Big Two Price Gouging is a Problem

[drew]

These prices are ridiculous for a single comic and at some point will kill the industry, what is your breaking point or have you already scaled back your comic purchases because of rising prices?

Marvel
1. SECRET WARS #9 (of 9) 56 PGS. …$4.99
2. THE TOTALLY AWESOME HULK #1 40 PGS./Rated T …$4.99
3. GUARDIANS OF INFINITY #1 40 PGS./Rated T …$4.99
4. ALL-NEW INHUMANS #1– 40 PGS./Rated T+ …$4.99
5. GWENPOOL SPECIAL #1 50 PGS./Rated T …$5.99
6. DEADPOOL & CABLE: SPLIT SECOND #1 (of 3) 40 PGS./Parental Advisory …$4.99
7. HOWARD THE DUCK #2 40 PGS./Rated T+ …$4.99
8. STAR WARS SPECIAL: C-3PO #1 40 PGS./One-Shot/Rated T+ …$4.99
9. DARTH VADER ANNUAL #1 40 PGS./Rated T …$4.99
10. STAR WARS ANNUAL #1 40 PGS./Rated T …$4.99

DC
1. DARK KNIGHT III: THE MASTER RACE #2 32 pg comic/ 16 page minicomic - $5.99
2. HARLEY’S LITTLE BLACK BOOK #1 48 pg, FC, $4.99
3. ROBIN WAR #1 48 pg, FC, 1 of 2, $4.99
4. THE MULTIVERSITY #1-2 DIRECTOR’S CUT 96 pg, FC, $7.99 US
5. DC COMICS PRESENTS: ROBIN WAR 100-PAGE SUPER SPECTACULAR #1 96 pg, FC, $7.99 US
6. DC COMICS PRESENTS: DARKSEID WAR 100-PAGE SUPER SPECTACULAR #1 96 pg, FC, $7.99 US

These last two were especially egregious - they are titled 100 page spectacular but are actually 96 pages…

[clobberin_time_bs]

These prices are ridiculous for a single comic and at some point will kill the industry, what is your breaking point or have you already scaled back your comic purchases because of rising prices?

Marvel
1. SECRET WARS #9 (of 9) 56 PGS. …$4.99
2. THE TOTALLY AWESOME HULK #1 40 PGS./Rated T …$4.99
3. GUARDIANS OF INFINITY #1 40 PGS./Rated T …$4.99
4. ALL-NEW INHUMANS #1– 40 PGS./Rated T+ …$4.99
5. GWENPOOL SPECIAL #1 50 PGS./Rated T …$5.99
6. DEADPOOL & CABLE: SPLIT SECOND #1 (of 3) 40 PGS./Parental Advisory …$4.99
7. HOWARD THE DUCK #2 40 PGS./Rated T+ …$4.99
8. STAR WARS SPECIAL: C-3PO #1 40 PGS./One-Shot/Rated T+ …$4.99
9. DARTH VADER ANNUAL #1 40 PGS./Rated T …$4.99
10. STAR WARS ANNUAL #1 40 PGS./Rated T …$4.99

DC
1. DARK KNIGHT III: THE MASTER RACE #2 32 pg comic/ 16 page minicomic - $5.99
2. HARLEY’S LITTLE BLACK BOOK #1 48 pg, FC, $4.99
3. ROBIN WAR #1 48 pg, FC, 1 of 2, $4.99
4. THE MULTIVERSITY #1-2 DIRECTOR’S CUT 96 pg, FC, $7.99 US
5. DC COMICS PRESENTS: ROBIN WAR 100-PAGE SUPER SPECTACULAR #1 96 pg, FC, $7.99 US
6. DC COMICS PRESENTS: DARKSEID WAR 100-PAGE SUPER SPECTACULAR #1 96 pg, FC, $7.99 US

These last two were especially egregious - they are titled 100 page spectacular but are actually 96 pages…

I started collecting in 1993 and comics were around $1.25 at the time. Typing that price into an online inflation calculator says that the same price should be about $2.50 now days so comic prices are definitely rising at a rate higher than inflation. Even if you take the $2.25 price point in the year 2000, when I really started buying a lot of comics, today that is only $2.60. The problem with that argument though is that I bet all of the top ten comics for December come from the list you have above with maybe Walking Dead or Batman sneaking on there.

[SvenCarlson]

I couldn't agree more brother. It's one of the top reasons that pushed me away from Marvel. I'm know finding I'm starting to read less DC and that's also part of the issue there.

