Comments on: Are Comics Too Expensive? http://comicsworthreading.com/2008/05/13/are-comics-too-expensive/ Independent Opinions on Comics of All Kinds Sat, 07 Nov 2009 22:32:14 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.5 hourly 1 By: Ryan http://comicsworthreading.com/2008/05/13/are-comics-too-expensive/comment-page-1/#comment-106833 Ryan Wed, 14 Oct 2009 14:34:27 +0000 http://comicsworthreading.com/2008/05/13/are-comics-too-expensive/#comment-106833 I have been a life-long comic fan/reader/collector since I was small. They have been a great pass time over the years (since I was like 9 or 10). I am from Australia and sadly comics (publishers & retailers) are killing themselves slowly. There is I think a limited market out there for them and it would be rare to find people taking it up for the first time. If you do the math well the lowest standard priced comic US$2.99 is $6.00 Australian here. With annuals or 'special' editions or 1-shots reaching $10 or $12 for a comic. Even with the exchange rate (a whopping 10-15% extra) and freight which I am sure retailers use as an excuse why such a disparity? Greed? Profiteering? Who knows really but it is apparent comics at least in their conventional form are on the way out sadly. RIP Comics I have been a life-long comic fan/reader/collector since I was small. They have been a great pass time over the years (since I was like 9 or 10). I am from Australia and sadly comics (publishers & retailers) are killing themselves slowly. There is I think a limited market out there for them and it would be rare to find people taking it up for the first time.

If you do the math well the lowest standard priced comic US$2.99 is $6.00 Australian here. With annuals or ’special’ editions or 1-shots reaching $10 or $12 for a comic. Even with the exchange rate (a whopping 10-15% extra) and freight which I am sure retailers use as an excuse why such a disparity?

Greed? Profiteering? Who knows really but it is apparent comics at least in their conventional form are on the way out sadly.

RIP
Comics

]]> By: Gary H http://comicsworthreading.com/2008/05/13/are-comics-too-expensive/comment-page-1/#comment-103282 Gary H Thu, 16 Apr 2009 13:00:11 +0000 http://comicsworthreading.com/2008/05/13/are-comics-too-expensive/#comment-103282 How about this idea: Go to small comic shows and pick up most books for 1.00? I do and I will not pay 3.99 for a new book! It's absurd! I do not need cardboard stock covers I need newsprint and a good story...Books should be 1.00, no more! How about this idea: Go to small comic shows and pick up most books for 1.00?

I do and I will not pay 3.99 for a new book! It’s absurd! I do not need cardboard stock covers I need newsprint and a good story…Books should be 1.00, no more!

]]> By: Johanna http://comicsworthreading.com/2008/05/13/are-comics-too-expensive/comment-page-1/#comment-91078 Johanna Thu, 15 May 2008 11:40:02 +0000 http://comicsworthreading.com/2008/05/13/are-comics-too-expensive/#comment-91078 Totally agree. Price pressure forcing buyers to be more selective may be a very good thing. They'll hopefully enjoy what they get more instead of buying out of habit, and only buying the good stuff would cause the publishers to be more selective as well. Ideally. Totally agree. Price pressure forcing buyers to be more selective may be a very good thing. They’ll hopefully enjoy what they get more instead of buying out of habit, and only buying the good stuff would cause the publishers to be more selective as well. Ideally.

]]> By: Tomo http://comicsworthreading.com/2008/05/13/are-comics-too-expensive/comment-page-1/#comment-91077 Tomo Thu, 15 May 2008 11:06:00 +0000 http://comicsworthreading.com/2008/05/13/are-comics-too-expensive/#comment-91077 The price of comics unhooked me too and I've always wondered if the cost keeps people away. Here in London, where I live, a $2.99 book is £2.00. Given the almost 2:1 exchange rate with the dollar, it should be £1.50 but it never is. So 5 comics for £10 (or $20) is expensive and you just have to be realistic about your spends. The good thing that's come out of it is, that waiting for certain books to be collected has changed my comicbook tastes. It's been nice to wait for a book you really want, like DMZ or Jonathan Lethem's Omega The Unknown; and also to be selective on writing quality, creative merit & the like. Libraries have also been a great way of catching up. The price of comics unhooked me too and I’ve always wondered if the cost keeps people away. Here in London, where I live, a $2.99 book is £2.00. Given the almost 2:1 exchange rate with the dollar, it should be £1.50 but it never is. So 5 comics for £10 (or $20) is expensive and you just have to be realistic about your spends.

The good thing that’s come out of it is, that waiting for certain books to be collected has changed my comicbook tastes. It’s been nice to wait for a book you really want, like DMZ or Jonathan Lethem’s Omega The Unknown; and also to be selective on writing quality, creative merit & the like. Libraries have also been a great way of catching up.

