I'm curious about this new publisher, American Mythology. They're releasing a Three Stooges comic in April. I have to check the actual Previews Catalog for more info, but has anyone heard of this publisher?
I don't know much about them other than what Mark Wheatley has posted on Facebook. I checked out their website, but there's not a whole lot there. I know a couple of people who'll be doing work for them, but that's it.
It looks like they're starting with three licensed books: Pink Panther, Stargate: Atlantis, and Three Stooges, but are looking to do original books at some point too.
In other words, they look to be trying to follow in the footsteps of IDW and Boom! Whether or not they'll be successful is anyone's guess at this point.
My internet searched turned up very little as well. I appreciate your insight, Eric. Thanks.
It looks like they're starting with three licensed books: Pink Panther, Stargate: Atlantis, and Three Stooges.
That is such an odd assortment of licensed material. I'm intrigued by Stargate: Atlantis, though. Do you know if anybody has licensed that before? I know I've seen some other Stargate stuff but I don't remember if it was for the movie, SG-1 or Atlantis.
It looks like they're starting with three licensed books: Pink Panther, Stargate: Atlantis, and Three Stooges.
That is such an odd assortment of licensed material. I'm intrigued by Stargate: Atlantis, though. Do you know if anybody has licensed that before? I know I've seen some other Stargate stuff but I don't remember if it was for the movie, SG-1 or Atlantis.
All three, actually. There was some tiny publisher who did movie-related Stargate comics back in ’96, ’97, and Avatar did some minis and one-shots based on SG-1 and Atlantis. I guess they let the rights lapse.
But, yes, an odd assortment. The leftovers from IDW, Boom!, and Dynamite make for slim pickings, I guess.
I know some folks that will be picking up SG: Atlantis for sure.
Think I will try this out.
From Darby Pop BRUCE LEE: THE DRAGON RISES #1 (W) Jeff Kline, Shannon Lee (A) Brandon McKinney (CA) Bernard Chang Bruce Lee never died. And he hasn't aged. But, Bruce has no idea who he is or why so many "thugs" want a piece of him. Co-written by Bruce's daughter, Shannon Lee, and Jackie Chan Adventures EP Jeff Kline. With alternate Frank Cho cover. Double-sized first issue! (STL000751) BERNARD CHANG COVER—48pgs, FC $3.99 FRANK CHO COVER—48pgs, FC $3.99
Marvel is definitely getting even more piggish on prices with those $5 first issues. They are the hardest ones for retailers to have to bet on, and that higher price is an even harder thing to see them have to bet on, and then end up in a dollar box.
Now this is a straight 90s dick move. I don't complain about Marvel's publishing policy often, but damn Marvel.
Don't get me started on that laughable price point of the Amadeus Cho: GENIUS AT WORK which is an $8 comic book of reprinted material. Back in the early 70's, DC did 100 Page Super Spectacular comics for .50 a piece. And I get that there's inflation, but according to this handy online inflation calendar, what cost .50 in 1972 should only cost $2.84 today (as of December 2015).
Of course paper and printing costs have increased, but an additional 300% above inflation? C'mon Marvel.
Marvel is definitely getting even more piggish on prices with those $5 first issues. They are the hardest ones for retailers to have to bet on, and that higher price is an even harder thing to see them have to bet on, and then end up in a dollar box.
Now this is a straight 90s dick move. I don't complain about Marvel's publishing policy often, but damn Marvel.
Don't get me started on that laughable price point of the Amadeus Cho: GENIUS AT WORK which is an $8 comic book of reprinted material. Back in the early 70's, DC did 100 Page Super Spectacular comics for .50 a piece. And I get that there's inflation, but according to this handy online inflation calendar, what cost .50 in 1972 should only cost $2.84 today (as of December 2015).
Of course paper and printing costs have increased, but an additional 300% above inflation? C'mon Marvel.
Greed is NOT good.
I'm not saying $7.99 is a great price for this, and this isn't the type of collection I generally buy, but here are some factors to consider:
1) The 100 Page Super Spectaculars were twice the price of a standard size DC comic at the time. And this 104-page Amadeus Cho book is also twice the price of a standard size Marvel comic currently. (This isn't about whether or not the price of a standard size Marvel comic is too high, so bear with me.)
