Four. Dollars.

Media Outlet Comic Book Forum
#21

Well, short of standing guard at the door (which I don’t think shop owners would particularly appreciate), I don’t know what we can do. It’s really up to the readers themselves. At some point, people have to realize that they’re wasting their time, their money, and their very lives to read this trash… right? RIGHT?

I’ve also tried turning people onto non-superhero comics, with very limited success. For everyone I convince to give Eisner or Spiegelman a shot, there are five more who say, “Yeah, I guess I can see why it’s good. I just like Spider-Man better.”

Sin City seems to be sort of a gateway drug. You can turn superhero fans onto it because it has action in it, but it’s not a superhero book and it has non-superhero antecedents. Plus, people recognize it from the film adaptation.

#22

I guess introducing people to good comics is a valid strategy. My first idea was to fire a nuclear warhead at anyone who didn’t like exactly the same things I do.

#23

Been there, done that, 2000.

We hold “we can’t break into the industry because the industry sucks” meetings at my house. It’s potluck BTW.

But honestly, I don’t bother with that mentality anymore: I just do comics just to do them. Well, time permitting, anyway.

And yes, $4 is fucking nuts for a comic book.

#24

Damn, bro, you must be older than me then because I just check the collection, and 50 cent X-mens only lasted from 1980-81 :wgrin:

So you guys need to educate me since I’ve been out of the scene for so long. The average comic is about 3 bucks? But are they printed on heavier stock than back in the early 90s?

#25

Yeah, some of them are printed on magazine-type paper.

#26

I hope they don’t raise the price of comic scans too. Wait a minute. Those are free? Cool.

#27

This move might be enough to force me into buying just Trades.

I just don’t like the thought of waiting six months to read any given title.

#28

true, i entered cartooning knowing that it’s already becoming a nitch market.
but there are other methods of work that’s comic related. adam hughes and james jean come to mind

#29

:looney: Now is probably the best time ever to break into the industry, but if a dollar increase is gonna make you give up then more power to you.
Less competition for the rest of us.

I remember when comics were $1.00 and on newsprint with shitty ass coloring, and then when glossy, heavier paper started to come in, they raised the price to $1.99.
People might have been “outraged” but damn if they weren’t happy with the increased quality.

The cost of marketing, production, printing and talent all factor into the cost of creating a comic.
It costs more now to make them than it used to, hence the price increase.
But they look better than ever.
Add in inflation and I don’t see what the uproar is about, it seems like a natural progression.

Going up a dollar isn’t the end of the comic industry. A lot of titles have been 3.99 for a long time now…

#30

I have an idea for a book.

I’ll do you a favor.

I’ll write the damn thing, you can draw it.

then we’ll shop it to Oni, Vertigo, Top Cow, and Image, and hope one of 'em picks it up.

if and when they do, we’ve got our feet in the door, and can write our own ticket, as it were.

I’ve already got an outline of characters and concepts…I’m gonna write a story outline and a sample chapter at some point, and maybe we can get the ball rolling!

#31

Dude, I wouldn’t mind picking your brain, or brainstorming with anyone here anytime. I don’t have a lot of people I can talk to about this kinda thing without them looking at me like I’m from Mars. (I’m from fucking Pluto, can’t they tell the difference?? :rofl:)

#32

Martians are green and can shapeshift, and you just draw.

Yes, it costs more to make comics these days, but not even close to that much more. The price increase is almost certainly not to cover the base cost of production–they’re just not happy with the small profits they’ve been turning, and they don’t want to do a major overhaul of their business model to fix the problem.

Now is a good time to self-publish, because the Internet gives you the ability to bypass publishing houses entirely. The only problem is that everything–including marketing yourself and getting your work out there–is on your shoulders, and it’ll be a long time before you can hope to make any real money from it. But if you do it for the love of the art, it’s a great tool.

#33

Drop me a PM sometime.

I have some of the characters created/named/designed.

but I’m open to suggestions and other things if it doesn’t suit your particular style, or you wanna do things differently.

and, of course, if it’s a hit, you get the co-creator byline.

#34

Hey, I’m down to proofread. :tup:

#35

I’mo hafta get writin’ then!

#36

IDW’s been selling their comics for 3.99 for at least 3 years now.

They used to include really cool vampire stories from different authors in the back of the comics, no words just text so I didn’t mind the extra dollar. The stories would be up to five pages long and they were always great, they even had curses and were scary! The thing was that if you got one issue that month it was the same story that circulated through all of their comics. I guess you can compare it to Didio’s weekly talks that run through all of DC’s comics.

I think they dropped the vampire stories, or I haven’t really seen them in the last few years. But the only title they put out now that I collect is Metal Gear Solid and only in trades or whatever that Digital PSP comics viewer was which was great. So can’t really say.

EDIT: Forgot about IDW’s Transformers comics, collecting Megatron Origins. No vampire stories in there… :sweat:

#37

You know what, if a company like Marvel put comics online for a buck, so I could download like 20 comics a month for 20 bucks, and not have to spend a gajillion dollars on gas to get to the comic store, I’d be ok with buying the ones I REALLY love for 4 bucks a month (although living in Canada, Ive been used to it for awhile).

I simply cannot believe that the comics industry is so hesitant to go the iTUNES route, when downloading comics illegally is spreading like wildfire. Didnt anyone learn from the music industry, and what it means too wait far too long?