High Prices

[Memphis Bleek]

Is anyone else tired of the increasing prices of comics these day? I for one can't stand it, but I love the titles that I read. I just suck it up and pay the money. My problem is that with the high prices of my regular comics I have less money to experiment with new comics. I think that the price of comics is one of the biggest problems that the comic industry has. I don't know many people who aren't hardcore fans who are going to pay $2.25 plus tax for a 22 page pamphlet. Don't even get me started on double size issues, specials, crossovers, and annuals.

[The Green Hornet]

i can remember when comics were under a dollar

[The Guard]

It's a business. And with the cost of making them, paying everyone involved...it makes sense. Myself, I don't have a problem shelling out 2.00 for a comic. The paper, and even cover materials are of higher quality than in the past, so they last longer. And the pages are often glossed, which helps when you spill hot cocoa on it.

[Calhoun07]

Well, it just forces me to cut back. I hate the high prices, and I can't afford to keep buying the books I have been buying. From time to time I have to cut back and stick to the essentials.

[Fallout Boy]

Just the other day I popped into a comic store for the first time in years. I decided to pick up the current issues of all the Batbooks. Imagine my astonishment when I saw the prices!!! So instead of getting all 4 main titles I picked up two Batbooks and an inexpensive graphic novel.

I will have to think long and hard to decide if I wanna spend the kind of money I would have to spend to get back into comics...

[Russkafin]

<<I don't know many people who aren't hardcore fans who are going to pay $2.25 plus tax>>

There's no tax on comic books. If you are being charged tax, you're getting ripped off! Comic books are classified under monthly periodicals and as such sales tax does not apply to them.

[The Green Hornet]

i get charged tax all the time

i think it must vary by state

[Joe Wagner]

As much as I hate forking out an extra 25 cents a month for a book I think I would have much rathered give them an extra quarter and still be reading Nova, Scarlet Spider and Aztek than not getting to see these characters in their owm monthly adventures.

-Joe!

[The Green Hornet]

JJW:


ive determined that they killed off AZTEK because he was too popular-- same as Ben Reilly the Scarlet Spider

[Joe Wagner]

Originally posted by The Green Hornet
JJW:


ive determined that they killed off AZTEK because he was too popular-- same as Ben Reilly the Scarlet Spider

That sounds about right because I mean they can't have any character with poplularity possibly becoming critically acclaimed, remain interesting for a long period of time and prove that the character doesn't have to exist for over 40 years to be considered popular.

I guess it's a good thing Marvel and DC didn't own Spawn or the Savage Dragon - I'm sure they would have been cancelled with their first issue.

I can imagine the tag line - "Now introducing a character for the next generation. His final issue!"

-Joe!

[kid_flash]

Many of the comics I get I can justify the money I spend on them. DAREDEVIL is $2.99 every month (no tax in Oregon, we kick butt), and I can completely justify spending that. Same goes with POWERS and ELEKTRA and now CAPTAIN AMERICA. $2.25 isn't hard to justify, because that's as cheap as good comics come, especially when you're only spending that on stuff like ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN, THE ULTIMATES, and THE FLASH.. I have no problem paying $2.50 when I'm given amazing work like DETECTIVE COMICS, RISING STARS, and DOOM PATROL in return. And awesome hardcovers like WONDER WOMAN/BATMAN and SELINA'S BIG SCORE look like they'll be completely worth the $25.

However, I cannot justify spending $2.50 on IMPULSE as of late, but that's getting cancelled soon anyway.

Other thing I can't justify is when I get a "double-sized" comic (38 pages instead of 22 :p ) for $4 when it regularly goes for $2.25 or $2.50.

So....as for prices on whole, it's just business. Inflation happens in every industry, don't expect comics to stay at $1.

[halinar]

Every time prices jump my tolerance drops. I just won't buy filler books or books that I deem below my standards to pay XXX$ for. When books were much cheaper I'd pick up substandard filler books just to keep runs going but not any more. Every book is on a month by month evaluation period now.

[James Harvey]

Um...AZTEK was cancelled becuase the sales were extremely low. Why would DC cancel a title of the character was popular? That logic does not make a lick of sense. The title never even broke the top 110 and it fell under the axe. It's the nature of the beast. It happens to both good comics and bad comics. It's a shame. The comic was cheap (1.75) and had a great creative team. The interest just wasn't completely there.

Myself, I'm not a big fan of high comic prices. I've had to drop alot of comics over the years becuase of the low prices. A regular comic costs me $3.75 and it's intimidating. And yeah, it also sucks hardcore.

[Joe Wagner]

I really wish that DC would have let Aztek stay on for a couple of issues more. The reasoning here is because no one even knew about the character for roughly the first 6-8 issues. DC didn't really support the book with in house ads and the only promotional material to ever be seen was one poster that only a couple of shops got.

After they started to make guest spots with Bats and GL the sales went up a little bit but issue #10 (the last issue) featured the entire JL and if I remember correctly was in fact in the top 100.

When Aztek joined the JLA he had already lost his own title - this would have been the perfect time to introduce readers to the character and give him a reasonable chance at success. As it stood his biggest push came after his title had already been axed. Was a shame to - I would have loved to follow the further adventures of a truly interesting character.

-Joe!

[Anarky]

I've stopped buying comics cold turkey almost 10 yrs ago.
My love for them hasn't died, it's just that I've moved onto a different hobby: collecting art.

Rather than buying a bunch of books, them storing them away, I've decided to go public w/ my love of comics

I've been collecting limited edition cels, lithographs, prints, posters, statues, figures, snowglobes, etc... Also, I've got stacks of cds chock loaded w/ jpegs.

True it's much more expensive but I love displaying my art collection.

i haven't bought a Spider-Man since ASM #400!!!
i am going to buy the Spider-Man Blue though. i love the work of Tim Sale & Jeph Loeb (TLH, DV)

i buy a bat-book ever now and then, mostly one-shots and tpb's. They look great between my Batman-Robin bookends (w/ Joker & Riddler silhouettes)

i enjoy the stories but i love the art much more. great americana (pop-art)

[kid_flash]

Originally posted by Jim Harvey
Why would DC cancel a title of the character was popular? That logic does not make a lick of sense.

Because they're DC COMICS. They're a division of Warner Bros, they don't think like normal people :)