The [irrational & annoying] price of comics.

[E]

Re: The rising price of comics.

Awesome news from Bleeding Cool:

Marvel, Disney And The $1.99 Comic Book

Follow me here.

Marvel publishing makes millions.

Marvel films and related licensing can, over time, make billions.

Marvel films' success are based, in part, by the good feeling towards their comics, the media buy in of the fans buzz, the A-list actors willing to take lower salaries to be in something cool, the genuine enthusiast experience that is infectious to the mass market.

If the comics get too expensive, the casual fans may drift away. Marvel may make more money at a higer price point, but with less readers, and less buzz. Which, eventually, may impact on the movies and licensing.

However, what if Disney was premptive? What if Disney want to do something that makes a big impact on the comics business. It may make less money, it may cost them in instant revenue, but it also may reignite the kind of buzz that will help the slew of Marvel and Marvel-related films and merchandise.

What if the comics, rather than creeping towards the $3.99 price, suddenly dropped. To $1.99. Across the board. Sales would rocket, market share would sour, other publishers would be squeezed off the shelves, plastic rings or no plastic rings, comics revenue would fall. But buzz would increase, increase, increase.

It might even just save the direct market.

Naturally such a publisher would need deep pockets to do this on a mass scale.

Oh, it's Disney.

Lose a million, make a billion. I understand this approach is seriously being discussed at the publisher.

And suddenly Vampirella and Fell won't seem that special…

And it might just make Marvel's reluctance to go below $1.99 for digital downloads of single issues moot, and see them support the 99 cent model rapidly becoming the norm…

While I could understand the worry that this devalues the comics and makes them less important in the development and maintenance of a character, I don't think that would be the case. ESPECIALLY in a down economy.

 

[Captain Canuck]

Re: The rising price of comics.

Sales would rocket, market share would sour, other publishers would be squeezed off the shelves

somehow that got messed up when you quoted it.

it's supposed to be

Sales would rocket, market share would soar, other publishers would be squeezed off the shelves

and is this just a 'what if?' kind a deal?

 

[E]

Re: The rising price of comics.

and is this just a 'what if?' kind a deal?

Doesn't sound like it. FTA:

I understand this approach is seriously being discussed at the publisher.

 

[Captain Canuck]

Re: The rising price of comics.

oh , i guess i skimmed over that line.

Well that's cool.

But who is this guy that he's privy to such info?

 

[Ice]

Re: The rising price of comics.

Hmmm. Interesting.

 

[J. Agamemnon]

Re: The rising price of comics.

Hmmm. Interesting.

Hmm, yes indeed my good man.

*puffpuff*

 

[Ultimate Houde]

Re: The rising price of comics.

+1

 

[ProjectX2]

Re: The rising price of comics.

It's an attractive idea to consumers but probably not to retailers as I believe they get a percentage and not a specific amount.

It's a shame that if this happened DC would probably be blown away as I feel their product at the moment is of a higher quality than Marvel's. Hopefully the Disney deal will change this though.

If prices do decrease, Marvel should be able to focus on quality of ongoing titles and be able to give new titles a greater chance (poor Captain Britain, if only it had kept going for another few months, it might still be alive today!)

 

[E]

Re: The rising price of comics.

It's an attractive idea to consumers but probably not to retailers as I believe they get a percentage and not a specific amount.

I think the bigger point is that this would be a move to strengthen the digital download market. So I'm not sure Disney/Marvel would be too upset about the retailers' opinions, even though it means a very large percentage of them would be driven out of business.

Also, I'm pretty sure that most retailers don't earn a ton on new issues and make a majority of their money on back issues, so maybe it wouldn't affect them as much as we/they might think. They operate as collectible resellers, not newsstands.

It's a shame that if this happened DC would probably be blown away as I feel their product at the moment is of a higher quality than Marvel's. Hopefully the Disney deal will change this though.

I think they would adapt. It would force them to. They would need to change their business model to match - use the books to promote and build hype for the character and not as the main vehicle for earning money for those characters.

 

[E]

Re: The rising price of comics.