Ben Truax
Craft-comics.com

[SpideySavestheDay]

Amen! It's become quite ridiculous. How many $2.99 books are left from the Big 2. I was bummed out that Flash increased by a dollar to $3.99 after Convergence. What changed? Nothing with the book or the current continuity; DC upped the price by 25%. The price increases have forced me to reduce the number of new books and limit the number of back issues.

Before I buy a book, I honestly think, "Will I be able to buy this book in the half-off back issue bins in 6 months?" The price increases can't be good for this industry in the long run.

[RowdyFromScrubs]

Are cover price only for suckers now? My Local Shop gives me 10% off face-value & I don't even think that it is that good of a deal. I only do it to support a Mom-&-Pop shop in the nieghborhood and like chit-chatting there with other nerds. There are well known places on the internet that'll give you 30%-50% off cover, plus a small static shipping fee. Is it that the BigTwo know that a $3.99 book can be picked-up for $2.39 if you know where to shop?

I try to keep myself to about $20-a-week, but that generally turns into about $25. I'm buying less titles locally but I still want my Batman, Justice League, The Walking Dead, Detective Comics, whatever funny book Nick Spencer is writing, Uncanny X-Men & a handful of Big-Name-Titles every Weds. I also just don't want to spend anymore cash on getting invested on new titles that'll never see 20+ issues anyways: COWL, Gotham By Midnight, Phantom Stranger, Savior, Superior Foes of Spider-man, Magneto, Dead Boy Detectives, etc...for example. I even doubt that some of the new Marvel titles I'm interested in (Dr Strange & Scarlet Witch) will see new issues in 2017. The horrible truth is that nobody buys new character books because they don't have any staying power, so the publishers cancel new character books because nobody is buying them.

JOHN, if it won't be too much of a problem: could you chart DC & Marvel's Monthly Overall Sales Numbers in Dollars with a base line of Average Cost-per-Book for whatever you have data for? I'd be interested in seeing if there is any direct correlation there.

[drew]

I started collecting in 1993 and comics were around $1.25 at the time. Typing that price into an online inflation calculator says that the same price should be about $2.50 now days so comic prices are definitely rising at a rate higher than inflation. Even if you take the $2.25 price point in the year 2000, when I really started buying a lot of comics, today that is only $2.60. The problem with that argument though is that I bet all of the top ten comics for December come from the list you have above with maybe Walking Dead or Batman sneaking on there.

unfortunately the diamond top 10 & 300 is only a list of comics ordered by and shipped to retailers and not real comic purchases - higher prices do not deter the retailers from ordering them because they don't pay full price; neither do I but still...

[drew]

I couldn't agree more brother. It's one of the top reasons that pushed me away from Marvel. I'm know finding I'm starting to read less DC and that's also part of the issue there.

Ben Truax
Craft-comics.com

yep, me too - i passed on ordering several rebooted marvel #1s based solely on high price; ditto for DCs DK3 - i am only getting #1 (for review purposes) and will trade wait the rest

[drew]

Amen! It's become quite ridiculous. How many $2.99 books are left from the Big 2. I was bummed out that Flash increased by a dollar to $3.99 after Convergence. What changed? Nothing with the book or the current continuity; DC upped the price by 25%. The price increases have forced me to reduce the number of new books and limit the number of back issues.

Before I buy a book, I honestly think, "Will I be able to buy this book in the half-off back issue bins in 6 months?" The price increases can't be good for this industry in the long run.

seems like most of the comic book business practices are not good for the industry...high prices, distribution monopolies, ridiculous preordering requirements, nonreturnable comics, writing for the trade, to name but a few - sadly is seems to me the industry continues to exist despite these poor choices mostly because of our loyalty and dedication

[bralinator]

How many of these funny books are even re-readable? And when you compare a $4.99 Marvel comic to something like a $4.99 issue of Popular Science, depending on your taste - or even a $9.95 copy of Back Issue Magazine, which I read and re-read and take several sittings to read through, which was the better value? As for waiting on the bargain bins, I know I originally skipped the 2014 Elektra series, and last month i picked up the entire run for less than $2.50 on eBay with $4 for shipping. That's less than .50 cents a book and I was giddy.

When you compare a $5 magazines to a $4.99 issues of Howard the Duck #1 or All-New Wolverine #1 coming out in November, I just no longer see the value. Maybe because I'm older and growing weary of the shenanigans and steeper pricing, but it's gotten completely out of hand. And as for most of these new titles, it almost feels like we're paying $4 to $5 on a 22-page pamphlet, because nothing is resolved, it's all just set-up, or promotion.

