I little rant from me. I've bought and read comics for a long time. While I know everything seems to be skyrocketing in price lately, comic pricing seems to be getting out of hand. Many comics are $2.99 now - some are more. That's quite expensive for about a 10 minute read. I love comics, I love the art, the stories, etc. But these prices are killing me. I probably spend $15 on average per week. And with gas costs, and everything else this is starting to bug me. I'm really thinking of cutting back a lot on which issues I buy. It's too bad because the writing, art, etc. in a lot of books is very good right now. I almost wish I could pay a fee and read the current stuff online. Marvel is starting this a little, but it's for older books mainly. I really think the big guys like Marvel & DC are hurting themselves by these high prices and driving a lot of customers away - especially the young kids who they need to get reading comics so they will as they grow up. I hardly ever see little kids in the comic shops anymore. They can't afford to buy them without having a job!
Anyway, what do you guys think?
I have not bought any comics in a long time and price has been and is an obstacle for me. I had wanted to collect the new IDW Star Trek line but I decided to just wait for the graphic novels to be released. They are more permanent and better quality paper anyway. I just don't get to read the stories as quickly is all.
Kevin
Yeah, I think a lot of people do things that way nowadays. Wait for the trade paperbacks. I'm probably heading in that direction for some titles. There are still some books I like getting each month when they come out. Just going to have to tweak my buying list.
I found that I like the Trade paperbacks as well. I found following certain comic series to be difficult, as the releases were not regular, and in some instances they would release a few in a short time, and I would fall behind. I guess with some of the series I was following, Such as Star Wars Dark Times, it just got to confusing for me when they would come out. I could not imagine following multiple series, as keeping up with the release schedules could be a full time job. I agree with Kevin, the Trade Paperbacks/Graphic Novels seem to be of better quality.
Yeah price have gone up since I use to collect a bunch of different titles. I mainly get anything Star Trek, Firefly/Serenity, Buffy or Angel. But I agree sometimes it's hard to find the books each month.. I haven't done Trades but I might go that route..
Went out to lunch and picked up my comics for this week. Spent $19.60! Two new Trek comics this week. But I did drop getting the World of Warcraft comic. It hasn't been that good.
I order my comics online and get them shipped to me each month. (I use scifigenre.com.)
Still, comics are too expensive for the amount of entertainment you get from them. Should 4 or 5 comics cost the same as DVD? I don't think so.
I'd definitely pay to view (and save) my comics in an online format. Storing comics is also a burden, so electronic versions would have that benefit for me.
Rico's right that the high prices are driving away the next generation of potential comics fans and buyers. The industry needs to rethink its distribution methods, because it can't survive the way things are going.
Great rant Rico. I'm shocked by prices. I started collecting the Supergirl comics (i tend to buy any number 1 and if i like it I'll give it a go) but in England once you buy them and get it posted to you that will cost £3, which is about $5.90. Ridiculous price. Mind you i got 100 superman comics for around £41 including P&P. Which ends up to being around $81 so that would be 81 cents for a comic which i think would be a good standard price.
I think they are a bit high also. I think this is due to the quality of both the art,stories and physical paper that they are printed on. The standards have gone way up imo which costs more money.
I myself am also a Baseball and Football card collector and it's even worse. You can easily pay upwards of $500 - $1000 per box. I know for a fact that the card industry sees the market as 30+ year old collectors and not kids anymore. Maybe the comic industry feels the same way.
Just some my thoughts on this...
I actually had to stop buying comics a few years ago because my wife stopped working and started going to Nursing school. One paycheck and paying for comics don't mix.
>:(
Quote from: Blackride on March 26, 2008, 03:09:04 PM
I think they are a bit high also. I think this is due to the quality of both the art,stories and physical paper that they are printed on. The standards have gone way up imo which costs more money.
I myself am also a Baseball and Football card collector and it's even worse. You can easily pay upwards of $500 - $1000 per box. I know for a fact that the card industry sees the market as 30+ year old collectors and not kids anymore. Maybe the comic industry feels the same way.
Just some my thoughts on this...
Yeah, I know what you mean. But the only way to get more 30+ year old buyers is to grab them when they are young. I actually started reading comics regularly pretty late in high school. Which is probably a lot older than the way it used to be. Got to hook them when they are young.
Quote from: Rico on March 26, 2008, 03:18:28 PM
Yeah, I know what you mean. But the only way to get more 30+ year old buyers is to grab them when they are young. I actually started reading comics regularly pretty late in high school. Which is probably a lot older than the way it used to be. Got to hook them when they are young.
I did the same thing. The McFarlane Spiderman comics came out and we started buying them like crazy. I don't really like how they are producing Spiderman so often now. I don't think they need to do it that much....
I agree...miss a few issues NOW, and you're way behind... and $3 an issue, 3x a month... they're just missing one more '3'! :D
Heck, i buy books for my kids too....sheesh!
When I started buying comics they were 60 cents. Yea just told my age lol but yea prices are just to high. If I was a kid no way could I afford them. I only buy one comic a month now so not to bad for me.
I know people that get their comics from DCB Service and it's up to a 40% discount. That adds up for the a big savings for the amount of stuff I buy.
