A coke and a candy bar... is it that simple?

[fazman]

Great idea !! But who's going to run with it ?

[backtomarvel]

Someone will ... I just feel it. The current market seems steaming toward homogeneaty (sp?) and needing something new, something different. Each superhero has four or five comics around the character. It's saturated on those racks.

 

Someone will do it. I'm fairly well stunned that Archie hasn't done it yet. Disney seems the best bet. What about a resurrection of Richie Rich, Casper and the gang?

[fantastic_four]

Is the paper the major expense anymore? Don't the creators make a LOT more for Marvel to keep them than they used to back in the 60s/70s, ever since Lee/McFarlane/Larson started wanting ownership of the content and split off to form Image? Anybody know what a Bendis makes--100K or more a year?

 

I expect them to ditch comics and go to TPBs only before they cheapen the product...although I tend to agree that I wish they'd find a way to cheapen the product.

[Aman619]

The industry tried 99 cent comics..and they filed miserably. I agree that comics today are too expensive, but, making them cheaper won't bring in "the kids". At 2 to 3 bucks, comics are still cheap entertainment. They only get expensive when you want to buy 20 or 30 a month. The "collector mentality" causes this. If you separate comic reading from comic collecting, it might be possible for new readers to come in and buy and read and enjoy a few books a month cheaply even at todays prices per book.

[Timely]

The industry tried 99 cent comics..and they filed miserably. I agree that comics today are too expensive, but, making them cheaper won't bring in "the kids". At 2 to 3 bucks, comics are still cheap entertainment. They only get expensive when you want to buy 20 or 30 a month. The "collector mentality" causes this. If you separate comic reading from comic collecting, it might be possible for new readers to come in and buy and read and enjoy a few books a month cheaply even at todays prices per book.

 

If they just wanted a "cheap" read they can always go to the Quarter bin. 40 comics for 10 bucks!

 

Timely

[Aman619]

I was thinking of something along those lines. Books today are only expensive when they come out - - you know for all us addicted gotta be in the store every week to get the new books! But after weeks go by and they havent sold off the racks, they are arguably "dead" and a smart retailer would be tempted to sell them at half off to recoup his costs. Perhaps this setup if widely availbe woudl be a god way for new readers to sample comics they might enjoy. And then "graduate" into addicted weekly visitors to the stores.

[Timely]

I was thinking of something along those lines. Books today are only expensive when they come out - - you know for all us addicted gotta be in the store every week to get the new books! But after weeks go by and they havent sold off the racks, they are arguably "dead" and a smart retailer would be tempted to sell them at half off to recoup his costs. Perhaps this setup if widely availbe woudl be a god way for new readers to sample comics they might enjoy. And then "graduate" into addicted weekly visitors to the stores.

 

Many do price them at 1/2 cover, Chuck prices them at 10 times cover..."Hey man, that's a back issue!"

Timely

[shadroch]

Some of the best comics Marvel produced in the 90s,imo,were the 99cent retellings of the early Spideys and X-Men. A sort of prequel to the Ultimates.They were considered a failure,though they sold alot more copies than most books these days.

I wonder how much affect Diamond has on the prices.Since they move X amount of units at a discount of Y,it really isn't in their short term interest to have books with lower pricing.They'd need to move more units to make equal money,with increased cost on top of that.

[Aman619]

I wouldnt think so....as sals go down, and costs rise, they have little choice but to raise prices to keep income steady.

 

But since Diamond's deal with DC etc is as their "sales agent" (Diamond doesnt buy any comics: they just act as go-between. The comics they physically have in their warehouses arent owned by Diamond. They have ZERO inventory!) ...perhaps its within their job description to reccommend price increases too. As in, "You can go another quarter next March. Trust us. The retailers will go for it"

 

Perhaps Lighthouse has an opinion on this aspect?

[thanos_oftitan]

OK - I seldom buy new comics, only if it's something of interest (JLA/Avengers). I'll just wait for a comic show and pick up everything I missed for about 50 cents to buck, a book. If it's something hot (30days/night) I'll pick up the TPB.

 

How comic shops stay in business today is a miracle.

