Tom Spurgeon wonders if all them there funnybooks ain’t too blamed expensive:
I’ve always been loathe to throw my lot in with the crowd that constantly yells, posts and cavils that comic books cost too much. They remind me of those people that complain about gas prices but drive everywhere they possibly can in giant sports-utility vehicles. I suspect that for a lot of those people it’s not that comics cost too much as much as comics no longer are as cost-effective to enjoy in the very specific way they demand to enjoy them. I tend to be more of a mind with people like Jeff Smith, who’s argued in the past — and if I’m misremembering this, please consider the substance of the argument without the pedigree — that comics have value as a permanent, perpetual resource for entertainment that buttresses the temporary nature of that first, sweet read. And yet if I’m honest with my own reaction to the way things have progressed, I have to admit that maybe there are points on both sides of the argument.
All kidding aside, it’s an impressive bit of gauntlet-throwing that’s well worth reading.
May 13th, 2008 at 12:40 pm
Except that Tom seems to point to the rising price of “independent” comics as stifling people trying them… and independent comics prices really haven’t been going up. The black-and-white pamphlet that cost $2 - $2.95 fifteen to twenty years back now costs $2.99 to $3.99. That’s not even keeping pace with inflation. Mainstream comics prices have shot up much faster, catching up to the indies, and there’s the competition from collections and OGNs for the indy buyer’s money.
May 13th, 2008 at 3:08 pm
They are too damned expensive now… I agree with Tom’s assertion that five books in your hand just, somehow, FEELS like $10 purchase. Not almost $20. I appreciate the higher quality paper, but lately (after enthusiastically coming back to comics two year ago) I’m not feeling much bang for my buck anymore.
I still have my favorites that I’ll stick with for the forseeable future (thank goodness for Ed Brubaker!), but I’ve been slowly cutting back for months now, and I think I’ll need to cut back even further.
As DC and Marvel keep churning out Big Crossover Events That Change Everything Forever!, and when some books take months or even years to come out (Action Comics Annual #11, anyone?)… It makes it much easier for me to decide what to drop.
I might not even mind the prices as much if DC and Marvel didn’t clutter the books with so many ads. Marvel’s ads don’t bother me as much, as half of their ads are just for goofy licensed Marvel products (Hulk cologne was my favorite). But DC’s ads are often obnoxious. Especially the multi-page ads that occasionaly run in the middle of a book (The Batman & Cal Ripken, Jr? WTF?).
All of that stuff has caused me either to drop titles outright, or simply wait for the trade versions.
May 13th, 2008 at 6:23 pm
For me the measure is what I could buy if I were a kid spending what money I had.
20 years ago I could buy a pile of books at my local corner store. I could follow my favourites and still have money to explore new titles. Today? I could maybe get four titles. If I had a corner store that sold them that is.