2) DC was not paying creators royalties for reprinted material back in the early ’70s. Marvel is today.
3) I'm betting the print run for this Cho book will be significantly smaller than the print runs of those 100-Page books, which brings the cost per copy up.
4) As you mentioned, paper simply costs a lot more adjusted for inflation today than it did when those 100-pagers were coming out (thanks to a huge spike in the late ’70s, and another in the mid-’90s). I can't find the exact figures, and I don't think it's at 300% over inflation either, but it's well above standard inflation.
5) $8 is significantly less than you would have paid for the individual issues included in this collection. Even if all six of those books had been $2 comics, which they weren't, you’d still be saving $4.
Actually, for someone picking up the new Hulk series (which this book is supporting) who's interested in the backstory of the character and has never read those issues in the collection, $7.99 is a reasonable price, relative to current industry pricing.
Oh, wait. You said not to get you started. Please ignore this post.
1) The 100 Page Super Spectaculars were twice the price of a standard size DC comic at the time. And this 104-page Amadeus Cho book is also twice the price of a standard size Marvel comic currently. (This isn't about whether or not the price of a standard size Marvel comic is too high, so bear with me.)
3) I'm betting the print run for this Cho book will be significantly smaller than the print runs of those 100-Page books, which brings the cost per copy up.
Aren't all of today's books printing significantly lower runs than those books in the 70's?
4) As you mentioned, paper simply costs a lot more adjusted for inflation today than it did when those 100-pagers were coming out (thanks to a huge spike in the late ’70s, and another in the mid-’90s). I can't find the exact figures, and I don't think it's at 300% over inflation either, but it's well above standard inflation.
300% was a bit hyperbolic, but upon further delving into the subject, not far from the reality. With all things being equal, a .50 book calculates to $2.84 with inflation. The additional $5.35 would account for royalties and better printing. The only new cost for this book was editing and a cover and some added copy. No new art, coloring, or writing, merely reprint royalties, likely cheaper than we'd like to think.
5) $8 is significantly less than you would have paid for the individual issues included in this collection. Even if all six of those books had been $2 comics, which they weren't, you’d still be saving $4.
Dollar boxes are your friend, Eric. EBay is also an option.
Actually, for someone picking up the new Hulk series (which this book is supporting) who's interested in the backstory of the character and has never read those issues in the collection, $7.99 is a reasonable price, relative to current industry pricing.
I see what you did there. This is still a significant risk for retailers, while Marvel must have calculated a very good profit margin on a book they'll sell to retailers for $4. I'm sure printing costs are higher, but somehow I bet profit margins are also higher.
I'm still curious about what your response to @David_D's "piggish" behavior comment will be.
I've bought quite a few ANAD #1 titles—Daredevil, Dr. Strange, Silver Surfer, Squirrel Girl, Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur, Hawkeye, Hellcat, Weirdworld, Black Knight, maybe a couple of others I'm forgetting—but I’m pretty sure Dr. Strange was the only one that had the higher price tag and page count, and I thought it was worth the money (after my discount)—Kevin Nowlan backup!
There is no better supporter of the comic book industry than @nweathington
I keep thinking that the publishers will throw out something (high price point, shipping delay, etc) that he will not be able to come up with a reasonable defense for or he will finally say "it is not worth it".
But month after month, he keeps proving me wrong. :smile:
There is no better supporter of the comic book industry than @nweathington
I keep thinking that the publishers will throw out something (high price point, shipping delay, etc) that he will not be able to come up with a reasonable defense for or he will finally say "it is not worth it".
But month after month, he keeps proving me wrong. :smile:
As long as I keep finding books I want to read, I'll keep supporting them as best I can. There are plenty of titles out there that aren't worth the money or the time, always have been, but I can honestly say that there have never been more titles I’ve wanted to read coming out at any one time as there are right now.
