|
|
Post by Roback on Feb 20, 2005 19:46:23 GMT -5
I left the comic store today with seven titles which ran me close to $21.00 and that is with my 10% discount for being a steady eddy. Catwoman: When in Rome was $3.50 alone!
Now dont get me wrong, I'd buy anything Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale put out but some of these prices I believe are stunting the growth of the industry. I picked up Batman: Gotham Knights and I can see it being $1.99 but $2.50?? Come on, I dont know many kids that have that kinda cash to drop on one book let alone a small stack. If the comicbook company's truely want more sales then they will have to do something about the price. Thoughts on this?
|
|
twistedangel9
Legions of Gotham Police Officer
Dananananana Batman
Posts: 200
|
Post by twistedangel9 on Feb 20, 2005 20:46:36 GMT -5
The quality of comics have risen over time (mostly) and the printing prices are damn high. I'll gladly pay the prices for now.
|
|
|
|
Post by Roback on Feb 20, 2005 22:20:19 GMT -5
Those are both true statements which I can agree on. I was thinking more in terms of growing the industry. Back in the 70's a hit would be over 300,000 copies sold while today that number is under 50,000 copies. Granted that the prices were much cheaper back then but darn, thats alot of readers to lose and I dont see them coming back at 3 bucks a pop.
|
|
|
|
Post by reideen1313 on Feb 21, 2005 10:48:05 GMT -5
I think the prices are in line with what we get in today's market Robert. I don't mind paying a couple of bucks - I'm just more choosy about what I spend my $ on. A couple of things to keep in mind when discussing this subject. The distribution of comics was significantly different back then. In the 70's, the direct market did not exist. Comics were just like any other print media, where the news stand purchased 10 or 15 copies of a given book - if they sold them, great. If not, they could return them to the seller and get some new ones the next month. Comics were everywhere - the grocery store, the gas station, 7-11, pretty much anywhere that had room for a spinner rack, comics were sold there. Comics were disposable back then, so they were printed with a lower quality ink, on a lower quality paper. With the birth of the direct market, comics suddenly became much more 'collectible' - people always collected them, like baseball cards, but the direct market made collecting more of a focus. They became a long term product and many of the spinner racks died out at grocery stores, etc, because they were no longer returnable. The number of issues that the direct market could sell was substantially lower because they kept the backstock of their comics - if they over ordered, they were stuck with the extra issues. Print runs dropped from 300,000 to 100,000 (as an example), because stores wanted to make a profit - not have a huge back issue catalogue. The quality of the covers, paper and inks slowly got better, because of the more collectible nature of the books. The price increased as a result of inflation and the new printing processes in place. Unfortunately, the price increase (along with all the other media outlet options that kids have today vs what was available in the 70's) has caused readership to drop steadily each year. Like I mentioned over at MegoCentral, with today's printing methods, there isn't any cheaper paper to use. Newsprint would probably end up being more expensive than most titles on the stands today due to the machinery being used today and the inks on comics now. It would require an entirely different process to go back to printing books that way, and that cost would be passed onto the consumer. It's unfortunate, but the days when you could go into a store with $1 (and change) and come out with 4 comics are over. Sadly, the price of comics is one of the things that I think is really hurting the industry. Putting out more introductory issues at insanely low prices, like .25 for example, is not going to help either. Publishers know they are going to suffer a loss on that issue, in hopes that more people will buy the next few book at the normal $3.00 cover price to make up for the loss. When the casual reader, who picked up the title for .25, sees the jump in price they generally aren't going to stay with the book - if they do and the artist changes or the writing is not up to par, they drop off like flies. Comics, in print anyway, are dying slowly. There's no way to dispute the facts, and I honestly don't see a way to fix the problem.  |
|
Warlord
Legions Of Gothamite
... believe, now.
Posts: 52
|
Post by Warlord on Feb 21, 2005 14:55:45 GMT -5
I'd have to counter the fair pricing argument by saying it seems to me that comics are being more and more funded by advertising. I'd be happy to pay the price if 30% of my comic wasn't useless ads.