I too had to stop buying comics. Right in the middle of one of the biggest crossovers. The prices are getting out of hand. When i started collecting back in the 80's i could buy everything Marvel and DC put out and spend $20 every two weeks. Now almost $4 per issue. With gasoline prices the way they are and I needing a car I had to choose which i really needed.
Yeah - it's funny. The rising gas prices is what has really put this in perspective some for me. I'm not going to quit comics completely but I am buying fewer titles.
Even if you get things shipped to you, they charge more for shipping or add fuel surcharges. So they get you even if you don't drive your car.
Jeff, I at least wasn't commenting on the cost of gas to drive to get comics. It's not really out of the way for me. I was making the comment on spending more for gas to drive to work, etc. is making me cut back on other things. To a degree.
Yes, I have had to cut back on things as well, it seems like every week, I am putting in at least 40 dollars into my car for gas, and that really is just for my wife to drive to school, then out on the weekend. Plus the higher prices for gas just works itself into everything we buy, as the sellers need to add that to cost of the items. But getting back to comics, more for gas, higher price comics, equal less comics
About $400 - 500 a month in gas in the Dostie house. And I only drive to work and home. Very sad.
Fuel prices here in England are getting ridiculous. It now costs me £45 to fill my car up and that lasts about a week and a half. We're looking at £1.08 a litre lately and considering it was only £0.94 last year says it all.
Getting off subject, but I'm curious how far you drive each day Hawkeye?
Yeah - my comics habit runs me almost $200 a month. It's easy to ignore when you spend a little here and there, but when I think about it ... geeze. Sure, part of that is for the wife's comics (yes, she reads them), but even so.
Most of my reads are limited series. I also read a good many indies. Locke and Key is fantastic, and the covers are very well designed. It's also $3.99 an issue, as are many of the indies I read.
So yes, Rico. Far too expensive. It's a good thing I have so many worthless back issues to give my daughter to hook her into comics. She can read them and tear 'em up and I don't care.
Well i drive around 33 miles (about 53 kilometres) a day sometimes 40 miles if i am seeing a friend after work. I live in a different county than i work in. How many miles / kilometres do you do Rico? My comic spending is oly around £20 a month now as had to cut down because of fuel and also rise in mortgage rates, food, elecricity and gas etc here in England. Thanks Gordon Brown.
Yeah, everything is getting more expensive. It's a bit crazy. I drive about 50 miles a day. I live pretty far out from the city of Detroit where I work. A bit far, but I love the country area where I live. I try to do any errands, stop off for comics along the way to make the driving more efficient. At least the places I shop at are along the way.
Oh that's pretty cool. I now live in the country (well i live in a town and i'm surrounded by fields) so i too don't mind the drive. I used to live in Birmingham which is the second city of England and has now become so busy. Able to get a train into the city though and i can easily get my comics from Nostalgia or Forbidden Planet. Ebay tends to be my main place though especially when you get discount pricing on posting.
My Local Comic Shop is right down the street. I could walk there if I was able to walk that far. So gas is not really one of my issues.
I'm only two miles from work, and to save on gas, I usually walk. Not all the time mind you. To my knowlege we don't have a comic shop in town. So the only ones I get are from IDW online. I just get Star Trek Comics. There are a bunch of star trek comics at the Star Wars shop. I may go in and make a good deal with the guy. They all look in pretty good condition. If anyone wants some old comics or some of the magazines in the pictures on the Star Wars thread, I would get them for you and send them your way. Just let me know.
:luke
Getting back to the starting subject. I was reading Countdown to Final Crisis which has it's up and downs. I am still getting however two Star Wars Comics. I haven't really been into Star Wars comics sine I was in Junior High in the early 80's. But now I am really interested in are SW: Dark Times which tells of the period between Episode 3 and Episode 4. I can say this about it. It is called Dark Times for a reason. The other is Star Wars : Legacy Which is a hundred years or more after Jedi. The Sith are rising once more and the last Skywalker isn't such a good guy anymore.
I really liked the Planet Hulk Crossover from Marvel also but not to much the World War Hulk crossover.
For alternate reality buffs like me. I recommend Exiles. It is X-men meets Sliders.
For years I have wanted to get into "Exiles" but just haven't had time to yet. I have the first couple of trade paperbacks and still have to read them. I'm a fan of the X-Men and Sliders so it sounds perfect for me. I read "Legacy" and really like it too.
I can't justify the expense anymore, haven't bought comics for quite a while now. Given how much I love movies and video games and won't give up the disposable income I spend on those, comics had to go.
I'm still slowly cutting back on the number of comics I follow. I doubt I will ever drop them completely. There are a several titles I still love to read each month. But I have dropped some of them off my pull list.
I was never really into buying issues of comics. What I tend to do is if there's a series I want to get into I buy up the trade if one is available. I remember when I was younger I thought trades were really expensive. They seem a bit more reasonable now, however that might just be a question of my perspective going from being a starving student to a working stiff. No idea about individual issues.
I'd like to recommend the trades of Walking Dead. Awesome book, highly worth reading. Very addicting too.