The main site and Blog@ will both be taking some time in the next few days to once again examine event pricing. Troy Brownfield and Lucas Siegel will be talking about Blackset Night and War of Kings. To kick things off over here, I’m going to talk about the BIGGEST event in terms of sheer size, Dark Reign.
Remember: These examinations imply no editorial judgment; they are merely a look at the totals as a service to the readership. And, of course, whether you buy all of the tie-ins is up to you and your individual proclivities, and as always, comes with the message from the publisher that you don’t need all the tie-in issues to enjoy the story, though individual readers’ mileage on that statement may vary, of course.
With that said — better bring your umbrella, because there’s a lot of Reign on the horizon!
Marvel’s current megaevent, Dark Reign, is a growing storm around the Marvel Universe, with nearly double the number of issues of its predecessor, Secret Invasion. But then again, this event has been in play since December 2008, and will be running along through at least October of 2009.
With Norman Osborn creating new vendettas against Marvel’s best and brightest, there’s an angle on this story for almost every character — but with a recession looming, it can be so hard to choose! But fear not, mighty Rama readers, because in the tradition of Secret Invasion and Final Crisis, we at Newsarama have compiled a price list by month of the Dark Reign titles, for you to peruse!
Prices and dates come straight from Marvel’s catalog, while the list comes from exhaustive reading of solicits, cover images, various web sites, and trips to the comic shop — that said, with the recent announcement of series such as Dark Reign: The List and Dark Reign: Ares, this is not a complete list yet. Please note that we will be doing similar checklists for Blackest Night and War of Kings in the near future as well.
December 2008:
Avengers: The Initiative #20 ($2.99)
Dark Reign: New Nation #1 ($3.99)
Invincible Iron Man #8 ($2.99)
Ms. Marvel #34 ($2.99)
New Avengers #48 ($2.99)
Secret Invasion: Dark Reign #1 ($3.99)
War Machine #1 ($2.99)
Total Price Thus Far: $22.93, or Spider-Man 3 on Blu-ray, via Amazon.com.
January 2009:
Avengers: The Initiative #21 ($2.99)
Dark Avengers #1 ($3.99)
Deadpool #6 ($2.99)
Invincible Iron Man #9 ($2.99)
Marvel Spotlight: Dark Reign #1 ($3.99)
Ms. Marvel #35 ($2.99)
New Avengers #49 ($3.99)
Punisher #1 ($3.99)
Thunderbolts #128 ($2.99)
Uncanny X-Men Annual #2 ($3.99)
War Machine #2 ($2.99)
Total Price Thus Far: $60.82, or Prototype video game for XBox 360.
February 2009:
Agents of Atlas #1 ($3.99)
Avengers: The Initiative #22 ($2.99)
Black Panther #1 ($3.99)
Dark Avengers #2 ($3.99)
Dark Reign Files #1 ($4.99)
Deadpool #7 ($2.99)
Invincible Iron Man #10 ($2.99)
Mighty Avengers #21 ($3.99)
Mighty Avengers #22 ($2.99)
Ms. Marvel #36 ($2.99)
New Avengers #49 ($4.99)
Punisher #2 ($2.99)
Secret Warriors #1 ($3.99)
Thunderbolts #129 ($2.99)
War Machine #3 ($2.99)
Wolverine: Origins #33 ($2.99)
Total Price Thus Far: $117.66, or one year on the 1 DVD unlimited exchange plan on Netflix, and a frozen pizza.
March 2009:
Agents of Atlas #2 ($2.99)
Black Panther #2 ($2.99)
Dark Avengers #3 ($3.99)
Dark Reign: Elektra #1 ($3.99)
Dark Reign: Fantastic Four #1 ($2.99)
Deadpool #8 ($2.99)
Incredible Hercules #127 ($2.99)
Invincible Iron Man #11 ($2.99)
New Avengers: The Reunion #1 ($3.99)
Mighty Avengers #23 ($2.99)
Ms. Marvel #37 ($2.99)
New Avengers #51 ($3.99)
Punisher #3 ($2.99)
Secret Warriors #2 ($2.99)
Thunderbolts #130 ($2.99)
War Machine #4 ($2.99)
Wolverine: Origins #34 ($2.99)
Total Price Thus Far: $172.49, or a 4-day adult pass to the 2009 San Diego Comic Con via eBay, as well as about $20 in groceries for the event.