Manga Mayhem Tokyo Esp GN Vol 04 - I'm loving the hell out of this series Sacred Blacksmith GN Vol 10 (MR) - Final book in what's been a great fantasy story. My Love Story GN Vol 08 Monster Musume I Heart Monster Girls GN Vol 01 (of 2) (MR) - Yonkoma version of my favorite harem manga. Dorohedoro GN Vol 18 (MR) (C: 1-0-1) Astro Boy Omnibus TP Vol 04 (C: 0-1-2)
DC Goodness Supergirl TP Book 01 - I have the original trade but this has extra material and if they plan to keep reprinting the run (you better keep reprinting the run!) I'm gonna want it Sensation Comics Featuring Wonder Woman TP Vol 03 Harley Quinn HC Vol 04 A Call To Arms - In Palmiotti we trust Green Arrow TP Vol 05 Black Arrow - In Grell we trust DC Wonder Woman Q-Figure - Too adorable for words
Guilty Pleasures Lords of The Jungle #2 (of 6) Jungle Fantasy Vixens #2 (of 2) Sirens Cvr (MR) Blade Bunny #1 - All I saw was a cute manga girl with bunny ears and a bloody sword on the cover. I didn't need to see anything else
Support Your Indies Superzero #5 Southern Nightgown TP Vol 01 Rem 8 #1 (MR) - This and the title above it are under the Rothic section and both books look amazing with artwork from Dawn McTeague and Mike Krome. Neil Gaimans How To Talk To Girls At Parties HC Micronauts #1 - I have to give it a day in court. Wow! I Had No Idea This Existed! Charltons Nightshade TP - Some of you know I'm a not-so closeted fan of Nightshade, but I don't have much of her early adventures pre-DC. Thank you, company who put this together! :)
I will jump in and say the 100 page reprint of Marvel is priced roughly the same as DC Presents 100 pagers.
I'm actually with @nweathington It's not a great price but it's not a bad price either. Its basically half the price of a trade for half a trade.
I guess I am leaning more towards @David_D's camp. I think the price point's are getting out of hand. If it were not for the near 50% discounts available when pre-ordering, I'd be a TRADES ONLY consumer of comics. The current MSRP on floppies is far too exorbitant for my tastes, justified or not. Even if it's something I would like to read, it behooves me to wait until it's in the dollar boxes or cheaper on eBay than to pay retail for it. It isn't my job as a consumer to support companies who are charging what I feel is too much for their product just to ensure longevity of that business model.
And I'm less convinced it's as much about creator royalties as it is about cannibalizing a smaller audience. In 1946, there were several comic book titles regularly selling over a million copies per month. Nowadays, there may be an occasional one hitting two hundred thousand copies monthly. Of course, back in the forties, comics were the dominant entertainment medium for kids. Now they're just one in several mediums designed to entertain the kids - many of which are free. So basically, the market contracted, and to make up for lost volume, prices were raised. Not to mention the effect of them being less widely distributed, which adds to lower sales.
Something's not right if you repeatedly hear many fans griping about what a trip to their local comics shop (LCS) does to their wallet. And it doesn't appear that this trend is going to reverse itself either, since it's still easy to find creators lamenting about not being paid enough. Regrettably, there was a long time when creators weren't paid nearly enough for their work, but that is a bygone era. If we remain on this trajectory, we may conceivably reach a threshold where the last remaining few thousand comic purchasers are still being suckered into buying $10 funny books, while no one else is.
And I feel terrible for those still going to their LCS, who are buying 10+ comics and end up dropping $40+. Since most comics can be read in about 10-15 minutes, that only equals around 2-2.5 hours of entertainment. For the same price, they could see 2 movies in the theater with snacks, purchase 2 blu-ray movies, purchase a video game, or purchase 3 paperback novels. More than double the amount of entertainment. This is only valuable if you're flipping those books after you read them. About all I go to the LCS for anymore are bags, boards, boxes, and the occasional back issue I missed. I won't buy a monthly new $5 comic. That's my threshold. I can usually pick up a handful of back issues for that amount of money.
If the consumer has to get picky/choosy when it comes to comics as the prices continue to increase, then there will be a continued lack of sales which will further increase prices, increasing lack of sales and so on. I personally am very fond of comic books, and I’d hate to see them go, but if prices continue to get higher, then it will eventually hurt the industry.
Archie 1000 Page Comics 75Th Anniv Bash TP Flash By Geoff Johns TP Book 01 Rough Riders #1 Spongebob Comics #55 Supergirl Cosmic Adventures In The 8Th Grade TP Joyride #1 (of 4) Superzero #1 (O/A)
Except for a couple things for my kids I had a real hard time finding comics I wanted to read. I decided to try a couple new things and finally try out Johns' Flash.
