OP
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I wish this was the first time I had done that. I've... So many... Skins
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I wish this was the first time I had done that. I've... So many... Skins
OP
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Snyder himself checked out after Death Metal.
Anyway, I think it's better than Metal or Death Metal. If it's all you've got left, you might as well.
Anyway, I think it's better than Metal or Death Metal. If it's all you've got left, you might as well.
da list
Dark Ages #1
Infinite Frontier #5
Sinister War #4
Was definitely looking forward to the GL annual this week but alas. I'm expecting that I'll want to read more about Yellow Jess than what's going on in GL proper. I'm guessing Thorne will be on for like two years and maybe it'll improve but I think it's safe to say that DC's Jo/John push is not working with the current title.
Dark Ages #1
Infinite Frontier #5
Sinister War #4
Was definitely looking forward to the GL annual this week but alas. I'm expecting that I'll want to read more about Yellow Jess than what's going on in GL proper. I'm guessing Thorne will be on for like two years and maybe it'll improve but I think it's safe to say that DC's Jo/John push is not working with the current title.
I'm enjoying Jo's story in GL. John's is okay.
LIST!!!
Aquaman 80th Anniversary 100-Page Super Spectacular #1 (maybe)
Batman/Superman 2021 Annual #1
Infinite Frontier #5
Midnighter 2021 Annual #1
Wonder Girl #3
LIST!!!
Aquaman 80th Anniversary 100-Page Super Spectacular #1 (maybe)
Batman/Superman 2021 Annual #1
Infinite Frontier #5
Midnighter 2021 Annual #1
Wonder Girl #3
Cool, I'll finish it out then. There's no way I'm touching Death Metal, even if some of it looked cool.
I have the hottest of hot takes...
(Might not be very hot actually since I know a lot here wait for trades / omnibus / etc)
...I don't like monthly issues. Much like with tv shows, I prefer to binge something than wait X amount of time for the next chapter. Most of the time I just forgot what happened tbh (I'm ooooold), and even if I didn't, waiting just breaks the flow of the story.
There, I said it!
(Might not be very hot actually since I know a lot here wait for trades / omnibus / etc)
...I don't like monthly issues. Much like with tv shows, I prefer to binge something than wait X amount of time for the next chapter. Most of the time I just forgot what happened tbh (I'm ooooold), and even if I didn't, waiting just breaks the flow of the story.
There, I said it!
This hasn't been a hot take since like 2003.
Single issues are stinky.
Comics would be much better if they ditched the single issue format and came out as more affordable volumes.
They desperately need to be less expensive and easier for the average person to pick up and get into.
They desperately need to be less expensive and easier for the average person to pick up and get into.
I do wonder why the model hasn't changed yet. There must be tons of market research poured into this.
It's not as simple as "make it manga", for a long time we only got collected volumes of series that not only got printed in individual chapters in an anthology magazine but then got sold in collected volumes in Japan, the money had already been made. Then there's a conversation about the work health hazards of manga versus the ones in comics where to pump work out for their deadlines manga artists tend to put themselves through a lot of strain, and apparently we're not that much better at that anyway or at least some of you are happy to tell me that.
Like the "ideal" sales model to me seems to me (a person with zero understanding of business, mind you) digital sales of individual issues and then collected volumes in print, but then I guess digital comics aren't actually that big?
Yeah that's exactly the same as what I proposed a while ago. Digital singles plus collected physical volumes.
But I kinda think now that it wouldn't work. I don't know where/how to find out sales data for digital comics but like you say I get the impression that they aren't strong.
I think comics are just too expensive. They need to be cheaper. And they also need better marketing.
Tons of great comics that most people would never even know they exist.
But then you have DC continually raises prices. Feels like they have no idea what they are doing.
Oh she does mostly kids comics I guess.
Raina Telgemeier - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
Seems like her work is popular?
More kids reading graphic novels just means more potential older readers in the future.
I'm saying it's maybe not a comics issue, it's an issue for this specific distribution model.
Do we have any sense of whether DC's had much success with their push to appeal to kids/YA with their original graphic novels that are separate from normal continuity. It certainly seems like a smart play, but I wonder how the sales are.
