Monthly Issues vs. TPB's

[Reno McCoy]

I love BroDart. I have a decent collection of HC 1st editions, and believe me, they are protected by this nearly perfect plastic.

[jbud73]

I still like owning the actual comics. 20 years ago if they did TPB's as regularily as they do today and I bought Byrne FF's via TPB's and not the actual comics I would have regretted it today. I guess I'm old school and would rather support the series I have followed since I was a kid.

 

I have resisted buying modern TPBs in favor of the monthlies for some time, perhaps because of habit and tradition, but also because of the perception that they are more "collectible" while the TPBs are pretty much just for reading. But, given all the conveniences that I pointed out above, and given that most Modern books end up as $1 bin fodder a few months after release anyway (i.e., they're really not all that collectible), I think I will be switching over to only buying TPBs by the end of the year, with the possible exception of 1 or 2 titles.

 

Ya Gene the trades are starting to win me over to if the companies are going to write all their stuff in set story arcs, something I am not in favour of but now accept trades are just the logical progression. Because the monthlies cost so much now, because there are so few monthlies that have consistently good story and art, why have any loyaty to them. Sign a good artist and writer, or creative team for 50 issues and I'll buy all 50 of them them. But mostly the team goes in and does its interpretation and is gone. This is not the case with all comics, funny the ones where the ceative team stays for longer persiods of time seem to be better but it is becoming the norm.

 

I also like that I can read the end of the previous trade,without having to open up a few bags and boards and then put them back. I can pull the previous off the shelf flp through a few pages get my bearings and read the new trade.

[john72tex]

The only time I buy trades are when I don't want to damage the original issues such as my Frank Miller autographed Dark Knight Returns set.

[Stromm]

I'm afraid TPBs are the future unless something extraordinary occurs and the general public suddenly embraces the monthlies. People like their entertainment spoonfed to them with little to no activity required other than their attention. Monthlies are too much of a monetary and acquisitional hassle for the entertainment provided in today's world. A TPB gives them a done-in-one story with one trip to the bookstore vs. 6 to a comics store for the same story. Even as a die-hard monthly collector, I know the former prospect sounds appealing when you look at it this way...

 

Jim

I agree, TPB's are going to be the future of comics, and here is a start,

 

Marvel has informed us that Combat Zone the three issue miniseries recounting true stories of soldiers in Iraq has been cancelled.

 

Instead, the material will be collected and presented as an original graphic novel which will go on sale in July.

[fable]

Trades are good in certain prestige cases - there is a lovely LOEG hardback and i love the leather bound DKR - i am also looking for the Watchmen titan hardback which is lovely - apart from that they are compilations of originals and as such i will stick to the original issues.

[Dr_Neff]

I think that the Trade Paperback is the wave of the future, in that the publisher can retain more of the money brought in. This way the single issue market at the secondary level is omitted and the publisher makes money off sales of all the books instead of allowing the middle men to make all the money. Each subsequent printing is more money for the publisher. Royalties can get to the creative teams, instead of being lost in private sales between collectors.

 

Additionally, I love to read a story series arc beginning to end in one sitting

 

For my own personal archival storage I am leaning toward binding my favorite groups of comics, ie.. Byrne Iron Fist , into hardcover with gold lettering. It's less than $20.00 in my area and awfully attractive on the old bookshelf!

[shrunkenhead]

I pick up a lot of trades, even for issues that I already have as I like to flip through them without fear of dinging up the corners or whatever. I picked up the Hush trades even though I have all the issues, just because I can take it to the beach or wherever without being anal about it (unless you want to make an argument that it's anal to buy both trade and monthly of the same book, in which case I have no defense ). I also like to flip through the Hush trades from time to time just to take a quick gander at the artwork, and it's much easier to just grab them off the bookshelf as opposed to digging them up out of the longbox, taking them out of the bag, etc.

 

It may seem weird, but for that reason I kinda like that trades are not "investment" books and are meant to be read and read only.

[awe4one]

It may seem weird, but for that reason I kinda like that trades are not "investment" books and are meant to be read and read only.

 

Nothing weird about it at all, the same concept was used with comics at one time...

 

Who knows...people may start looking at original trades the same way in the future. Though I doubt they will have the collectibility of the pamphlets...

 

Jim