I'm glad that people are really digging what is being published these days but I can't seem to muster the same enthusiasm. For me, personally, I think Marvel and DC are putting out some of the lamest material in a long time. I had gotten used to it with DC's New 52 but now I'm sorry to see the same thing with Marvel's line. I wish I could formulate my thoughts into a great explanation as to what it is I'm not liking at Marvel...all I know for sure is that it isn't for me.
Image Aloha Hawaiian Dick #1 - new Hawaiian Dick Criminal 10th Anniversary - I love criminal, and the last special edition was great. If you like neat formats I would recommend getting the Deadly ED magazine size of this issue. Lazarus Sourcebook #1 Black Science vol.4 - Rick Remender was the best writer of comics in 2015. His Sci-fi is the best. Southern Bastards vol.3 - Jason Aaron was the best writer of comics in 2015. Yeah I know I just wrote that about DoubleR. SB is a great book (so is the Goddamned).
Marvel Avengers Under Siege
Other Hip Hop Family Tree #9 KoDT #230 Super Pro Ko vol. 3 - I loved the first two volumes and never thought i'd see volume 3. If you like wrestling you might want to check this series out.
I guess I am leaning more towards @David_D's camp. I think the price point's are getting out of hand. If it were not for the near 50% discounts available when pre-ordering, I'd be a TRADES ONLY consumer of comics.
This is pretty much what I was saying about...geez it's been almost 10 years now. If I hadn't found out about DCBS, I'd have likely kicked this hobby a long time ago. Despite what you see in the order list above, I'm pretty much a trade-waiter. I buy single-issues mainly to see if I'm going to want to pick up the trade later, and that much I can usually tell from the first or second issue.
Something's not right if you repeatedly hear many fans griping about what a trip to their local comics shop (LCS) does to their wallet.
Most of the LCS's in my city make a nice dollar, but they do it by not only depending on the brick and mortar side of their work. They sell on the internet, offer discounts to regular customers (even irregular ones like me), and do their best to offer incentives to come into their store. And even they don't have all the answers. I wanted to pick up the new run on Howard the Duck, just to check it out. A $5 book. The guy running the counter was like "Jesus, Howard is $5? That's insane." Gave me 20% off just because. So it has to be tough on some of the stores as well...
And it doesn't appear that this trend is going to reverse itself either, since it's still easy to find creators lamenting about not being paid enough. Regrettably, there was a long time when creators weren't paid nearly enough for their work, but that is a bygone era.
I think it's telling that many creators these days have "established" themselves by working for peanuts for the Big Two, and then head out and set up their own creator-owned imprints. The market way back when probably wouldn't have allowed for it, but that was then, and this is now. It's great that Jimmy Palmiotti can basically appeal directly to his fan base to go buy Superzero (which is a fun book) and explain how it helps him and Amanda (Conner) put food on the table and work on more books that they want to work on.
For the same price, they could see 2 movies in the theater with snacks, purchase 2 blu-ray movies, purchase a video game, or purchase 3 paperback novels. More than double the amount of entertainment. If the consumer has to get picky/choosy when it comes to comics as the prices continue to increase, then there will be a continued lack of sales which will further increase prices, increasing lack of sales and so on. I personally am very fond of comic books, and I’d hate to see them go, but if prices continue to get higher, then it will eventually hurt the industry.
And if you throw in the constant need to build the audience and attract younger readers who won't want to pay $5 for 10 minutes of entertainment...because they aren't that dumb... :)
I'm not sure where that rant came, but my point wasn't if floppies were overpriced (they are and I'm out of as a current Marvel reader because of it). My point was that the Cho book is a half trade not a floppy, and is priced at about half of what you pay for a trade at Marvel. So it's not a bad price. On side note these are really fun stories, and Amadeus Cho is one of the best "new" characters at Marvel.
I'm not sure where that rant came, but my point wasn't if floppies were overpriced (they are and I'm out of as a current Marvel reader because of it). My point was that the Cho book is a half trade not a floppy, and is priced at about half of what you pay for a trade at Marvel. So it's not a bad price. On side note these are really fun stories, and Amadeus Cho is one of the best "new" characters at Marvel.
I'm sure everyone's mileage varies.