April 2009:
Agents of Atlas #3 ($2.99)
All-New Savage She-Hulk #1 ($3.99)
Avengers: The Initiative #23 ($2.99)
Black Panther #3 ($2.99)
Dark Avengers #4 ($3.99)
Dark Reign: The Cabal #1 ($3.99)
Dark Reign: Elektra #2 ($3.99)
Dark Reign: Fantastic Four #2 ($2.99)
Dark Reign: Hawkeye #1 ($3.99)
Deadpool #9 ($2.99)
Incredible Hercules #128 ($2.99)
Invincible Iron Man #12 ($2.99)
Mighty Avengers #24 ($2.99)
Ms. Marvel #38 ($2.99)
New Avengers #52 ($3.99)
New Avengers: The Reunion #2 ($3.99)
Punisher #4 ($2.99)
Secret Warriors #3 ($2.99)
Skrull Kill Krew #1 ($3.99)
Thunderbolts #131 ($2.99)
War Machine #5 ($2.99)
Wolverine: Origins #35 ($2.99)
Total Price Thus Far: $246.27, or the total cost of seeing every single Marvel Studios film in theatres, with money in it for drinks, popcorn, and candy.
May 2009:
Agents of Atlas #4 ($2.99)
Agents of Atlas #5 ($2.99)
All-New Savage She-Hulk #2 ($3.99)
Amazing Spider-Man #595 ($2.99)
Avengers: The Initiative #24 ($2.99)
Black Panther #4 ($2.99)
Dark Reign: Elektra #3 ($3.99)
Dark Reign: Fantastic Four #3 ($2.99)
Dark Reign: Hawkeye #2 ($3.99)
Dark Reign: The Hood #1 ($3.99)
Dark Reign: Young Avengers #1 ($3.99)
Deadpool #10 ($2.99)
Invincible Iron Man #13 ($2.99)
Ms. Marvel #39 ($2.99)
New Avengers #53 ($3.99)
New Avengers: The Reunion #3 ($3.99)
Punisher #5 ($2.99)
Secret Warriors #4 ($2.99)
Skrull Kill Krew #2 ($3.99)
Thunderbolts #132 ($2.99)
Wolverine: Origins #36 ($2.99)
Total Price Thus Far: $309.06, or an XBox 360 Pro Console System at Best Buy.
June 2009:
Agents of Atlas #6 ($2.99)
All-New Savage She-Hulk #3 ($3.99)
Amazing Spider-Man #596 ($2.99)
Amazing Spider-Man #597 ($2.99)
Amazing Spider-Man #598 ($2.99)
Avengers: The Initiative #25 ($2.99)
Black Panther #5 ($2.99)
Dark Avengers #5 ($3.99)
Dark Avengers #6 ($3.99)
Dark Avengers/Uncanny X-Men: Utopia #1 ($3.99)
Dark Reign: Elektra #4 ($3.99)
Dark Reign: Fantastic Four #4 ($2.99)
Dark Reign: Hawkeye #3 ($3.99)
Dark Reign: The Hood #1 ($3.99)
Dark Reign: Lethal Legion #1 ($3.99)
Dark Reign: Mister Negative #3 ($3.99)
Dark Reign: The Sinister Spider-Man #1 ($3.99)
Dark Reign: Young Avengers #2 ($3.99)
Dark Reign: Zodiac #1 ($3.99)
Dark Wolverine #75 ($3.99)
Deadpool #11 ($2.99)
Invincible Iron Man #14 ($2.99)
Mighty Avengers #25 ($2.99)
Mighty Avengers #26 ($2.99)
Ms. Marvel #40 ($2.99)
New Avengers #54 ($3.99)
New Avengers: The Reunion #4 ($3.99)
Punisher #6 ($3.99)
Secret Warriors #5 ($2.99)
Thunderbolts #133 ($2.99)
Total Price Thus Far: $414.76, or a handmade Captain America shield from Midtown Comics’ web site, and enough change for a copy of The Death of Captain America, Vol. 1 and 2.
July 2009:
All-New Savage She-Hulk #4 ($3.99)
Agents of Atlas #7 ($2.99)
Amazing Spider-Man #599 ($2.99)
Avengers: The Initiative #26 ($2.99)
Black Panther #6 ($2.99)
Dark Avengers #7 ($3.99)
Dark Reign: Fantastic Four #5 ($2.99)
Dark Reign: The Goblin Legacy #1 ($3.99)
Dark Reign: Hawkeye #4 ($3.99)
Dark Reign: The Hood #3 ($3.99)
Dark Reign: Lethal Legion #2 ($3.99)
Dark Reign: The Hood #2 ($3.99)
Dark Reign: The Sinister Spider-Man #2 ($3.99)
Dark Reign: Young Avengers #3 ($3.99)
Dark Reign: Zodiac #2 ($3.99)
Dark Wolverine #76 ($2.99)
Dark X-Men: The Beginning #1 ($3.99)
Dark X-Men: The Beginning #2 ($3.99)
Deadpool #12 ($2.99)
Invincible Iron Man #15 ($2.99)
Mighty Avengers #27 ($2.99)
Ms. Marvel #41 ($2.99)
Ms. Marvel #42 ($2.99)
New Avengers #55 ($3.99)
Punisher #7 ($2.99)
Secret Warriors #6 ($2.99)
Skrull Kill Krew #3 ($3.99)
Thunderbolts #134 ($2.99)
Uncanny X-Men #513 ($3.99)
X-Men: Legacy #226 ($2.99)
Total Price Thus Far: $519.46, or an Excelsior! Membership to the HERO Initiative, and just under $20 to take creators out for a drink at Wizard World Chicago.
