That’s what makes this a complicated topic for me. I see it two ways. You either keep prices high and prevent the new generation of customers, or you keep prices high and you lose the older readers.
Here’s the thing. Twenty years ago if you had floated the idea of reading comics on a screen I would have said, without hesitation, no way. Yet, here I am. Cuz $$$.
I understand paper is less common now than once was. It’s not Waterworld uncommon though. I’ll read a comic printed on xerox paper. Doesn’t matter to me.
I think it comes down to expensive talent more than physical production costs, and while I love my writers and artists, I am not interested in my lifelong hobby costing three times more than it should just so Rob Liefeld or Frank Miller can do three variant covers to buy a new Mercedes-Benz S-Class. One thing I loved about comics growing up was the talent was usually normal dudes (and dudettes). Millionaire celebrity creators is a big reason we pay the prices.
I honestly think that if comics want to plan for the long run, they need to move more towards a pure digital release schedule. No production costs, no shipping costs, and no middleman. Also, a digital copy of a comic should cost less than a print copy from the day it’s released. I understand that comic store owners are worried that that will undercut their sales, but I don’t think it will. The people who are print copy loyalists will still buy print copies for the collectibility aspect. I think what we’re going to start to see is comic stores that focus more and more on trade paperbacks and back issues.
I think the millionaire creators are not the norm and most make an okay living. I think production value and small print runs are driving up cost. Also overhead of entrenched bureaucracies. I’ve heard creators say the can make more at Image with 7k sold than at the big two with 20k sold.
Comics seems to be the only periodical that has a collector component to it. That’s what is holding back a bigger push to digital. Along with the fear of losing the current revenue and not knowing if the new revenue would be enough to replace it. People don’t like change. Especially the bureaucrats whose livelihoods are based on the status quo.
The last time I went to a shop was in late February, before everything started shutting down. They didn’t have what I wanted, so I grabbed three random titles off the shelf (I like the owner and felt bad leaving empty handed).
As I checked out, he shook his head and went, “You just paid $14 for three comic books. How’d that feel?”
Felt crappy knowing even the shop owners are put off by the pricing.
I don’t think I’m going to be collecting monthly issues anymore. I don’t know if the shops closest to me are going to survive this. I used to collect through the mail, but the carrier always damaged my stuff. I’m probably going to continue some back issue collection and focus on digital and trades.
While I love having a hard copy of a comic in my hands, my space and budget is lacking. I’ve purchased certain story arcs (that I haven’t even read yet) over the last couple of years purely to support the little guys and for the chance to stop in the shops and say hello, but otherwise, buying trade paperbacks or using DCU/MarvelU has become my modus operandi. It’s definitely not my preference, but it’s either that or miss out altogether. Especially with, as mentioned, the severe lack of one-shots. It’s more of a financial commitment than I can manage with some of these year-long story arcs that cross over into x number of titles. I can’t imagine how overwhelming it all looks to a complete newcomer.
The most frightening thing said on this thread belongs to @DeSade-acolyte. 25,000 is a high print run.
And I’ll rephrase my main thought into an outright question–
Do you need each issue of every comic to have multiple covers-- and the same production standards as the glossiest trade release? Because that’s the current goal.
Also, most people working in comics don’t just do comics.
That’s my point in a way. If you’re a high paid screenwriter, storyboard artist, director, producer, etc…
Should you also be high paid comic talent?
We’re all here talking about the industry struggling. We don’t like it, but it’s a fact. The business has seen better days. My position isn’t likely to be a popular one, but if it cost (making something up) $500,000 to have Joss Whedon do six issues of, well, any title…is it worth it?
I’d say no. Even if you pull in 100K sales an issue per month I’d say no.
I’m not saying they’re all overpaid. I’m saying if you make $100,000 a year writing a comic that seems good to me (it’s sadly much lower on average). I’d personally feel guilty being paid much more in an industry that’s known to be in a rough patch.
I’m also curious who buys comics just because of big name talent. I’m not the type (I’m lying a little because I went bananas when Donner wrote Superman years ago).
Wolverine 1 (2020) stands out in my mind. $8 for a comic by Percy and Kubert. Why?
P.S. I know our regional comic celebrity (Hope Larson) had to return to the area because L.A. was super expensive and comics didn’t pay enough to live there.
There’s a tricky balance in there. I haven’t bought new comics on a by-issue basis since probably 2010. Back then I remember most hovering around the $4 mark and with what I was reading, I never quite felt like I was getting my money’s worth compared to the 90’s. Storylines were increasingly padded out so you’d have to buy one next month (which is one reason I think for so long so many comics embraced the multi-issue story arc- well, that and trade paperback sales) out of obligation to see the end of the story, rather than because you were stoked for the next adventure. I don’t mind ongoing story arcs, but often I felt a story was padded out and would be better explored as a one-shot.
