The NZA Posted March 23, 2011 Author Share Posted March 23, 2011 marvel's trying, but the scene is absolutely not there yet and until they're ready to stop placating dying retail shops, they're gonna keep passing by the money on the table. Diamond taking initiative is the biggest news on this front yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gunsmithx Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 it's funny in a lot of ways it's like video games and retail. Alot of games would sell better if they were cheaper on psn/xbla or if you could start out at a lower price point then 60 but the shops still have alot of sway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Hakujin Posted March 24, 2011 Share Posted March 24, 2011 (edited) marvel's trying, but the scene is absolutely not there yet and until they're ready to stop placating dying retail shops, they're gonna keep passing by the money on the table. Diamond taking initiative is the biggest news on this front yet. "placating" retail shops? damn, that's a bit harsh. i think it's more that the big publishers are trying to help sustain the local shops b/c they pretty much sustain an entire geek culture. honestly, w/out a local comic book shop there would be no hondo's. gaming, action figures, general nerdery--the local comic shop fuels all this (you can make an argument for the Web, but it's not the same as real interaction) with those monthly comic book sales. god love those guys and gals that still have their "pull lists" and arent' just reading the graphic novels or DL'n their stuff. they keep the blood pumping in the heart of geekdom that is the local comic book store. that may have come off a bit tangential. sorry; i just watched a bill hicks documentary on netflix and am feeling rebellious and slightly superior. Edited March 24, 2011 by Mr. Hakujin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The NZA Posted March 24, 2011 Author Share Posted March 24, 2011 well, you've been snarky/uppity for much less than rev. hicks, so, preach i think i had another topic on it, but...yours is a double-edge sword. no doubt the shops have been the lifeblood for the comics industry forever now...but i applauded Bill Jemas @ 2000 when he pissed them off by pushing marvel's concentrations at the time towards bookstores (seeing as how viz/manga was making a killing vs amercian comics). the question becomes: with many comic stores closing up shop (weve barely got 1-2 here in miami, and we're a major city) and sales hitting lows/struggling for new readers, where else can you go? i really do think digital's the answer, and now more than ever with books on average recently hitting $4/issue, during a recession no less. digi issues could go itunes model for 99 cents, and more of that could go to writers/artists/etc without so many middlemen (shop owners, production, shipping etc). i know it sounds shitty (moreso because id love to run my own shop/bar) but i think we could reach a point where if the industry continues only kowtowing to said shops, who raise huge fits and protest when any other models/venues are embraced, everyone's gonna get burned. i mean, using myself as an example? im not gonna pay $4 an issue for a format ill just have to sell back on ebay later to buy the trade. charge me per issue (or give me a monthly/etc subscription) and you're going to be making money off me twice when the TPBs of my favorite stories drops. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Hakujin Posted March 24, 2011 Share Posted March 24, 2011 (edited) Oh, no doubt the push of trades and the manga books have kept comics as an industry afloat long enough to ride this Hollywood wave. And I know it's a tricky line to walk, wanting what's best for the industry and wanting what's best for the local comic shop (LCS). I think the comic format as a whole will have to change for the LCS to stay afloat. But the question I think is what's the future of the 20 pg monthly comic book? How will individual issues get to consumers in the future? Or will they cease to exist altogether? As you mentioned, cost is just too high. DC is "drawing the line at $2.99," but really is that price fix gonna help the industry stay viable financially AND maintain the level of creativity and variety we see now? I don't know. Personally, I'd like to see the bigger companies move towards a more Japanese minded publishing stance where NEW material comes out weekly in bound/graphic novel type volumes. I'd think the larger volumes would be more cost effective for publishers and consumers. I could be wrong though; I'm just guessing that this might be one way to help save the publishing leg of the industry AND keep the LCS afloat as they'd be able, as ever, to offer more selection when it comes to comic titles than the big chain bookstores. But the 20 pg. monthlyy