Worst case example is McFarlane's Spawn - it spends a huge chunk of it's paper trying to sell you more McFarlane merchandise - I'm bergining to think it should be a free catalogue.
Just my 0.02
|
|
|
|
Post by Robin on Feb 21, 2005 20:48:37 GMT -5
I got 5 titles for $20 including my 10% discount on the weekend. I'm also a student and its hard affording it, but its what I love to do in my spare time so I end up counting pennies I find around the house.
|
|
|
|
Post by reideen1313 on Feb 22, 2005 14:04:01 GMT -5
I'd have to counter the fair pricing argument by saying it seems to me that comics are being more and more funded by advertising. I'd be happy to pay the price if 30% of my comic wasn't useless ads. Worst case example is McFarlane's Spawn - it spends a huge chunk of it's paper trying to sell you more McFarlane merchandise - I'm bergining to think it should be a free catalogue. Just my 0.02 LOL! That's why I don't buy Spawn! ;D (Well, that and I can't stand Todd, but that's a different topic.) I agree that advertising is a large chunk of the book, but not really any more than it was 20 years ago. The typical DC or Marvel book is still around 22 pages long with about 10 pages of ads. Publishers like DDP, IMO, have more advertising than DC or Marvel though, (at least that's my perception, when it's all at the end of the book - I don't have one handy to double check) which I'm assuming is because of their larger cost to print the books. I'd guess they have a smaller margin of profit and would need to make that up somehow. |
|
|
|
Post by /\/\att on Feb 25, 2005 14:19:23 GMT -5
[shadow=green,left,300]Well I know WE will all pay these prices for books...but what Robert was saying is that kids may not be able to afford much...which is very true. I remember scraping for a $1.25 for a book back in the day! lol.
Yesterdays high prices is todays standard.
I realize costs are up, but they're never going to rope in the next generation if they don't find a middle ground.[/shadow]
|
|
|
|
Post by jasontodd2 on Mar 1, 2005 16:37:18 GMT -5
I was just looking over my comic books from 1989 and they were only 75 cents. And 16 years later they cost 3.95. So if my math is right here for the past 16 years comics have been uped .1375 cents each year. I think they are a bit out of control because I remember just trying to gather up a few bucks to go to the comic store to get my comics when I was a kid, and today it's a struggle because instead of getting together a few bucks, I have to grab atleast twenty bucks per visit. I probably spend about $37.00 bucks a month on comics. I go into my comic shop every other week and gather my comics bi-weekly. Is there a thread on this board anywhere about where members here go for there comics? If so could somebody please point me in the right direction? Thank You...  The one thing I hate the most though is when they do there miniseries thoughout titles, with Batman for example with War Games you had to buy Catwoman, Batgirl, Nightwing, Robin, Detective, Gotham Knights, etc... For those 24 comics alone it was $70.80. And I could care less about collecting Catwoman, Batgirl, Robin, Gotham Knights, etc... but in order to follow along and not miss anything vital you really have to get all of them. Oh wait I forgot the 12 cent adventures that went with it as well LoL, that should have been free after purchasing part one of War Games. I do realize they need to make up for the cost of better ink, paper, etc.. but there has got to be a better way. Hmmm what to do? I am not sure. I will need to think some more. |
|
|
|
Post by reideen1313 on Mar 1, 2005 18:15:20 GMT -5
I think they are a bit out of control because I remember just trying to gather up a few bucks to go to the comic store to get my comics when I was a kid, and today it's a struggle because instead of getting together a few bucks, I'm the same way. I remember going to the 7-11 type store next door to the barbershop when I was a kid. I could get 3 or 4 comics with the change my pops gave me. That's probably the best memory I have from my childhood.... There's not. There will be soon though! ;D It will be pinned to the top of the forum. Totally agree. That's why for those types of arcs I've decided that the TPB is best for me. I can check out an individual issue here or there to keep up on the miniseries and then wait for the full story to be out a few months later. Usually it costs me less in the long run also. As an example, I picked up Gray Area from Image. Individual issues were about $6 each. Now there's a TPB collecting all 3 issues and it's $15. I wasted $3 by buying the individual issues. I could have spent that on another comic.  |