As for where my rants come from, it wasn't pointed at you @mwhitt80 even though I quoted you before I went there.
Wow! I Had No Idea This Existed! Charltons Nightshade TP - Some of you know I'm a not-so closeted fan of Nightshade, but I don't have much of her early adventures pre-DC. Thank you, company who put this together! :)
Be advised: Canton Street Press does low-quality reprintings of public domain material. And I mean low-quality. I've seen some of their publications, and I could put out something much better looking from my home office.
My comic shop gives 10% off new comics (that is to say the rack containing the latest issues of titles regardless if they're this week’s comics or a quarterly comic from two months ago) to everyone, whether you have a bag with them or not. If you get a bag with them, they have a scale where you can get up to 30% off depending on how many monthlies you sign up for. And your bag discount also applies to back issues and supplies. That's how you do it.
Wow! I Had No Idea This Existed! Charltons Nightshade TP - Some of you know I'm a not-so closeted fan of Nightshade, but I don't have much of her early adventures pre-DC. Thank you, company who put this together! :)
Be advised: Canton Street Press does low-quality reprintings of public domain material. And I mean low-quality. I've seen some of their publications, and I could put out something much better looking from my home office.
Thanks for the heads up. Are we talking Moonstone quality reprints (essentially a Xerox) or Checker? Or worse?
I'll probably still pick it up, if for no other reason that to check these stories out, but appreciate the tip.
Wow! I Had No Idea This Existed! Charltons Nightshade TP - Some of you know I'm a not-so closeted fan of Nightshade, but I don't have much of her early adventures pre-DC. Thank you, company who put this together! :)
Be advised: Canton Street Press does low-quality reprintings of public domain material. And I mean low-quality. I've seen some of their publications, and I could put out something much better looking from my home office.
or Checker?
That's a name I've not thought of in years. When I first got back into comics (2004/2005) I bought a Checker reprint of Alan Moore Supreme ( I think) and I swear the print was off center on almost all the pages. It was bad.
I picked up the Checker reprints of the last two volumes of Sojurn to complete my run on that one. Couple other Crossgen books as well. That's about it. They were serviceable, but I pretty much knew what I'd be getting when I got them.
Wow! I Had No Idea This Existed! Charltons Nightshade TP - Some of you know I'm a not-so closeted fan of Nightshade, but I don't have much of her early adventures pre-DC. Thank you, company who put this together! :)
Be advised: Canton Street Press does low-quality reprintings of public domain material. And I mean low-quality. I've seen some of their publications, and I could put out something much better looking from my home office.
Thanks for the heads up. Are we talking Moonstone quality reprints (essentially a Xerox) or Checker? Or worse?
I'll probably still pick it up, if for no other reason that to check these stories out, but appreciate the tip.
Okay, I've looked through some of their books online, and I may have been confusing them with another publisher who was putting out the same Matt Baker material around the same time as Canton Street was. From what I've seen, not actually holding the product in my hand for inspection, their reproductions look fine—not the best I've seen, but better than Checker. And their paper and binding quality seems to be pretty decent. I think you'll be okay.
Cool! I'm not above paying $$$ for a reprint with good production quality, but really I just want to read these as I'm a fan of the character but never found a good collection of her old Charlton stuff.
Cool! I'm not above paying $$$ for a reprint with good production quality, but really I just want to read these as I'm a fan of the character but never found a good collection of her old Charlton stuff.
I haven't read much of it myself. What I've read is pretty typical of the Charlton Heroes line. It's not Ditko at his most inspired. On the plus side, you'll get a little bit of nice early Jim Aparo work.
You know, I thought the same thing at first, and then realized this is one of the best damn books out right now. I am loving it - so, I am giving up Squirrel Girl for lent instead :)
Comments
But, yes, an odd assortment. The leftovers from IDW, Boom!, and Dynamite make for slim pickings, I guess.
Think I will try this out.
From Darby Pop
BRUCE LEE: THE DRAGON RISES #1
(W) Jeff Kline, Shannon Lee (A) Brandon McKinney (CA) Bernard Chang
Bruce Lee never died. And he hasn't aged. But, Bruce has no idea who he is or why so many "thugs" want a piece of him. Co-written by Bruce's daughter, Shannon Lee, and Jackie Chan Adventures EP Jeff Kline. With alternate Frank Cho cover. Double-sized first issue! (STL000751)
BERNARD CHANG COVER—48pgs, FC $3.99
FRANK CHO COVER—48pgs, FC $3.99
Of course paper and printing costs have increased, but an additional 300% above inflation? C'mon Marvel.
