But, at the same time, Marvel is just slitting its own throat with double shipping. Sure, fans will continue to follow their favorites, but will quickly drop the books they only felt so-so about, and will ignore other books entirely because their budgets won't stretch that far. I'll get the Avengers and Daredevil if they double-ship, but that means there'll be two other titles that I might have purchased that I won't be getting now. By the same token, if they suddenly put out something that's absolutely genius, I'm not going to get it because I'm sticking with the books I'm already committed to which are now double-shipping.
In short, if Marvel just wants to ensure loyalty to any one or two specific titles, this is the way to do it. But if they want to expand their customers interest into the rest of their line, this is the way to prevent it from ever happening.
I wish i could just buy the digital codes from DCBS at the prices they offer the paper-books at and have them just send me the codes via email so I can read them right away.
Double shipping is pretty much how Marvel will be able to maintain market share, as readers have decided that they are done with buying mini-series. As a reader, I love it...less time between issues, more issues of the books I like and stories move faster. My budget hates it, but it's better than the mid 2000s when most "hot" creative teams couldn't put out 9 books a year.
I agree, i'm enjoying the hell out of Daredevil and like that the story is moving along like gangbusters. What have i gotten? 17 issues and an annual in less than a year. and, the important part is every issue has been solidly good. if they were torture to read double shipping woould have me off a title in a heartbeat. I still evaluate what i buy more on how much i'm enjoying the story than on single issue price. right or wrong single issue price point is not a deciding factor as to whether i'll pick up a book. I blame DCBS. :)
I like the double-shipping because they are putting resources toward the numbered book instead of one-shots and mini-series. The drawback, of course, is I am buying less variety every month.
The drawback for Marvel is that, one by one, I have dropped relaunched titles to make room in my budget to buy the double-shippers, and keep my indie books going.
Moonknight, Punisher, Incredible Hulk, and Captain America are all relaunched books I dropped when the new number 1 came out. Daredevil would probably be on this list if it wasn't one of my favorite writers in Mark Waid.
Marvel's killing me with the $3.99 price point and the double shipping. I dropped all $3.99 titles a few months ago, and even though I wasn't buying that many, the impact on my budget was huge.
In my experience, the double shipping often just felt like one issue dragged out to two, with different artists to keep up with the schedule. I think I'd be happier with shorter, tighter stories with a consistent creative team than get swamped with issues.
But, really, the main thing is the cost. I just can't justify $3.99 for a comic book that usually takes me five minutes to read. At the very least, I wish they'd come up with something similar to DC's digital pricing, and drop it by a dollar after a month. It seems crazy to me that 1-2 year old issues are often still full price digitally.
So most $3.99 books are $2.39 on DCBS. This includes both a print and a digital version of the book. I don't have an ipad, so who wants to go halvies? Send me $1.20 (when I place the order) and I'll send you the digital code when I get the book.
(although before doing this, I have to ask what paypal fees are for receiving money? I need to know if this is worth it or not)
So most $3.99 books are $2.39 on DCBS. This includes both a print and a digital version of the book. I don't have an ipad, so who wants to go halvies? Send me $1.20 (when I place the order) and I'll send you the digital code when I get the book.
(although before doing this, I have to ask what paypal fees are for receiving money? I need to know if this is worth it or not)
Whoa whoa whoa whoa. How does that include both a digital and a print version? Its just one. If you order comics from DCBS or anywhere, you just get the print comics and if you buy digital you just get digital.
This is one of the things i was arguing for in the "DC comics $3.99" discussion. That if you do buy a subscription to print you should get digital free, thats how many magazines do it. But unless im greatly mistaken that is not how comics does it.
So most $3.99 books are $2.39 on DCBS. This includes both a print and a digital version of the book. I don't have an ipad, so who wants to go halvies? Send me $1.20 (when I place the order) and I'll send you the digital code when I get the book.
(although before doing this, I have to ask what paypal fees are for receiving money? I need to know if this is worth it or not)
Whoa whoa whoa whoa. How does that include both a digital and a print version? Its just one. If you order comics from DCBS or anywhere, you just get the print comics and if you buy digital you just get digital.
This is one of the things i was arguing for in the "DC comics $3.99" discussion. That if you do buy a subscription to print you should get digital free, thats how many magazines do it. But unless im greatly mistaken that is not how comics does it.
Nope. For a few months now, Marvel has been including a free digital copy with all of their $3.99 books (except the Max titles). I'd been giving the codes away, but I'd rather sell them and buy more books.
Take a look at the bottom right corner
DC doesn't do it, but Marvel does (for DC, it's a dollar more and only on a select few books).
So with every reboot that occurs, one of the usual justifications is that the publisher is trying to get new readers and new readers are scared off when they see issue 75 and think that they have to read the previous 74 issues to understand what is going on. If double shipping lasts, is Marvel already foreshadowing the next reboot after Marvel Now? If 24 issues of a title come out a year, forget about new readers after the first 3 months, especially if the reader goes one week to a store and sees issue six and then doesn't come back for a few weeks and then sees issue 8 or 9 on the shelf.
