I’d like to say that this is a great article, and encapsulated everything I’ve been thinking about when it comes to value in comics.

And that’s a totally killer quote. Hit the nail on the head there.

With that said, with how comic stories are told right now (writing for trade and other tactics), I unconsciously place a higher value on a single issue of a comic book that plunks down a done-in-one story for me, start to finish. Sure it can be part of an encompassing arc, but hold the ‘to be continued’s for the end of the story arc. Paying 3-4 dollars for a fraction of a story isn’t as fun as paying the same amount for one complete story. Some Silver Age books used to do this, and it’s something we take for granted these days.

This inspired me. Might have to write a post about this too. Thanks for this!

You can sell comics with the suite.

Here is the link to load your items for sale:
http://www.commercesocial.com/?cpid=BUZZ

Here is the article presenting the media suites showcasing your items:

http://www.buzznews.net/buzzblog/item/3123-powerful-social-commerce-company-commercesocial

Enjoy.

Same goes for comics. Look at Action #900. How many people that don’t follow that title or Superman that religiously have picked up a copy just to see what everyone is talking about when it comes to the citizenship issue? War of the Green Lanterns. Fear Itself. Flashpoint. All of the stories really. As long as the publisher has sold a gimmick, has established with its marketing that a given book or event is going to be what everyone is talking about, that’s what most super-hero fans will spend their money on.

Knowing the characters + being able to talk about what happened to them recently = stronger sales in a weak economy. While sales are down, I actually think event comics will always out perform a steady title because today so many people are worried they won’t be able to go online without the latest issue being spoiled and missing out on the conversation.

What the industry needs more of are comics that make regular readers feel like they need to share their thoughts about it with friends — even if the friends aren’t reading comics already. Getting a conversation going about how good the Walking Dead is and what’s happening to the characters is the only thing that will help increase how big the comic book pie is right now.

So I think in terms of value, you have to look at what books are going to get people talking. Shock value, legitimate plot point, unique storytelling style, whatever. That all adds value. I wouldn’t tell a friend that’s not into comics what I thought of the latest issue of The Flash, but I might tell them that the anthology issue of Skullkickers (#6) was a lot of fun and does a good job of showing you who these drunk bruisers in a fantasy setting really are with just a few pages per story.

My initial impulse is to blame Marvel and DC (and other publishers to a lesser extent) for exploiting us fans with such a low dollar-to-entertainment value, but in a weird way they are serving us the way we’ve trained them to. Witness:

1) Character loyalty and completionism (I know it’s not a real word, but humor me). Marvel and DC know a large portion of comic buyers are simultaneously lovers of story and of collecting. We will follow our favorite character(s) no matter, just what to see what happens to them. And at the same time we’re building a physical collection. I think most of us know the thrill of finding that missing issue. This creates customers for life.

2) The weekly fix. Hobby is one word for comic collecting. Addiction is another. There are much worse addictions to have, but new comics give us something to look forward to every week. Depending on how many books you follow, trades could provide that weekly hit, but there are gonna be lulls to fill.

3) Fandom as community. This ties into what you said about the “can’t miss it importance” of event titles. We all want to believe that events aren’t necessary and that good stories and art are all that matter, but what the majority of us spend our money on tells the publishers otherwise. And I think big events sell well because most fans don’t want to be left out of the community. They want to be able to participate in the Did-you-hear-what-DC-is-doing-with-Batman? conversations right away. Not six months later, when the trade is out.

Personally, I’ve been trying to break out of all of these and let the savings of trade-waiting rule over all, but I don’t always have the self-control. Maybe someday…

I honestly don’t feel the urgency & satisfaction of reading brand new comics anymore.