Disney might cut the price of Marvel comics to $1.99

[500Club]

I think we've discussed in the past that paper costs are not the big expenses. I thought that we finally agreed that it was the rising salaries of the creators.

 

I stand corrected. Now that you mention it, we have had people involved in the professional printing process testify to that, haven't we? Although I can't see the old newsprint style of paper not being cheaper ... I guess it's more a question of the percentage saving being insignificant.

 

I've always wondered why Marvel can't put Archie-style digests on the newsstands. That should allow for exposure, and sidestep the creator costs if reprint material is used.

[Escaflown4]

I hate to seem pessimistic here. Even if Disney decides to lower the cover price of the new books to $1.99, I sincerely doubt you will see people flocking to their local comic stores. It just not going to happen. True, new comics will then be more affordable and a few new folks might decide to pick them up. However, in these days, reading a comic just can't compete with all the other forms of entertainment we have out there. Good luck trying to get kids into the hobby while they got the PS3 and Xbox. Most would rather just watch the movies Hollywood spits out rather then pick up the books. The biggest benefit I can see from this outcome is it would attract long time collectors to come back to the hobby and allow for current collectors to add a few more titles to their monthly pile.

[the blob]

Good luck trying to get kids into the hobby while they got the PS3 and Xbox.

-----------------

 

aw, come on, we had pot, skate boards, glue and Time Pilot when I was a pre-teen and we still liked our comics too

[RockMyAmadeus]

I hate to seem pessimistic here. Even if Disney decides to lower the cover price of the new books to $1.99, I sincerely doubt you will see people flocking to their local comic stores. It just not going to happen. True, new comics will then be more affordable and a few new folks might decide to pick them up. However, in these days, reading a comic just can't compete with all the other forms of entertainment we have out there. Good luck trying to get kids into the hobby while they got the PS3 and Xbox. Most would rather just watch the movies Hollywood spits out rather then pick up the books. The biggest benefit I can see from this outcome is it would attract long time collectors to come back to the hobby and allow for current collectors to add a few more titles to their monthly pile.

 

Hey Esca!

[Escaflown4]

I hate to seem pessimistic here. Even if Disney decides to lower the cover price of the new books to $1.99, I sincerely doubt you will see people flocking to their local comic stores. It just not going to happen. True, new comics will then be more affordable and a few new folks might decide to pick them up. However, in these days, reading a comic just can't compete with all the other forms of entertainment we have out there. Good luck trying to get kids into the hobby while they got the PS3 and Xbox. Most would rather just watch the movies Hollywood spits out rather then pick up the books. The biggest benefit I can see from this outcome is it would attract long time collectors to come back to the hobby and allow for current collectors to add a few more titles to their monthly pile.

 

Hey Esca!

 

Z! How you been?

[duncan36]

Disney isnt going to treat Marvel like Time Warner treats DC. Disney is going to try to make money out of every division including the comic book division. Hopefully they dont infantilize and stupify the comic books in the name of hitting that 10-14 year old boy demographic though. . Hopefully they realize Marvel comics were always successful because they had an 'edge' and smarts even if they were targetted towards children.

[spongerob86]

I However, in these days, reading a comic just can't compete with all the other forms of entertainment we have out there. Good luck trying to get kids into the hobby while they got the PS3 and Xbox.

 

Me and my dad read comics, my younger sister eventually got into comics.. but the youngest, my 14 year old brother, is all but a lost cause. Between Xbox and the internet, comics just don't stand a chance with him. I had a couple books with me yesterday and he picked one up and asked "How can you read this stuff?", referring to comics in general.

 

Later I gave him Kick- 1 to flip through, thinking that the theme and humor of that book might appeal to him. He read through some of it, got a laugh here and there, but not really any serious interest.

 

My younger sister used to read a handful of titles, but dropped out of comics for a while. I gave her Walking Dead tpbs and pestered her until she read them. She was hooked, but that's the only current title she reads.

 

I chalk it up to two teens that just don't like to read, but it's still sad to see.

[Mr 9.8]

I However, in these days, reading a comic just can't compete with all the other forms of entertainment we have out there. Good luck trying to get kids into the hobby while they got the PS3 and Xbox.

 

Me and my dad read comics, my younger sister eventually got into comics.. but the youngest, my 14 year old brother, is all but a lost cause. Between Xbox and the internet, comics just don't stand a chance with him. I had a couple books with me yesterday and he picked one up and asked "How can you read this stuff?", referring to comics in general.