Greed is NOT good.
1) The 100 Page Super Spectaculars were twice the price of a standard size DC comic at the time. And this 104-page Amadeus Cho book is also twice the price of a standard size Marvel comic currently. (This isn't about whether or not the price of a standard size Marvel comic is too high, so bear with me.)
2) DC was not paying creators royalties for reprinted material back in the early ’70s. Marvel is today.
3) I'm betting the print run for this Cho book will be significantly smaller than the print runs of those 100-Page books, which brings the cost per copy up.
4) As you mentioned, paper simply costs a lot more adjusted for inflation today than it did when those 100-pagers were coming out (thanks to a huge spike in the late ’70s, and another in the mid-’90s). I can't find the exact figures, and I don't think it's at 300% over inflation either, but it's well above standard inflation.
5) $8 is significantly less than you would have paid for the individual issues included in this collection. Even if all six of those books had been $2 comics, which they weren't, you’d still be saving $4.
Actually, for someone picking up the new Hulk series (which this book is supporting) who's interested in the backstory of the character and has never read those issues in the collection, $7.99 is a reasonable price, relative to current industry pricing.
Oh, wait. You said not to get you started. Please ignore this post.
So, like the 100 Page Spectaculars definitely were, you're suggesting this is a bargain? I'm not convinced. Agreed. True. Aren't all of today's books printing significantly lower runs than those books in the 70's? 300% was a bit hyperbolic, but upon further delving into the subject, not far from the reality. With all things being equal, a .50 book calculates to $2.84 with inflation. The additional $5.35 would account for royalties and better printing. The only new cost for this book was editing and a cover and some added copy. No new art, coloring, or writing, merely reprint royalties, likely cheaper than we'd like to think. Dollar boxes are your friend, Eric. EBay is also an option. I see what you did there. This is still a significant risk for retailers, while Marvel must have calculated a very good profit margin on a book they'll sell to retailers for $4. I'm sure printing costs are higher, but somehow I bet profit margins are also higher. I will now that I've replied :). I'm still curious about what your response to @David_D's "piggish" behavior comment will be.
I keep thinking that the publishers will throw out something (high price point, shipping delay, etc) that he will not be able to come up with a reasonable defense for or he will finally say "it is not worth it".
But month after month, he keeps proving me wrong. :smile:
I'm actually with @nweathington It's not a great price but it's not a bad price either. Its basically half the price of a trade for half a trade.
Manga Mayhem
Tokyo Esp GN Vol 04 - I'm loving the hell out of this series
Sacred Blacksmith GN Vol 10 (MR) - Final book in what's been a great fantasy story.
My Love Story GN Vol 08
Monster Musume I Heart Monster Girls GN Vol 01 (of 2) (MR) - Yonkoma version of my favorite harem manga.
Dorohedoro GN Vol 18 (MR) (C: 1-0-1)
Astro Boy Omnibus TP Vol 04 (C: 0-1-2)
DC Goodness
Supergirl TP Book 01 - I have the original trade but this has extra material and if they plan to keep reprinting the run (you better keep reprinting the run!) I'm gonna want it
Sensation Comics Featuring Wonder Woman TP Vol 03
Harley Quinn HC Vol 04 A Call To Arms - In Palmiotti we trust
Green Arrow TP Vol 05 Black Arrow - In Grell we trust
DC Wonder Woman Q-Figure - Too adorable for words
Guilty Pleasures
Lords of The Jungle #2 (of 6)
Jungle Fantasy Vixens #2 (of 2) Sirens Cvr (MR)
Blade Bunny #1 - All I saw was a cute manga girl with bunny ears and a bloody sword on the cover. I didn't need to see anything else
Support Your Indies
Superzero #5
Southern Nightgown TP Vol 01
Rem 8 #1 (MR) - This and the title above it are under the Rothic section and both books look amazing with artwork from Dawn McTeague and Mike Krome.