From i09:

Wondering how important movies are to Marvel? Without an Iron Man or Hulk this summer, profits fell a stunning 60% for the company's 3rd quarter of the year when compared with the same period last year. Should Disney be worried?

The company's net income dropped from $50.6 million to (a still impressive, let's face it) $20.4 million in Q3 of 2009, and it's not just down to the lack of a movie in theaters; earnings in every department, surprisingly including publishing, were down compared with the same period last year.

So, should Mickey and his friends be worried? Not panicking, perhaps, but the drop in publishing is concerning; while last summer had Marvel Comics' Secret Invasion mega-epic, this year has seen both an increase in the prices of individual issues as well as the volume of releases and successful "mini-events" like Dark Avengers/X-Men, Dark Reign, the relaunch of the Ultimate line and Captain America: Reborn, which most would've thought should've kept earnings level at least. Is this just another sign that Marvel's strength is now movie making and IP library? And if so, what happens if future movies are more Hulk or X-Men Origins: Wolverine than Iron Man?

Emphasis mine.

 

[E]

Re: The rising price of comics.

I was just rereading through this thread because it's an interesting subject to me and came across a couple of things...

Also... "I remember handing a comic book to an executive who was dumbfounded that we could produce it for $2.99."
I'm guessing that this executive never has a problem making the rent.

The idea that a price increase is in ANY way related to this experience he had demonstrates that Joe Q. has no business having any part in decisions like this. That is such a remarkably stupid statement to make that I can't believe he would say it. First of all, what does this nameless executive know about publishing? I think it's telling that Q didn't say what kind of executive it is.

Second, the executives that DO know that you can produce it for $2.99 know how you do it, so what difference does it make if this guy doesn't understand how?

And third, Just because one guy thinks it should cost more doesn't mean the industry can support it or won't collapse under itself under the weight of price increases that nobody can afford, and this is what I've been saying since this was rumored to be taking place.

If they want to increase their revenue, why don't they just charge more for the ads in the comics? That's how newspapers make money.

This is an excellent point, and I'd be willing to bet that when Disney/Marvel was discussing the $1.99 option the idea was to start treating comics like magazines, which rely mostly on advertising revenue and offers very cheap subscription rates just to pump up subscriber numbers which they sell to the companies who advertise in their magazines. Individual issues of magazines are generally expensive but there are other factors that come into play - the goal is to get people to subscribe so they can prove to advertisers how many people will be seeing the ads, and they will give cut-rate deals to subscribers to achieve this.

It's an interesting idea and there's no reason why it wouldn't work, because magazines are cheap to produce and I'd imagine that comics are even cheaper. Not to mention the things you can do with the characters in merchandising and movies that magazines can't do.

 

[Random]

Re: The rising price of comics.

This is an excellent point, and I'd be willing to bet that when Disney/Marvel was discussing the $1.99 option the idea was to start treating comics like magazines, which rely mostly on advertising revenue and offers very cheap subscription rates just to pump up subscriber numbers which they sell to the companies who advertise in their magazines. Individual issues of magazines are generally expensive but there are other factors that come into play - the goal is to get people to subscribe so they can prove to advertisers how many people will be seeing the ads, and they will give cut-rate deals to subscribers to achieve this.

It's an interesting idea and there's no reason why it wouldn't work, because magazines are cheap to produce and I'd imagine that comics are even cheaper. Not to mention the things you can do with the characters in merchandising and movies that magazines can't do.

Reading this I wonder if it would be the advertisers not wanting to pay more, because unlike magazines readers are more likely to gloss over comic ads because they interrupt the story. Ads in magazines are between articles and not in the middle. So really how much can they be worth. Just a thought, I agree with E that should be their first option

 

[Captain Canuck]

Re: The rising price of comics.

This is an excellent point, and I'd be willing to bet that when Disney/Marvel was discussing the $1.99 option the idea was to start treating comics like magazines, which rely mostly on advertising revenue and offers very cheap subscription rates just to pump up subscriber numbers which they sell to the companies who advertise in their magazines. Individual issues of magazines are generally expensive but there are other factors that come into play - the goal is to get people to subscribe so they can prove to advertisers how many people will be seeing the ads, and they will give cut-rate deals to subscribers to achieve this.

thanks!

