BREAKING NEWS:Marvel changes pricing policy...

[TheCorpulent1]

Better to roll the dice on more Wolverine than, say, keeping stable titles like the cosmic line going.

 

[Dread]

Better to roll the dice on more Wolverine than, say, keeping stable titles like the cosmic line going.

That line stopped being stable, least in terms of sales, after there were more $3.99 books that forced retailers and fans to pick and choose between the big books and the small. But, yeah, it is a damn shame the line is slowing down.

 

[venom892]

http://www.newsarama.com/common/media/video/player.php?videoRef=NA_101012_nycc_quesada_comic_price

Quesada talking about price points.

 

[kguillou]

"By lowering prices across the board, your actually hurting retailers in the long run". Thats complete BS to me. People are going to buy more now, retailers will order more now....i dont see how this hurts anyone.

 

[Dread]

You have to understand, Joe Quesada is an artist and creator. He hasn't run a business in his life, unless he used to hold yard sales as a kid. The amazing thing about the comic book industry is that it isn't run by business people; it is run by artists and writers who cosplay as business people. It isn't the same, for better or worse.

 

[Themanofbat]

"By lowering prices across the board, your actually hurting retailers in the long run". Thats complete BS to me. People are going to buy more now, retailers will order more now....i dont see how this hurts anyone.

But if profit margins are minimal, then the retailer gets hurt in the long run, because they still pay whatever price Diamond sells them at...

If Marvel lowers their prices too much, so you think Diamond will do the same to accomodate the retailers? Of course not...

I thought he said that they have to find the "sweet spot" for both Diamond, retailers & Marvel to make the optimum amount of money... so they have to find that "right" price that keeps everyone in the line happy...

 

[moraldeficiency]

And that sweet spot is always right up the consumer's ass.

Honestly they really should gear all comics just for adults now. I have no idea how any kid other than a rich one could possibly afford these things.

 

[Phaedrus45]

I don't think "ass" is even considered a curse word here. It's not censored and we're not living in 1972 or anything...

I consider it still a curse word. My 8 year old isn't allowed to say it (in front of me, at least). My general rule is "if you don't want to hear your child say it to his teacher in school, it's still a curse word."

 

[Phaedrus45]

Hey now, they also have been flooding the market with Iron Man and now Thor material. I imagine some Capt. America stuff is also flowing.

Yeah, we have (four??) Cap titles currently being put out: Captain America, Super Soldier, Cap: Patriot, and Cap: (Something) Allies. Those last two minis...even though overpriced at $3.99...have been pretty darn good.

 

[Phaedrus45]

Funny the 1970's were mentioned. Back then, DC cut their page count to 17 pages to keep costs down, much as they are cutting to 20 pages (from 22) to keep prices at $2.99 line wide.

Having bought the recently released Star Wars Omnibus: A Long Time Ago..., which is a reprint of the old Marvel Star Wars series from 77-86, I was surprised that the stories I remember fondly were only 17 pages in length. I kept thinking they were leaving pages out; but, I guess I'm just spoiled by today's standards.

I don't mind paying the extra buck when you get some good extra content. A story that runs 32 pages is worth it to me...like the first five issues of American Vampire. But, when DC dropped the title to 22-pages with the same price, I feel a bit ripped off.

 

[Phaedrus45]

"By lowering prices across the board, your actually hurting retailers in the long run". Thats complete BS to me. People are going to buy more now, retailers will order more now....i dont see how this hurts anyone.

It is. My LCS said people are dropping more and more titles and being much more selective in their choices.

 

[Themanofbat]

It is. My LCS said people are dropping more and more titles and being much more selective in their choices.

I think he meant that he couldn't see how "lowering" the prices would hurt LCSs...

 

[TheCorpulent1]

And that sweet spot is always right up the consumer's ass.

Honestly they really should gear all comics just for adults now. I have no idea how any kid other than a rich one could possibly afford these things.

Comic fan parent(s). I'd totally buy my kid (if I had any) comics separate from his/her allowance, just to have the peace of mind that I'd done my part to keep the comics industry alive for at least one more generation.

 

[moraldeficiency]

Comic fan parent(s). I'd totally buy my kid (if I had any) comics separate from his/her allowance, just to have the peace of mind that I'd done my part to keep the comics industry alive for at least one more generation.

Yeah that's just not the same thing. I used to do odd jobs around the neighborhood to save up money for comics. It gave me a feeling of ownership you just can't get by being given something. If I had always been given them without working for it or deciding to spend my money on it I doubt I would still like them today as they would have probably just been a phase for me.

 

[Themanofbat]

Yet somehow, these kids manage to buy $40 to $60 games for their consoles, and nobody questions that...

Or how does a kid manage to buy a regular bottle of pop, a chocolate bar and a small bag of chips at a local convenience store... christ, that's almost 4 to 5 bucks right there... yet we all did it in our childhoods.

Back in 1981, when comics jumped from 40 cents to 50 cents (the first ever 10 cent increase), I almost stopped buying books because all of a sudden, they were too expensive... you can laugh that it was "only a dime", but that "dime" meant something to me...