[shadroch]

Why would cost rise as sales go down?. The two don't need to go hand in hand.

I believe you have the relationship between Diamond and the retailers backwards.I think Diamond dictates and retailers listen,grumble and comply.They are,in effect,unpaid employeees of Diamond.If they step out of line and Diamond terminates their account,they are out of business. If they are not productive enough,Diamond cuts their discount. If they produce better,they are rewarded with higher discounts.

[Aman619]

I wrote it that BOTH are happening, not a cause and effect. Try it again.

 

I se your analogy of the retailers being employees of Diamond. Its cynical but perhaps they feel that way since Diamond is the only game in town. But, if YOU were Roger Fletcher, how differently would you run it? Certainly, if a retaier orders more each month they deserve a better price. Thats just business as usual in every industry. And if the customer falls behingd in payments, you break his knees, umm, no, you cut them off. Not the knees... anyway ....

[garthgantu]

I don't think it's entirely the cost of new comics that's driven kids out of the market - though that's got to be part of the problem. It's also the content.

- very few 'kids' comics even published these days, and those are just as expensive as the comics for older readers

- the average superhero title, which catered primarily to kids 30 years ago, now has so much graphic violence, sex, and/or convoluted plot lines that most parents won't buy 'em for their kids, and most kids wouldn't be sucked in like we were back in the day.

 

Yes, one of biggest costs now is the content. When Image comics was formed, those artists when from receiving maybe 7 to 15 cents per issue of the Marvel titles they worked on (depending on whether they wrote, pencilled and/or inked) to making 90 cents an issue. That was what, 12 years ago? I'm sure it's even more now, at least at some publishers.

 

But if you're talking about kids comics, I don't see why you'd need to spend *anything* on content. Whether it's Richie Rich and Casper, or Little Lulu or Dennis the Menace or Bugs Bunny, just reprint the hundreds of stories already produced, for virtually no additional expense, and you're all set. That combined with somewhat lower paper stock should bring production costs waaay down.

[THE_BEYONDER]

But if you're talking about kids comics, I don't see why you'd need to spend *anything* on content. Whether it's Richie Rich and Casper, or Little Lulu or Dennis the Menace or Bugs Bunny, just reprint the hundreds of stories already produced, for virtually no additional expense, and you're all set. That combined with somewhat lower paper stock should bring production costs waaay down.

 

Marvel should just reprint the original ASM, FF, etc...runs in a complete and cost efficient manner.

 

Instead of "Ultimizing" the universe.....they should be bringing the true "classics" to kids and new readers.

 

I would much rather collect ASM 1-50 in a nice bi-monthly reprint( cover and contents identical), than USM.....

[garthgantu]

I agree. All the original Marvel titles are worth printing in this fashion. I'm guessing that Marvel makes sufficient $ off the Archives/Masterworks etc. that they're afraid they'll cannibalize those sales by making individual issue reprints available.

Realistically, Marvel currently sells ASM 1-10 (plus AF 15) for what, $40 ? They'd have to believe they could sell 10x as many copies of each individual issue, at $1 or so a pop, to make that approach work.

[shadroch]

There are a number of factors to consider.

Shelf space in stores is lmited so the retailer would need to sell many more $1 comics to makeup the revenue he lost by stocking that book instead of a $2.99 book.

Most comic stores are not kid-proof in that you wouldn't want a five year old running around ,grabbing boooks on the shelf or models,ect.

Does this generation of kids follow any of the characters that have been mentioned? Are Lil Lulu or Dennis the Menace still the icons they once were. When I was 10-12,all my friends read the Hardy Boys. Some read Tom Swift Jr,and in a pinch most of us would read Nancy Drew.

These were icons of the generation of the 50s and 60s.Even as late as the 70s they had TV series,but I don't think the series exists anymore.

I,for one,love what Marvel did with the Ultimate Spider-Man.There is no way a kid today picking up a new reprint of AF 15 would idenitify with PP,but he can to the Ultimate Spidey. Maybe if they tried to do what DC did back in the 80s with Legion and Titans. Publish on glossy paper and then reprint a year later on newsprint.