I dropped Marvel (and DC) a while back and haven't regretted it. And, if anything gets buzz and sounds like I might want to read it, I just wait until the trade comes out and get it through my library. If it's not in the main branch, I do an interlibrary loan. Something to consider.
So most $3.99 books are $2.39 on DCBS. This includes both a print and a digital version of the book. I don't have an ipad, so who wants to go halvies? Send me $1.20 (when I place the order) and I'll send you the digital code when I get the book.
(although before doing this, I have to ask what paypal fees are for receiving money? I need to know if this is worth it or not)
Whoa whoa whoa whoa. How does that include both a digital and a print version? Its just one. If you order comics from DCBS or anywhere, you just get the print comics and if you buy digital you just get digital.
This is one of the things i was arguing for in the "DC comics $3.99" discussion. That if you do buy a subscription to print you should get digital free, thats how many magazines do it. But unless im greatly mistaken that is not how comics does it.
Nope. For a few months now, Marvel has been including a free digital copy with all of their $3.99 books (except the Max titles). I'd been giving the codes away, but I'd rather sell them and buy more books.
Take a look at the bottom right corner
DC doesn't do it, but Marvel does (for DC, it's a dollar more and only on a select few books).
But, at the same time, Marvel is just slitting its own throat with double shipping. Sure, fans will continue to follow their favorites, but will quickly drop the books they only felt so-so about, and will ignore other books entirely because their budgets won't stretch that far. I'll get the Avengers and Daredevil if they double-ship, but that means there'll be two other titles that I might have purchased that I won't be getting now. By the same token, if they suddenly put out something that's absolutely genius, I'm not going to get it because I'm sticking with the books I'm already committed to which are now double-shipping.
In short, if Marvel just wants to ensure loyalty to any one or two specific titles, this is the way to do it. But if they want to expand their customers interest into the rest of their line, this is the way to prevent it from ever happening.
Marvel wants to make money. If you had two products one that sold 80k every time you released it, and one that sold 15k every time you released it which would you focus on, and try to get out more often?
They have more than enough properties at this point for revenue generation via hollywood and other licensing, so I dont think they are too concerned with not creating new characters/titles. Especially since most creators "good" ideas dont end up at the big 2, they end up as creator owned releases elsewhere.
Marvel/DC are not the curators of the comics book medium.
But, at the same time, Marvel is just slitting its own throat with double shipping. Sure, fans will continue to follow their favorites, but will quickly drop the books they only felt so-so about, and will ignore other books entirely because their budgets won't stretch that far. I'll get the Avengers and Daredevil if they double-ship, but that means there'll be two other titles that I might have purchased that I won't be getting now. By the same token, if they suddenly put out something that's absolutely genius, I'm not going to get it because I'm sticking with the books I'm already committed to which are now double-shipping.
In short, if Marvel just wants to ensure loyalty to any one or two specific titles, this is the way to do it. But if they want to expand their customers interest into the rest of their line, this is the way to prevent it from ever happening.
Marvel wants to make money. If you had two products one that sold 80k every time you released it, and one that sold 15k every time you released it which would you focus on, and try to get out more often?
They have more than enough properties at this point for revenue generation via hollywood and other licensing, so I dont think they are too concerned with not creating new characters/titles. Especially since most creators "good" ideas dont end up at the big 2, they end up as creator owned releases elsewhere.
Marvel/DC are not the curators of the comics book medium.
We are.
And, sadly, as curators, we (the royal we, the readership at large) have shown them again and again that we are not interested in new things from them. So I can only blame them so much for giving us what we seem to want.
And, sadly, as curators, we (the royal we, the readership at large) have shown them again and again that we are not interested in new things from them. So I can only blame them so much for giving us what we seem to want.
But, at the same time, Marvel is just slitting its own throat with double shipping. Sure, fans will continue to follow their favorites, but will quickly drop the books they only felt so-so about, and will ignore other books entirely because their budgets won't stretch that far. I'll get the Avengers and Daredevil if they double-ship, but that means there'll be two other titles that I might have purchased that I won't be getting now. By the same token, if they suddenly put out something that's absolutely genius, I'm not going to get it because I'm sticking with the books I'm already committed to which are now double-shipping.
In short, if Marvel just wants to ensure loyalty to any one or two specific titles, this is the way to do it. But if they want to expand their customers interest into the rest of their line, this is the way to prevent it from ever happening.
Marvel wants to make money. If you had two products one that sold 80k every time you released it, and one that sold 15k every time you released it which would you focus on, and try to get out more often?
They have more than enough properties at this point for revenue generation via hollywood and other licensing, so I dont think they are too concerned with not creating new characters/titles. Especially since most creators "good" ideas dont end up at the big 2, they end up as creator owned releases elsewhere.
Marvel/DC are not the curators of the comics book medium.
We are.
And, sadly, as curators, we (the royal we, the readership at large) have shown them again and again that we are not interested in new things from them. So I can only blame them so much for giving us what we seem to want.