book will always be there, in some form, I think. Enough comic fans dig that weekly jones, and as long as they can afford it they'll keep that "pull list" poppin'. Maybe the digital world is where the monthly/weekly comics will live in the future and only collected volumes will be actually printed. . . . . .but, now that I think about it, I kinda doubt that as well b/c the comic book collector will always want something tangible and pristine. Whereas the comic book reader want the stories in the most convenient and cost effective manner (eg. trades and digital DLs). tl;dr: local comic book shops will likely sell very few comic books in order to stay afloat in the future. weekly "pull lists" will likely be for hardcore collectors only. readers will DL or buy in trades from the less expensive online and chain store options. Edited March 24, 2011 by Mr. Hakujin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The NZA Posted March 24, 2011 Author Share Posted March 24, 2011 i could talk about this stuff all day. related: ive put it out there a bit, but if you ever find yourself wanting to read someone with far more insight, Warren Ellis' articles on Come in Alone gave me more industry insight than any other single source. Oh, no doubt the push of trades and the manga books have kept comics as an industry afloat long enough to ride this Hollywood wave. And I know it's a tricky line to walk, wanting what's best for the industry and wanting what's best for the local comic shop (LCS). I think the comic format as a whole will have to change for the LCS to stay afloat. But the question I think is what's the future of the 20 pg monthly comic book? How will individual issues get to consumers in the future? Or will they cease to exist altogether? gun put forth the idea of having LCS also sell online passes/etc, which is cool but it wont keep doors open anymore than having gamestop selling PSN/XBLA cards when all the games go digital. related: Ellis talked about the perils of trying to bank on the hollywood thing. i contend that ultimate spider-man mightve sold a bit better if it'dve been up & running around the launch of the first spidey flick, but it was a quality book regardless so it happily sold like mad. there's times he's lamented the opposite though: i.e., he gives an example of DC running a powder puff girls book back when the cartoon was really hot, and not marketing it one bit. As you mentioned, cost is just too high. DC is "drawing the line at $2.99," but really is that price fix gonna help the industry stay viable financially AND maintain the level of creativity and variety we see now? I don't know. didnt know DC was doing that, good on them. ive read them say they have a different model alltogether (like even when bat-books were slumping in sales, they considered them great ads for the franchise that's in animation, cinema, toys etc). it kills me to see small/indie artists/writers talk about how if you dont buy the issues, its harder to get to the TPB. im torn here because i want to support them, yet as a consumer, i feel im working against myself. again, speaking to my own tastes, i would adore something like what i do with music: i purchase some albums on itunes or direct from the artist if they have a market and often dont even download them/just keep the ones id DL'd prior, but know that ive supported them in a format that works for me. there's times i just want to go to an artists site and fucking paypal them a few bucks instead. Personally, I'd like to see the bigger companies move towards a more Japanese minded publishing stance where NEW material comes out weekly in bound/graphic novel type volumes. I'd think the larger volumes would be more cost effective for publishers and consumers. I could be wrong though; I'm just guessing that this might be one way to help save the publishing leg of the industry AND keep the LCS afloat as they'd be able, as ever, to offer more selection when it comes to comic titles than the big chain bookstores. i love anthology stuff, and i too've wondered why we dont print big, cheap shojo type books to launch/try out new guys and characters. Crisis/2000 AD have been doing that in EU for like decades now, and some of the best writers of the last decade came out of there. literally the closest thing i can think of is when they did Marvel presents or the like, and youd always have a popular character like spiedy or wolvy in one tale, and then the rest would be blade or swamp thing or someone else they wanted to test the waters with. even big events like Weapon X ran through them, but i coudlnt tell you why they dont do this now, especially since Buckley wanted to add more titles. it'd be like the opposite of their Icon line for favorite writers, but i guess the thing is marvel will usually kill books if sales hit image-level #'s so that might