I agree. LCS, with some exceptions, have poisoned the well enough that people who are not adult men don't feel welcome. The sooner comics companies recognize that LCS are part of the problem rather than part of the solution the better. Lean into digital even if comics shops protest. Keep doing things at Target/Walmart even if comics shops protest. Focus more on graphic novels to sell at bookstores even if comics shops complain. There is no long-term future in LCS, so if the publishers want to let their support for them continue to drag them down as the demographics of floppy buyers continues to shrink then that seems like a dumb play to me.
I don't care if they keep it or not, I think single issues are fine. I just don't think they should be the primary focus for publishers. You can also still sell single issues digitally (and at a lower price) if LCS don't have a major say in every decision that publishers make.
Other countries release single installments of a story expect you aren't paying an outrageous amount for just that, you're buying a while shitton of other single installments of stories at the same time.
Like does any other country's comic scene work like this? Not just Asia but in Europe as well.
Single issues are also much more viable in other countries as they're not limited to specialty shops. Want Shonen Jump in Japan - get it at any bookstore, convenience store (where there are typically 2-3 per block in most heavily populated areas), etc... That's quite different than the US where you have to go to a place where many people don't feel welcomed and put up with gatekeeping BS.
I see this sometimes get blamed on the speculator boom, but I swear I remember reading comics didn't leave newsstands and convenience stores willingly; other, more lucrative avenues of profit wanted in and comics were lesser, so they got driven into specialty stores.
Also, Shonen Jump paper is really low quality in order to compensate for the cost. They're basically designed to be as disposable as newspapers.
Ultimately the single-issue comic will go the way of the newspaper strip - present, but increasingly marginalized by more modern, more profitable, more popular means of publication.
Like, there's always going to be new issues of the big names coming out. I'd bet that the publication of the "Batman" monthly periodical is going to outlive most people here. But it's going to be even more of a relic than it already is, as talent and IPs move to greener pastures.
Like, there's always going to be new issues of the big names coming out. I'd bet that the publication of the "Batman" monthly periodical is going to outlive most people here. But it's going to be even more of a relic than it already is, as talent and IPs move to greener pastures.
I think this is a crucial factor: we see comics as collectibles and valuable when they're supposed to be disposable. You're supposed to read an issue and then toss it in the trash and you're really only supposed to read the issue that's out now instead of worry about one from 20 years ago, but since the 00s the graphic novel market has changed it so that comics can be released in permanent avenues and it's easier than ever to read old stuff because that disposable pop fiction is Al Ewing's favourite part of the Hulk so now that he's writing the Hulk he's going to fit it in and if you want to know exactly what happened then go read old Hulk comics.
I wonder if the average reader would prefer lower quality paper/printing to save $1 per issue? I have to imagine that the cost is prohibitive to a lot of possible readers. Many forms of entertainment have become cheaper over time (when you factor in inflation), but comics have gone up a fair amount.
The Increasing Cost of Being a Comic Book Fan vs. Inflation
Editor's Note: This piece was originally published February 24, 2012. Like many of you, I have to struggle to live within my budget. And a big part of that has meant cutting down the number of comi...
www.scifipulse.net
The big two bemoan the lack of younger readers and recognize it's a problem for the long-term health of the industry but other than Marvel leaning into Scholastic book sales and DC focusing on child/YA OGNs they don't seem to really do anything meaningful to try to address the issue. When they do try something like the Walmart books that DC put out then LCS owners throw a tantrum and the publishers cave.
They can start by getting rid of the arbitrary 3 month wait for a TPB. Just release them digitally immediately once the last issue of what is going to be in the TBP is available.
They can get rid of the single issues all together as far as I'm concerned and just release a TPB 3 or 4 times a year. That might be easier on the creators too.
And make comixology unlimited and DCU available in other countries.
They can get rid of the single issues all together as far as I'm concerned and just release a TPB 3 or 4 times a year. That might be easier on the creators too.
And make comixology unlimited and DCU available in other countries.
I'd say pricing is only one barrier to entry. The other is how confusing chronology can be in a lot of cases. It's not always as easy for the layman as "pick up something that looks interesting and start reading."
Yeah, her OGNs are hugely popular. I've read a few, they're really good.
Nothing smells better than those Image Deluxe Hardovers.
Sure. But you know how long it takes this industry to change. They still can't stop themselves from abusing women.
Yeah, but you know what would be great? Getting rid of single issues. Just sell people complete story arcs!
That's not exactly a shocking revelation. Maybe Dog Man should join the Avengers so that book could get a sales boost.
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Kids love her books.
Numbers that other comics can only dream of.
The only thing rivaling it is Dogman.
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