Moderns that are heating up on ebay! 71 71

[mschmidt]

Gotta hand it to the folks at Image - they've certainly discovered the perfect way to milk the collector's market ... keep doing reprints with tiny print runs and make the OCD collectors go crazy.

 

Gotta catch them all!!

[LarrysComics]

Gotta hand it to the folks at Image - they've certainly discovered the perfect way to milk the collector's market ... keep doing reprints with tiny print runs and make the OCD collectors go crazy.

 

Gotta catch them all!!

 

 

I understand your logic, BUT here's the catch.

I don't think its intentional.

At the time retailers order Revival #1 second prints ( or insert book here) are literally falling off the shelves.

 

Retailers have NO need at the time. ( and limited money )

 

They order light.

 

Publisher/ creator prints light. ( they too have limited funds )

 

Opportunity presents itself for individuals with speculatory skill sets.

Can you spot a trend? Do you have grading skills?

 

$

Edited September 14, 2012 by LarrysComics

[ThoseBackPages]

Revival SUCKS!

 

[Iceman399]

Revival SUCKS!

 

 

Hmmm I think I could find a use for all of those.

[mschmidt]

Cross-posting the same image SUCKS!

[HugeRosen]

Revival SUCKS!

 

 

You should just throw that all away. Pile of trash.

[ThoseBackPages]

Cross-posting the same image SUCKS!

 

[eisley-migration]

Well, since it's already a $7 book, send me $140 and you are a

 

ROFL, how can i lose, send me an invoice. While you are at it, I have $2500 to spend on a UXM #266 9.9, and $7000 for a WD #1 9.9

 

hook me up!

[eisley-migration]

Gotta hand it to the folks at Image - they've certainly discovered the perfect way to milk the collector's market ... keep doing reprints with tiny print runs and make the OCD collectors go crazy.

 

Gotta catch them all!!

 

NO WAI

[mschmidt]

Gotta hand it to the folks at Image - they've certainly discovered the perfect way to milk the collector's market ... keep doing reprints with tiny print runs and make the OCD collectors go crazy.

 

Gotta catch them all!!

 

 

I understand your logic, BUT here's the catch.

I don't think its intentional.

At the time retailers order Revival #1 second prints ( or insert book here) are literally falling off the shelves.

 

Retailers have NO need at the time. ( and limited money )

 

They order light.

 

Publisher/ creator prints light. ( they too have limited funds )

 

I think it's absolutely intentional from Image's side - this has been their strategy for several years now; small print runs means an almost immediate sellout which, in turn, means comments like yours and a "Book X #1 2nd print is already sold out - get it while you can" mention on sites like Bleeding Cool.

 

It's a pretty smart marketing strategy and it seems to be working out great for them.

[eisley-migration]

Gotta hand it to the folks at Image - they've certainly discovered the perfect way to milk the collector's market ... keep doing reprints with tiny print runs and make the OCD collectors go crazy.

 

Gotta catch them all!!

 

 

I understand your logic, BUT here's the catch.

I don't think its intentional.

At the time retailers order Revival #1 second prints ( or insert book here) are literally falling off the shelves.

 

Retailers have NO need at the time. ( and limited money )

 

They order light.

 

Publisher/ creator prints light. ( they too have limited funds )

 

Opportunity presents itself for individuals with speculatory skill sets.

Can you spot a trend? Do you have grading skills?

 

$

 

agree 100%

 

publishers publish, if someone wants to buy 20 copies of a modern book, its not their fault. Why wouldnt they keep printing until they cant sell any more.

 

The only danger is when a speculative bubble rolls over, and demand vanishes over night. Right now, its individuals series trading on their rumor/news stories.

 

In the 90s it was the market as a whole. I think it wont be too much longer till we see that again. Either by external economic forces, or internally through fatigue like last time.

 

But with pictures like the above, what could possibly go wrong .

[eisley-migration]

It's nice when a book turns though. I love fatale, and months ago who would have thought i could get a #1 9.8 SS for around $60 .

 

I'll pay someone $60 bucks to do all the work of getting a book slabbed and signed for me that i like, ALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL DAY son.

 

that's a real winnah for you

 

 

[LarrysComics]

>>means comments like yours<<

 

Well, it certainly is a comment, BUT it's also a fact.

Revival #1 3rd printing is going to backorder at Diamond almost a week before it's release.

 

Also. I don't know how much you know about Image or their creator owned publishing mechanics, BUT creators pay for their own printing. on new material a lot of these guys do not have the deepest pockets to let the presses run wild.

 

( Pssst: I am a retailer. It's my job to hype comics. )

 

Edited September 14, 2012 by LarrysComics

[eisley-migration]

i like the cut of larry's jib, to quote the simpsons.

 

Publishers print,

Retailers retail,

 

 

You cant blame publishers or retailers for speculation. Both can and should sell as much as the market asks them for.

 

Buyers are the ones that control demand. If you can arbitrage LCS and Retailers using Ebay, good on you. If you can get a higher margin by slabbing to boot, so be it.

 

It's a market for that reason.

 

I only get heated when people try to stifle debate, but maybe I should talk about another book since Revival has been beaten like a dead horse (variant/sketch cover pun intended)

 

 

For the record and for all the speculators who are frumpy with me. My personal belief is ToT is the one to own in high grade .