The only problem I have with the subscription idea is that the year that I subscribed to Marvel comics they almost always came in less than great condition (bent, wrinkled, one had a hole in it) and they were ALWAYS a few weeks late.

 

[E]

Re: The rising price of comics.

Reading this I wonder if it would be the advertisers not wanting to pay more, because unlike magazines readers are more likely to gloss over comic ads because they interrupt the story. Ads in magazines are between articles and not in the middle. So really how much can they be worth. Just a thought, I agree with E that should be their first option

It's a good point but there certainly could be some experimentation done with page layout. And as someone who does work in advertising - if a company complains about lack of response in ads, 99% of the time it's because the ad sucks.

thanks!

The only problem I have with the subscription idea is that the year that I subscribed to Marvel comics they almost always came in less than great condition (bent, wrinkled, one had a hole in it) and they were ALWAYS a few weeks late.

I didn't mean that publishers should push comic subscriptions more. I've never heard a single story of a subscriber being satisfied with comic subscriptions. They constantly run late and comics are not packaged properly. The whole process needs to be overhauled or even done away with.

I meant more that they should treat the production and marketing of comics more like a publisher treats magazine subscriptions, in that your push for money is in advertising (or maybe "extras" like variants or special covers, which I don't think people would have a problem with if they are given the CHOICE on whether or not to buy them) and in getting as many people as possible to READ the comic - not making money from the selling of the comic to the reader.

This also does wonders for merchandising and movies, TV shows, etc. because you have a much broader and larger reader base.

 

[Zombipanda]

Re: The rising price of comics.

It's a good point but there certainly could be some experimentation done with page layout. And as someone who does work in advertising - if a company complains about lack of response in ads, 99% of the time it's because the ad sucks.

I wonder if the problem might be in finding advertisers who are willing to advertise in comics. It seems to me that with DC and Marvel, they have a pretty high proportion of in-house ads.

I meant more that they should treat the production and marketing of comics more like a publisher treats magazine subscriptions, in that your push for money is in advertising (or maybe "extras" like variants or special covers, which I don't think people would have a problem with if they are given the CHOICE on whether or not to buy them) and in getting as many people as possible to READ the comic - not making money from the selling of the comic to the reader.

This also does wonders for merchandising and movies, TV shows, etc. because you have a much broader and larger reader base.

Product placement!

"Truth, Justice, and the Coldest Beer in the World, Brewed with Pure Rocky Mountain Spring Water!"

"The Night Is Mine! So is this boxed set of 24 Season Five!"

"With Great Power comes Great Responsibility! That's why I only use State Farm for my auto and home insurance needs. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there!"

"HULK SMASH PUNY MAN LIKE WAL-MART SMASH COMPETITOR'S PRICES!"

 

[Captain Canuck]

Re: The rising price of comics.

I didn't mean that publishers should push comic subscriptions more. I've never heard a single story of a subscriber being satisfied with comic subscriptions. They constantly run late and comics are not packaged properly. The whole process needs to be overhauled or even done away with.

I meant more that they should treat the production and marketing of comics more like a publisher treats magazine subscriptions, in that your push for money is in advertising (or maybe "extras" like variants or special covers, which I don't think people would have a problem with if they are given the CHOICE on whether or not to buy them) and in getting as many people as possible to READ the comic - not making money from the selling of the comic to the reader.

This also does wonders for merchandising and movies, TV shows, etc. because you have a much broader and larger reader base.

I see...and agree.

Product placement!

"Truth, Justice, and the Coldest Beer in the World, Brewed with Pure Rocky Mountain Spring Water!"

"The Night Is Mine! So is this boxed set of 24 Season Five!"

"With Great Power comes Great Responsibility! That's why I only use State Farm for my auto and home insurance needs. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there!"

"HULK SMASH PUNY MAN LIKE WAL-MART SMASH COMPETITOR'S PRICES!"

