I was totally hooked until standard issues got to be $1.00. (This was circa 1990.) I was buying at least 30 issues a month, but when the prices began swelling to $1.25 I bailed for more than a decade. I'm back to buying but mostly trades and the occasional bi-monthly issue. Like smoking cigarettes now that they're $7/pack I don't know how people justify it. You just inevitably come to a point where prices outweigh value. I was only ever into the stories. Newsprint was enough for me. I never needed high quality paper and having multiple covers of "collector edition" #1s. It's just exploiting a gullible fanbase, that is all.
Unlike cigarette companies (or illegal drug dealers for that matter) there is a real limit to how deeply comics publishers can gouge their customer base before they smack hard into diminishing returns. I rather suspect they've already long since reached that point, but haven't realized it yet.
Why? Because you cannot download cigarettes illegally for free over the internet, but comics…
BTW, Anonymous 11:08 PM, the reason for the switch from newsprint to better paper had more to do with the fact that newsprint is actually *more* expensive than the nicer paper these days. It's in much, much smaller demand, which drove the price through the roof.
The stories are still the same. Some are good, some suck. And people will always disagree about which is which.
So what you are saying is that the reason that they switched from newsprint to better paper is because they knew that 10-20 in the future newsprint would be more expensive due to them switching over to better paper? That makes total sense. Wait.... no.... that makes ZERO sense. It may be in smaller demand "now", but it wasn't "then". Back in the late 80s the newsprinted comics had half the cover price of the other kind, and that largely had to difference in quality of paper.
Oh, and if what you said was true, Brian, do you seriously think that newspapers to this day would continue to print on newsprint? They wouldn't, especially if there was a cheaper, better quality alternative. So no, sorry but I cannot buy your line of reasoning.
"Come on, man, I need my Manhattan Projects. I know you got them." "The next one comes out in July, you're just going to have to wait." "Don't give me that SHIT, man, I kn-know you got some in the BACK. Just give me them. I'm good for the money. I need that evil science man, I need it BAD."
Ha! I was wondering if there was going to be an it's true tag or not.
ReplyDeleteI would have been profoundly disappointed if it wasn't.
DeleteI was expecting a "mwahahahahaha!" tag.
DeleteCome on, man. You know I'm a little short. Hook me up, man. Man, I got these cheeseburgers. They some double cheeseburgers.
ReplyDeleteI was totally hooked until standard issues got to be $1.00. (This was circa 1990.) I was buying at least 30 issues a month, but when the prices began swelling to $1.25 I bailed for more than a decade. I'm back to buying but mostly trades and the occasional bi-monthly issue. Like smoking cigarettes now that they're $7/pack I don't know how people justify it. You just inevitably come to a point where prices outweigh value. I was only ever into the stories. Newsprint was enough for me. I never needed high quality paper and having multiple covers of "collector edition" #1s. It's just exploiting a gullible fanbase, that is all.
ReplyDeleteUnlike cigarette companies (or illegal drug dealers for that matter) there is a real limit to how deeply comics publishers can gouge their customer base before they smack hard into diminishing returns. I rather suspect they've already long since reached that point, but haven't realized it yet.
DeleteWhy? Because you cannot download cigarettes illegally for free over the internet, but comics…
Yeah, and movies were $3.00 and a gallon of gas was $1.05 and a new house cost $60,000...
DeleteTired of this refrain, grandpa.
Can we get a "jerks" tag for anon@12:54?
DeleteBTW, Anonymous 11:08 PM, the reason for the switch from newsprint to better paper had more to do with the fact that newsprint is actually *more* expensive than the nicer paper these days. It's in much, much smaller demand, which drove the price through the roof.
DeleteThe stories are still the same. Some are good, some suck. And people will always disagree about which is which.
So what you are saying is that the reason that they switched from newsprint to better paper is because they knew that 10-20 in the future newsprint would be more expensive due to them switching over to better paper? That makes total sense. Wait.... no.... that makes ZERO sense. It may be in smaller demand "now", but it wasn't "then". Back in the late 80s the newsprinted comics had half the cover price of the other kind, and that largely had to difference in quality of paper.
DeleteOh, and if what you said was true, Brian, do you seriously think that newspapers to this day would continue to print on newsprint? They wouldn't, especially if there was a cheaper, better quality alternative. So no, sorry but I cannot buy your line of reasoning.
Delete"Come on, man, I need my Manhattan Projects. I know you got them."
ReplyDelete"The next one comes out in July, you're just going to have to wait."
"Don't give me that SHIT, man, I kn-know you got some in the BACK. Just give me them. I'm good for the money. I need that evil science man, I need it BAD."
And on FCBD, the first hit-I-mean-issue is free.
ReplyDeleteFCBD has created a whole new generation of young addicts, and it's about time!
ReplyDeleteHa :D thats why I don't like going to these stores..
ReplyDelete