 

I think Revival could get there, but its got a long way to go. 18,000 print run is a negative, so if you believe in Revival long term, get you some variants.

 

 

[eisley-migration]

oh, and in case someone doesnt understand that buying from LCS and flipping for profit is the definition of Arbitrage, here is the definition of Arbitrage.

 

If you are going to do something, might as well understand it in the broader context of its pros/cons and limitations, right?

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arbitrage

 

 

[mschmidt]

>>means comments like yours<<

 

Well, it certainly is a comment, BUT it's also a fact.

Revival #1 3rd printing is going to backorder at Diamond almost a week before it's release.

 

Also. I don't know how much you know about Image or their creator owned publishing mechanics, BUT creators pay for their own printing. on new material a lot of these guys do not have the deepest pockets to let the presses run wild.

 

( Pssst: I am a retailer. It's my job to hype comics. )

 

Sure - and it's Image's job to ensure that their books are being hyped as much as possible.

 

I don't know how much you know about the printing process, but the cost of printing 6,000 copies of a book versus printing 3,000 copies of a book is negligible - it's much more expensive to do a new print run at a later date with a new cover to boot. I'd be silly to think that Image isn't aware of this - they have a strategy, they follow it and it has proven to be very successful for them.

 

Small print runs = instant sellout = maximum hype.

[eisley-migration]

Sure - and it's Image's job to ensure that their books are being hyped as much as possible.

 

I don't know how much you know about the printing process, but the cost of printing 6,000 copies of a book versus printing 3,000 copies of a book is negligible - it's much more expensive to do a new print run at a later date with a new cover to boot. I'd be silly to think that Image isn't aware of this - they have a strategy, they follow it and it has proven to be very successful for them.

 

Small print runs = instant sellout = maximum hype.

 

The first print run for Revival #1 was over 18,000. Name some Image #1s with larger print runs? (whose release year starts with a 2)

[eisley-migration]

There is one thing, and one thing only, that drives the Image Comic speculation, and its walking dead. Everyone is chasing the "next one".

 

But, people often forget that to be the "next walking dead" you must by definition be bound by walking dead as an upper limit for value.

 

Unless you think Revival is going to be turned into a show, picked up, produced, and have a bigger impact than WD on pop culture, it must necessarily be bounded by it.

 

[mschmidt]

Sure - and it's Image's job to ensure that their books are being hyped as much as possible.

 

I don't know how much you know about the printing process, but the cost of printing 6,000 copies of a book versus printing 3,000 copies of a book is negligible - it's much more expensive to do a new print run at a later date with a new cover to boot. I'd be silly to think that Image isn't aware of this - they have a strategy, they follow it and it has proven to be very successful for them.

 

Small print runs = instant sellout = maximum hype.

 

The first print run for Revival #1 was over 18,000. Name some Image #1s with larger print runs? (whose release year starts with a 2)

 

I'm not talking about 1st prints - I'm referring to Image's strategy of doing tiny print runs for any subsequent reprints (instead of just doing a 2nd print with, say, half the print run of issue #1).

 

But, sure - off the top of my head I'd say that Artifacts, the most recent Darkness series, Haunt, Image United, Infinite and Saga all had print runs larger than 18k for issue #1.

[Prince Namor]

According to Eric Stephenson at Image, in an interview I read on Tom Spurgeon's website last month, it is expensive to do second and third prints. Now, he didn't state the reasons WHY, but I can assume, based on Image's business model the reasons, because what Michael says as far as the cost is probably accurate.

Most creators who do a book with Image are into it with thier own money, and they don't have income coming in from the first issue until after the third issue. Which means that regardless of selling 18,000 copies of #1, and the money and time it took them to do it, they're not going to see a penny of it until after issue #3.

Any 2nd or 3rd prints of #1 are going to require more money out of their own pocket, that they hope to recoup down the line (though even further down the line than after issue #3).

So print run is predicated by orders. They're working with a tight budget.

Sure, it looks nice to have that 'It sold out!' hype, but no publisher with any kind of common sense is going to short change themselves on sales. The secondary market doesn't benefit THEM.

 

For a 'reader', the phrase 'this sold out!' doesn't hold as much value as, 'this is a really, really good book'. For a retailer or speculator, the phrase 'this sold out' means everything. For a publisher, the 'reader' is much more important than the 'speculator'. The 'reader' is more likely to stay with the book and pick it up month after month. The speculator is out by the 2nd or 3rd issue.

 

How many Image books are holding on because of hype? How many have broken that issue #10 barrier thanks to all of the hype?

 

It seems to me, that the healthiest way for a book to grow and gain a following is by NOT having heavy speculation on it, and instead have it grow month to month through readership. The early hype, though leading to additional sales and income for the creators, also creates a barrier for new readers who don't want to pay $10 for a 1st issue, and have to WAIT for a 2nd print or 3rd print.

 

As a publisher, that WAIT is deadly. It's a market over saturated with choices. There is no shortage of AVX or New 52 on the stands. The WAIT means that someone is going to choose another book that day and then who knows when they might buy the Image book or if they buy it?

 

Any short printing, to try and build hype, in this market, in this hobby, would be suicide.

Buying habits are way too fickle and fragmented.