]]> By: Chris G. http://comicsworthreading.com/2008/05/13/are-comics-too-expensive/comment-page-1/#comment-91002 Chris G. Wed, 14 May 2008 15:43:19 +0000 http://comicsworthreading.com/2008/05/13/are-comics-too-expensive/#comment-91002 The price of comics (and the inane, endless events from the Big Two) hasn't so much unhooked me as led me to discover the miracle of Inter-Library Loans. Most of what purchases I make these days are trades or a few series that I'm waiting to wrap up (All-Star Superman, Ex Machina, etc.). The price of comics (and the inane, endless events from the Big Two) hasn’t so much unhooked me as led me to discover the miracle of Inter-Library Loans. Most of what purchases I make these days are trades or a few series that I’m waiting to wrap up (All-Star Superman, Ex Machina, etc.).

]]> By: Matt Clark http://comicsworthreading.com/2008/05/13/are-comics-too-expensive/comment-page-1/#comment-91001 Matt Clark Wed, 14 May 2008 14:58:11 +0000 http://comicsworthreading.com/2008/05/13/are-comics-too-expensive/#comment-91001 Last week, amongst other things, I picked up Iron Man: Viva Las Vegas and Logan. They were both pretty good in their own ways but the cardstock cover didn't justify the price hike. Both of them together took about 10-15 minutes to read tops. I'm not sure that really justifies whatever the UK equivilant of $7.98 it cost me. Last week, amongst other things, I picked up Iron Man: Viva Las Vegas and Logan. They were both pretty good in their own ways but the cardstock cover didn’t justify the price hike.

Both of them together took about 10-15 minutes to read tops. I’m not sure that really justifies whatever the UK equivilant of $7.98 it cost me.

]]> By: John http://comicsworthreading.com/2008/05/13/are-comics-too-expensive/comment-page-1/#comment-91000 John Wed, 14 May 2008 04:04:07 +0000 http://comicsworthreading.com/2008/05/13/are-comics-too-expensive/#comment-91000 The price of comics is what got me unhooked. When I was younger, I bought lots, but one day, I woke up and found that I had a particularly low paying job and could barely afford to eat let alone read comics, which even in 1988 were waaaay too expensive for what you got. I went for a year where I only bought Cerebus. By the end of the year, Cerebus was the only comic I cared about. Now I won't buy regular comics because they cost twice what they did in 1988 and you still don't get a lot for what you pay. I only deal with books now, because the volume and packaging match the price being asked for them. The price of comics is what got me unhooked. When I was younger, I bought lots, but one day, I woke up and found that I had a particularly low paying job and could barely afford to eat let alone read comics, which even in 1988 were waaaay too expensive for what you got. I went for a year where I only bought Cerebus. By the end of the year, Cerebus was the only comic I cared about. Now I won’t buy regular comics because they cost twice what they did in 1988 and you still don’t get a lot for what you pay. I only deal with books now, because the volume and packaging match the price being asked for them.

]]> By: Nat Gertler http://comicsworthreading.com/2008/05/13/are-comics-too-expensive/comment-page-1/#comment-90999 Nat Gertler Wed, 14 May 2008 04:01:09 +0000 http://comicsworthreading.com/2008/05/13/are-comics-too-expensive/#comment-90999 Tom's analysis is imperfect; he points to rising prices as discouraging sampling of indy comics, when indy comic pamphlets really haven't gone up in price in the past couple decades (15-20 years ago, they were priced at $2-$2.95, these days they're $2.99-$3.99... that's not even keeping up with inflation.) But the rising prices of mainstream comics (which were $1 20 years ago) does bite into the budget, and the pamphlets do have to compete with the squarebound formats. Tom’s analysis is imperfect; he points to rising prices as discouraging sampling of indy comics, when indy comic pamphlets really haven’t gone up in price in the past couple decades (15-20 years ago, they were priced at $2-$2.95, these days they’re $2.99-$3.99… that’s not even keeping up with inflation.) But the rising prices of mainstream comics (which were $1 20 years ago) does bite into the budget, and the pamphlets do have to compete with the squarebound formats.

]]> By: Joshua Macy http://comicsworthreading.com/2008/05/13/are-comics-too-expensive/comment-page-1/#comment-90998 Joshua Macy Wed, 14 May 2008 01:28:14 +0000 http://comicsworthreading.com/2008/05/13/are-comics-too-expensive/#comment-90998 I think Kleefeld is wrong. People still buy books. They buy lots of books. They even buy lots of manga. It may be that Amazon's Kindle and such will eventually change that, but Alice in Wonderland notwithstanding most people aren't reading content they could get online for free (let alone legally). The dominant paradigm is still that people are buying books including comics in order to read them. If Burger King was failing while McDonald's, Subway, and Pizza Hut were still chugging along should you immediately conclude that the problem is their outdated business model? Why, look at how Wolfgang Puck sells frozen pizzas at the supermarket so people don't have to pay all the extra overhead for a physical restaurant and staff! I think Kleefeld is wrong.

People still buy books. They buy lots of books. They even buy lots of manga. It may be that Amazon’s Kindle and such will eventually change that, but Alice in Wonderland notwithstanding most people aren’t reading content they could get online for free (let alone legally). The dominant paradigm is still that people are buying books including comics in order to read them.

If Burger King was failing while McDonald’s, Subway, and Pizza Hut were still chugging along should you immediately conclude that the problem is their outdated business model? Why, look at how Wolfgang Puck sells frozen pizzas at the supermarket so people don’t have to pay all the extra overhead for a physical restaurant and staff!

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