Comic books in today\'s age.

[supervike]

*RANT AHEAD*


Ok, maybe I\'m just becoming an old geezer.

I\'ve enjoyed comic books most of my life. Fun stories, great art, etc. etc.

But, I made a trip to the Local Comic (and gamestore) the other day, and I come away dismayed.

I had a 15 dollar \'gift certificate\' I had gotten as a Christmas present, and though it high time to spend it.

Why the hell do they charge so much for a freaking comic? Even the \'graphic novels\' are as high the insane price of $24.95.

Four bucks is the average price of just a regular \'monthly\' comic.

Comic book publishers have whined for years how readership is down, so to combat this, they raise prices to the absurd?

I suppose hobbies can be broken down into how much bang for the buck I can get.

It\'s hard to argue that a 6 dollar miniature and a few pots of paint will give me maybe 5-6hours of enjoyment, just to paint it? And more if I use it in a game setting. Some artists spend even longer.

Even a 60 dollar video game for my Xbox. I can usually get 20-30 hours of entertainment value.

What do I get for 4 bucks? A story I can read in 10 minutes.

Here\'s what I suggest comic book people. Go back to the cheap ass paper you used to use. Make it so a kid could get 10 comics for 10 bucks....Make your money off of licensing and merchandise.....maybe in the long run you can save the industry!

I ended up buying a \'trade paperback\' of the Death of Captain America....AND I had to pitch in 2 bucks to my gift certificate to afford it.

Am I out of line here? Or are comics a freaking rip off nowadays?

 

[PegaZus]

*snicker* Timely, man, timely.

http://www.reallifecomics.com/archive/090216.html

Or, if that doesn\'t work:

http://www.reallifecomics.com/comics/2009/20090216_2168.png

 

[ScottRadom]

Bah, things cost what they cost.

PM me the list of stuff you want and I am happy to do either exchanges for mini\'s or just a borrow type situation.

You may get lost on the whole Death of Captain America thingy as there are some continuity issues with the Winter soldier/Bucky and the umpteenth Red Skull thingy.

Ed Brubaker who is writing that is pretty good. Cap\'s usually got the crap end of things when it comes to stories but it\'s decent. If you want the first 25 issues in TPB form I can lend you mine via the normal channels. LMK.

I\'m also a fan of the rebooted J.M. Stracynski Thor, and I am happy to send them your way if you need.

You wanna talk prices? Blu-Ray and DvD sell here for about 30-40 bucks for new titles on Blu-Ray but in Asia I heard they go for 5 bucks or something to make them so cheap people won\'t pirate them anymore. Whatayagonna do? Hope you like the Cap A.

 

[matty1001]

Originally posted by ScottRadom
I am an uber nerd.

Fear my knowledge of comic bookery.

I have a 2 graphic novels, and I would have loads more if it weren\'t for the high cost.

I particularly like the Alien and Predator ones, and all the tie in from them...Alien VS Batman etc...

Can\'t be buggered with comics though.

Peace and love...

 

[In Chigh P.I.]

look on the bright side: if less people are buying them and more are being pulped, the ones that you buy will be more collectable and thus have a higher resale value


I do agree with you though, especially on the issue with graphic novel prices, double-especially on hard back graphic novels (never seen the point of those ???)

 

[A Luna]

Amen Supervike... amen :drool:

I really loooove comics. Even a story I read 20 times still entertain me. It\'s really a shame it all has to be so expensive

 

[Dragon Forge Design]

Thats why I quit buying comics 10 years ago when I thought they were too expensive then.

For cheaper graphic novels Id suggest seeing if you have a 1/2 priced books in town..mine always have new used Graphic Novels at discount prices.

 

[ScottRadom]

Originally posted by matty1001

Originally posted by ScottRadom
I am an uber nerd.

Fear my knowledge of comic bookery.

I have a 2 graphic novels, and I would have loads more if it weren\'t for the high cost.

I particularly like the Alien and Predator ones, and all the tie in from them...Alien VS Batman etc...

Can\'t be buggered with comics though.

Peace and love...

I\'ll get you! Also check your PM\'s!

Thing is comics are better then they ever have been. The art is fantastic and I imagine those people working for the comics industry like to get paid.

We\'ll see with the economic downturn how many people snip comics from their list. I still make my weekly visit to the shop, and sure it\'s expensive, but it is what it is. I don\'t mind the price so long as I enjoy the contents of the books.

 

[mattsterbenz]

Never bought or read a single comic book. (Unless you count a free \"Simpsons\" comic book that came with some toy I got back in the 90\'s).

Those prices sound pretty rough for a few sheets of paper (but then again I collect Magic cards and those are just as pricey, if not more). Some $1 comics or something real cheap might have gotten me started in them, but no way with those prices!

All the money I save by not collecting comics I put to good use by supporting my guitars and miniatures habits lol lol

-Matt

 

[Gilvan Blight]

I think a lot of it has to do with the price of printing. Just look at the cost of a paperback now, or worse a RPG rulebook. I used to buy my novels for $1-2 and my rulebooks for $15-20. Now a copy of Neromancer is $12 and the last RPG I didnt\' buy was $68 for a softcover!

Regarding comics: I tend to stick to graphic novels and even then I wait for the inevitable half off sales up in Toronto.

 

[ScottRadom]

Originally posted by mattsterbenz
Never bought or read a single comic book. (Unless you count a free \"Simpsons\" comic book that came with some toy I got back in the 90\'s).

Those prices sound pretty rough for a few sheets of paper (but then again I collect Magic cards and those are just as pricey, if not more). Some $1 comics or something real cheap might have gotten me started in them, but no way with those prices!

