack of perceived value.
posted
Cramey, I forgot that in Canada, new comics are already $4-plus. Reboot, you will have to translate; I have no idea what dollars equal to pounds and euros and stuff.
I apologize for my America-centric lack of knowledge of foreign currencies.
I'm with Yellow, BTW... I *might* be willing to pay $5 American per book, but it is going to be my ABSOLUTE FAVORITES only (like Legion and JSA) as long as the quality is there.
Probably around $4.50 for me, unless there were several extra pages (and making the pages super thick and glossy doesn't help!) The cost is one of the reasons I don't follow many comics anymore. Not that I couldn't afford to pick up two or three comics a month, but it's never that simple--to follow a character nowadays, it seems like you've gotta buy his book, plus his spinoff book, plus the major crossover of the month, plus his guest appearances, plus the team books he appears in... it's just too much.
The further the Legion stays from the 21st century, the less it hurts my wallet.
posted
As a corollary, I've noticed a disturbing trend with the pricing on back issues from the last 5 years, primarily from online vendors like MileHigh and Lone Star. Very rarely are they priced remotely reasonably, especially if the series had any kind of critical acclaim.
I've heard there's a premium on anything published within the last five years because print runs are so low. Even hot titles are scarce when compared to their heydays. X-Men used to average 600k+ is circulation, while these days it's lucky to hit 125-50k, and the average print run has dwindled to around 50-60,000.
Of course, that's only going to matter if comics survive ...
-------------------- "Anytime a good book like this is cancelled, I hope another Teen Titan is murdered." --Cobalt
"Anytime an awesome book like S6 is cancelled, I hope EVERY Titan is murdered." --Me
From: Up a Gumtree | Registered: Jul 2003
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posted
Welllllllll ....... here's hoping comics survive for a while longer, at any rate. I just can't imagine no more new comics.
But when a good title comes out, like Impulse (okay, can the laughter and the boo's!!!), it made things REALLY easy to trim back my titles. Pretty much if the book wasn't fun or exciting to read, I dropped it.
Since then, I've added a few more, but once again, I'm in the process of culling them down again.
Green Arrow is gone. JLA isn't too far behind.
I'd have a rough time giving up JSA, Flash, and LSH.
But, I must admit, I still LOVE Bevis' "Queen of Diamonds." The only problem is that I'm just too impatient for Bevis to get the next issue posted. I'd pay good money for a paper copy of that series.
-------------------- You can never quit believiing in your dreams ... or yourself. ----- You GOTTA listen to Levi Kreis.
From: Aggieland | Registered: Jul 2003
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quote:Originally posted by MLLASH: Cramey, I forgot that in Canada, new comics are already $4-plus. Reboot, you will have to translate; I have no idea what dollars equal to pounds and euros and stuff.
I apologize for my America-centric lack of knowledge of foreign currencies.
No need to apologize Lash - this isn't the currency trading forum! The funny thing is that last year they actually dropped the Canadian cover price on some books, including Legion (4.25 to 3.95), I suppose due to the increase in the Cdn relative to US dollar. However, I wonder if sales were slumping in Canada due to the high price and they hoped a price cut might help.
posted
I'm at the point now where I hardly give anything a chance at $2.95 or over that doesn’t have a long history in the DCU or Marvel U. Only if there is significant fan buzz among posters and friends I trust to have tastes equal to mine will I give it a try. If they keep raising prices, I’ll keep canceling more titles. I collect a lot of comics with my Dad, (we used to get every Marvel and DC), so we basically keep cutting more as prices raise and get closer to the core titles (re: Cap, Iron Man, FF, ASM, etc. for Marvel; Flash, WW, GL, GA, Hawkman, etc. for DC).
Big specials like DC New Frontier are exceptions, especially when they’re as good as that was. But I hardly buy any inter-company crossovers anymore (unless they’re drawn by George Perez ).
Sadly, this means that comics like Bloodhound and Manhunter have little chance with me, if the prices are that high. Marvel’s Silver Surfer, Thanos, Punisher, etc. all were cancelled within a few issues when it was apparent (to me) that they were absolute nu-marvel crap. I’d be much more inclined to give all of these a better shot if prices were lower.
I also refuse to buy any new X-titles that aren’t the main ones, and am considering canceling a bunch of Batman titles we get (already did so with Batgirl). Sometimes I wish they’d just cancel a series, like Nightwing, rather than let it go on so badly, especially when I own the first #100 issues. Of course, sometimes I’d rather they never cancel a comic, no matter how bad, like Thor, when we own all 600+ Thor issues.
From: If you don't want my peaches, honey... | Registered: Sep 2003
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posted
Since the Legion is the only monthly I plan to buy, price isn't a particular concern. About $8/copy would be the point at which I'd look for other forms of self-indulgent entertainment.
From: Washington DC | Registered: Oct 2004
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Faraway Lad
Senator of the UP. Permanent Ambassador to the Court of Saint James
posted
I only buy the Legion, Fable's and Lucifer with any sense of loyalty. Price is therefore not really an issue. Especially given the amount I need to spend to fill in the back issues.
As Lucifer will end in the next couple of years I'll probably continue wiith that till the end. Fables is still good so I'll stick with that for a while longer.
I currently also dip into birds of prey and JSA, but neither of them would hold my attention if they hit say £5 (sterling)
-------------------- Faithfull
From: Newcastle upon Tyne England | Registered: Jul 2003
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posted
If I am gonna spend the big bucks I rather get a tpb. Infact I get most everything in tpb these days.
From: Tampa | Registered: Mar 2004
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