 

Later I gave him Kick- 1 to flip through, thinking that the theme and humor of that book might appeal to him. He read through some of it, got a laugh here and there, but not really any serious interest.

 

My younger sister used to read a handful of titles, but dropped out of comics for a while. I gave her Walking Dead tpbs and pestered her until she read them. She was hooked, but that's the only current title she reads.

 

I chalk it up to two teens that just don't like to read, but it's still sad to see.

What a shame. I think you need to ask your little brother ''How can you play this stuff'' referring to video games in General.

[Marvelfangirl]

I However, in these days, reading a comic just can't compete with all the other forms of entertainment we have out there. Good luck trying to get kids into the hobby while they got the PS3 and Xbox.

 

Me and my dad read comics, my younger sister eventually got into comics.. but the youngest, my 14 year old brother, is all but a lost cause. Between Xbox and the internet, comics just don't stand a chance with him. I had a couple books with me yesterday and he picked one up and asked "How can you read this stuff?", referring to comics in general.

 

Later I gave him Kick- 1 to flip through, thinking that the theme and humor of that book might appeal to him. He read through some of it, got a laugh here and there, but not really any serious interest.

 

My younger sister used to read a handful of titles, but dropped out of comics for a while. I gave her Walking Dead tpbs and pestered her until she read them. She was hooked, but that's the only current title she reads.

 

I chalk it up to two teens that just don't like to read, but it's still sad to see.

What a shame. I think you need to ask your little brother ''How can you play this stuff'' referring to video games in General.

ARR the internet and video games are turning kids into brainless zombies

[spongerob86]

ARR the internet and video games are turning kids into brainless zombies

 

It sucks because he's a bright kid, good grades, mutli-sport athlete, etc... but for him, free time is better spent playing Halo or on myspace/internet than picking up a comic book (or any book, really). It would be cool to be able to hand off a bunch of books to a sibling for them to get into, so it's a bummer when there's no interest there.

 

I read an article in Sports Illustrated recently that talked about the sports card industry and how drastically it has been dying over the years. It talked about several of the same issues, about how cards and card collecting is something prehistoric and foreign to most kids.

[Lego]

I However, in these days, reading a comic just can't compete with all the other forms of entertainment we have out there. Good luck trying to get kids into the hobby while they got the PS3 and Xbox.

 

Me and my dad read comics, my younger sister eventually got into comics.. but the youngest, my 14 year old brother, is all but a lost cause. Between Xbox and the internet, comics just don't stand a chance with him. I had a couple books with me yesterday and he picked one up and asked "How can you read this stuff?", referring to comics in general.

 

Later I gave him Kick- 1 to flip through, thinking that the theme and humor of that book might appeal to him. He read through some of it, got a laugh here and there, but not really any serious interest.

 

My younger sister used to read a handful of titles, but dropped out of comics for a while. I gave her Walking Dead tpbs and pestered her until she read them. She was hooked, but that's the only current title she reads.

 

I chalk it up to two teens that just don't like to read, but it's still sad to see.

What a shame. I think you need to ask your little brother ''How can you play this stuff'' referring to video games in General.

ARR the internet and video games are turning kids into brainless zombies

 

Yes, it's a shame they will never attain the charm, carriage, and social status expected of the intellectual elite found at a comic book convention.

[spongerob86]

Have any of these blockbuster movies brought in new readers? I know I never see any kids when I go to the shop, ever.

[MR.COMICBOOK]

I However, in these days, reading a comic just can't compete with all the other forms of entertainment we have out there. Good luck trying to get kids into the hobby while they got the PS3 and Xbox.

 

Me and my dad read comics, my younger sister eventually got into comics.. but the youngest, my 14 year old brother, is all but a lost cause. Between Xbox and the internet, comics just don't stand a chance with him. I had a couple books with me yesterday and he picked one up and asked "How can you read this stuff?", referring to comics in general.

 

Later I gave him Kick- 1 to flip through, thinking that the theme and humor of that book might appeal to him. He read through some of it, got a laugh here and there, but not really any serious interest.

 

My younger sister used to read a handful of titles, but dropped out of comics for a while. I gave her Walking Dead tpbs and pestered her until she read them. She was hooked, but that's the only current title she reads.

 

I chalk it up to two teens that just don't like to read, but it's still sad to see.

What a shame. I think you need to ask your little brother ''How can you play this stuff'' referring to video games in General.

ARR the internet and video games are turning kids into brainless zombies

I think the new generation will not be brainless zombies, I think the brainless zombie generation was the one that wanted thier MTV, now that was a brainless zombie generation, sitting in front of thier tv all day watching MTV music videos.The kids today will turn out smarter do to internet/videogames than the lost generation of the late 70s to early 90s.