All the money I save by not collecting comics I put to good use by supporting my guitars and miniatures habits lol lol

-Matt

Like you say the money we spend on hobbies often makes people\'s head\'s spin. I for one can\'t imagine why anybody would buy an Escalade with spinning rims. Think of all the pewter and comics they could have! MINDBOGGLING!

 

[Undave]

My father in law picked up a few graphic novels when his local library had a clearout. He thought I might like them but I\'ve never really been one for comics.

Superman: \'Til death do us part
The stories of Alan Moore
The Dreaming: Beyond the shores of night
Judge Dredd featuring Judge Death
Batman - Judge Dredd Judgement on Gotham

No idea if they\'re worth anything or are even worth reading. If anyone\'s interested in them I\'m up for playing swapsies.

 

[Dragonsreach]

Originally posted by supervike
Why the hell do they charge so much for a freaking comic? Even the \'graphic novels\' are as high the insane price of $24.95.

Hmmn Seems like we in the UK are on the cheaper end of the scale for a change. Most of the Graphic Novels I\'ve purchased have been around the £10-£12.
Of course that could just be the current excange rates and global downturn in economies affecting prices.

But I\'m not really getting the issue of the rant Vike, are you saying you are a \"Read Em Once and That\'s It\" kinda Guy? or like me are you the kind of person who reads them several times over the years.
If its a \"Read em Once\" issue that I can see how you feel that you might not be getting value for your money.

 

[Farin]

value for money , that´s exactly the point.

if people start charging sky high prices for mediocre or bad [insert favorite hobby item], then you absolutely have the right to rant.

but Vike you mentioned one very important issue: People are buying less, so the industry thinks, for some reason that is beyond me, that increasing prices is the right antidote. If they would offer affordable monthly comics for the mainstrem reader who just wants to read a story and a superdeluxe- mega- collectors-version (hardcover, artworks,...) for the hardcore fans , they would sell more

the same of cause can be sad about dvd´s, blu ray and so on...

 

[Ebonbuddha]

I use to be really into comics when I was a kid. Now...Not so much. I usually go for the graphic novels. I am reading the Walking Dead right now. I know I am way behind the rest of your guys, but it is cheaper to get them sent here.

I wish they would bring back the cheap paper and the ads. Anyone remember the Sea Monkeys ads? What about the 1000 toy soldiers for $10. I loved the Hostess Twinkie and Slim Jim ads too. The first time I heard of Battle Tech was on the back of a comic (the original game came with card board cut out Mechs and was called \'Battle Droids\'.

 

[Aliengod3]

I remember when the first spawn comic came out. My friend asked me to buy it for him since I went to the comic store all the time and I did. When I gave it to him I pretended to rip it and he was pissed. But the comic was fine. Looking back I wish I had bought one, and every spawn comic since, since they are probably worth alot of money.

I also think videogames are way too much money. That is why I buy them used on ebay or $20 instead of $60.

One last thing. If graphic novels are too expensive then read regular books. That is what I do.

 

[uberdark]

i just download all of mine nowadays and burn them onto a data cd.... i have all the transformers comics from the 80\'s and the new ones. and it cost me the price of a data cd.

look into that one jim... rip em off and smile while doing it.

lol

 

[uberdark]

Originally posted by Aliengod3
I remember when the first spawn comic came out. My friend asked me to buy it for him since I went to the comic store all the time and I did. When I gave it to him I pretended to rip it and he was pissed. But the comic was fine. Looking back I wish I had bought one, and every spawn comic since, since they are probably worth alot of money.

I also think videogames are way too much money. That is why I buy them used on ebay or $20 instead of $60.

One last thing. If graphic novels are too expensive then read regular books. That is what I do.

sorry for the double post... but the spawn issue one is around $15. not much, it came out when everybody started printing variants of variants and made huge amounts of comics that never sold in the 90\'s. this pretty much killed off the ability of comics being worth more. the only spawn comic worth a crap now is issue #4 with a coupon still attached. (which i still have) i think it goes for like $60 or $70. not much else though.

edit: even sadder....you can get spawn ish 1 for $3 on ebay and spawn ish 4 for $6.

thank you comic book industry for destroying my old nest egg. lol

 

[supervike]

Originally posted by Ebonbuddha

I wish they would bring back the cheap paper and the ads. Anyone remember the Sea Monkeys ads? What about the 1000 toy soldiers for $10. I loved the Hostess Twinkie and Slim Jim ads too. The first time I heard of Battle Tech was on the back of a comic (the original game came with card board cut out Mechs and was called \'Battle Droids\'.

I got a CD-ROM of all the Fantastic Four comics, and the ads are there in all their glory!

It was in fact 100 army men for 1.00, but maybe you ordered 10!

Seriously though, the ads are the best part. It so reminds me of my childhood.

 

[supervike]

Originally posted by uberdark
sorry for the double post... but the spawn issue one is around $15. not much, it came out when everybody started printing variants of variants and made huge amounts of comics that never sold in the 90\'s. this pretty much killed off the ability of comics being worth more. the only spawn comic worth a crap now is issue #4 with a coupon still attached. (which i still have) i think it goes for like $60 or $70. not much else though.

edit: even sadder....you can get spawn ish 1 for $3 on ebay and spawn ish 4 for $6.

thank you comic book industry for destroying my old nest egg. lol

Ebay def. ruined the second hand comic market...

But I\'m positive I have all the Spawn issues...1-26 or so....I\'ll have to check on that!