:lol::lol:

 

[fenway]

Re: The rising price of comics.

This is a fascinating thread!

At this stage in my life, I have the most disposable income I've ever had. Therefore, I should be able to spend more on comics. The problem, of course, as mentioned elsewhere, is that there are cheaper ways to preview the medium.

As a young person, I used to treat my comics like collectibles. I had every Amazing Spider-man issue from 100 to 220 (and several from the 40 to 99 range). Those comics WERE, as it turned out, collectible.

95% of the comics I buy NOW, however, have priced/marketed themselves out of collectability (sp?). Most $3 and $4 comics I buy can't fetch a dollar a few months down the road. Why? I don't have the 1:00 variant of the comic - I'm like the other 99 fools who enjoy the story.

...so the medium itself has ruined its own collectability, interested only in short term gain (variant covers, re-numbering, etc), and taught actual fans to seek out the stories in cheaper (electronic?) formats. If I like what I see, I'll invest in the monthlies, and collections.... Raising the price is just eliminating my impulse buys, and shortening my tolerance when quality lags (and this is a true FAN of the medium speaking - how many casual buyers are you going to win over??)

This thread is FULL of creative and thoughtful/innovative ideas and solutions. Not just the short-sighted laziness of, 'a 25% increase in price, even though it may force a 24% drop in readership will STILL give us a NET gain'.

 

[E]

Re: The rising price of comics.

As a young person, I used to treat my comics like collectibles. I had every Amazing Spider-man issue from 100 to 220 (and several from the 40 to 99 range). Those comics WERE, as it turned out, collectible.

95% of the comics I buy NOW, however, have priced/marketed themselves out of collectability (sp?). Most $3 and $4 comics I buy can't fetch a dollar a few months down the road. Why? I don't have the 1:00 variant of the comic - I'm like the other 99 fools who enjoy the story.

...so the medium itself has ruined its own collectability, interested only in short term gain (variant covers, re-numbering, etc), and taught actual fans to seek out the stories in cheaper (electronic?) formats. If I like what I see, I'll invest in the monthlies, and collections.... Raising the price is just eliminating my impulse buys, and shortening my tolerance when quality lags (and this is a true FAN of the medium speaking - how many casual buyers are you going to win over??)

Excellent points. Maybe an arguably more important effect on that note is that they are hurting retailers even more. Retailers make their money on those collectible issues, and not much (if any) on new comics. It's a double whammy - the retailers are (or will be) hurt by people dropping books because they can't/won't buy regular expensive issues, and then they destroy the collectible market.

This thread is FULL of creative and thoughtful/innovative ideas and solutions. Not just the short-sighted laziness of, 'a 25% increase in price, even though it may force a 24% drop in readership will STILL give us a NET gain'.

That's what kills me. It's so short sighted that they can't (won't?) see the long term damage they're doing. And it's not even like this is uncharted waters. They've been through this and they barely made it out alive. Now it's run by people who, unlike Ronald Perelman, aren't looking to squeeze every penny out of it and dump the remains.

Some people seem to think that because they are owned by Disney now (or will be - has that officially gone through?) that it won't matter, but if you think a huge corporation is going to be more forgiving of something like this than a comparatively smaller group of shareholders you're out of your mind. They have the characters and could fold the whole thing tomorrow if they wanted to and just pump out films and merchandise.

 

[Victor Von Doom]

Re: The All About Comics Thread 5: Comic Books Ate My Paycheck

In my day....comics only used to cost $2.50 and rap didn't always have some RnB autotune singer on the hook!!!!



Man.....and it's only gonna get worse.

Not that a lot of this matters to those of you who torrent comics, but for those of us who still enjoy the Wednesday ritual of doing up a pull list and making that trip to your LCS it's just another ribshot to worsen the beating on our wallet. I mean basically we're paying for tradition and the experience.

But the article above does bring up some valid questions. The most basic one:

Has the rising price point affecting the way you buy comics?

 

[Ice]

Re: The rising price of comics.

Moved to the perfect place to talk about it.