I don’t begrudge an industry and the creative talent working on the books making money. We’ve all gotta eat and I’m all for talent getting paid well enough to live comfortably on. One of the problems though, is, dollar for dollar comic books are a pretty expensive form of entertainment. $4 for an issue that in most cases is read once in less than 30 minutes and slip back into the plastic never to be read again is hard to justify, especially when you’re struggling to make ends meet yourself and are trying to read multiple titles a month.
I think comics and action figures are over-priced. I remember as a kid collecting comic books and paying $.75-$2.99 roughly per comic and action figures were about $10.00. These were affordable prices for a kid. I could pick up a few comics and an action figure for $20.00…
Now comics are anywhere from $3.99-$5.99 and action figures are about $20.00 themselves… I wonder why the industry isn’t getting new readers and collectors? Could it be because they are pricing themselves out of their young audience?
They aren’t as cheap as they were when I was a kid (35 cents), but when you keep on mind all the work going into each issue-I don’t think the price is excessive
@wvp I agree that production costs are up on some titles. I’m just not interested in fancier art. My favorite DC comics are from the early-mid 1980’s.
I’d imagine the technology needed to realize a John Cassidy, Jae Lee, or Stjepan Šejić comic is very advanced. They use a great deal of computer technology to bring their images to life. The paper needed is more expensive, for sure.
I just prefer Aparo or Giordano. That artwork was able to be printed on cheaper stock. I’m not saying new high-tech stuff shouldn’t be there. Quite the opposite.
I think there should be a sliding scale on a comic. If it has more expensive talent and requires fancy paper and printing techniques, sure, $5.99.
If it’s more conventional art it has few excuses for being more than $2.99. My two cents anyway. It’s probably not worth a cent.
They are definitely too expensive for what you get. I’d say a 10 dollar book is okay if it’s 80-100 pages, but 10 dollars for 40 or 60 pages is ridiculous. 4 dollars for 22 is pushing it, and 4 for 20 is really frustrating. The problem is, we don’t have the influx of new buyers that would make cheaper pricing work.
When I asked this question I was actually reading a news article about employment. It was my, mmmm, inspiration? Here’s what I found.
The average cost of a comic in…
1960 — $0.12 ($1.04 in 2020)
1970 — $0.15 ($0.99 in 2020)
1980 — $0.40 ($1.24 in 2020)
Cumulative inflation is a little over 200% since 1980. So, fair market cost of a comic should be $2.50-$3.25 in 2020 dollars. So production and talent is more expensive. I’ll agree to that.
At $5 an issue you’re saying creative pay and production is 75%-100% more expensive than 40 years ago.
I don’t buy it. Literally.
I love this stuff, but ultimately, more than anything, I believe it comes down to the fact that major entertainment companies became involved and video games stole the target audience. I could see production being more expensive by maybe 50% (pay increases and better paper and less of that paper available). At seven dollars an issue were making the argument that creative talent and printing requirements justify charging 140% (inflation calculated) more than 1980. For the same amount of entertainment.
It’s enough to make this fan stop buying monthlies after 35 years.
Comic book writers and artists are paid more today. Many have created their own “brand” or cult following. Alex Ross, Frank Miller, etc. people who will buy a book simply because person-X is involved with it.
Comics are having the same problem as all other print media is having. Comics are also in the collectibles market as well. I no longer care about collecting comics. I’d love to, but I don’t have the money. So one reason I subscribe to DCU is the comics. I’m interested in the stories and I don’t mind being a year behind. So DCU is of value to me because of that.
I think comics are going to need to move to a greater digital model. Publishing a lot of book digital only, and physically publishing fewer physical comics. They need to find a new business model. If you are buying physical comics for just the 30min of entertainment, they are over priced. If you are buying them for their potential collectability that is a different story.
In a sense, physical comics today are sold more as collectibles than as entertainment. The distribution model is also interesting. Where do or can you sell them. Most physical bookstores are gone. Comic shops aren’t always local. I don’t think you can get them through the mail like you could back in the 70’s. You would subscribe to a title for a year and they would show up in your mailbox once a month. Comic shops would have some new comics every month, but mostly survived by selling back issues.
They are trying new things, like the Walmart 100 page giants. Is that the route to get more mass market appeal. Selling them in places like drugstores, grocery stores, Walmart and Target. As places like Woolworth’s, local pharmacies & soda shops went out of business with their spinner racks of new comics. The gen pop had to search out for a local comics shop to get their fix. It has helped local shops stay open. This pandemic has shown just how fragile those businesses can be.
Obviously, a new model for the digital age is needed. I don’t know what the new model is, but I know they have to find one.
@DeSade-acolyte There are subscription options. Some okay. Some are more “ehhhh”. Either way, if you don’t have a local comic shop; it usually costs more than buying in the store.
I’m 100% with you. I avoid spoilers and read on a delay. I buy a couple of graded issues of (what I consider) key comics every year. Comics I had as a kid.
It’s nostalgic buying. That’s the extent of my single issue collecting nowadays. Never anything fancy. (I’m looking for Action Comics Annual 2 right now. I don’t know if it’s even worth the cost of grading. I just bought it the day my dad took me to see Batman 89.)
I just bought it the day my dad took me to see Batman 89.)