Prices typically go up and never come down... so the fact that the industry is looking to lower prices should applauded... instead of the incessant jabs about how expensive they are, and the prices should have never gone up to the levels that people thinkare ridiculous.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Yes, we should totally shut up and be happy that comics' prices aren't outpacing inflation by quite such a ludicrous amount now. Curbing greedy price increases is great, but I don't think it negates the obnoxiousness of having those greedy price increases in the first place.

 

[moraldeficiency]

I'm not saying they can't get them, but they get bored with those games and move on. There is a massive difference between something given vs. something earned. Right now with money the way it is, comics are too expensive expect for the rich. I don't mind prices increasing but they should keep up with not hurdle inflation or you really aren't going to generate lifetime fans, just kids in a phase till they decide they'd rather have an ipod or some games over comics. This is a very different industry from standard business and to not treat it that way is shortsighted.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

My cousin gave me a couple boxes of comics when I was like 9. I'm still reading them almost 20 years later. I don't really see a problem with being given stuff.

 

[kguillou]

Its all about marketing man. Marvel and DC don't market their books to the wide public like they used to. When i was growing up in the 90's, there were comic book stores EVERYWHERE. You couldnt escape it. There used to be a store near my house with a big ass picture of Spider-man plastered along the building, so you couldnt miss it if you drove by it. That kinda stuff attracts people. Video games have all sorts of crazy promotions and commercials adverstising the newest game, kids see that stuff and want them.

These kids aren't going to go out of their way to locate some comic shop thats 40 minutes away from them and pay $4 for a comic. Why do that when theres a Gamestop 5 min away and buy a game which, in their minds, will last them alot longer than a comic.

 

[Dread]

The problem is that in this economic climate, it isn't easy for ANY small business to get started from scratch. Another problem is the comic book shops that remain aren't usually new; they're survivors from the "boom" times. I live around New York City, which is a booming place for comic shops. And despite that, I've seen many of them close. One chain moved in a few years ago, but only to, literally, replace a chain that had closed. And almost no shop I know of survives by ONLY selling Western comics. They mostly sell anything they can. Comic shops being paired with book stores or sports memorabilia was always common. But these days comic shops have expanded their manga sections, and often sell DVD's, video games, trading cards, even CANDY, to make extra cash between Wednesdays.

I was just talking to the owners of my local shop who complain about how expensive it is to place an ad in a comic book. They'd love to so do if it was within reason. Marvel did place some "check out the shop" ads for two stores in the U.S. back when their adverts were lean, but not so much anymore.

The big two aren't really interested in selling comics as much as they are selling licenses and merchandising characters to other mediums. That's where the promotion goes. The cash Marvel gets from comics is a pittance in comparison.

 

[kguillou]

You know, this is all Blade's fault!! If his movie wasn't so damn successful and launched and bunch of subsequent successful films, then Marvel and DC would still be interested in selling comics!!

Lol, im just kiddin, but in all seriousness, yeah your right Dread, these days Marvel and DC have come to realize i think, that comics arent where the money's at anymore and are more about licensing. Gone are the days where a new #1 issue sold millions, now we're talking about billions in movie revenue. Still, i'm of the belief that Marvel and DC are still perfectly capable of re-energizing their comic fanbase if they really wanted to. People say we're in the age of video games and internet but i still think that kids could still be interested in comics if they were cheaper and easier to find than they are now. I bet if you brought a kid who just saw the Ironman movie and loved it to a grocery store or something where they have an Ironman comic for $1.50, he'd buy it or get his parents to get it for him.

 

[Dread]

It could come down to whether kids have the attention span to read much that isn't manga (DL'd illegally on the Internet) versus playing a game. It's a cultural thing. They're aware of the characters but don't really care about the comics they come from, and little is being done to try to bridge that. Maybe nothing can be done, like trying to get someone of the iPod generation into a vinyl record.

 

[mre]

I consider it still a curse word. My 8 year old isn't allowed to say it (in front of me, at least). My general rule is "if you don't want to hear your child say it to his teacher in school, it's still a curse word."

When the movie Home Alone came out, I was 7. Macaulay Culkin says ass in that film when he was 10.
Also, do they even sensor 'ass' on TV anymore?

 

[Themanofbat]

Nope... just watch any episode of Two & a Half Men and you'll see what gets by the censors...

 

[iloveclones]

Yeah that's just not the same thing. I used to do odd jobs around the neighborhood to save up money for comics. It gave me a feeling of ownership you just can't get by being given something. If I had always been given them without working for it or deciding to spend my money on it I doubt I would still like them today as they would have probably just been a phase for me.

But you didn't work for a discount did you? I mean, if they were offering 10 bucks, you didn't counter-offer with 8 did you (if so, I have some properties that need landscaping )

Marvel is a company that has employees that need paid, stockholders who put their money at risk for some kind of a return, and vendors, LCBS's, etc that make money off of their product. They have an obligation to make a profit, and a free market system almost demands that they maximize it.

If you were a Marvel employee (artist, writer, janitor, elevator operator), would you want Marvel to make more or less of a profit?

When I see Apple, Microsoft, Nintendo, Verizon, and DirecTV all dropping their prices so "the children" will have viable entertainment at an affordable price, I'll totally conceded the point.