Moderns that are heating up on ebay! 71 71

[HugeRosen]

Wasn't Thief of Thieves around 18K?

[Prince Namor]

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.

 

If there ever is a NEXT Walking Dead, odds are it won't be a book that's sellIng for $10 a week after its released, but something the speculators are unsure of at first.

[boymeetscomics-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.

 

If there ever is a NEXT Walking Dead, odds are it won't be a book that's sellIng for $10 a week after its released, but something the speculators are unsure of at first.

 

I agree. For any book to be the next Walking Dead, it needs to hit the mainstream and stay in the mainstream and become a pop culture on its own.... not riding the coattails of another hit.

[eisley-migration]

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.

 

 

agree across the board, well put. Nice to see long thought out responses, even better if I happen to agree

[eisley-migration]

Wasn't Thief of Thieves around 18K?

 

 

I went and checked

 

ToT was 17,800

 

oh and saga was like 37000ish

[eisley-migration]

 

I agree. For any book to be the next Walking Dead, it needs to hit the mainstream and stay in the mainstream and become a pop culture on its own.... not riding the coattails of another hit.

 

good point, and technically, we dont know if Walking Dead is even Walking Dead () long term.

 

It will be interesting to see how it holds up a few years after the show is done.

 

 

Eitherway, its certainly the measuring stick and the model. If books like ToTs manage to follow in its footsteps, (which i think it will), will be interesting to compare their value as a function of print runs, and of looking at how the variants do.

Edited September 14, 2012 by eisley

[Nico Esq]

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.

 

If there ever is a NEXT Walking Dead, odds are it won't be a book that's sellIng for $10 a week after its released, but something the speculators are unsure of at first.

 

Agreed. I'm also confident that it won't be a zombie book.

[Pinky Lee Zepplin]

Agreed. I'm also confident that it won't be a zombie book.

 

As far as I can tell, Revival isn't a Zombie book. We don't know what's going on yet.

[krighton]

Peter panzerfaust

[LarrysComics]

Hey Chuck,

 

It seems to me, that the healthiest way for a book to grow and gain a following is by positive word of mouth , that makes it grow month to month.

 

readers.

retailers.

collectors.

speculators.

bums in a alley.

 

Doesn't matter.

Buzz sells comics.

 

 

 

Edited September 15, 2012 by LarrysComics

[fastballspecial]

Peter panzerfaust

 

I can be wrong here and you feel free to make me eat my words later if I am, but it aint going to be this book. I would take my money and run. I read this book and unless it got dramatically better after issue 3 it was ho hum. Its not reader interest pushing this book. Its the BBC series and low print run. Could be a monster overseas if everything aligns like maybe a new Doctor Who. I can understand betting on this book though I see the rationale.

 

 

 

Edited September 15, 2012 by Fastballspecial

[LarrysComics]

We have been hand selling Revival for months as an "anti zombie book."

[fastballspecial]

We have been hand selling Revival for months as an "anti zombie book."

 

Interesting sales pitch. I would put it next to any Hack Slash books you have and say "If you like this you might like this too" and have them next to each other.

[ItsJustRyan]

Hi-ya Fellas!

 

Whatcha been discussing for the past 50 posts?

 

Is there some Revival hatin' going on?

 

 

[LarrysComics]

The concept statement ALONE caused me to pull the trigger & order the most copies of Peter Panzerfaust of any retailer.

 

Peter Pan vs Nazi's. THAT'S cool as mess.

 

The book itself underwhelmed. Mediocre at best. I was bored after #1.

Best of luck, but it better get to Peter Pan vs Nazi's FAST.

 

 

 

 

[eisley-migration]

Peter panzerfaust

 

i've got some of that too, i still think ToT will be the one that actually makes it. BBC = fail. But the low print run is a good plus for that one.

[eisley-migration]

Peter panzerfaust

 

I can be wrong here and you feel free to make me eat my words later if I am, but it aint going to be this book. I would take my money and run. I read this book and unless it got dramatically better after issue 3 it was ho hum. Its not reader interest pushing this book. Its the BBC series and low print run. Could be a monster overseas if everything aligns like maybe a new Doctor Who. I can understand betting on this book though I see the rationale.

 

 

 

agreed, going to keep one set I slab myself, cause I didnt over pay, but i dont see anything british making it beyond niche long term. Even if it were Doctor Who popular, which is best case scenario, that still aint going to cut it imo.

 

But, if I had Chew books I'd be selling them too. For those that want me to eat my words later, y'all can quote it.

 

ToTs is the one worth paying for if you missed the boat.

[krighton]

Peter pan has a lower print run than chew.....if bbc were fail it wouldnt be pushing $60 raw.... peter pan transcends normal market trends.....

[Prince Namor]

Hey Chuck,

 

It seems to me, that the healthiest way for a book to grow and gain a following is by positive word of mouth , that makes it grow month to month.

 

readers.

retailers.

collectors.

speculators.

bums in a alley.

 

Doesn't matter.

Buzz sells comics.

 

 

 

I agree that positive word of mouth is very important.

But financial speculation attracts a different customer than positive word of mouth.

Financial speculation doesn't bring a long term reader to a book in MOST instances. It creates a false impression and eventual view of under performance. And that's regardless of if the book is actually good or not, because that wasn't the reason it was purchased in the first place.

It brought a lot of buyers into shops in the 90's and changed the way many customers bought during that time and it almost crippled the industry...

Well I could go on, but whatever.

I agree that positive word of mouth is very important and the healthiest way for a book to grow.

[fastballspecial]

Peter pan has a lower print run than chew.....if bbc were fail it wouldnt be pushing $60 raw.... peter pan transcends normal market trends.....

 

Do you really believe that? Or is that the investor side of you talking your rational side out of being right?