be my answer. But the 20 pg. monthlyy book will always be there, in some form, I think. Enough comic fans dig that weekly jones, and as long as they can afford it they'll keep that "pull list" poppin'. Maybe the digital world is where the monthly/weekly comics will live in the future and only collected volumes will be actually printed. . . see, the (dwindling) hardcore collector, they dont worry about pandering too cause like you said, he's gonna pay more to buy/own it anyway. id like to see all weeklies go digi (if even a week or so later to keep incentive for local purchases) but again, the model makes it tough cause even when vertigo tried to do a TPB-only series, who wants to throw $15-20 on a book they havent been following? there's more room for buyer remorse there, so its still tricky. i figure the industry's gotta be looking almost entirely at what room there is for growth, and a few of Ellis' ideas aside (which i shamelessly would steal had i a shop), most local stores ive seen dont have much to go with here. on the other hand - what if marvel worked it out with say apple to give a 1-3 month demo for their digital catalog/service with every ipad sale? or a free month with a ticket purchase to any avenger flick, etc? they're still working on catching up (last i checked) but if they could get their shit together and have most popular books no more than a month or two behind, id say what they currently charge - taking into account all the archived silver age stuff theyve been working on getting up there - would be a fantastic deal, and its only one immediate example of how they could potentially net new readers. i loved seeing quesada, smith etc go on talk shows to pimp their books, but i never saw any studies done to prove if that had any real effect. every example i can think of, of branching out into other areas of pop culture and making themselves more accessible, lies well outside of the retail shops, which is admittedly a shame but i cant see a ton of middle ground - as you said, selling physical weekly copies could still work as the niche market they've become, but the prospect of opening up a new shop is, from a business standpoint, about as profitable in my mind as opening up a new arcade. i hate the reality behind that analogy, and myself for making it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The NZA Posted April 16, 2011 Author Share Posted April 16, 2011 thank fuck - Dark Horse is finally putting their books up on a digital service. as a B.P.R.D. insider, i was sent this link - they want to see Abe Sapien # 1 as a free book (as do i, it was good), so entering/verifying your email puts you in a contest for free digital access and an ipad 2. good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thelogan Posted April 16, 2011 Share Posted April 16, 2011 Sweet action! Sign up, people! Like you're even gonna notice a little more sporadic spam. I haven't read that Abe Sapien book yet, and I aint gonna unless more people take the 8 seconds to type their email address. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The NZA Posted June 1, 2011 Author Share Posted June 1, 2011 honestly, an ultimate kinda thing is way overdue. that said: who buys comics now that trades are plentiful? welcome to 2004, logans Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The NZA Posted June 18, 2011 Author Share Posted June 18, 2011 Free 1 month subscription to Marvel Comics online! (7,000 comics available) Go here and enter coupon code CAP734 during signup for 1 month free - no billing info needed https://subscriptions.marvel.com/v3/...ssubscribe.php I just signed up, so I can verify it works (make sure to select the monthly plan). No excuse not to give it a try, Hondo's! i'm gonna see how caught up they are now; really hoping DC's move forces them to step up their new issues. Give me no more than a day or so delay, and my $60/year is yours, marvel. ps click here to see their newest releases show in order Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jables Posted June 18, 2011 Share Posted June 18, 2011 Be interesting to see if 1) this works outside the US and 2) if they update their Icon imprint as frequently. Will report back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thelogan Posted June 19, 2011 Share Posted June 19, 2011 I liked Marvel digital for a while, but I was super behind and there were other titles I had always meant to read. I ended up cancelling because, as you said, they don't have new stuff. Here's hoping that changes, I'll sign back up. All that said, it's totally worth the low price of free. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jables Posted June 19, 2011 Share Posted June 19, 2011 No Icon stuff at all. strike one I see Billing info requires a US billing address and even though that's an easy get around, chances are it may give me the same regional-CC issues that PSN gives me. strike two Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thelogan Posted September 19, 2011 Share Posted September 19, 2011 So after bitching about DC's stupid fucking digital comics strategy, when the day came that I wanted to read some new stuff...I didn't want to leave the house. So I snagged a few of the new 52 for full price and became part of the problem. Last week I discovered they have an android app that ties to your account, and it works really well. So lately I've been in situations where I'm sitting on the can at work and I'll think "I wish I had an issue of Planetary right now" or "I wonder if the new Suicide Squad is any good?" and I find it hard to resist. So I've built up quite the little collection. Yes, I could get nice trades for what I've paid. Yes, I could go hunt down back issues of some of this shit for a fraction of what I've paid. I've made my peace with that. I'm cutting down on clutter and reading them on the phone anywhere on a whim is really nice. I've also discovered a few books, that I wouldn't have gone out on a limb and bought a trade of at first, that I've really enjoyed (like Sweet Tooth). I also get to feel a little better about contributing to small, interesting Vertigo titles like that one. Those books don't have a set publication contract: they don't make money, they just stop existing. So yeah. TL;DR, I'm a digital comics whore that's blowing cash like it's going out of style, and I'm perfectly fine with that because it's convenient as hell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The NZA Posted September 19, 2011 Author Share Posted September 19, 2011 if it's not too invasive: you mind tossing up prices and how deep you've gone? really interested to see how bad it can get. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thelogan Posted September 19, 2011 Share Posted September 19, 2011 Haha, oh man. It's not too bad at the moment, but I'm eyeballing 100 Bullets while biting my lip. I don't now what I've spent right now, but I'll figure it up. By the end of this post I may have completely changed my mind on the entire subject. It's the new books that get you, and I've splurged a lot on those out of curiosity. I won't be buying very many of them on a regular basis. I should also mention that it's worth whipping up an account for a handful of worthwhile free books (Morrison's Animal Man #1, Planetary #1, the first (awful) Batman story etc). All are just first issues unless otherwise noted. Action Comics - $2.99 Animal Man (1988) - FREE! Animal Man (2011) - $2.99 The Authority - .99 Batgirl - $2.99 Batman Adventures - FREE! Batman Beyond - FREE! Batman & Robin (2011) - $2.99 Batman: Gotham knights - FREE! Batman: Legends of the Dark knight - FREE! Batman: Shadow Of The Bat - FREE! Batwing - $2.99 Demon knights - $2.99 Detective Comics (1939, #27) - FREE! Detective Comics (2011) - $2.99 Earthbuilders - free (and terrible) Justice League (2011) - $2.99 Impulse - FREE! Legion Lost - $2.99 Planetary (#1-#27) - ...$1.99 each, first one was free...so, $51.74. FUCk... Re-Evolution - free (and terrible) Red Lanterns - $2.99 Stormwatch (2011) - $2.99 Suicide Squad (2011) - $2.99 Swamp Thing (2011) - $2.99 Sweet Tooth (#1-#11) - $1.99 each, so $21.89 For a grand total of (drumroll) $110.55 (they don't charge sales tax) Half of that was Planetary. I kept wanting the next issue so I just bought 'em all on an impulse, even though I already own the first 13 or so. Not my most sound business decision, but it would annoy me only having the last half of the run available there. Transmet and Preacher I will definitely be able to resist, since I own all of those and I've read them multiple times. Shit like Y: The Last Man, Authority, 100 Bullets, DMZ and the DC run of American Splendor may end up fucking me right in the ass though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The NZA Posted September 19, 2011 Author Share Posted September 19, 2011 damn. i can't question your tastes here, but i (presumably, you) wish they offered bundle/whole run discounts...its early on though, cant imagine they'll not do so later. i can't help but think this - at some point - is gonna be for me like what steam/etc has done with gaming: i download most anything i want, but at some point, i want legit copies, so i buy either physical or, more often now, digital versions of music/games/etc to support it. as JZA points out at every turn, god knows ive skated by without doing this (TPBs aside here & there) with comics for years now, but again, a services like this will likely catch me. Dark Horse offering complete Hellboy/BPRD for $60 or so? hard to say no! Marvel catches me on the subscription model (when they're more on-point) plus snag the whole of AOA for $15? sure, i wasn't gonna eat today anyway! i can totally see the slippery slope here, man. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thelogan Posted September 19, 2011 Share Posted September 19, 2011 All digital delivery systems for anything ever should take a good, hard look at Steam. Outside of the 90's and the odd MMO, I really wasn't much of a PC gamer before Steam. I imagine it's only a matter of time before someone figures that out, this whole thing is really still in it's infancy. Marvel isn't even doing anything like this. They start offering random deals and discounted bundles, this could quickly become my new favorite way of consuming comics. The phone factor is huge, I don't want to lug around a book all the time or have to worry about people asking me annoying questions if I dare read it in public. There really needs to be a cross-company site doing this though. I mean, retailers don't have to specialize in one company. Steam doesn't just offer Valve games. Some 3rd party needs to take the reigns and make something awesome by just offering digital comics in general. Holy shit...who's interested in a business proposition? IWe could be rich as nazis! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The NZA Posted September 19, 2011 Author Share Posted September 19, 2011 true, but...Valve got in on the ground floor & put it on lock by having HL2 exclusively there in what, '04? now Origin has every half-assed dev thinking it'd be better to run their own shop & not share royalties, worse yet having consumers celebrate it as being more "open" when really, it's not really competitive/ideal for consumers. my concern is that with marvel/DC (as you said, they're doing this way better alla sudden too), Dark Horse and others slowly starting it up, they're gonna be all fragmented. who's in a position to strongarm them & keep them all at a consumer-friendly rate? Diamond? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thelogan Posted September 19, 2011 Share Posted September 19, 2011 Fuck, nevermind. I knew that DC digital was run by Comixology, but it JUST occurred to me to look up their pure website (I lined from DC). They aren't just DC, not at all. So yeah. Shit. Comixology is the place to be. Their prices are still stupid (That AoA run is gonna cost you $70), but they're clearly the front runners here. Hopefully they turn the service into something cooler than it is now. I'm also seeing a lot of new stuff I want to add to my library. BASTARDS! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The NZA Posted September 19, 2011 Author Share Posted September 19, 2011 . Their prices are still stupid (That AoA run is gonna cost you $70), but they're clearly the front runners here. doing things just by # of issues is not the right way. legacy packages - especially older shit not many give a fuck about like clone sagas, forgettable x-men arcs, etc - shouldn't be priced at nearly the same as say current hot shit arcs (like if Civil War or Infinite Crisis was current, for instance) or even shorter, much-loved ones like grant's new x-men, dark phoenix, simonson's thor etc. okay, im not sure how to price this, but that's clearly fucking wrong for a package deal. they'll get serious at some point. i hope the industry's still viable when they do, because when we start asking > $4 for print issues, i think it's a bit late. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thelogan Posted September 19, 2011 Share Posted September 19, 2011 Dude...they have some really good shit! HOW DID I NOT kNOW THIS WAS A THING?!? And yeah, they need to do bundles. Individual issue prices are just retarded. Especially for the quarter bin shit and the new stuff. Scott Pilgrim for $6.99? I can live with that. They do have a few collections, so maybe there's a push in that direction. Bone 1-6 is $7.99. Still overpriced (since I think you can get that phonebook for like $20), but still. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The NZA Posted September 19, 2011 Author Share Posted September 19, 2011 i love that your discovery tonight sounds like friends of mine in the day discovering strip joints. "no no i mean i know i need to get this car fixed, it's just...this one chick is bangin', and she swears she's charging me half-price cause she really likes me! she even told me her real name, it's cherry." 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thelogan Posted September 19, 2011 Share Posted September 19, 2011 Maybe a little, but I'm pretty sure Comixology is really into me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lycaon Posted September 19, 2011 Share Posted September 19, 2011 Maybe a little, but I'm pretty sure Comixology is really into me. It even told you its real name. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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