Previews Spotlight #028 (Feb->Apr): Fri Feb 5th: 5pm pac

[jonah]

Hey Bob, know you read at least the first issue of this ... any chance you might review the trade for the show. Would be interested to know whether or not the follow on issues make the trade worth picking up.

Thanks.

RJD

[JohnMayo]

Also, Bob and John, when you cover Elephantmen, let me know why I should pick up the hardcovers over the softcovers. After reading several issues I've decided to pick the rest up in one form or the other.

I'm still trying to chase down a few of the issues before I read the series. I think I need issues 2, 16 and 23 but I'd have to check my notes at home on which issue I need.

Looks like I was a bit confused as to what I did and didn't need. I picked up a second copy of #3 and still don't have #2. Of course it might have helped if I'd checked my notes at home before hitting the two comic stores in town with back isssues.

[JohnMayo]

Hey Bob, know you read at least the first issue of this ... any chance you might review the trade for the show. Would be interested to know whether or not the follow on issues make the trade worth picking up.

Thanks.

RJD

Bob reviews Cowboy Ninja Viking #3 on the latest Weekly Comics Spotlight. He talked about he entire series and give #3 a 4 out of 5 stars.

[JohnMayo]

Here is an early draft of the DCBS order form for February 2010: here (right-click and Save As).

There will be a final draft of the file with additional items so check the DCBS web site and use that one when it comes out.

[Trev]

Was listening to the year-end podcast and thinking about my order after last night's Previews call. Here's something interesting:

Usually I average 3-10 items out of the back of Previews. For my Feb order, I got *one* -- Back Issue. Not even a comic.

It seems like a lot of the books I usually think about getting just weren't there. And prices for this stuff seem to be going up. I used to buy some stuff now and again from Dynamic Forces, but their prices are up 30-50% over what they used to be.

Even Back Issue is now a 7.95 list magazine whereas the issue I *just got* is $6.95 list.

Funny that when the big publishers (DC, Marvel, Image) all put out $1 special printings of key series, there was nothing to complement that in the Indie space.

Seems like there should be some kind of Indie coalition that comes together to drive and market Indie sales. . .

I feel like the Indie guys just ceded market share to the big 3 without even realizing it.

[jonah]

Even Back Issue is now a 7.95 list magazine whereas the issue I *just got* is $6.95 list.

Just a quick note on Back Issue. It's gone to 8 issues per year now and includes 16 color pages where previously it was all B&W. Assume the price would go up regardless (all things do eventually) but at least they're trying to provide an extra bang for the buck ... unlike Marvel in some of their $3.99 books which are still a standard 22 pages.

[BobBretall]

Funny that when the big publishers (DC, Marvel, Image) all put out $1 special printings of key series, there was nothing to complement that in the Indie space.

Seems like there should be some kind of Indie coalition that comes together to drive and market Indie sales. . .

I feel like the Indie guys just ceded market share to the big 3 without even realizing it.

Some thoughts:

1) Image IS an "Indie publisher"

2) Marvel/DC market share has been WAY more than anyone else for years. There is nothing recent where Indie publishers have done anything to cede market share to Marvel/DC

3) Personally, I'm willing to pay a bit more for an Indie book than a Marvel/DC simply because they sell WAY fewer copies and via economies of scale, are going to make less money even though the book costs consumers a bit more. I am WAY more willing to pay Boom! $3.99 for a comic than one of the series where Marvel jacks the price up to $3.99 while keeping the page count at 22.

4) I'm curious about what books in the back seem to be going up in price. Indie books have been $3.50 - $3.99 as a standard price for quite a while. Image & Dark Horse aside, who have held more stuff @ $2.99.

[Trev]

Some thoughts:

1) Image IS an "Indie publisher"

I guess so, technically. Don't they have the 3rd highest share? They market like a non-indie company, imo. But I guess you're right there.

2) Marvel/DC market share has been WAY more than anyone else for years. There is nothing recent where Indie publishers have done anything to cede market share to Marvel/DC

Yep. I was speaking more about the share they get of my comics dollar. It just struck me odd to find nothing interesting in the back of previews, not see old favorites, AND it coincide with this $1 marketing campaign Marvel/DC/Image are doing.

3) Personally, I'm willing to pay a bit more for an Indie book than a Marvel/DC simply because they sell WAY fewer copies and via economies of scale, are going to make less money even though the book costs consumers a bit more. I am WAY more willing to pay Boom! $3.99 for a comic than one of the series where Marvel jacks the price up to $3.99 while keeping the page count at 22.

Me too. Just seems like stuff I've been intrigued by lately has moved from $3.99/issue to $7 prestige or $4.95 oversized. Even then, there wasn't much new/interesting in the back of Previews this round (for me).

$5-$7 is pushing it for me to support an Indie book.

4) I'm curious about what books in the back seem to be going up in price. Indie books have been $3.50 - $3.99 as a standard price for quite a while. Image & Dark Horse aside, who have held more stuff @ $2.99.

I used the term Indie, but what I meant was back of Previews type stuff. Publishers with only a few titles, homegrown stuff -- not licensed properties or DC/Image/DH/Marvel. I'm talking about just the stuff that is listed alphabetically with smaller ads. Not sure if there's a second tier of Indie, but this is what I refer to.

