Episode 1561 Talkback - DC's Convergence Event, Part 1
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So you say you're curious about DC's recent two-month alternate reality showdown extravaganza, Convergence, but you just couldn't spare the time and money to buy and read 40 (count 'em, 40) two-issue para-continuity miniseries? Well, friend, today's your lucky day, because the CGS Geeks have already taken the Convergence plunge, and in this episode they break down and rate the first issues of the first twenty Convergence minis (with more to follow), to help you decide which ones are worthy of your attention! Act now, and you'll also receive bonus coverage of Convergence #0! (2:26:40)
Listen here.
Listen here.
Comments
Also I think everyone in the comics buying community agrees that comics are too expensive I don't know why every week there has to be a 10 minute speech about how ridiculous the price of comics have gotten. DCBS offers 40% off books and even more off of bundles and if you subscribe for your Marvel comics thru Marvel their subscriptions are 45% off plus you don't pay any shipping so they are even cheaper than DCBS. Comics can easily be found at affordable prices.
Flipping it, I used to be a devout Marvel reader, but it's been a number of years. I picked up Secret Wars 0 and 1 and found it to be nigh-incomprehensible. It was pretty to look at, but, as far as I was concerned, it was pretty much false advertising - Doctor Zero and Saint George show up on the cover of the book, they should be somewhere in the book. I'm guessing that it's going to be a really entertaining book for people that have put in the time on the books leading up to it - much like Convergence was for the people putting time in for it.
Ultimately, the regular DC screed is getting old.
I said it in the show and I will state it here. For me, this was one last time visiting all the DC characters I grew up reading in new stories. Now was I hoping for something to come out of this which would feature some of the characters from days gone by. I sure was. Since that isn't happening the direction these characters are going in doesn't interest me. I am looking forward to tackling some titles I have never taken the time to read. Like All-Star Squadron, Infinity Inc, Five Years later Legion, even Batman and the Outsiders. If you like what is happening in DC and Marvel then more power to you and I will be happy when someone says to me, "hey, check out Batman or Superman now. Check how awesome Marvel is again. Remember how excited we were for DC stuff in the 80's or Marvel's Avengers when Busiek and Perez took over in the late 90's."
Comics are still great. I will still be getting some but story and price have a great impact on how I purchase my books.
Now there are some saying how much we, I more than most lately, discuss the cost of the comics. Cost of an average comic bugs me. It is my opinion nothing more. Here are some quick calculations if my math is right from nine years ago (when I started ordering via Mail Order) until now...
2006: The average cost of a book is $2.50, example JSA #83.
2015: The average cost of a book is $3.99, example Justice League #40.
This is a 59% increase on 9 years. Now I know there are some I get which are $2.99 and some which are $4.99. I went with the bulk of what I see just off the top of my head.
Now, I do order most stuff via DCBS. Their discounts are great and the bundles are spectacular. This is not a commercial, just expressing fact. I can buy more from ordering via mail. The point is made above that you can still get affordable comics. This is true to to a certain extent. I would never have been able to get as much and read as much as I have had it not been for mail order.
However, another quick calculation on the discount prices...
2006: $1.79
2015: $2.39
This is 33% increase. Still great and still less of an increase than the actual cover price.
Here is where the cranky old man in me comes out. The get off my lawn you crazy kids guy. At $2.39 I am almost to the $2.50 price point which started me looking at ordering comics via mail order in the first place.
This is the nature of business. To make money. Prices go up year after year on everything, not just comics. We all know this. It just bothers me, my opinion, that I am close to the threshold of $2.50 which prompted me to seek a cheaper way to buy comics in the first place.
I agree 100%. I bet very few people buying comics have had their wages increase 33-59% in the last 9 years to compensate for the increase in price. That means most people end up either buying less comics or spending more to keep buying the same level of books. Not only does this hurt the consumer but it hurts the comics business. The industry needs us buying more comics. They also need new people buying comics. Neither will happen as prices continue to climb.
For anyone who thinks I'm crazy, listen from 34:20 to 34:33. It clearly isn't Murd, as he is the one talking. It is somebody in studio.
As someone who worked in A/V production for several years, yeah, it bugs me. But I've been able to tune it out for the most part once I know it's coming.
Listening to Episode 1560 (Spotlight on Daredevil) right now. 22 minutes in and I haven't heard the noise once.
Just to follow up on another point raised above, I believe that it is often the case that reading material that leads up to an event can enhance the reading experience but events like these also should be able to stand on their own. To give an analogy, though admitteed not a perfect one because it was not an "event" in the sense of its current usage, I read the Dark Phoenix saga when it came out starting around UXM 129 long before reading the issues that came before and set up lots of the dynamics that we see play out in that story, and yet I loved the story. In fact, as I think Peter has said, I think the feeling of jumping into a fictional narrative in media res was one of the things that drew me into the world and made me want to learn more about it. However, this only works with good storytelling.
Lastly, I think the discussion of price is a worthy one, particularly when the objective is to advise someone on whether to buy a comic, and I never grow tired of Chris talking about anything because he speaks with such passion and knowledge.
To that point, Justice League #41 is the best single issue Geoff Johns has produced in many years and as good as any comic book being produced today. I challenge Mr Eberle (who I respect dearly) or anyone else to read this issue and remain as skeptical about DC as some have been lately.
I do agree with @LibraryBoy though on Shazam. That was an excellent read. Really captured the Fawcett feel of things.
The fact that they overhyped it and disappointed a lot of people (more in the main title than in the minis) did them a disservice. Because the DC You stuff they have started has been amazing across the board. Almost every series, save for a couple of stinkers, have been getting rave reviews and they've completely broken out of that "grim and gritty" mandate they previously had and you can tell that the creators are free to write the stories the way they want without having to think a lot about tie-ins.
But because Convergence disappointed so many people I think a lot of those people that have been down on DC since the New 52 will see Convergence as confirmation that they are still right and not give DC You a chance. And that's a bummer.