|
|
|
Post by jasontodd2 on Mar 1, 2005 21:29:48 GMT -5
Totally agree. That's why for those types of arcs I've decided that the TPB is best for me. I can check out an individual issue here or there to keep up on the miniseries and then wait for the full story to be out a few months later. Usually it costs me less in the long run also. As an example, I picked up Gray Area from Image. Individual issues were about $6 each. Now there's a TPB collecting all 3 issues and it's $15. I wasted $3 by buying the individual issues. I could have spent that on another comic. I have been thinking more and more of going that route. Next big Batman crossover I think I will just collect the Batman and Detective Comics and read reviews here on L.O.G., and then when the trade paper back comes out pick it up and not only save money but catch up with the action that I missed. |
|
|
|
Post by JokerFC on Mar 1, 2005 21:44:04 GMT -5
 yeah for the Big arcs its hard to beat TPB.its all there in your hand to read all at once and for me thats hard to beat,I really cant wait for the Age of Apocalypse tpbs.also comics are damn expensive in ireland.the regular title(in forbidden planet) will set you back 3.20 euro thats $4.50 give or take (since our own currencys were replaced with the euro things are expensive over here)
|
|
|
|
Post by gotham95 on Mar 1, 2005 23:27:21 GMT -5
[shadow=blue,left,300]Yes they are. I remeber trying to gather up 75 cents to go buy Batman 428 (death of Jason Todd and my first Batman comic). [/shadow]
|
|
|
|
Post by Batboy on Mar 2, 2005 0:17:11 GMT -5
Like you guys said YOU will pay for the comics just because you have the money and the steady job and such but the kids are the ones that wont buy the comics because they are so pricey. I am one of those kids. I only collect about 4 or 5 titles a month and I really have to keep it around that number because when I go to the comic shop at the end of every month to pick up my books it costs me a good $20.00 after my 10% discount. I understand the paper quality and art quality have all gone up so it SHOULD cost more then it used to and so I accept it and only buy the books with the best writing.
|
|
|
|
Post by JokerFC on Mar 2, 2005 9:25:46 GMT -5
well seeing you are limited to a few issues a month Batboy thats a sensible policy man
|
|
|
|
Post by jasontodd2 on Mar 2, 2005 19:25:41 GMT -5
well seeing you are limited to a few issues a month Batboy thats a sensible policy man Makes sense to me. |
|
|
|
Post by JokerFC on Mar 2, 2005 20:33:57 GMT -5
sure does TB one of my friends sometimes finds himself in this position and he too has a good selection process that helps him out
|
|
nikki6r
Legions Of Gothamite
Posts: 68
|
Post by nikki6r on Mar 7, 2005 12:44:52 GMT -5
I also understand that print and paper quality is better. Feels like less happens in a book now though.
In the UK we have a company that puts out a collectors edition of some Marvel titles and Batman. These typicaly have 2 up to date stories and a classic sixties or seventies story to finish. There seems to be more happen in 1 old story than in both the modern ones.
Prices do need to be looked at but pacing seems to slow as well.
I think for the industry to improve then both aspects need to be looked at.
|
|
|
|
Post by JokerFC on Mar 7, 2005 15:07:18 GMT -5
In the UK we have a company that puts out a collectors edition of some Marvel titles and Batman. These typicaly have 2 up to date stories and a classic sixties or seventies story to finish. There seems to be more happen in 1 old story than in both the modern ones. . Yeah they are available In Ireland too, I usually pick up Batman Legends and essential X men some times I get Avengers too.I would like to see those editions come up with more DC stuff like Justice league |
|