August 2009:
Avengers: The Initiative #27 ($2.99)
Dark Avengers #8 ($3.99)
Dark Reign: Elektra #5 ($3.99)
Dark Reign: The Hood #4 ($3.99)
Dark Reign: Mister Negative #3 ($3.99)
Dark Reign: The Sinister Spider-Man #3 ($3.99)
Dark Reign: Young Avengers #4 ($3.99)
Dark Reign: Zodiac #3 ($3.99)
Dark Wolverine #77 ($2.99)
Dark X-Men: The Beginning #3 ($3.99)
Hulk #13 ($3.99)
Invincible Iron Man #16 ($2.99)
Mighty Avengers #28 ($2.99)
Ms. Marvel #43 ($2.99)
Ms. Marvel #44 ($2.99)
New Avengers #56 ($3.99)
Punisher #8 ($2.99)
Secret Warriors #7 ($2.99)
Skrull Kill Krew #4 ($3.99)
Thunderbolts #135 ($2.99)
Uncanny X-Men #514 ($3.99)
X-Men Legacy #227 ($2.99)
Total Price Thus Far: $594.24, or almost enough for two color pages of commissioned art by Steve McNiven, according to the fine folks at Jinxworld.
September 2009:
Avengers: The Initiative #28 ($2.99)
Dark Avengers #9 ($3.99)
Dark Avengers/Uncanny X-Men: Exodus #1 ($3.99)
Dark Reign: The Hood #5 ($3.99)
Dark Reign: Lethal Legion #3 ($3.99)
Dark Reign: Made Men One-Shot #1 ($3.99)
Dark Reign: The Sinister Spider-Man #4 ($3.99)
Dark Reign: Young Avengers #5 ($3.99)
Dark Wolverine #78 ($2.99)
Dark X-Men: The Confession #1 ($3.99)
Invincible Iron Man #17 ($2.99)
Invincible Iron Man #18 ($2.99)
Mighty Avengers #29 ($2.99)
M.O.D.O.K.: Reign Delay #1 ($3.99)
Ms. Marvel #45 ($2.99)
New Avengers #57 ($3.99)
Punisher #9 ($2.99)
Secret Warriors #8 ($2.99)
Skrull Kill Krew #5 ($3.99)
Thunderbolts #136 ($3.99)
War Machine #10 ($2.99)
Total Price Thus Far: $669.03,* or my monthly rent, utilties, groceries, and review costs. Hey, a comic geek’s gotta eat!
*Please note that September will also include the eight recently-announced one-shots from Dark Reign: The List, and that a $23.92-$31.92 leeway should be considered as prices are announced.
October 2009:
Dark Reign: Hawkeye #5 ($3.99)
Total Price Thus Far: $673.02 — do you think I’ve ever seen that much money in one place in order to make a comparison? If you said “no,” you’re a jerk. But you’d be right.
TOTAL ISSUES THUS FAR: 198 ISSUES
TOTAL PRICE THUS FAR: $673.02
July 6th, 2009 at 12:58 pm
Buy Dark Reign, or pay the mortgage?
July 6th, 2009 at 1:03 pm
This is really going to complicate things for you, and I apologize, but the question needs to be asked: How many of these books are true “core” titles and how many are tangential tie-ins?
For example, you included New Avengers: The Reunion on your list. However, while that miniseries did sport “Dark Reign” trade dress, the story itself did not seem particularly tied to the event. (Actually felt more like a late Secret Invasion tie-in.)
As I said, I know this complicates things because you have to make the judgment call on exactly which books are “necessary” to get the event. Good luck with that.
-J
July 6th, 2009 at 1:10 pm
Doesn’t really matter what’s necessary or not. If it has the trade dress, count it. The disclaimer of “buying what you like or think is necessary should automatically be there.
July 6th, 2009 at 1:14 pm
your rent is less than 669? good for you!
Cheers,
B
July 6th, 2009 at 1:22 pm
Man, I hate it every time one of these “What does this event REALLY cost?” reports comes in. Makes me glad I’m only following specific titles regular titles, and not any of the event core/tie-in minis. Makes me remember back when the original Secret Wars came out. If you bought every single title even remotely tying in to the miniseries, you still paid about $10.
@RavenProject: I understand what you’re saying, but the way these events are constructed nowadays (and the way they’re promoted), you won’t know which titles feed into the main event mini, which feed from the mini, which secondary titles cross-polinate, and which titles are just trying to cash in.