[Limited66]

I say drop that price and start a price-war. Let's get trades down to 9.99 while we're at it.

 

Went to an annual sale at the LCS and there was a huge line and no one under 25 was in it.

[EastEnd]

I don't think Disney is going to set Marvel prices. Disney will give Marvel goals/targets to hit (e.g., revenues, cash generation, profits), but tactical decisions on how to achieve those goals will likely be left to Marvel - they're the ones that understand their business and the industry they operate in.

 

There's really been very little evidence of that in the past 10+ years.....

 

Current management took a company that was in bankruptcy and turned it into a $4 billion asset over the last ten years... something that never would've been imagined for ANY comic book publisher.

[EastEnd]

will likely be left to Marvel - they're the ones that understand their business and the industry they operate in.

-----------------------------------

 

which is why they've seen volume shrink like 75% over the last 15 years?

 

WDCS used to sell in a single month as much as Marvel's entire line does now.

 

Not that the current folks at Disney have any real experience. but clearly Marvel (and DC) don't have any good ideas to stop volume sales from going down 2-5% a year over the long haul, at least of the print versions.

 

I see NO efforts to get marvel comics beyond the comic shops and back into mainstream circulation. $6-$7 kids magazine versions? the whole point is parents and kids don't want to lay down $3 much less $6 or $7! they need to be priced and available...it won't be 1979 volume, but really, I do see at a price point of $2 a parent buying a kid a comic at the walmart to shut him up rather than spending that money on a snack. the kids watch the cartoons. they have superhero themed parties (I've been to FOUR this year!), i do not believe they can love spiderman on TV and when handed a spiderman comic go "blech, this is yickey, i don't look at comics"..heck, my kids sits there examining the pages for 10 minutes and remembers the fricking stories (even though he can't read!). heck, he knows there's a "black" and a "white" green lantern and was a bit freaked out to learn there's an evil purple one too!

 

Publishing is R&D to Marvel and likely will be to Disney... the demographic and technological trends are what they are... all publishers of hardcopy material are suffering today... not just comic book publishers. As I said earlier, current Marvel management has created more value than any other management team in the seventy-plus year history of the company.

[Marvelfangirl]

I However, in these days, reading a comic just can't compete with all the other forms of entertainment we have out there. Good luck trying to get kids into the hobby while they got the PS3 and Xbox.

 

Me and my dad read comics, my younger sister eventually got into comics.. but the youngest, my 14 year old brother, is all but a lost cause. Between Xbox and the internet, comics just don't stand a chance with him. I had a couple books with me yesterday and he picked one up and asked "How can you read this stuff?", referring to comics in general.

 

Later I gave him Kick- 1 to flip through, thinking that the theme and humor of that book might appeal to him. He read through some of it, got a laugh here and there, but not really any serious interest.

 

My younger sister used to read a handful of titles, but dropped out of comics for a while. I gave her Walking Dead tpbs and pestered her until she read them. She was hooked, but that's the only current title she reads.

 

I chalk it up to two teens that just don't like to read, but it's still sad to see.

What a shame. I think you need to ask your little brother ''How can you play this stuff'' referring to video games in General.

ARR the internet and video games are turning kids into brainless zombies

I think the new generation will not be brainless zombies, I think the brainless zombie generation was the one that wanted thier MTV, now that was a brainless zombie generation, sitting in front of thier tv all day watching MTV music videos.The kids today will turn out smarter do to internet/videogames than the lost generation of the late 70s to early 90s.

I hope your right

[codfish]

It is a "What If" not what is to come article. Comics will never be $1.99 again. That's doesn't stop one from dreaming but, personally, I don't feel comics are over prices at $2.99/$3.99.

[500Club]

It is a "What If" not what is to come article. Comics will never be $1.99 again. That's doesn't stop one from dreaming but, personally, I don't feel comics are over prices at $2.99/$3.99.

 

Compare those prices to paperback books, and compare the escalation of prices for the two items. You may not like the conclusion you draw.

[RockMyAmadeus]

It is a "What If" not what is to come article. Comics will never be $1.99 again. That's doesn't stop one from dreaming but, personally, I don't feel comics are over prices at $2.99/$3.99.

 

Compare those prices to paperback books, and compare the escalation of prices for the two items. You may not like the conclusion you draw.

 

And the average paperback is 300-600 pages, with zero to no illustrations, and lasts, depending on how quickly one reads, many hours to several weeks.