I've considered Marvel Unlimited, for $69 a year, where you get access to over 17,000 digital comics (new issues release about 6 months after their print release date), which isn't a big deal to me, since I'm so far behind now and have plenty of stuff to sort through and read now. But with marvel's newest slate of titles, I don't think it would save me that much. I'm only sampling Doctor Strange and Weirdworld in the All New Marvel. At least with Marvel, you get a digital code included. As for DC, I pick up the occasional collected edition and that's about it. I'm not interested in any of the current titles.

It's been said before at much lower price structures, but I do believe there is a tipping point to this pricing increase and it appears the comic industry is teetering on it. Until then, my LCS is certainly suffering because I won't pay retail for funny books anymore since I learned about DCBS. I just hate the 90 day pre-order model... but that's another rant.

[drew]

How many of these funny books are even re-readable? Maybe because I'm older and growing weary of the shenanigans and steeper pricing, but it's gotten completely out of hand. And as for most of these new titles, it almost feels like we're paying $4 to $5 on a 22-page pamphlet, because nothing is resolved, it's all just set-up, or promotion.

you are on to something not enough of them are worth the $$...some issues I wish I had a starbucks instead

[bralinator]

And look at it another way, comparing comics to other entertainment mediums.

$5 for approximately a 20-minute read probably makes single-issue comic books one of, if not THE, most expensive form of media one can purchase. A $60 video game can be played for weeks or months, and a $10 movie (overpriced as movies are) at least lasts a few hours (up to 6x as long as a comic read). Even cable television, which like the movies has gone up excessively, works out more efficiently. My current cable/internet bill is nearly $90/month, or about $3 a day; watching a single rerun a day of the “Batman the Animated Series” cartoon on cable or internet (which I still insist you should watch, Drew) would be more cost-effective than buying one of Batman’s comics at $4.99.

Publishers cannot keep trying to keep up with motion pictures. They have no sound, and should stop trying to mimic the epic-ness of the medium. They will eventually have to either accept ever lower sales, lower the price, or do something to make the product more desirable.

A few years ago, SciFiPulse.net did an analysis of comics pricing increases compared to actual inflation and discovered that

Marvel and DC have been increasing the cost of their comics at a rate faster than inflation. While Image and Top Cow Comics have increased the costs of most of their comics at a rate lower than inflation. Only Savage Dragon has gone up faster than inflation. Other long lasting titles like Spawn, Witchblade, and The Darkness have only increased in cost with or lower than inflation.

I realize the paper has gotten better, and likely the pay scales have improved, but the numbers they analyzed accounted for that and the increase was still disproportionate. I recommend anyone interested take a look.

More here: http://scifipulse.net/the-increasing-co ... inflation/

[drew]

watching a single rerun a day of the “Batman the Animated Series” cartoon on cable or internet (which I still insist you should watch, Drew)

if I can find a deal I will pick up first season, (its only 22 bucks on amazon) my brother is also trying to get me to watch Rebels since I enjoy Kanan and I keep meaning to watch the Dark knight part 1/2 so it is just a matter of time now til I watch one...

[SpideySavestheDay]

A few years ago, SciFiPulse.net did an analysis of comics pricing increases compared to actual inflation and discovered that

Marvel and DC have been increasing the cost of their comics at a rate faster than inflation. While Image and Top Cow Comics have increased the costs of most of their comics at a rate lower than inflation. Only Savage Dragon has gone up faster than inflation. Other long lasting titles like Spawn, Witchblade, and The Darkness have only increased in cost with or lower than inflation.

I realize the paper has gotten better, and likely the pay scales have improved, but the numbers they analyzed accounted for that and the increase was still disproportionate. I recommend anyone interested take a look.

More here: http://scifipulse.net/the-increasing-co ... inflation/

Good article.

Made me think, what if I reduced the number of new books I buy to 5 and focus my money on comic runs from the last few ages? I originally collected comics from 1988-1994 and 2011-modern day. There are a lot of great story lines I missed. My money would go a lot farther reading from the trade and back issues. For example, I picked up the trades for Knightfall and Knightquest from a LCS's eBay store for $7.15. New comics can't beat that.

[bralinator]

I originally collected comics from 1988-1994 and 2011-modern day. There are a lot of great story lines I missed. My money would go a lot farther reading from the trade and back issues. For example, I picked up the trades for Knightfall and Knightquest from a LCS's eBay store for $7.15. New comics can't beat that.

Agreed. As I mentioned earlier, I held off on getting the latest Elektra (2014) series when it came out, and eventually found the whole run on eBay for one-tenth what I would've paid retail. With those kinds of finds, I think the secondary market is becoming a go-to resource for comic aficionados who are getting fed up with the inflated prices in the primary market.

[doctormo]

I never understood why Marvel or DC did not experiment with the $3.50 price point before jumping to $3.99. Image and Dark Horse use or have tried this price point.