Totally true. As someone who gravitates to less prominent series, it frustrates me to see events and gimmicks consistently topping the charts. Seems like everything I like is either canceled within a year, or de-railed by some event or relaunch. DC and Marvel are both guilty, but Marvel in particular has made it very tough for me to enjoy their titles. I think Daredevil and sometimes Spider-Man are the only exceptions at the moment.
I left Marvel behind when the new 52 started and went almost 100% digital and now I'm more than a little interested in coming back to Marvel and with it floppies since that is much cheaper than a digital copy when it comes to Marvel.
I get the whole double shipping. If a writer and artist can handle the double shipping schedule then more power to them. I just can't handle it from a budget point of view and so I just don't get into the habit of buying books that do double shipping. Especially since with Marvel, the trades will be out much sooner so I could just get them in trade.
How many times has Dr. Strange been relaunched? Or Ms. Marvel? She-Hulk? Nova? There is a reason why these books can't sustain numbers, even when the stories are compelling. It goes exactly into what David_D says. If they really want to keep these characters active in the Universe, it's my advice to make them supporting characters in one of the "big" titles. Fewer titles in general means the talent level on each remaining book might get better, plus fans of those supporting characters might jump on to the bigger title to get their fix.
I guess it's back to the 70s for me (Captain America & the Falcon, DD and Black Widow, etc.) :)
How many times has Dr. Strange been relaunched? Or Ms. Marvel? She-Hulk? Nova? There is a reason why these books can't sustain numbers, even when the stories are compelling. It goes exactly into what David_D says. If they really want to keep these characters active in the Universe, it's my advice to make them supporting characters in one of the "big" titles. Fewer titles in general means the talent level on each remaining book might get better, plus fans of those supporting characters might jump on to the bigger title to get their fix.
I guess it's back to the 70s for me (Captain America & the Falcon, DD and Black Widow, etc.) :)
Over the past decade I have come to realize that 70's Marvel comics is my favorite era. So much great stuff came out back then. And lots of it wasn't the big name stuff. It was the smaller series like Power man and Iron Fist,Defenders,Killraven,Man-Thing,etc.
How many times has Dr. Strange been relaunched? Or Ms. Marvel? She-Hulk? Nova? There is a reason why these books can't sustain numbers, even when the stories are compelling. It goes exactly into what David_D says. If they really want to keep these characters active in the Universe, it's my advice to make them supporting characters in one of the "big" titles. Fewer titles in general means the talent level on each remaining book might get better, plus fans of those supporting characters might jump on to the bigger title to get their fix.
I guess it's back to the 70s for me (Captain America & the Falcon, DD and Black Widow, etc.) :)
Over the past decade I have come to realize that 70's Marvel comics is my favorite era. So much great stuff came out back then. And lots of it wasn't the big name stuff. It was the smaller series like Power man and Iron Fist,Defenders,Killraven,Man-Thing,etc.
I feel the same way. Each month it seems that the list of new stuff I am purchasing is getting smaller and smaller. The only Marvel I get now is Trades of stuff from the 60's thru the 80's. DC for me is heading in that direction as well.
Comments
In short, if Marvel just wants to ensure loyalty to any one or two specific titles, this is the way to do it. But if they want to expand their customers interest into the rest of their line, this is the way to prevent it from ever happening.
The drawback for Marvel is that, one by one, I have dropped relaunched titles to make room in my budget to buy the double-shippers, and keep my indie books going.
Moonknight, Punisher, Incredible Hulk, and Captain America are all relaunched books I dropped when the new number 1 came out. Daredevil would probably be on this list if it wasn't one of my favorite writers in Mark Waid.
In my experience, the double shipping often just felt like one issue dragged out to two, with different artists to keep up with the schedule. I think I'd be happier with shorter, tighter stories with a consistent creative team than get swamped with issues.
But, really, the main thing is the cost. I just can't justify $3.99 for a comic book that usually takes me five minutes to read. At the very least, I wish they'd come up with something similar to DC's digital pricing, and drop it by a dollar after a month. It seems crazy to me that 1-2 year old issues are often still full price digitally.
So most $3.99 books are $2.39 on DCBS. This includes both a print and a digital version of the book. I don't have an ipad, so who wants to go halvies? Send me $1.20 (when I place the order) and I'll send you the digital code when I get the book.
(although before doing this, I have to ask what paypal fees are for receiving money? I need to know if this is worth it or not)
This is one of the things i was arguing for in the "DC comics $3.99" discussion. That if you do buy a subscription to print you should get digital free, thats how many magazines do it. But unless im greatly mistaken that is not how comics does it.
Take a look at the bottom right corner
DC doesn't do it, but Marvel does (for DC, it's a dollar more and only on a select few books).
chris
Marvel wants to make money. If you had two products one that sold 80k every time you released it, and one that sold 15k every time you released it which would you focus on, and try to get out more often?
They have more than enough properties at this point for revenue generation via hollywood and other licensing, so I dont think they are too concerned with not creating new characters/titles. Especially since most creators "good" ideas dont end up at the big 2, they end up as creator owned releases elsewhere.
Marvel/DC are not the curators of the comics book medium.
We are.
I guess it's back to the 70s for me (Captain America & the Falcon, DD and Black Widow, etc.) :)