Neil Gaimans How To Talk To Girls At Parties HC
Micronauts #1 - I have to give it a day in court.
Wow! I Had No Idea This Existed!
Charltons Nightshade TP - Some of you know I'm a not-so closeted fan of Nightshade, but I don't have much of her early adventures pre-DC. Thank you, company who put this together! :)
And I'm less convinced it's as much about creator royalties as it is about cannibalizing a smaller audience. In 1946, there were several comic book titles regularly selling over a million copies per month. Nowadays, there may be an occasional one hitting two hundred thousand copies monthly. Of course, back in the forties, comics were the dominant entertainment medium for kids. Now they're just one in several mediums designed to entertain the kids - many of which are free. So basically, the market contracted, and to make up for lost volume, prices were raised. Not to mention the effect of them being less widely distributed, which adds to lower sales.
Something's not right if you repeatedly hear many fans griping about what a trip to their local comics shop (LCS) does to their wallet. And it doesn't appear that this trend is going to reverse itself either, since it's still easy to find creators lamenting about not being paid enough. Regrettably, there was a long time when creators weren't paid nearly enough for their work, but that is a bygone era. If we remain on this trajectory, we may conceivably reach a threshold where the last remaining few thousand comic purchasers are still being suckered into buying $10 funny books, while no one else is.
And I feel terrible for those still going to their LCS, who are buying 10+ comics and end up dropping $40+. Since most comics can be read in about 10-15 minutes, that only equals around 2-2.5 hours of entertainment. For the same price, they could see 2 movies in the theater with snacks, purchase 2 blu-ray movies, purchase a video game, or purchase 3 paperback novels. More than double the amount of entertainment. This is only valuable if you're flipping those books after you read them. About all I go to the LCS for anymore are bags, boards, boxes, and the occasional back issue I missed. I won't buy a monthly new $5 comic. That's my threshold. I can usually pick up a handful of back issues for that amount of money.
If the consumer has to get picky/choosy when it comes to comics as the prices continue to increase, then there will be a continued lack of sales which will further increase prices, increasing lack of sales and so on. I personally am very fond of comic books, and I’d hate to see them go, but if prices continue to get higher, then it will eventually hurt the industry.
Archie 1000 Page Comics 75Th Anniv Bash TP
Flash By Geoff Johns TP Book 01
Rough Riders #1
Spongebob Comics #55
Supergirl Cosmic Adventures In The 8Th Grade TP
Joyride #1 (of 4)
Superzero #1 (O/A)
Except for a couple things for my kids I had a real hard time finding comics I wanted to read. I decided to try a couple new things and finally try out Johns' Flash.
I'm glad that people are really digging what is being published these days but I can't seem to muster the same enthusiasm. For me, personally, I think Marvel and DC are putting out some of the lamest material in a long time. I had gotten used to it with DC's New 52 but now I'm sorry to see the same thing with Marvel's line. I wish I could formulate my thoughts into a great explanation as to what it is I'm not liking at Marvel...all I know for sure is that it isn't for me.
DC
DK3 #5
Image
Aloha Hawaiian Dick #1 - new Hawaiian Dick
Criminal 10th Anniversary - I love criminal, and the last special edition was great. If you like neat formats I would recommend getting the Deadly ED magazine size of this issue.
Lazarus Sourcebook #1
Black Science vol.4 - Rick Remender was the best writer of comics in 2015. His Sci-fi is the best.
Southern Bastards vol.3 - Jason Aaron was the best writer of comics in 2015. Yeah I know I just wrote that about DoubleR. SB is a great book (so is the Goddamned).
Marvel
Avengers Under Siege
Other
Hip Hop Family Tree #9
KoDT #230
Super Pro Ko vol. 3 - I loved the first two volumes and never thought i'd see volume 3. If you like wrestling you might want to check this series out.
Manga
Assassination Classroom vol.9
My point was that the Cho book is a half trade not a floppy, and is priced at about half of what you pay for a trade at Marvel. So it's not a bad price.
On side note these are really fun stories, and Amadeus Cho is one of the best "new" characters at Marvel.
As for where my rants come from, it wasn't pointed at you @mwhitt80 even though I quoted you before I went there.
"...that's my secret..."
I'll probably still pick it up, if for no other reason that to check these stories out, but appreciate the tip.