CBR had an article about this.
http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2009/05/more-on-marvels-price-increases/
The message board reactions below were not encouraging.
It also is worth mentioning that Marvel has been doing quite a few cynical things to punish readers who "trade wait", usually by releasing "mini HC's" to justify selling 4-6 issues at $20, or padding out a trade that would feature a 4 issue storyline with 2 issues of reprint material, such as with some NOVA or CAPTAIN BRITAIN AND MI-13 trades to further justify a higher price. In some ways this may seen functional in the short term but bad in the long term. Some in the industry, like Dan DiDio at a Bristol Convention some weeks ago, claim that "trade waiting is for people who don't want to read comics." That is exactly backward; people who wait for the trade are doing so BECAUSE they SO want to read a comic story, that that they want the entire story, in one package, without ads, and in the least space possible, that CANNOT be resold (single issues, not trades, can increase in value via CGC) for any more than you bought it for. I remember cursing rather audibly that in catching up on INCREDIBLE HERCULES, I had to pay an extra $5 for the SECRET INVASION arc for nothing more than a mini-HC when a trade would have been fine at, say, $15-$16.
The reality, though, is that Marvel has been restructured as Joe Quesada and company wanted after their 90's bankruptcy. Back then they almost exclusively relied on their print arm for profits (and to a degree, trading cards). Nowadays, the massive bulk of Marvel's profits, something that has to be around 70% on a modest figure, are from licensing. Merchandise, movies, TV shows, etc. Their print arm is merely there for creative ore for the media branches, and as side profits. It has to maintain a profit unto itself, as everything in business does, but it also explains why some of the print strategies have gotten a bit more cynical since, oh, 2004.
While I am sure rising costs and such are a reality (inflation rates have been, oh, about 89-100% since the 80's), obviously telling customers one thing and stock-holders another so blatantly breeds ill will.
Personally, while if I am happily enjoying a book for years and it jumps in price by a dollar for no reason, while I will complain, I will likely still get it. What $4 books have done, though, is make me less inclined to impulse buy or try something out. Jason Aaron and Ron Garney on a WOLVERINE title is interesting, but for $4 an issue, no way. I left NEW AVENGERS before it and other Bendis books became $4 books, as at even $3 an issue, buying stuff I hated wore thin on the wallet. I think more about on-shot's and mini's now. What I think the prices are having on the market is that the books that always sell well will continue to do so, but stores, who have budgets, will cut back on the smaller books to save costs. In example, NEW AVENGERS will sell over 90k an issue regardless of the price, but, say, NOVA, a book that had sold no lower than 28k copies an issue for an entire calender year, suddenly drops to 25-26k almost immediately after the prices start hitting. While it has held at that number for 3-4 months, I see no other reason for a quick 10% dip other than shops trying to make up for expenses on bigger books by trimming the smaller ones "here and there". A book that sold at 35k in 2007 would maybe be in the Top 60; now those are Top 45 sellers.
I'm all for voting with dollars. As I said, I'm not about to dump THOR because of of the extra book, but I'm hardly going to try, say, WOLVERINE: WEAPON X or SECRET WARRIORS. While the Joe Q EIC tenure has been commercially very successful, I don't think even Jim Shooter had such cynical contempt for his audience.
.Many magazines are going up in price. The way to go with Marvel is through their subscription service(cheapest price possible and free postage),Amazon.com or ebay. One of the greatest pleasures in being a collector is getting a valuable book for the cheapest price possible.Seek and ye shall find!