For example, Final Crisis: Legion of Three Worlds had next to nothing to do with Final Crisis, but you had to read Batman (which wasn’t listed as a tie-in) before Final Crisis #6, or else it wouldn’t make sense.
July 6th, 2009 at 1:23 pm
Interesting, if terrifying. The one good thing is that you really don’t need to read all the issues to make sense of things. You may lose some Dark Reign specific stuff – but other titles can be read on their own without worrying about how they tie in.
As I don’t care for a lot of the Dark Reign stuff, this is a godsend.
July 6th, 2009 at 1:40 pm
Um… no. Just no.
July 6th, 2009 at 2:04 pm
If even a quarter of the Marvel fanboys buy all these tie-ins, the Marvel Accounting department will be “Makin’ It Reign” with all th’ dolla-dolla bills, y’all!
July 6th, 2009 at 2:15 pm
At a certain point, I think when everything is a tie-in, it defeats the purpose of making a tie-in “special”. And when you don’t buy one tie-in, for whatever reason including affordability, it makes it a lot easier to skip a whole host of tie-ins.
It has to be a nightmare for retailers to order. I suppose Dark Avengers is the core title of this event, but it’s not that obvious.
July 6th, 2009 at 3:16 pm
Dark Reign is not an EVENT it is a Status Quo… if it were an event, then Civil War never ended and we should still be tallying up the bill for Civil War. There is no DARK REIGN book.
July 6th, 2009 at 4:44 pm
I agree with thefourthman. This is not an event at all- just the ‘new’ status quo in the Marvel U for now. I think an event would need to have a main book or miniseries at its heart. Dark Reign does not. And buying and reading all the titles doesn’t tell you some main story at all since there is none. Blackest Night is an event. World War Hulk was just like Civil War and Final Crisis. But this is just a status quo change and the individual titles are examining how that change affects their characters. If someone is actually going out and getting anything with ‘Dark Reign’ than that is true fanboyness.
July 6th, 2009 at 5:24 pm
An event is not defined by a miniseries or core regular series. It’s defined by its tie-ins. There are, what, a dozen new minis with “Dark Reign:” as part of the title? If there are tie-ins and special trade dress, it’s not a new status quo. It’s an event. Anyone who actually believes Norman Osborne will still be the head of HAMMER or any federal agency by the end of 2009, give yourself a smack on the back of your head.
In fact, I’ll go so far as to guarantee that Quesada, Bendis et al will use the podium of SDCC to promote the next new new thing.
July 6th, 2009 at 6:45 pm
Thats okay Steve Rogers is coming back to put an end to it all!! In all honesty, I remember Secret Wars II having crossovers that actually affected most of the comics it crossed into. Alot of what Marvel is doing is just saying “Norman’s in this issue (or referenced): Dark Reign”.
July 6th, 2009 at 8:26 pm
“Events” are marketing moves, as pretty much every event comic can be told on a simpler, smaller scale, but turns into an “event” for marketing reasons.
“Dark Reign” is a marketing tag.
So the comparison holds.
July 6th, 2009 at 9:55 pm
I’ve had a time or two in the past where I tried to read one of these megaevents but only the core book and never the tie-ins. They are always so unsatisfying I gave up on them years ago. Every time I see one of these articles, I just kind of play spectator and see who is still following along. It kind of blows my mind.
You’ve got comics that are impossible to read on their own, plus a storyline asking you to buy several dozen comics that may or may not pertain to what you do want to read, plus a struggling economy where people have less discretionary income than they have had at any point in the last two decades, plus steadily climbing costs of any one issue (3.99! can you believe it??) plus increasing apathy on the part of many (not all but many) readers. You have to wonder how long this can last.
Marvel and DC’s strategy (term used loosely) of milking as much money as they can out of the Direct Market by escalating cover prices and connecting more and more and more of their comics (pretty soon, they’ll subtly suggest you buy their entire publishing line to read one story) doesn’t seem to be a recipe for long-term success as much as it is a desperate attempt to squeeze you dry.
July 7th, 2009 at 4:12 am
The fair way to compile the list of “Dark Reign” associated titles is to base it upon what Marvel says is “Dark Reign”-related in their Preview ads.
You should also factor in the discount or rebate/buyback that most comic book stores offer to subscription buyers, which is about 20%.
July 7th, 2009 at 8:48 am
@Chris:
No offense, but I don’t believe there’s a single comic shop left here in Ohio that have a discount/rebate for subscribers, much less a “buyback” rate. Hasn’t been for years. It’s either full-price or nothing at all.
July 7th, 2009 at 7:21 pm
Where I am, pretty much all the comic shops still give a discount of at least 10% (and as much as 20) to subscribers who buy (on average) at least 10 titles each new comics day.