Maybe there's some good Indie stuff I'm missing, but it seems like almost every blurb I read and think, 'that sounds like a cool premise', I look down and it is somewhere between $7 and $20 list. That's just too much for me to order it 2 months out (at least) when my budget is capped (artificially or not). I'm down to $120/month including weekly shipping as the top end of what I will spend -- I only go over on very rare occasions.

So even with discount, a single Indie that interests me may account for 5-10% of my monthly budget. I better be damn sure it is going to be great to justify it. Taking a chance on a new Marvel or DC title with a $3.99 list and 50-75% off on DCBS or a first trade from Image at $9.99 list and $5-$6 after discount is just a million times easier to justify.

It is getting harder to take a chance on some of the small press guys, is what I'm saying. I'll have to wait until Con season, when I can see what's out there, or buy it after I hear some buzz. Which sucks for these guys bec. I know they live and die by pre-orders.

[BobBretall]

I'm not terribly surprised by any of this, Trev. Your spending pattern pretty much mirrors comics sales, where 90% of the $$ go to Marvel/DC.

Publishers who put stuff out at $1 are doing that as a "loss leader", they hope that if they do that people will continue buying at the regular price. I doubt that would be terribly effective for an Indie publisher.

In fact, Radical did this with the series Caliber, the 1st Hercules series, and Shrapnel (as I recall), and none of those burned up the sales charts with the #2 issues, even though I personally thought they were all pretty darned good series.

In any event, I tend to find stuff in the back of Previews that is interesting, but my spending pattern is far from typical.

[Trev]

I'm not terribly surprised by any of this, Trev. Your spending pattern pretty much mirrors comics sales, where 90% of the $$ go to Marvel/DC.

Publishers who put stuff out at $1 are doing that as a "loss leader", they hope that if they do that people will continue buying at the regular price. I doubt that would be terribly effective for an Indie publisher.

In fact, Radical did this with the series Caliber, the 1st Hercules series, and Shrapnel (as I recall), and none of those burned up the sales charts with the #2 issues, even though I personally thought they were all pretty darned good series.

In any event, I tend to find stuff in the back of Previews that is interesting, but my spending pattern is far from typical.

Turns out I missed Atomic Robo, so there's 2 items from the back at least.

Yeah, when I wasn't capping my spending, I found a lot more that I would try. But I am soo far behind that I need to wheedle down the incoming books just so I can try and catch up.

I get the 'loss leader' thing, but the percentage of single issues against trades, special editions, HCs, etc just seems to be dropping and dropping in the small press section. Maybe that is working better for them, or they are giving up on individuals ordering their stuff out of previews and just trying to get shops to stock 1 or 2 copies in the hope of turning a higher margin $$ when they sell a book . . .

I think there should be something called ICMA -- the independent comics marketing association. Some org that works on behalf of all small press publishers to coordinate campaigns, etc.

[HassanT]

I just listened Previews Spotlight during my "daily" routine of shoveling snow

Excellent episode as always. One of my favorite shows you guys do every month.

My thoughts:

Batwoman HC is in DC's Deluxe Format, therefore it is an oversized hardcover. DC is doing more and more HCs in Deluxe Format in response to people waiting for "Absolute Edition. I will be picking this up even though I have the issues.

I am excited about Brightest Day #0, but don't think it means what Trevor thinks it means. Johns did say on twitter "If anything sums up BRIGHTEST DAY it's this..."In order for the light to shine so brightly the darkness must be present." Francis Bacon". That said, it is going to be good stuff.

I just recently got into Deadpool so I will be getting the first issue of the Deadpool Corps. I won't get all the Deadpool comics as I am not that into it, but one or two a month is fun reading.

I am avoiding Avengers: the Origin, Captain America/ Black Panther, and Iron Man: Legacy. There are way too many Marvel comics coming out and one way to trim the list is to avoid the Marvel "Confidential" Books.

I am excited about an ongoing Black Widow. She is one of my favorite female Marvel characters. I also think Daniel Acuna's art here will be a better fit than X-Men Legacy.

I am excited about the Avengers books right now. I did think Siege was better than you guys did but understood your points.

Shield #1 is another must buy for me. Out of all the new writers to join Marvel, Hickman is one of my favorites. Should be a cool series.

And thanks to you guys, I will be getting MMW: Black Panther. I stopped getting every MMW since there are so many TPs/ HCs that are publish on a monthly basis, but this is a must buy. It is a larger than normal collection so that it is collecting all the Black Panther issues. So that means I don't have to pick up a volume 2. And it is 50% off so I have to get it now.

As for the Green Hornet comics, I did pre-order the first Kevin Smith issue, but I will not pre-order the remaining issues or the first issues of these other series. People criticize Marvel and DC for putting out too many titles with the same character or family of characters, but I think the other publishers do the same. Look at the number of GI Joe, Transformers, Green Hornet, Superpowers, and Star Wars titles. Also, there seem to be a new Hellboy or BPRD trade every month. Also with Dynamite Entertainment, I got annoyed with the multiple covers. So I going to wait until I hear the buzz and pick up Green Hornet in trades.

Thanks for pointing out the Alan Davis awesome cover could be ordered through DCBS. I am going to do that as that cover is amazing.